A previous class of St. Kateri Rosary Walk interns. / Credit: Courtesy of St. Kateri Rosary Walk

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mar 22, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A New Mexico diocese is offering a unique opportunity for young men to affirm their faith and literally build up the Church in the American Southwest.

Until March 31, the Diocese of Gallup is accepting applications for the 2025 St. Kateri Rosary Walk internship program. Started in 2019, the program is finishing its building project and seeks to complete an outdoor plaza and chapel in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the saint known as the Lily of the Mohawks, St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

The internship is available to young men 18 and over and runs from May until Aug. 1. The missionaries will receive free housing, meals, travel to various local sites, and a stipend of $5,000.

William McCarthy, CEO of the Southwest Indian Foundation, which is cooperating with the program, told CNA that the program “provides intense leadership training to encourage manliness and Catholic faith to last a lifetime,” adding that “the men who come here will build a beautiful, lasting shrine for Our Lady and St. Kateri.”

Bishop James Wall of Gallup is on the board of the nonprofit guiding the project and serves as a chaplain to the interns. The men working on the project live at the Sacred Heart Retreat Center and receive spiritual and academic formation. They also have time for visits and travel to enrich their appreciation of the traditions and natural world of the region.

The first Native American saint who resided in what became the United States, Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in present-day New York state. She consecrated her life to Christ despite persecution by her own people.

According to the program website, “her near-daily walks through nature became a powerful symbol of the beauty of life. Kateri found comfort in her constant prayer and meditation along with her deep belief that even in hardships, God was always present.”

“Our program is based on three essential elements: One is physical, challenging these guys and getting them into great shape with labor and medical attention. Another is spiritual, which is more important, and a somewhat monastic life. They pray in the morning and evening, have daily Mass, and are plugged into Catholic prayer life. The third feature is the mentors and speakers all summer. There’s also a lot of music,” McCarthy said.

The interns are required to surrender their electronic devices during the week but are allowed to use them on Sundays. “This is a unique opportunity for a young man,” McCarthy noted.

Scope of project

Once completed, the St. Kateri Rosary Walk will feature four trails representing the mysteries of the rosary. Along each trail are five “nichos” or shrines made from traditional adobe and stucco construction typical of the Southwest. Each of them will feature one of the mysteries of the rosary made of tile conceived by a native artist as well as sacred images. 

Victoria Begay, a member of the Diné or Navajo people, serves as interim director of the rosary walk. In an interview with CNA, she stressed that the project melds Native American reverence of creation with a strong Catholic faith. 

“We want to strengthen our relationship with God and we are bringing native and Catholic values together in one place, providing a profound spiritual experience for everyone who comes through, whether from North America or the rest of the world,” Begay said. 

The site is on a hill overlooking Gallup and offers vistas for miles around, including the extensive Navajo reservation. Begay said it offers a natural place to pray, and noted: “That’s what Kateri did. She left her backyard and walked where there were trees and nature. We’d like to provide that space for everyone to experience creation, to meditate, to pray.” 

Dividends of participating

Joseph Meyers, a recent college graduate from Kansas City, Kansas, told CNA that he spent two summers working on the rosary walk. “It’s still nourishing me to this day,” said Meyers, who plans to attend law school. 

Meyers said he and his comrades spent each day of the week working hard on construction but with time in the evenings and weekends for hiking and exploring as a group.

“It is a male formation experience: no phones, no tech, no distractions, not a lot of comfort. We’re at a time in the world and the Church where masculinity is in crisis. The things holding men back are basic things like comfort, distraction, isolation, and addiction, which is the worst,” Meyers said.

Invigorated prayer life, he said, was encouraged by group prayer, Scripture study, and liturgies, which were coupled with physical challenges. For Meyers, the experience was life-changing.

“People didn’t recognize me when I came back. I was lean and brown and fit. All of the guys needed something like this and walked away as different people than when they came in,” he recalled. “It is sort of a Catholic school of hard knocks for young guys who are on a mission, and it’s super awesome.”

