St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church

Rabbi Joshua Stanton attends “Called to Friendship: Nostra Aetate at 60,” an event organized by the Philos Project and the National Shrine of Pope John Paul II on Oct. 28, 2025. / Credit: Jack Haskins

Washington, D.C., Oct 28, 2025 / 18:21 pm (CNA).

Calls to deepen Jewish-Catholic relations echoed at an event marking the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Vatican II declaration by Pope Paul VI on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions. 

At “Called to Friendship: Nostra Aetate at 60,” an event organized by the Philos Project and the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, Jews and Catholics from across the country gathered on Oct. 28 to remember Nostra Aetate, a document many believe permanently altered the course of Catholic-Jewish relations.

“One of the challenges of Catholic-Jewish collaboration is getting more people in the room,” Rabbi Joshua Stanton told CNA on the sidelines of the conference. “And getting more people asking new and challenging questions of each other from a place of love and respect.” He further described Nostra Aetate as “miraculous” for its official establishment of Jewish-Catholic solidarity. 

Earlier in the day, Stanton, who is the associate vice president at the Jewish Federations in North America and oversees interfaith relations, said he had been inspired by the recent synodal process carried out by the late Pope Francis and called for a “Jewish-Catholic synod.” 

“For a very long time, these dialogues have focused on clergy, which makes a great deal of sense,” he continued in the interview. “At this point, if we are to see Nostra Aetate lived in full all around the world in different communities, we need laypeople to be more at the front of those conversations.” 

Stanton noted a shift to expand lay leadership within Jewish communities and within certain Catholic spheres such as education or other ministries, which he said has led to laypeople “getting empowered more and more.”

“And so I think they deserve a seat at the table for dialogue and also for helping us translate these really important documents and declarations into tangible change on the ground,” he concluded.

Speakers at the event included John Paul II biographer George Weigel; National Review Editor Kathryn Jean Lopez; Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism co-founder Mary Eberstadt; Sister Maris Stella, SV, vicar general of the Sisters of Life; Gavin D’Costa of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome; and Philos Catholic Director Simone Rizkallah. 

Ahead of the event, a group called Catholics United Against the Jews tweeted against the conference, writing: “The ‘Hebrew Catholics’ like Gideon Lazar and their patron Paul Singer’s (Jewish) Philos Project refuse to interpret Nostra Aetate in light of tradition. They use it to smuggle dual covenant theology and Jewish worship into the Church. Faithful Catholics should shun them entirely.”

“A group styling itself ‘Catholics United Against the Jews’ claims fidelity to the Second Vatican Council — yet in its very name and activity repudiates not only the magisterial teaching of Pope St. John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, and Pope St. John Paul II but also the sacred Scriptures and the living tradition of the Church,” Rizkallah told CNA in response to the post.

“To profess acceptance of Vatican II while embracing a posture that directly violates these foundational teachings is neither coherent nor faithful; it is a betrayal of both the Gospel and the magisterium,” she added.

“It is difficult to see Catholics, especially younger Catholics, finding themselves drawn to conspiratorial movements such as ‘Catholics United Against the Jews,’” she said, further reflecting on broader trends of antisemitism among Catholics. “The new antisemitism reveals a deeper spiritual and cultural crisis: the epidemic of loneliness, exacerbated by digital overuse, confusion about one’s vocational call, and Western material comfort that dulls the soul.”

“Beneath it lies a sincere but misdirected hunger for radical truth. Yet in the absence of a compelling and incarnate proposal of the Gospel — what [Communion and Liberation founder] Monsignor Luigi Giussani called the risk of education — that desire is easily hijacked by false ideologies.”

She concluded: “The Church must respond not with condemnation alone but with the fullness of truth and love that only our Jewish messiah offers.” 

Charlie Cohen, a Jewish student of Middle East policy studies from Omaha, Nebraska, came to the event at Rizkallah’s invitation. Describing what Nostra Aetate means to him as Jewish person, he told CNA: “I think it’s very important in setting the foundation of the continuation of productive relations between the Catholic and Jewish communities, for sure.”

Growing up in a predominantly Catholic community in Omaha, Cohen emphasized the importance of the spread of Nostra Aetate’s message, saying: “What tends to sometimes get brushed over very quickly [between Catholics and Jews] is negative feelings towards each other, which is just mainly ignorance.” 

