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Pope makes surprise festival appearance with peace plea
Posted on 02/12/2025 02:20 AM (CNA Daily News)

CNA Newsroom, Feb 11, 2025 / 21:20 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis made a surprise appearance via video message at Italy’s premier musical event on Tuesday, telling participants at the 75th Sanremo Music Festival that music represents a message of peace capable of uniting diverse peoples.
Speaking from his residence at Casa Santa Marta in an unscheduled appearance, the pontiff praised music’s unique ability to transcend barriers.
“Music is beauty, music is an instrument of peace. It is a language that all peoples speak in different ways, reaching everyone’s heart,” the pope said in his message broadcast at the Teatro Ariston.
The Holy Father specifically addressed the plight of children affected by global conflicts.
“Many children cannot sing life — they weep and suffer because of the many injustices in the world, because of many wars, because of conflict situations,” Francis said. “Wars destroy children. Let us never forget that war is always a defeat.”
Francis concluded his message by meditating on music’s power to promote harmony among peoples.
“Music can help people live together, opening hearts to harmony and the joy of being together, with a common language of understanding that commits us to building a more just and fraternal world,” the pope said.
The Sanremo Music Festival, Italy’s most prominent song competition, has been held annually in the Ligurian coastal city since 1951. This year’s edition marks its 75th anniversary.
The festival traditionally serves as Italy’s selection platform for the Eurovision Song Contest and has launched the careers of numerous Italian music stars.
U.S. bishops ask Pope Francis for prayers to build better immigration system
Posted on 02/11/2025 23:44 PM (CNA Daily News)

CNA Staff, Feb 11, 2025 / 18:44 pm (CNA).
The president of the U.S. bishops’ conference has responded to Pope Francis’ letter to the bishops regarding the country’s latest drive to deport unauthorized immigrants, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding human dignity and the goal of building a humane system of immigration.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) thanked Pope Francis for his “prayerful support” and asked for the Holy Father to pray for the U.S. to improve its immigration system, protect communities, and safeguard human dignity.
“Boldly I ask for your continued prayers so that we may find the courage as a nation to build a more humane system of immigration, one that protects our communities while safeguarding the dignity of all,” Broglio wrote.
The letter was in response to Pope Francis’ Feb. 10 letter in which the Holy Father urged the U.S. to evaluate the justness of its policies in the light of human dignity and highlighted the inherent dignity of migrants.
Broglio, in turn, highlighted the importance of centering the issue on Christ.
“As successor to St. Peter, you call not only every Catholic but every Christian to what unites us in faith — offering the hope of Jesus Christ to every person, citizen and immigrant alike,” Broglio wrote on behalf of all the country’s bishops. “In these times of fear and confusion, we must be ready to answer our Savior’s question, ‘What have you done for the least of these?’”
Pope Francis in his letter proposed that a “rightly formed conscience” would disagree with associating the illegal status of some migrants with criminality, while at the same time he affirmed a nation’s right to defend itself from people who have committed violent or serious crimes. Additionally, the Holy Father weighed in on the Catholic concept of “ordo amoris” — “rightly ordered love” — which was recently invoked by Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, in the ongoing debate over the country’s refugee and immigration policies.
Broglio also directly addressed ongoing concerns around the U.S. government’s role in charitable aid. Noting the recent funding pause by the U.S. government, Broglio urged the U.S. and the faithful to support Catholic charity and relief organizations.
“We all turn to the Lord in prayer that families suffering from the sudden withdrawal of aid may find the strength to endure,” Broglio continued. “With you, we pray that the U.S. government keep its prior commitments to help those in desperate need.”
Under the Trump-Vance administration, the U.S. has paused its funding to most national and international charities. This includes Catholic organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities, which have since urged the administration to resume funding.
Meanwhile, the U.S. bishops’ conference last week laid off 50 staff members in its migration and refugee services office, citing a delay in reimbursements from the federal government.
“We also turn to the people of God to ask their mercy and generosity in supporting the Catholic Relief Services national collection this Lent as well as the ‘on the ground’ work of local Catholic Charities organizations so that the void might be filled with the efforts of all,” Broglio wrote.