Among the fruits of the program are enduring friendships and at least two religious vocations, Meyers said.

“We go to each other’s weddings. There’s a brotherhood bond because we grew up together” on the rosary walk, Meyers said. “We stay in touch, we’re tight. It’s good because it’s what you need: communities of guys who have serious bonds and help each other do good in the world.”

Volunteers pray at a vigil at an abortion clinic in Ealing, West London, the site of the first “buffer zone” in the U.K. They are restricted by law from being closer than 500 meters (about 1,600 feet) to the clinic, more than the 150 meters (500 feet) imposed by the nationwide law in October 2024. / Credit: Photo courtesy of 40 Days for Life International

London, England, Mar 22, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Across the United Kingdom this Lent, vigils outside abortion clinics have continued despite government attempts to stop their work of prayer for the unborn and offering of support to women with a crisis pregnancy.

A total of 11 vigils in 10 cities across the United Kingdom are going ahead throughout Lent through the 40 Days for Life campaign, a similar number to what have taken place annually since the first U.K. vigil was held in 2009. This year they stretch from Glasgow in Scotland to Bournemouth on the southern coast of England.

Volunteers for the campaign now agree to stay outside the minimum 150-meter (almost 500-foot) “buffer zone” that now surrounds all U.K. abortion centers. Within these areas, “influencing” people who attend the clinics has been illegal since Oct. 31, 2024.

There have been a number of high-profile cases where pro-life activists acting on their own initiative have stood silently praying within a buffer zone and have been arrested or prosecuted.

Although these measures have reduced the number of volunteers at some vigils this Lent — and the increased distance of the vigils from the clinics has decreased the number of women offered support — they have also increased the resolve of some volunteers.

“The more we are attacked and the more challenges we face, the more motivated I am to engage in pro-life work,” said Sarah Bignell, who leads the 40 Days for Life campaign in Ealing, West London.

As the vigils take place, retired scientist Livia Tossici-Bolt awaits a verdict from Poole Magistrates Court for allegedly breaching a buffer zone in Bournemouth. She stood quietly and held a sign that read “Here to talk, if you want,” which led to several “consensual conversations.” She was issued a fine for these actions but refused to pay, leading to the court case.

This is the same court where health care worker and veteran Adam Smith-Connor was convicted last year for silent prayers — a case raised by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in February at the Munich Security Conference as an example of restrictions on freedom in Europe.

One of the vigil leaders is Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a longtime pro-life activist in the U.K. She has been arrested twice for merely standing silently within a “buffer zone,” although she received a 13,000 pounds (approximately $17,000) compensation payment for wrongful arrest. Videos of her interactions with police on these occasions have gone viral on social media.

As a leader for the 40 Days for Life vigil in Birmingham in the Midlands, she stays outside the buffer zones.

“We haven’t had any reaction from the authorities and have had a smooth start to the campaign here in Birmingham,” Vaughan-Spruce told CNA. “Our kickoff event went really well with a fantastic turnout — the hall was packed full and standing room only, which was very encouraging.” She said local priests, seminarians, and Christian volunteers from different denominations have joined in the vigils this year.

Vaughan-Spruce said women are responding to signs offering help, and volunteers have even seen cars drive up to the clinic, turn around, and drive away again.

In Ealing, where the first “buffer zone” was imposed around a Marie Stopes clinic in 2018, volunteer numbers have fallen, which is blamed on COVID and then the mistaken belief that the vigils are now illegal.

“The frankly ridiculous ban on prayer and an offer of help hinders us, in that we are so far away from the abortion centers we obviously meet less women and therefore can offer less help,” said Clare McCullough, the director of U.K. pregnancy support charity the Good Counsel Network, which supports the two vigils in London. “However, God is at work during 40 Days for Life especially, because of all the prayer and fasting around the world, and we still see women choosing life.”