A Protestant congregation in Michigan is facing $4,500 in fines and ongoing restrictions on their religious activity imposed by Windsor Township, according to their lawyers. / Credit: Roman Zaiets/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 28, 2025 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

A Protestant congregation in Michigan is facing $4,500 in fines and ongoing restrictions on their religious activity imposed by Windsor Township, according to their lawyers.

The Sanctum of One God Church asserts the township has delayed permit processing and has imposed restrictions on the congregation that curtail its religious activity. The congregation’s lawyers at First Liberty Institute argue that the township is violating First Amendment protections and other federal laws related to religious land use, and that the government’s actions could affect any religious organization trying to establish a parish or ministry.

The township approved a “temporary certificate of occupancy,” which restricts operating hours to Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., a year after the church opened its doors in October 2024. The township also permitted one morning service on Sundays.

Under the rules, the congregation is not permitted to host wedding receptions, meetings, community events, or fundraisers. The thousands of dollars in fines stem from hosting three weddings, the lawyers said in an Oct. 22 letter.

The township is restricting the church’s capacity to 50 people, even though the property can hold 300 people in accordance with the Michigan Fire Code, according to the letter.

The letter argues: “No other secular assembly in the township is subjected to such restrictive operating hours or capacity limitations.”

According to the letter, the congregation received “overwhelmingly positive” public support at a township hearing back in March. 

One of the strongest opponents, it notes, was Beth Shaw, the township’s supervisor and zoning administrator, whose property is adjacent to the congregation. Shaw did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

“It’s unthinkable that anyone in the Township of Windsor’s leadership would be so anti-religious that they would oppose a neighborhood church’s constitutionally protected right to freely engage in its religious activities,” Ryan Gardner, who serves as senior counsel for First Liberty, said in a statement.

“The Constitution and federal law forbid government officials from intimidating and preventing churches from using their property as a place to exercise their religious beliefs,” he said.

Gardner told CNA that he has recently seen “a lot of issues pop up around the country” with local governments restricting churches, food banks, homeless shelters, and other facilities by using zoning rules as a justification.

He also expressed concern about the potential conflict of interest from Shaw, who “does not want this church to be in her backyard.”

Gardner noted that before the Sanctum of One God Church was formed, a separate church occupied the building for nearly 60 years without these types of restrictions. “This church has been there longer than her,” he said.

He argued that such actions violate the First Amendment when a governmental body is “targeting someone who’s using their property for religious [purposes]” or “interfering or preventing people from having religious services.”

Gardner compared the case to restrictions during COVID-19, when Catholic churches and other religious groups sued state governments for facing stricter rules than secular organizations.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio told investors at the Christian Institutional Investors Conference at The Catholic University of America on Oct. 27, 2025, that investing should be “wise, prudent, and faithful.” / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA

Washington, D.C., Oct 28, 2025 / 15:25 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Timothy Broglio told investors at the Christian Institutional Investors Conference (CIIC) at The Catholic University of America (CUA) that investing should be “wise, prudent, and faithful.”

Broglio, who serves as archbishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), welcomed guests as the keynote speaker for the annual conference, highlighting the faithful’s place in investing.

Broglio asked that throughout the conference participants pray together, study together, and share tools and frameworks, because there needs to be an “integration of principle morals into how companies invest their funds.”

The two-day conference hosted by Innovest, the Archdiocese of Denver, Alliance Defending Freedom, Catholic Benefits Association, CUA, and AmPhil welcomed more than 100 guests to the events Oct. 27–28.

The conference, which is usually held in Denver, is taking place in the nation’s capital, and organizers called it a “transformative gathering of Christian institutional leaders, investors, and decision-makers dedicated to aligning financial stewardship with faith-based values.” 

The CIIC is “designed to inspire, educate, and empower executives and board members to make impactful investment decisions that reflect their Christian beliefs,” organizers said.

The group is set to hear from dozens of leaders from the financial field and discuss the theology of investing. Discussions will focus on aligning investments with values, faith-based approaches to finances, investing in human flourishing, and building a Christian investment movement.

As attendees participate in workshops and discuss the topics, Broglio said, they need to reflect on three guiding questions. Start by asking, “What is the truth?” and then, he said, discuss “What’s the right next step?” Then plan: “How will we do it together?”

Christians’ place in investing

Catholic and Christian investors “are not merely participants … we are controlling owners,” Broglio said. He said Christian institutions hold nearly half of investments and assets in the United States, adding up to trillions of dollars.