Broglio concluded by highlighting the importance of fraternity, especially in the jubilee year.
“As we struggle to continue our care for the needy in our midst and the desire to improve the situation in those places from which immigrants come to our shores, we are ever mindful that in them we see the face of Christ,” Broglio wrote. “In this jubilee year, may we build bridges of reconciliation, inclusion, and fraternity.”
Saint John Paul II National Shrine to host exhibit on the Shroud of Turin during Lent
Posted on 02/11/2025 21:50 PM (CNA Daily News)

CNA Staff, Feb 11, 2025 / 16:50 pm (CNA).
Beginning on March 5, the first day of Lent, and running through Easter Sunday, April 20, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., will host an exhibit called “‘Lord, You Could Not Love Me More!’: Saint John Paul II and the Shroud of Turin.”
The exhibit is a response to the beloved saint’s call for greater understanding of and devotion to the shroud — the burial cloth that many believe was used to wrap the body of Christ after his crucifixion.
During a visit to the shroud in 1998 in Turin, Italy, Pope John Paull II said: “The shroud does not hold people’s hearts to itself but turns them to him, at whose service the Father’s loving providence has put it. Therefore, it is right to foster an awareness of the precious value of this image, which everyone sees and no one at present can explain.”
“For every thoughtful person it is a reason for deep reflection, which can even involve one’s life,” he added. “The shroud is thus a truly unique sign that points to Jesus, the true word of the Father, and invites us to pattern our lives on the life of the One who gave himself for us.”
The exhibit will help visitors encounter the mystery of the shroud, its movement in history, the scientific research done to prove its authenticity, and the faithful devotion to all that the shroud reveals about salvation.
The exhibit will also include a replica of the Shroud of Turin on loan from the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, over 30 gallery panels containing images and text, and a sculpture called “The Sign,” which renders a life-size 3D image of the man of the shroud.
Dr. Gilbert Lavoie, a medical expert on the study of the shroud and author of “The Shroud of Jesus: And the Sign John Ingeniously Concealed,” collaborated with sculptor Pablo Eduardo to create the sculpture, which is based on Lavoie’s research.
Lavoie’s current research on the sculpture will also be profiled in the exhibit.
Opening the exhibit during Lent is meant to encourage visitors to more fully participate in the repentance and conversion associated with the penitential season, which John Paul II touched on during his 1998 visit.
“Contemplation of that tortured body helps contemporary man to free himself from the superficiality of the selfishness with which he frequently treats love and sin. Echoing the word of God and centuries of Christian consciousness, the shroud whispers: Believe in God’s love, the greatest treasure given to humanity, and flee from sin, the greatest misfortune in history,” the saint said.
In a press release, Anthony Picarello, executive director of the shrine, said the exhibit “resonates so deeply” with St. John Paul II’s legacy.
“It illustrates how human beings can approach the deepest mysteries fruitfully with faith and reason together, how the human body can express the most radical love, and — especially during Lent — the power of redemptive suffering.”
The shrine’s director of mission and ministry, Grattan Brown, added: “In his pilgrimages to shrines around the world, St. John Paul II often observed that shrines are places where people can step away from their busy lives to deepen their spiritual connection to God. The Shroud of Turin, which may be the burial cloth of Jesus, connects us with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, God’s most loving gift for humanity. It is a joy for the St. John Paul II National Shrine to offer this exhibit so that our pilgrims may experience God’s mercy during Lent.”
Myanmar cathedral bombed days after its establishment: ‘We will rebuild’
Posted on 02/11/2025 21:20 PM (CNA Daily News)

CNA Staff, Feb 11, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).
A newly-designated Catholic cathedral in Myanmar was bombed by the military regime last week amid an ongoing conflict in the region.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Mindat was severely damaged by airstrikes by the Myanmar military regime in Chin, Myanmar’s only Christian-majority state.
Though the damage took place on Feb. 6, news of the bombing has only recently come to light. The church’s roof and stained-glass windows were destroyed, rendering the church unusable, according to Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies. No injuries were reported and the area had recently been evacuated.