When those at the vigils do get the opportunity to talk with women, they find that the women are often unaware what support is available to help them raise a child. The Ealing vigil helped a woman who believed her asylum claim would be rejected unless she had an abortion. McCullough said her organization offers financial support, help with child care, and “lots of moral support.”

Far from being discouraged by government pressure, volunteers describe being encouraged by evidence that their prayers influence the women to choose life.

For example, one woman approached a volunteer and said she had felt a strong urge to reject abortion when inside the clinic after a friend sent her a picture of an unborn baby.

“God is working through our prayers when we couldn’t be there,” Bignell said. “Many women chose to accept help offered at the vigils, even 500 meters up the road.”

Leaders are upbeat and hopeful that their work to prevent abortions will succeed in the long run. 

“The more crazy the law gets, the more media coverage we get,” said Robert Colquhoun, who leads the 40 Days for Life international campaigns. “This has impacted the consciences of millions of people ... we have stories of people who have changed their minds.”

“Living in this Orwellian craziness … we just keep calm and carry on. At some point there will be change.”

Buffer zones are not the only means by which authorities are putting pressure on pro-life activists in the U.K. In February, nursing student Sara Spencer was removed from her midwifery training course in Scotland for merely expressing pro-life views online. 

“The level of attacks we get seem like a disproportionate response, compared to our vigils — we are just a small group of volunteers with rosary beads and leaflets offering help,” Bignell said. “And yet we have had the media, abortion providers, and Parliament enacting laws against us. This is why it is apparent this is a spiritual battle that we are involved in.”

In 2022 there were 251,377 abortions in England and Wales according to official statistics, a sharp increase compared with the previous year. The upcoming release of 2023 numbers is expected to be higher.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will return to his residence in the Vatican March 23 after spending 38 days in Rome's Gemelli hospital for treatment of double pneumonia, his doctors announced.

The pope was to be discharged "in a stable clinical condition, with a prescription to partially continue drug therapy and of a convalescence and rest period of at least two months," said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who is leading the medical team treating the pope, during a news conference at the hospital March 22.

He said that the double pneumonia, which the pope was diagnosed with shortly after being hospitalized Feb. 14, "is completely healed," although he may still have other lingering bacterial and viral infections.

"Immediately, he will not be able to again take up work activities with meeting groups of people or important obligations that he will probably be able to carry out once he has finished the prescribed convalescence and expected clinical improvements are recorded," Alfieri said.

"During his hospitalization, the clinical conditions of the Holy Father presented two very critical episodes in which the Holy Father's life was in danger," he said. "Pharmacological therapy, the administration of high-flow oxygen and the assisted mechanical ventilation recorded a slow but progressive improvement, bringing the Holy Father out of the most critical episodes."

The pope was never intubated during his hospitalization and always remained alert and vigilant, Alfieri added, also stating that the pope is not diabetic and did not have COVID-19.

And as is common for elderly people with pneumonia, he said, the pope's voice lost strength during his hospital stay.

"It will take time for the voice to return to what it was before," Alfieri explained. "Already compared to 10 days ago, we have recorded, let's say, important improvements."

An audio message from the pope thanking the faithful for their prayers was played in St. Peter's Square March 6, in which he had obvious difficulty speaking.

In terms of preparing Pope Francis' return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae, his Vatican residence, "the Holy Father does not need very many things," said Dr. Luigi Carbone, the pope's personal physician.

"He needs oxygen, like all patients that are discharged with pneumonia, which we hope he can shortly remove in daily use," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Vatican press office announced that Pope Francis intended to look out from the window of the Gemelli hospital March 23 to greet the faithful and offer a blessing after the recitation of the Angelus. It would mark the first time the pope has been physically seen by the public since his hospitalization some five weeks ago.

Regarding the possibility of the pope's participation in Easter celebrations at the Vatican, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said that "based on the improvements during this convalescence period, the appropriate decisions will be made."