Christians in “conversation about markets, capital, and stewardship is not new,” Broglio shared. It goes back to the Latin West and moral theology and law. He added: “Finance was born from courage and prudence and justice and fidelity.”

“‘Fides,’ or faith, should not be secularized,” Broglio said. There should be a push for public life to be “shaped by the Gospels” and “harmonizing science culture with faith.”

Within a culture that often “separates faith from life,” Broglio reminded the crowd that Christians “do have a voice.” Investors must keep faith at the center of their positions to one day enter the kingdom and be told: “Well done, good and faithful servant,” Broglio said.

“United we will strengthen our service to God,” Broglio said. The collaboration of Catholic and Christian companies and investors allows the faithful to “do more together than anyone can do alone.”

“Triumph Over Evil: Battle of the Exorcists” will be in theaters for one day only on Oct. 30, 2025, and aims to answer questions regarding the truth about exorcisms. / Credit: Goya Producciones

CNA Staff, Oct 28, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Who is the devil? What is an exorcism? How do you protect yourself from demonic attacks? These are some of the questions a new film titled “Triumph Over Evil: Battle of the Exorcists” aims to answer.

Approved by the International Association of Exorcists, a prominent pontifical association, “Triumph Over Evil” is the first authoritative documentary to delve into the various aspects of demonic possession and exorcism as well as the how the Catholic priesthood and the Blessed Virgin Mary take part in the battle against evil. 

The film, which includes never-before-seen commentary from Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth and others, will be in theaters for one day only on Oct. 30. 

Giovanni Ziberna, a former atheist who converted to Catholicism, directs the film. 

Despite growing up in an atheist household, Ziberna told CNA in an interview that he always felt like God existed. 

“The beauty of creation always made me feel that there had to be something more,” he said. 

The Italian film director shared that it was not until he and his wife were asked to work on a project on the life of St. Veronica Giuliani — an Italian nun and mystic who belonged to the Capuchin Poor Clares — that he first encountered God. He explained that after receiving a blessing for protection from the priests involved in the project, he began to feel a “fire starting from my feet and rising up all over my body.”

“This fire burned away all my preconceived ideas, my pride, my ego, what I thought about God,” he said. “In that moment, I realized that it was God who humbled himself to embrace us in our smallness and misery and also that fire lit in me the desire to conversion, to be baptized; and the desire to know the faith and the Scriptures.” 

From that point on, he and his wife started their faith journey. They began receiving the sacraments, getting baptized as well as baptizing their children, and having their civil marriage recognized by the Catholic Church.

After becoming Catholic, Ziberna had the opportunity to assist in the ministry of exorcism, where he served as a firsthand witness. This experience inspired him to create the film as a way to show the truth about exorcisms, in contrast to what Hollywood depicts. 

He explained that there is a lot of “misinformation” surrounding this topic, as well as a lack of “theological background,” making it “easy to fall in the devil’s trap.”

Through the film, Ziberna said he wants to “show what a real exorcism is” and how it serves as a “spiritual moment full of light where God’s power wins over darkness.”

Ziberna said he hopes viewers will come away with more knowledge, a desire to “stay closer to God,” and a reminder that the “only real winner over evil is God.”

The St. Paul Center in Steubenville, Ohio, is a nonprofit research and educational institute that promotes life-transforming Scripture study from the heart of the Church. The center serves clergy and laity, students, and scholars with research and study tools. / Credit: St. Paul Center

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 27, 2025 / 15:53 pm (CNA).

The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology is launching a new Bible study program to help Catholics prepare for the Advent and Christmas seasons. 

The Bible study, titled “Bible Across America,” is set to begin Nov. 5 and aims to gather Catholics “around God’s Word to prayerfully study Scripture, grow in discipleship, and build one another up in the Lord,” the organization announced. The course represents the latest addition to the St. Paul Center, whose offerings include online courses, academic books on Scripture and theology, and in-person events for clergy and laity across the country.

Based in Steubenville, Ohio, the St. Paul Center is an independent, nonprofit research and educational institution dedicated, according to its website, to promoting “life-transforming Scripture study from the heart of the Church” and through its programming seeks “to raise up a new generation of priests who are fluent in the Bible and laypeople who are biblically literate.”

The initiative builds on the center’s previous “Journey Through Scripture” video Bible studies, which have as their goal empowering “Catholics and Christians across North America to experience an ‘Emmaus moment,’ encountering Christ in the pages of sacred Scripture and through the doctrine of the Catholic Church.”