Less than two weeks before the bombing, on Jan. 25, Pope Francis designated the church a cathedral for the newly-formed Diocese of Mindat. In the days leading up to the attack, local Catholics were planning upcoming liturgical celebrations, including the consecration of the newly-appointed bishop, Father Augustine Thang Zawm Hung, Fides reported.
The newly-formed Diocese of Mindat has a total population of almost 360,000, with more than 14,000 Catholics and 23 parishes, according to the Holy See.
A local priest, identified as Father Paulinus, told Fides that the faithful are determined to rebuild.
“We are very sad that our church has been hit by the bombs. It is a wound in our heart. But we will not let ourselves be defeated. We will rebuild it,” the local priest said. “We are certain that the Lord will ‘bombard’ us with his grace and blessing: This will bring peace and prosperity to our people.”
Soon after the destruction of the Mindat church, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon urged Catholics to pray for those who were displaced by the violence of the conflict in Myanmar.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has for years been wracked by violent conflict following a military coup at the beginning of 2021 in which the military junta overthrew the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who had promised a new democratic era for the nation. The coup triggered widespread resistance, mass protests, and an escalation of armed conflicts across the country, thrusting Myanmar into its current humanitarian and human rights crisis.
Since 2021, civilian casualties have risen to more than 6,000 according to United Nations estimates, while millions have been displaced. The military junta has killed thousands, detained tens of thousands, and bombed hospitals, schools, and religious buildings. As the local economy has collapsed, the country is on the verge of famine.
The military junta announced an election for 2025 in which only junta-vetted parties may take part.
Since gaining its independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, Myanmar has experienced repeated armed clashes and spent decades under military rule from 1962 to 2011.
Bo has highlighted religious freedom concerns in recent years. While the predominantly Buddhist country protects religious freedom in its constitution, Bo noted that more than 100 places of worship were bombed or damaged in the Southeast Asian country. In April 2024, a Myanmar priest was fatally shot while celebrating Mass in the state of Kachin. The nation has also experienced ethnic-based conflict, with more than 100 distinct ethnic groups in the country. Pope Francis visited Myanmar in 2017 following stories of horrifying human rights abuses of the Rohingya minority, a predominantly Muslim group denied citizenship in Myanmar.
The Chinland Defence Force and other rebels reportedly control a large amount of Myanmar’s northwestern Chin state, where Mindat is located.
Soon after the bombing, Bo called for prayers for Myanmar during an interfaith event, according to Vatican News.
“Let us envision a Myanmar where the divisions of war give way to the unity of peace,” Bo said.
Jesuit Refugee Service says Trump funding freeze will impact more than 100,000 refugees
Posted on 02/11/2025 20:50 PM (CNA Daily News)

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 11, 2025 / 15:50 pm (CNA).
More than 100,000 refugees across the globe who are recipients of critical aid from an international Jesuit nonprofit organization will be negatively impacted in the wake of the Trump administration’s 90-day funding freeze, according to Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) USA.
According to a Feb. 7 document shared with CNA, the funding freeze has “initiated a total work stoppage” for the organization, which provides assistance to refugees and other displaced people across nine countries.
Funding from the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migrants for fiscal year 2025 would have totaled over $18 million, and the funding freeze “could adversely impact 103,000-plus refugees and other forcibly displaced people,” JRS said. In 2024, JRS received $24,049,039 in government funding and $9,224,422 in private donations, according to its financial statements from last year.
JRS was founded by the then-Superior General of the Society of Jesus Father Pedro Arrupe to serve Vietnamese refugees who fled their home country at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Gradually, the Jesuit-run organization grew to accommodate refugees from conflicts around the world. The organization was recognized officially by the Vatican in March 2000.
Since the Trump administration directive halted all foreign aid on Jan. 24 for a 90-day review, Catholic nonprofits internationally that depend on federal funding, such as Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services, are facing a crisis situation.
Despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement that exemptions will be granted for certain “life-saving” programs, the document explained, “there is a lack of understanding and certainty about what this means, so funds are still not flowing.”