Likewise, other appointments on the pope's calendar, including a meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla of Great Britain April 8 and a trip to Turkey in May, would depend on improvements to the pope's condition.

Carbone said the pope was "very happy" to learn that he was being discharged; "by now it was three or four days that he was asking us when he would go back home."

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden. / Credit: U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Dustin Jordan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signed three bills into law on Friday that he indicated reflect the values of the state, including one law that will prevent males from entering girls’ restrooms or locker rooms in any public school or public building.

Another law restricts access to obscene materials for minors in public libraries and public school libraries. The third clarifies the rights and obligations of the father of a child born to a mother to whom he is not married.

“South Dakota is a place where commonsense values remain common, and these bills reinforce that fact,” Rhoden, a Republican, said in a statement. “These bills promote strong families, safety in education, and freedom from the ‘woke’ agenda like what has happened in too many other places.”

The new law related to the sex-based separation of facilities requires that public schools and public buildings separate restrooms, locker rooms, and sleeping quarters on the basis of sex as defined by a person’s biological characteristics rather than self-asserted “gender identity.”

Under this law, men who self-identify as “women” will not be able to access protected spaces reserved for girls and women.

Any person who encounters someone of the opposite sex in a restroom or locker room can file a lawsuit against the public entity if the entity permitted the person to enter or failed to take any reasonable steps to prohibit the person from entering.

Lawsuits must be filed within two years of the violation.

Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Sara Beth Nolan said in a statement that “women and girls should not be forced to sacrifice their privacy and safety to activists pushing gender ideology.” 

“Allowing men to invade girls’ spaces — including locker rooms, sleeping areas, or restrooms — rips away girls’ spaces,” Nolan added. “[This law] ensures that girls’ spaces in public schools and public buildings are not open to men and prioritizes privacy and safety for every South Dakota girl.”

The South Dakota action mirrors federal efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to combat gender ideology and prevent men from accessing women’s and girls’ spaces. 

Trump signed an executive order to clarify that within federal regulations, there are two sexes that are determined by biological characteristics. Another order separated male and female sports, restrooms, and other facilities on the basis of biological sex in educational institutions that receive federal funding.

Many of Trump’s executive orders have been challenged in court and are being held up by judges.

Bishop Markus Büchel of the Diocese of St. Gallen in Switzerland. / Credit: Aurelius1717, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Here are some of the major stories about the Church from around the world that you may have missed this week:

Swiss bishop issues call on podcast for ordination of women

Bishop Markus Büchel of the Swiss Diocese of St. Gallen spoke out in favor of women’s ordination during a podcast appearance for a German-language online news outlet, kath.ch, CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported Tuesday.

The bishop argued his position stating that the Church has a “consecration emergency” due to the fact that only celebate men may enter the priesthood.

German director of Münster academy defends award honoring Bishop Barron 

Following backlash over what some have called Bishop Robert Barron’s “conservative” theological and political views, the director of the Münster Academy Franz-Hitze-Haus, Johannes Sabel, has defended plans to award the American bishop and Word on Fire founder with the academy’s Josef Pieper Prize, CNA Deutsch reported.

Sabel stated in a guest article in a German-language outlet that Barron’s theological and political views should not be a reason to cancel his award ceremony. He further called it “a good sign” that there was debate surrounding the award, saying it is the academy’s mission to represent a plurality of positions.

Myanmar military targets St. Patrick Cathedral on eve of his feast

The ruling military junta in Myanmar torched a Catholic cathedral dedicated to St. Patrick in the northern Kachin state on the eve of his feast day last weekend, according to the Vatican news service Agenzia Fides.

The cathedral, its three-story office building, high school, and rectory were all destroyed in the fire, which soldiers of the SAC (State Administration Council) set during military operations around 4 p.m. on Sunday.

President of Zambia: ‘The Catholic Church and the government will always be one’ 

President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia celebrated his government’s partnership with the Catholic Church during a speech on Wednesday, stating that “the Catholic Church and the government are development partners, we are not competitors,” according to ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa.