In preparation for Advent and Christmas, the new course will help Catholics understand “who Christ is as ‘Teacher and Lord’ (Jn 13:13).” The Bible study will include seven weekly sessions starting Nov. 5 that will each focus on a different theme including the Infancy Narratives, exorcisms, the Sermon on the Mount, the healing of the synagogue ruler’s daughter, Martha and Mary, the Lost Sheep and Luke 15, and the Transfiguration of Jesus. 

The center’s “Bible Across America” initiative is billing itself as “a nationwide Catholic Bible movement,” encouraging Catholics to create and organize Bible study groups with their families, friends, or fellow parishioners. Leaders can register with St. Paul Center to receive a guide to help conduct discussions with their groups. Use of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, which was released last year and whose general editor is St. Paul Center founder Scott Hahn, is also being promoted as part of the initiative.

As “Bible Across America” is expected to simultaneously welcome thousands of participants, St. Paul Center anticipated it will be the “largest Bible study” in the United States. The organization is working in partnership with other Catholic organizations on the project, including Hallow, FOCUS, and Mount St. Mary’s University. The sessions are slated to include insights from Benedictine Father Boniface Hicks, Heather Khym, Shane Owens, Katie McGrady, and Alex Jones, the CEO of Hallow.

“We want to inspire Catholics around the country and throughout the world to bring the power of Scripture to their homes, neighborhoods and parishes," said St. Paul Center President Scott Hahn.

A portrait of a young St. John Henry Newman hangs in Cathedral High School, part of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, in Houston. / Credit: Amira Abuzeid/CNA

CNA Staff, Oct 27, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV will name St. John Henry Newman a patron saint of Catholic education in a document to be published on Oct. 28 for the 60th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on Christian education.

He will become an official co-patron saint of education, alongside St. Thomas Aquinas, during the Vatican’s Jubilee of the World of Education from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1. He will also be declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Leo at the jubilee’s closing Mass on Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints.

Newman will join a list of several other Catholic saints considered patrons of other aspects of education. Get to know them here:

St. Thomas Aquinas

A scholar and doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas is considered one of the Catholic Church’s greatest theologians and philosophers. He is the patron saint of Catholic colleges and universities, teachers, philosophers, theologians, and students. 

St. Albert the Great

A teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Albert the Great was a provincial of the Dominican order and is also a doctor of the Church. He is the patron saint of science students due to his belief that science and faith are compatible.

St. Joseph of Cupertino 

A Conventual Franciscan Friar, St. Joseph of Cupertino was an Italian mystic who was known for struggling with his studies. He is a patron saint of students, especially those preparing to take exams.

St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle 

St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle was a French priest, educational reformer, and founder of the Institute of Brothers of the Christian Schools. He is a patron saint of teachers.

St. Scholastica

St. Scholastica is the foundress of the women’s branch of Benedictine monasticism, which focuses on prayer, work, and study. Her name also means “scholar.” Therefore, she is a patron saint of education.

St. Francis de Sales

Known for his influential writings on spiritual direction and formation, St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of writers, journalists, the Catholic press, and educators.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is considered the foundress of the Catholic school system in the United States, making her a patron of Catholic schools. In 1810, she opened the first Catholic girls school in Emmitsburg, Maryland. It was also here where she founded the first American congregation of religious sisters, the Sisters of Charity.

St. John Neumann

A member of the Redemptorist order, St. John Neumann was the fourth bishop of Philadelphia. While he was there, he founded the first Catholic diocesan school in the United States, which made him a patron saint of Catholic education.

St. Gemma Galgani 

St. Gemma Galgani is considered a patron saint of students because she was an exceptional and diligent student who excelled in her education despite her fragile health.

St. Catherine of Alexandria

A fourth-century noblewoman and scholar, St. Catherine of Alexandria is a patron saint of students, teachers, and librarians due to her incredible skills in debate, which led to many conversions among pagan philosophers.

null / Credit: Leigh Prather/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 27, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

About three-fourths of states scored less than 50% on Napa Legal Institute’s religious freedom index, which measures how well states safeguard religious liberty for faith-based organizations.

The “2025 Religious Freedom Percentage” was part of Napa’s Faith & Freedom Index published Oct. 27. Napa Legal Institute is an organization that assists faith-based nonprofits with legal compliance. 

Alabama scored highest, and Michigan scored lowest.