JRS USA carries out its operations in Chad, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, South Africa, South Sudan, and Uganda. They provide critical services such as food, medicine, transportation, cash assistance, care for orphans and unaccompanied children, and psychiatric care.
According to information shared with CNA, Chad, Colombia, and Iraq have the largest number of refugees that will be negatively affected by the funding freeze, with more than 160,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries in Chad, some 54,000 in Iraq, and nearly 13,000 in Colombia.
JRS’ country director in Thailand, where over 12,000 refugees are expected to be impacted by the freeze, said in a statement shared with CNA that “the sudden suspension of JRS work with people of concern from Myanmar have left many at high risk of life-altering psychosocial distress.”
“They already found it hard to recover their lost social support network and livelihoods while in exile, and the uncertainty of restarting a life or surviving itself continues to bother them deeply,” the country director, who was not named, added.
The JRS coordinator for an education program center in India said in another statement: “It was once a place of hope, love, and joy, their safe space, but now it is an abandoned center that has an impact on the education of 200+ students.”
“More than 300 [children from Myanmar] rely entirely on JRS to continue their education in the hopes that they will be the ones to bring about change and put an end to the conflict,” the statement continued. “Though some may believe they have no other choices, they are survivors who can shape the future, and they come at the center every day shining.”
The image of Our Lady of Lourdes that’s not there but that everyone sees
Posted on 02/11/2025 20:20 PM (CNA Daily News)

Lima Newsroom, Feb 11, 2025 / 15:20 pm (CNA).
Those who visit the chapel of the Our Lady of Lourdes shrine in the city of Alta Gracia in Córdoba province, Argentina, witness a phenomenon that has no explanation: In the niche that is part of the altarpiece above the altar, an image of the Virgin Mary can be seen although without a doubt the space is empty — there is nothing there.
According to the Argentine news agency AICA, what is seen is not a flat image but rather a relief, a three-dimensional image with folds in the garment. It is also not a psychological illusion resulting from the exaggerated devotion of some pilgrims.
Everyone — believer or not — sees it. Additionally, the image appears in photos taken there. A curious fact is that the image is clearly seen from the front door of the church and then fades as one slowly approaches the altar.
El fenómeno inexplicable de la Virgen de Lourdes en Córdoba: una imagen luminosa y un enigma sin resolver
— Gon Sánchez Rey (@gonsanchezrey1) February 11, 2025
Ocurrió hace 12 años en Alta Gracia, Argentina. De pronto, la imagen de la patrona de los enfermos apareció estampada como un holograma en la hornacina sobre el altar de la… pic.twitter.com/pibKJ5Dz6R
Sources from Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in Alta Gracia told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that although there is no specific statement from the Archdiocese of Córdoba, where the shrine is located, “everything is still the same and there is no new statement.”
Latest from the shrine’s rector
In a Feb. 10 statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Father Pablo Pavone, rector of the shrine, commented that “one discovers, over time, that the Mother of God is not democratic. What do I mean by this? That she does not attend to everyone equally, she is a mother and so she knows each one of her children and knows that they have different needs.”
“Each person comes with his own set of particulars. And if we had to talk about a reason, there are as many reasons as hearts that visit the shrine, and what our Mother does is receive each one and establish a very personal relationship with each one of us,” he continued.
The Argentine priest also noted that “the second thing is the attitude with which we have to come to the shrine, which is a place where one witnesses numerous interventions of the Virgin in response to the person’s faith; and you try to find a common denominator in all this, in all the people who have a powerful experience, it’s the trust with which they come here.”
Pavone emphasized that “here the doors are open for all those who want to come, we invite everyone to come” these days or on another occasion because “the Virgin does not keep a datebook for all of them.”
How did the phenomenon originate?
The chapel of the Virgin of Alta Gracia is located on a large property where in 1916 a replica was dedicated of the Massabielle grotto in Lourdes, France, where the Virgin appeared in 1858 to St. Bernadette Soubirous.