He further emphasized the bond between the two institutions, adding: “The Catholic Church and the government will always be one and we will work together, and I want to assure you that you have our full support.”

Franciscan monks in Syria condemn attacks on innocent civilians

The Fransiscan Monks of the Custodian of the Holy Land living in Syria issued a statement condemning the recent violence, which they said “increases the suffering of the Syrian people and threatens civil peace and the future of the country at this sensitive stage,” ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, reported on Tuesday.

The statement comes after an onslaught of civilian revenge killings along the coastal region of Syria earlier this month, which took place after remnants of former president Bashar al-Assad regime supporters launched a series of attacks on the country’s interim government that were met with immense retaliatory force targeting mostly Alawite civilians.

Knights of Malta leader reaffirms support for Lebanon’s reconstruction during visit

During his recent visit to Lebanon, the grand chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta met with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï to reaffirm the order’s support for Lebanon in its recovery phase, ACI MENA reported Sunday. The meeting highlighted the international community’s recognition of Lebanon’s sovereignty and neutrality, essential for the country’s stability and rebuilding efforts.

200 Christians at Punjab prison suffer human rights abuses

Following the escape of a fellow inmate, the roughly 200 Christian inmates contained at Rawalpindi Central Jail in the Punjab Province are now being denied usual access to the facility’s church, Asia News reported Thursday.

Human rights activist Xavier William — who visits the prison frequently — told the outlet: “[Christians] are already facing many difficulties, both inside the prison and with the judicial system. They are forced to clean the cells and suffer repeated abuse. Now they are even denied access to the church, to pray or engage in activities for their spiritual growth.”

Young men attending the encounter with youth with Pope Francis at the Sir John Guise Stadium, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 9, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 21, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

The “2025 Annuario Pontificio” and the “2023 Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae” have been released, providing a detailed analysis of the life of the Catholic Church globally. Both reports, prepared by the Vatican’s Central Office for Church Statistics, reveal a notable growth of the Catholic population worldwide during the two-year period 2022-2023. 

Concretely, there has been a 1.15% increase in the global Catholic population, going from approximately 1.39 billion Catholics in 2022 to 1.406 billion in 2023.

Africa has registered the greatest growth, with the Catholic population on the continent increasing by 3.31%, from 272 million in 2022 to 281 million in 2023. This growth is particularly dynamic, with countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, which leads the region with nearly 55 million Catholics, and others such as Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya, which have also experienced significant increases in the number of faithful. Africa currently represents 20% of the world’s Catholic population.

Meanwhile, the Americas continue to be the region of the world with the highest proportion of Catholics, accounting for 47.8% of the global total. This increase is moderate, with a growth of 0.9% over the period. 

In South America, Brazil remains the country with the largest number of Catholics, with 182 million, representing 13% of the world’s total. Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay stand out with more than 90% of their population being Catholic. 

In terms of distribution, 27.4% of Catholics in the Americas reside in South America, while 6.6% are in North America and 13.8% in Central America.

Asia, Europe, and Oceania

In Asia, the Catholic population grew by 0.6% between 2022 and 2023. Although the region represents only 11% of the world’s total Catholics, countries such as the Philippines and India register significant numbers, with 93 million Catholics in the Philippines and 23 million in India, corresponding to 76.7% of the total Catholic population in Southeast Asia.

Europe, home to 20.4% of the world’s Catholics, remains the least dynamic continent in terms of Catholic growth. The European Catholic population increased by only 0.2% between 2022 and 2023, reflecting a near-stagnant dynamic. Italy, Poland, and Spain continue to be countries with a high proportion of Catholics, with more than 90% of their population identifying as Catholic. However, the European continent continues to demonstrate a slower rate of growth and increasing secularization.

In Oceania, the Catholic population experienced an increase of 1.9%, with a total population of just over 11 million Catholics in 2023. Although this growth is moderate, it reflects steady growth in this region.