The report measures a state’s religious liberty in several ways, such as whether faith-based organizations have access to the same public programs and funds as nonreligious groups, whether the state has adopted stronger protections than guaranteed by the First Amendment, and whether employers can operate their organizations consistent with their religious beliefs.

It also considers whether the states protect the free exercise of religion under normal conditions and under a state of emergency such as when states restricted access to religious services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most states had subpar scores, with about three-fourths failing to reach the 50% mark. Six states scored below the 30% mark, and another 19 states and Washington, D.C., were below 40%. An additional 13 states had scores below 50%. 

Seven states scored between 50% and 60% and another three states scored between 60% and 70%. Only two states scored higher than 70%: Kansas at 79% and Alabama at 86%.

“Faith-based organizations must be free to manage their internal affairs in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs and in ways that further their religious mission,” the report stated.

‘Worst’ states for religious liberty

The worst state for religious freedom was Michigan, which scored 22%, according to Napa. The Great Lakes state was closely followed by Delaware at 25%, Washington at 26%, Maryland at 27%, and Nevada and Hawaii at 29%.

Napa’s report called Michigan “one of the worst places to operate faith-based nonprofits in the United States.” The report cited reasons such as not exempting religious employers from nondiscrimination laws that might implicate their faith and unequal access to public programs and benefits.

In Delaware, religious employers have some protection from nondiscrimination laws implicating faith issues, but not in all situations. The state also does not adequately ensure equal access to public programs and funds, the report said.

For Washington, the report expressed concern about limited freedom for religious employers and unequal access to public programs and funds. In Maryland, the report notes a burdensome audit requirement to keep a charitable tax status and a lack of nondiscrimination exemptions.

“Laws have been enacted that impose restrictions on the religious freedom of nonprofits that serve the public,” the report notes, in reference to low-scoring states. “Such laws threaten to exclude faith-based institutions from the marketplace of charitable services and limit the access of vulnerable populations to needed services.”

Alabama ranks first

Alabama received, by far, the best score at 86%, and the report considers it “one of the best places to operate a faith-based nonprofit in the United States.”

The report said Alabama adopted a constitutional amendment to build on the religious liberty protections of the First Amendment. The state provides exemptions to nondiscrimination laws when faith is implicated and allows equal access to public programs. Still, the report noted a key concern: the Blaine Amendment, which restricts access to public funds.

In Kansas, which scored 79%; Mississippi, which scored 67%; and Georgia, which scored 67%, the states provide exemptions for nondiscrimination laws when faith is implicated and ensure access to public programs. However, they all lack proper access to public funds and have mixed scores on free exercise protections, the report said.

Other states ranking highly in Napa’s report included Florida at 63%, and New Hampshire and Indiana at 59%.

“Even in states with cultures friendly to religious organizations, it is worthwhile to identify areas where there is room to improve the states’ friendliness to faith-based organizations by passing more favorable laws,” the report notes.

New York and California are pouring taxpayer dollars into Planned Parenthood, joining several other states in counteracting the federal defunding of the abortion giant.  / Credit: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Oct 25, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

New York and California are pouring taxpayer dollars into Planned Parenthood, joining several other states in counteracting the federal defunding of the abortion giant. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged $140 million to Planned Parenthood locations in California on Oct. 24. On the same day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul committed $35 million in funding to Planned Parenthood locations in New York.

Both states are known for their abortion shield laws, which protect abortionists who mail abortion pills into states where they are illegal. Several women are suing California and New York abortionists after being poisoned by or coerced into taking the abortion pill by the fathers of their children.

New York and California join several other states that have made similar moves in light of the yearlong federal defunding of Planned Parenthood. Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington have all taken similar steps to replace lost federal funding for Planned Parenthood over the past few months.

Newsom said on Thursday that California is “protecting access to essential health care” by providing funding for more than 100 locations across the state. 

“Trump’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood put all our communities at risk as people seek basic health care from these community providers,” Newsom said in a statement.

Hochul in a similar vein said she is putting funding toward the 47 Planned Parenthood clinics in New York, alleging that pro-life politicians will “stop at nothing to undermine women’s health care.”

“In the face of congressional Republicans voting to defund Planned Parenthood, I’ve directed the state to fund these vital services, protecting access to health care that thousands of New Yorkers rely on,” Hochul said in a Friday statement.