In 1922 a commission was formed to build a chapel near the grotto. The first stone was laid in 1924 and in 1927 the bishop of Córdoba blessed the chapel. For many years there was a statue of Our Lady Lourdes in the center of the church’s altarpiece.
In mid-2011 it was removed from its niche or base to be restored and is currently located at the foot of the niche that was left empty.
One day one of the priests in charge of the shrine was going to close the chapel and from the main door he saw an image that looked like it was made of plaster in the empty space.
He approached several times, and each time he did so he noticed that the image he saw from a certain distance faded. The truth was that there was actually no image, but he saw it.
Because of the phenomenon, visible to anyone, the discalced Carmelite friars of the shrine issued a statement in 2011 noting that “the manifestation of the image of the most holy Virgin Mary has no explanation at the moment.”
“It must be interpreted by the people of God as a sign to increase and deepen the Christian faith and to inspire in the hearts of men conversion to the love of God and their participation in the life of the Church,” they said.
2025 celebrations for Our Lady of Lourdes
This year, tens of thousands of faithful made the 48th pilgrimage on foot to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes during the Argentine summer.
The pilgrims departed last night at 9 p.m. local time from the Plaza de las Américas in Córdoba and arrived around 5:30 a.m. today, Feb. 11, at the shrine in Alta Gracia, a distance of about 25 miles.
A midnight Mass was offered this morning, the rosary of the dawn was prayed at 5:30 a.m., and then a Mass for the pilgrims was celebrated at 6 a.m. by Alejandro Musolino, auxiliary bishop of Córdoba.
At 9 a.m. there was a Mass for the communities and movements, at 11 a.m. another for the families, and at 6 p.m. a Mass for the sick is scheduled to be celebrated by Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi, the archbishop of Córdoba.
At 7 p.m. there will be a procession at the shrine with a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.
This story was first published in 2015 by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been updated by ACI Prensa and translated and adapted by CNA.
U.S. defense secretary pauses allowing transgender troops to enter the military
Posted on 02/11/2025 19:50 PM (CNA Daily News)

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 11, 2025 / 14:50 pm (CNA).
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) will no longer allow those who identify as transgender or struggle with gender dysphoria to enter the United States military and will halt all insurance coverage for transgender medical procedures for service members, such as surgeries and hormones.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum outlining the new policy on Friday, Feb. 7, which was made public on Monday, Feb. 10. The memo comes less than two weeks after President Donald Trump issued an executive order that asserted transgenderism is not compatible with military service.
“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for service members are paused,” Hegseth’s memo read.
The memo includes a footnote, which defines medical procedures to include genital surgeries and any other transgender surgeries that are meant to make someone appear more similar to the opposite sex. It also expressly includes hormone therapies, which give estrogen to men to feminize them and testosterone to women to masculinize them to facilitate a gender transition.
According to a Congressional Research Service report updated Jan. 10, the DOD spent about $15 million on gender transition services for active duty military members from Jan. 1, 2016, through May 14, 2021. Former President Joe Biden established a policy to provide “medically necessary” coverage for gender transitions after he assumed office, but it’s unclear how much money was spent on those services over the last four years.
Trump’s executive order notes that long-standing DOD policy requires members of the military to be free from medical conditions that will likely require excessive time lost from duty. It also notes that DOD policies have long held that certain mental health conditions are incompatible with active duty service.
Although the new DOD policy does not permit anyone with a history of gender dysphoria to join the military, it does not clearly state what the impact will be on people who are already members of the military and struggle with gender dysphoria or self-identify as transgender.
The memo states that “individuals with gender dysphoria have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect.”
It authorizes the department’s undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness to “provide additional policy and implementation guidance outside of the normal DOD issuance process, including guidance regarding service by service members with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria, to implement this direction.”
According to the memo, the DOD’s mission requires members of the military “to abide by strict mental and physical standards,” emphasizing that “the lethality, readiness, and warfighting capability of our force depends on service members meeting those standards.”
“The department must ensure it is building ‘One Force’ without subgroups defined by anything other than ability or mission adherence,” the memo continues. “Efforts to split our troops along lines of identity weaken our force and make us vulnerable. Such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated.”