An increase in the number of bishops and priests

The number of bishops also experienced an overall increase, rising by 1.4% between 2022 and 2023. The total number of bishops increased from 5,353 in 2022 to 5,430 in 2023. This growth occurred in all regions except Oceania, where the number of bishops remained constant. Most of the increase was observed in Africa and Asia, with more modest variations in Europe and the Americas.

As for priests, the Catholic Church globally recorded a slight decrease in their number, with a 0.2% reduction, from 407,730 priests in 2022 to 406,996 in 2023. However, Africa and Asia saw significant increases in the number of priests, with an increase of 2.7% in Africa and 1.6% in Asia. 

In Europe and Oceania, on the other hand, a decrease in the number of priests was observed (-1.6% in Europe, -1.0% in Oceania).

Globally, the number of priests per 259,000 Catholics reflects regional disparities. While the ratio is higher in Africa and the Americas, in Oceania, for example, the number of priests per Catholic is much lower, suggesting a relative excess of priests compared with other regions.

Decline in men and women religious

When it comes to ​​men and women religious, a continuation of the downward trend in the number of professed men who are not priests and professed women religious worldwide has been observed. 

There was a 1.6% decline in men and women religious between 2022 and 2023, falling from 599,228 to 589,423. Although the number has fallen globally, Africa has recorded a slight increase of 2.2% in the number of women religious, while Europe, North America, and Latin America have seen significant reductions.

In terms of geographical distribution, Europe continues to be the continent with the largest number of women religious, representing almost 32% of the world’s women religious in 2023, followed by Asia with 30% and the Americas with 23%. In Africa, the presence of women religious remains significant, accounting for 14% of the world total.

Decline in priestly vocations

Finally, one of the most significant phenomena is the decline in the number of seminarians, which has continued its downward trend since 2012. Globally, the number of seminarians decreased by 1.8% between 2022 and 2023, falling from 108,481 to 106,495. This decline primarily affected Europe, Asia, and the Americas, while Africa saw a slight increase of 1.1% in the number of seminarians.

In comparative terms, Africa and Asia account for 61.4% of all seminarians worldwide, a small increase from 61% in 2022. In Europe and America, however, the proportion of seminarians has declined, reflecting a growing trend toward a shortage of priestly vocations in these regions.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

null / Credit: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels

CNA Staff, Mar 21, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Embryos aren’t property, Virginia judge rules

A Virginia judge this week ruled that embryos aren’t property in a lawsuit between two ex-spouses over their two IVF-produced embryos.

Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Dontae Bugg dismissed Honeyhline Heidemann’s case against her ex-husband, Jason Heidemann, for access to embryos produced during their marriage.

In 2019, Honeyhline Heidemann, a breast cancer survivor, requested permission to use the embryos, but her ex-husband refused, and so she sued her former spouse.

In the bench trial, Heidemann testified that the embryos were her last chance to have another biological child due to her cancer treatment and that she would agree to her husband not being involved in raising the new children.

The husband is currently the primary custodian of the couple’s born daughter and maintained that he did not want to become a biological father again. He also referenced alleged poor parenting decisions made by his former wife.

Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Richard Gardiner, who is no longer assigned to the case, ruled in 2023 that human embryos could legally be considered property, citing a 19th-century state law saying that slaves could be considered “goods or chattels.”

But Bugg wrote in an opinion letter that because of the “unique nature of each human embryo,” an “equal division” could not be easily made and that one of the embryos was “better suited for viability than the other.”

Bugg also noted that the Virginia law was not intended to apply to human embryos and concluded that the human embryos “are not goods for chattels subject to partition” under state law.

He further expressed doubt over “reliance upon a version of [the state law] that predates passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution,” which outlawed slavery.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment opposed by the Catholic Church. In the procedure, doctors fuse sperm and eggs to create human embryos and implant them in the mother’s womb.

To maximize efficiency, doctors create excess human embryos and routinely destroy undesired embryos.