Hundreds of alternative clinics exist in both states 

A spokeswoman for Heartbeat International, a network that supports life-affirming pregnancy centers, told CNA there are many low-cost and even free alternatives to Planned Parenthood across the country — including hundreds of clinics and pregnancy centers in both New York and California. 

Andrea Trudden said that “women in California and New York already have access to a vast network of life-affirming care.” 

“California has more than 300 pregnancy help organizations and New York nearly 200,” Trudden said, citing Heartbeat International’s Worldwide Directory of Pregnancy Help.

“These centers offer practical support, compassionate care, and resources to women facing unplanned pregnancies, empowering them to choose life for their children and themselves,” she continued. 

For women who need health care not related to pregnancy, Trudden noted that both states are “well served” by Federally Qualified Health Centers, which are centers that provide “comprehensive, low-cost medical care for women and families.” 

As of 2024, California had more than 170 of these clinics, while New York had more than 60, Trudden said, citing a report by KFF, a health policy institute. 

“If leaders truly cared about women’s health, they would invest in these community-based organizations that meet the needs of women before, during, and after pregnancy — not in the nation’s largest abortion provider,” Trudden added. 

Kelsey Pritchard, a spokeswoman at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told CNA that in California, Planned Parenthood “is choosing to shutter primary care rather than give up profiting from abortions.”

In Orange and San Bernardino counties, Planned Parenthood will continue to offer abortions while closing primary care facilities. 

“In California, New York, and across the country, Planned Parenthoods are outnumbered by far better options and the pro-life movement is happy to help women locate the care they need,” Pritchard said, citing reports by the Charlotte Lozier Institute on community care centers and pregnancy centers for women. 

Jennie Bradley Lichter, the president of the March for Life, criticized politicians for prioritizing abortion funding instead of care for women and children. 

“Political leaders who prioritize funding for Planned Parenthood leave no doubt where their priorities lie: and it is not with women and children,” Bradley Lichter told CNA.

“It’s a shame that the leaders of states like California and New York aren’t choosing to pour their resources into institutions that truly support moms, like the huge number of pregnancy resource centers located in each of those states,” she said.

Women deserve better than the “tragedy” of abortion, Bradley Lichter said.

“We at March for Life want women to know that when their state leaders fall short and leave them in the hands of Big Abortion, pro-life Americans will stand in the gap and help them find the love and care they need,” she continued.

Defunding Planned Parenthood: a ‘life-saving’ act 

A spokesman for Live Action called the defunding of Planned Parenthood “one of the most lifesaving acts Congress has taken in decades,” noting that the federal government stopped funding the organization that “kills over 400,000 children every year.”

“That victory must be made permanent when the one-year cutoff expires next July,” Noah Brandt told CNA. “Yet pro-abortion states like California and New York are working to undo that progress, using taxpayer money to expand abortion through all nine months and to ship abortion pills nationwide.”

“Federal funding for Planned Parenthood must never return, and states that promote abortion should be held accountable for enabling the mass killing and sterilization of American children,” Brandt said.

Pritchard added that although Planned Parenthood is “constantly scheming to grow their grip on taxpayer money,” the pro-life movement has seen wins around the nation — most especially, the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood.

“Make no mistake, they are losing big in Congress, in courts, and increasingly in the hearts and minds of Americans,” Pritchard said.

Father Burke Masters speaks to Veronica Dudo on "EWTN News Nightly" on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025 / Credit: EWTN News

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 25, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Father Burke Masters’ first dream was to be a major league baseball player, but after feeling a call from God to the priesthood he now uses the sport “to speak about Jesus and the Church.”

“I played college baseball at Mississippi State University, and then played briefly in the minor leagues,” Masters said. “That was my dream to be a major league baseball player, but that didn't work out.”

“God eventually called me to be a priest,” Masters said in an Oct. 24 interview with “EWTN News Nightly.” He added: “It really wasn’t what I wanted, but it was this persistent and gentle call from the Lord.”

“I went to seminary fully thinking I would go … not like it, and then go back to my plans,” Masters said. “Yet when I got to seminary I just felt this overwhelming peace, and that’s one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.”

Masters was ordained in 2002, serving as priest in Illinois. Eventually though, baseball did become a part of his career when he was named the chaplain of the Chicago Cubs in 2013.

“God brought baseball back into my life in a way that I never expected,” Masters said. “Since then, people have called me the ‘baseball priest,’ because I love to connect faith with sports.”