In his memo, Hegseth also cites Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order, which states that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
Trump’s executive order also states that the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”
“A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member,” Trump’s order reads.
Since assuming office on Jan. 20 Trump has taken several actions to reverse the previous administration’s embrace of gender ideology through federal regulations. This includes an executive order to restore “biological truth to the federal government,” which states there are only two genders, male and female, and they are known at the moment of birth based on biological characteristics.
Trump also issued executive orders to ban transgender drugs and surgeries for children and to prohibit biological men competing in women’s sports in K–12 schools, colleges, and universities.
Paris Grand Mosque rector proposes to Pope Francis a meeting between Muslims and Christians
Posted on 02/11/2025 18:35 PM (CNA Daily News)

Vatican City, Feb 11, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).
The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, proposed to Pope Francis organizing a meeting between Christians and Muslims in the French capital this year to promote interreligious dialogue and fraternity.
Hafiz made the proposal on Feb. 10 at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican during an audience with the pope, which was also attended by a delegation from the European Coordination Council AMMALE (Alliance of Mosques, Associations, and Muslim Leaders), an organization aimed at improving the integration and practice of Islam in Europe.
Inspired by the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, the initiative seeks to promote fraternity and justice through interreligious dialogue.
During the meeting, the second between the two after one held in 2022, the pontiff apologized for not receiving him at the Apostolic Palace.
“I have bronchitis. I live here and I can’t go out,” he explained in a video posted on the website of the Grand Mosque of Paris.
Despite the illness, the 88-year-old Holy Father has not canceled his schedule and continues to work. However, in recent days he has shown difficulty reading texts aloud.
During the meeting, the rector gave the pontiff a message on the fraternity of Christians and Muslims in Europe in which he proposed the idea of organizing a new international meeting to promote this fraternity on a continental scale.
Specifically, in the letter published on the website of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Hafiz proposes holding a major interreligious meeting in the French capital in 2025, inspired by the Assisi meetings of 1986, with the aim of reaffirming friendship between Christians and Muslims.
Although the Vatican Press Office has not given details in this regard, the Holy Father entrusted this task to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, according to the Grand Mosque of Paris.
In the letter he delivered to Pope Francis, Hafiz reflected on the shared history between Christians and Muslims, highlighting the fruitful encounters and challenges they have faced together over the centuries.
The Muslim leader said that despite their differences, both communities are united by the same divine origin and must strengthen fraternity in Europe.
Growing fear and rejection of Muslims
Hafiz also warned of the growing fear and rejection of Muslims in Europe fuelled by hate speech and stereotypes that associate Islam with violence.
In this regard, he highlighted the role of Pope Francis in combating these prejudices and promoting unity, as demonstrated by his meetings with Muslim leaders and his commitment to interreligious brotherhood.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
27 religious groups sue White House over ‘sensitive location’ immigration policy
Posted on 02/11/2025 18:05 PM (CNA Daily News)

CNA Staff, Feb 11, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).
A coalition of more than two dozen religious groups is suing the White House over its policy allowing immigration officers to arrest suspected illegal immigrants in houses of worship and other “sensitive locations.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Donald Trump last month rescinded Biden-era guidelines that required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to seek their superior’s approval before arresting people at or near “sensitive locations” such as churches, hospitals, or schools.
The repealed rules, earlier versions of which date to 2011, precluded ICE agents from carrying out immigration enforcement actions in locations like hospitals, places of worship, schools, or during events such as weddings or parades unless there is an urgent need, such as a person who poses an imminent threat or if the agents have sought higher approval to do so.
A DHS spokesman said last month that the repeal of the policy meant that “criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
In their lawsuit, filed Tuesday at U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the 27 religious groups, including the Mennonite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Friends General Conference, and several Jewish groups including the New York-based Rabbinical Assembly, argue that the enforcement of immigration arrests in churches is “substantially burdening the religious exercise” of the plaintiffs’ congregations and members.
“Congregations are experiencing decreases in worship attendance and social services participation due to fear of immigration enforcement action,” the suit says.