Texas attorney general arrests midwife for providing illegal abortions

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday announced the arrest of a midwife for operating an illegal abortion network in northwest Houston.

Paxton announced the arrest of Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, a midwife known as “Dr. Maria,” according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office.

The state charged Rojas with illegal performance of abortions, a second-degree felony, and practicing medicine without a license.

Paxton alleged that Rojas owned and operated multiple clinics with unlawfully employed unlicensed employees who were presenting themselves as licensed medical professionals. She also allegedly performed illegal abortions that violated the Texas Human Life Protection Act. 

Texas pro-life law protects unborn children from abortion when the fetal heartbeat can be detected — usually around six weeks of pregnancy. In a statement Paxton cited the state’s pro-life laws, proclaiming: “In Texas, life is sacred.”

“I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted,” Paxton said. 

Texas officials under Paxton’s direction filed for a temporary restraining order to shut down the clinics under the names Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring.

Florida Catholics applaud DeSantis at Red Mass for pro-life efforts

Attendees at a Florida Mass this week applauded Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his work against a proposed pro-abortion amendment last year. 

The governor was attending the 50th annual Red Mass of the Holy Spirit at St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral in Tallahassee on Wednesday.

As Mass concluded, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski thanked DeSantis for advocating against a proposed amendment that would have enshrined a right to abortion in the Florida Constitution.

Referring to a breakfast event that had taken place earlier that day, Wenski said to DeSantis: “Governor, your ears must have been ringing because we were talking a lot about you during the breakfast, and it was all in praise, especially for the good work that you did in stopping Amendment 4.” 

The governor was given sustained applause after Wenski’s remarks. 

Amendment 4 fell short of the 60% approval requirement in November.

Participants of the widely-attended Red Mass include Catholics and non-Catholics and often include Florida legislators, judges, attorneys, state officials, and members of the executive branch such as DeSantis. 

The Red Mass dates back to a nearly-800-year-old tradition in France, where lawyers and judges would begin each term of court by attending a Mass together. At the Mass, priests and judges wore red to show their commitment to the Holy Spirit.

Idaho Capitol in Boise. / Credit: Through the Lens of Life/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Idaho Gov. Brad Little this week signed legislation that bolsters religious freedom protections for doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals when they object to performing certain procedures or providing certain services.

The new law, signed on Wednesday, amends the Medical Ethics Defense Act to clearly establish that Idaho recognizes “that the right of conscience is a fundamental and inalienable right” whether one’s conscience “is informed by religious, moral, or ethical beliefs or principles.”

Under the law, no health care professional, health care institution, or health care payer can be forced to participate in or pay for any medical procedure, treatment, or service to which he or she objects as a matter of conscience.

The law also prevents employers from retaliating or punishing an employee based on his or her conscience objections to any medical service. It states that a person should communicate his or her conscience objection to the employer as soon as reasonably possible to ensure necessary staffing adjustments can take place.

Under the law, a health care provider cannot be held criminally or civilly liable for refusing to provide a medical service because of the institution’s conscience objection.

Some objections from Catholic institutions or health care professionals could include procedures and services related to abortion, contraception, and transgender drugs and surgeries.

Greg Chafuen, who serves as legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement that “patients are best served by health care professionals who are free to act consistent with their oath to ‘do no harm.’”

“Unfortunately, doctors and nurses have been targeted for caring for their patients by refraining from harmful and dangerous procedures,” he said. “What may be worse, countless young professionals are kept out of the health care field because of fear that they will be forced to violate their conscience.” 

Chaufen added that the Idaho law “ensures that health care professionals are not forced to participate in procedures that violate their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs.”

Idaho’s law also establishes stronger free speech protections by prohibiting departments and regulatory boards from punishing health care providers for engaging in speech, expression, or association that is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution from government interference.

The law also creates a framework for health care institutions and health care professionals to file lawsuits to remedy any violations of the new regulations.

null / Credit: Gts/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed into law a bill that bans biological males from entering women’s spaces in the state’s prisons and jails.