“For the vulnerable congregants who continue to attend worship services, congregations must choose between either exposing them to arrest or undertaking security measures that are in direct tension with their religious duties of welcome and hospitality.”
The suit further argues that DHS “flout[ed] legal constraints on agency action” by rushing to repeal the rule too quickly, a move the plaintiffs claim violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act.
The suit, which names DHS, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, argues that the DHS action violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act as well as the First Amendment and the federal administrative rule.
The Trump administration has moved quickly to implement far-reaching and aggressive immigration policies upon President Donald Trump’s taking office last month, a move that has drawn criticism from some Catholics.
On Tuesday Pope Francis wrote to the U.S. bishops arguing that immigration laws and policies should be subordinated to the dignified treatment of people, especially the most vulnerable.
The letter, which was widely viewed as a rebuke to the Trump administration, acknowledged that the just treatment of immigrants does not impede the development of policies to regulate orderly and legal migration.
But “what is built on the basis of force and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being begins badly and will end badly,” the pope argued.
Following Trump’s executive orders on immigration, numerous U.S. bishops have responded by similarly calling for a more comprehensive and humane approach to immigration policy that respects the dignity of migrants and refugees.
Bishops have continued to speak out on immigration periodically over the last few weeks. Minnesota’s Catholic bishops, for instance, released a statement Feb. 7 advocating “comprehensive immigration reform to fix our broken system” while urging the Trump administration to refrain from deporting migrants without criminal records.
The bishops of Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, meanwhile, last week issued a joint statement acknowledging “room for disagreement and discussion with respect to immigration policy” while arguing for “the recognition that immigrants, as members of God’s human family, are deserving of and must be granted the appropriate dignity as our brothers and sisters in the Lord.”
Google Calendar removes Pride Month, cultural heritage months
Posted on 02/11/2025 17:35 PM (CNA Daily News)

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 11, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).
Google Calendar removed references to Pride Month, Black History Month, and all cultural heritage months on its web and mobile applications, instead opting to display only public federal holidays and national observances on its calendars.
The shift appears to coincide with similar moves from federal departments and agencies under President Donald Trump’s administration. However, a Google spokesperson said in a statement that the decision was made in mid-2024 and did not indicate ideological or cultural motivations for that change.
“For over a decade we’ve worked with timeanddate.com to show public holidays and national observances in Google Calendar,” a spokesperson for Google said in a statement provided to CNA.
“Some years ago, the Calendar team started manually adding a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world,” the statement read. “We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing — and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable. So in mid-2024, we returned to showing only public holidays and national observances from timeanddate.com globally, while allowing users to manually add other important moments.”
Before the change, Google Calendar users would automatically have the start of “Pride Month” listed on their calendars for June 1. In June, the secular observance celebrates homosexuality and transgenderism. For Catholics, the month of June is dedicated to celebrating the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Other observances that are no longer automatically displayed on Google Calendar include Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous Peoples’ Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day, among others. It also included other celebrations unrelated to cultural identities, such as Teachers’ Day, which are no longer automatically listed on calendars.
A spokesperson for Google told CNA that the company will continue to celebrate and promote cultural moments in its products and specifically referenced Black History Month and the Lunar New Year.
The holidays still automatically displayed include Christmas, Christmas Eve, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Independence Day, among others, for American users.
Users can still manually add any holidays or observances to their calendars on the web and mobile applications.
The Google spokesperson told CNA “it’s easy for Calendar users to customize which categories of holidays they show.”
This week, Google Maps also changed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America for American users to reflect the name change ordered by Trump. For Mexican users, Google still labels the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico. Users in other countries see both names.
“We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps,” the company said in a post on X before the name change was official. “We have a long-standing practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
Late last month, the Department of Defense’s intelligence agency ended all observances of Pride Month and other cultural heritage months. This occurred after Trump signed an executive order to end all “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) practices in the federal government.
The Department of State banned embassies from flying the “pride” flag and other ideological flags, establishing a policy that only the flag of the United States can be flown. The Department of Justice (DOJ) also ended the DOJ Pride office.