The legislation, dubbed the Dignity and Safety for Incarcerated Women’s Act, prohibits men who self-identify as transgender women from accessing women’s changing rooms, restrooms, showers, sleeping quarters, and other facilities.

Under the law, all jails and prisons operated by the state’s Department of Corrections that house inmates of both sexes must provide separate facilities for men and for women. The law defines men and women on the basis of biological characteristics, as opposed to self-asserted “gender identity.”

The new law goes into effect on July 1.

Sara Beth Nolan, who works as legal counsel for the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement that “states have a duty to protect the privacy, safety, and dignity of women.”

“Letting men intrude into women’s spaces is an invasion of privacy, a threat to their safety, and a denial of the real biological differences between the two sexes,” she said. “[This law] safeguards against these harms to women in Mississippi correctional facilities.”

The law also establishes a framework that allows a person to sue a state correctional facility if the person encounters someone of the opposite sex within one of the protected spaces.

A person can obtain civil damages if the jail or prison gave someone of the opposite sex permission to enter the space or failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the person from entering the space. All civil actions must be brought within two years of the violation.

Mississippi’s actions mirror efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to prevent men from accessing women’s spaces and to reflect the biological distinctions of men and women in federal regulations.

Trump signed an executive order to clarify that within federal regulations, there are two sexes that are determined by biological characteristics. His orders also blocked men from women’s prisons and in women’s sports and women’s spaces at all educational institutions that receive federal funding.

Many of Trump’s executive orders have been challenged in court and are being held up by judges.

The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Justin Kozemchak/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” designed to eventually eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.

The order will not immediately close the department — that requires an act of Congress — but will make it “much smaller,” according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

Leavitt said the order directs the U.S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to “greatly minimize the agency.” Before signing the order, Trump said he hopes Democratic members of Congress will vote for the dismissal of the department.

The U.S. Conference of Bishops (USCCB) responded to the new order stating that it “does not take a position on the institutional structure of government agencies,” but “the Catholic Church teaches that parents are the primary educators of their children and should have the freedom and resources to choose an educational setting best suited for their child.”

“The conference supports public policies that affirm this, and we support the positive working relationships that the dioceses, parishes, and independent schools have with their local public school system partners.” 

“As this executive order is implemented, it is important to ensure that students of all backgrounds in both public and nonpublic schools, especially those with disabilities or from low-income backgrounds, will continue to receive the resources they need,” the statement concluded. 

While private schools do not receive federal funds, they often work with the Department of Education to receive benefits from the department’s taxpayer-funded programs. The department does not give directly to private institutions but rather to programs the schools may utilize to support their students.

Jonathan Butcher, a senior research fellow for the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told CNA that the new order should not have an impact on Catholic schools and will not prevent students in public or private schools from receiving the resources they need. He said “the president has said in his executive order that all of the essential services … will continue.”

The department’s two biggest programs for K–12 education are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Title I program.

Butcher, a supporter of the order, said: “The president has committed to keeping programs for children in disadvantaged backgrounds or disadvantaged areas.”

Butcher said he believes the executive order will not influence students in public or private schools in their day-to-day lives. 

“The Department of Education’s role is to move money from the treasury to state departments of education and local districts, handle federal loans, and enforce federal law,” he said. “They don’t operate any schools and they don’t teach in any classrooms.” 

While the administration has received support for this decision, some critics say it will cause “challenges.” President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten told Newsweek that a “gutted department would mean fewer teachers, more crowded classrooms, and increased mental health and behavioral challenges for students.”

Advocacy groups for special needs students have also expressed concern, including Katy Neas, CEO of The Arc, which states it “protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

In a press release following the executive order, Neas said: “Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education is more than a policy shift — it will reverse five decades of progress for students with disabilities.”

“Children with disabilities who do not receive appropriate education services will face greater isolation, unemployment, and poverty,” she said.