While Masters’ “full-time job” was as a pastor in the Diocese of Joliet, he attended all the Cubs’ home games. As the “baseball priest,” Masters was chaplain when they won the World Series in 2016.

“One of my big messages to the players then and to the players now would be: ‘Just remember your identity, you’re beloved sons of God. Your identity is not in the sport of baseball.’ And what I find that helps players … relax to say: ‘Yes, this is a big game. Millions of people are watching, but in the end, it’s still just a game. And life goes on,’” he said.

Connecting faith and sports

In 2023, Masters published a book, “A Grand Slam for God: A Journey from Baseball Star to Catholic Priest.” He wrote about his childhood outside of Chicago, his success in baseball, his conversion to Catholicism, and his acceptance of his vocation.

His story discusses his doubts and personal loss, and how he learned to embrace his identity not as an athlete but as a son of God and spiritual leader. 

“Baseball taught me a lot of things, among them, discipline, hard work, and how to work with people of a lot of different backgrounds,” Masters said. “I find that to be so helpful in my life as a priest, as a vocation director, as a pastor, that I try to invest a lot of time in my spiritual life.”

“Also, baseball has given me a way to … reach people who are not close to God at the moment by bringing stories about baseball and my sports background,” Masters said. “It gives me an opening to speak about Jesus and the Church. It’s just been a great gift."

In homilies, Masters said he will “bring up the sport of baseball.” He added: “I can see some of the people who love the sport perk up and then can bring the Gospel message to them more easily.”

Ahead of the 2025 World Series on Oct. 24, Masters shared with EWTN his predictions for the outcome. He said: “If I go off my head, the Dodgers will win, but I love pulling for the underdog. So my heart is going with the Toronto Blue Jays.”

null / Credit: txking/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Oct 25, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Bishops in multiple U.S. states are leading efforts to spare the lives of condemned prisoners facing execution — urging clemency in line with the Catholic Church’s relatively recent but unambiguous declaration that the death penalty is not permissible and should be abolished. 

Executions in the United States have been increasingly less common for years. Following the death penalty’s re-legalization by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, executions peaked in the country around the turn of the century before beginning a gradual decline.

Still, more than 1,600 prisoners have been executed since the late 1970s. The largest number of those executions has been carried out in Texas, which has killed 596 prisoners over that time period.

As with other states, the Catholic bishops of Texas regularly petition the state government to issue clemency to prisoners facing death. Jennifer Allmon, the executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, told CNA that the state’s bishops regularly urge officials to commute death penalty sentences to life in prison. 

“We refer to it as the Mercy Project,” she said. 

Though popular perception holds that the governor of a state is the ultimate arbiter of a condemned prisoner’s fate, Allmon said in Texas that’s not the case. 

“The state Board of Pardons and Paroles has the ultimate authority,” she said. “The governor is only allowed to issue a 30-day stay on an execution one time. He doesn’t actually have the power to grant a permanent clemency.” 

“We don’t encourage phone calls to the governor because it’s not going to be a meaningful order,” she pointed out. “The board has a lot more authority.”

Allmon said the bishops advocate on behalf of every condemned prisoner in the state. 

“We send a letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and copy the governor for every single execution during the time period when the board is reviewing clemency applications,” she said. “Typically they hold reviews about 21 days before the execution. We time our letters to arrive shortly before that.” 

“We research every single case,” she said. “We speak to the defendant’s legal counsel for additional information. We personalize each letter to urge prayer for the victims and their families, we mention them by name, and we share any mitigating circumstances or reason in particular that the execution is unjust, while always acknowledging that every execution should be stopped.”

Some offenders, Allmon said, want to be executed. “We do a letter anyway. We think it’s important that on principle we speak out for every execution.”

In Missouri, meanwhile, the state’s Catholic bishops similarly advocate for every prisoner facing execution by the government. 

Missouri has been among the most prolific executors of condemned prisoners since 1976. More than half of the 102 people executed there over the last 50 years have been under Democratic governors; then-Gov. Mel Carnahan oversaw 38 state executions from 1993 to 2000 alone. 

Jamie Morris, the executive director of the Missouri Catholic Conference, told CNA that the state bishops “send a clemency request for every prisoner set to be executed, either through a letter from the Missouri Catholic Conference or through a joint letter of the bishops.”

“We also highlight every upcoming execution through our MCC publications and encourage our network to contact the governor to ask for clemency,” he said. Individual dioceses, meanwhile, carry out education and outreach to inform the faithful of the Church’s teaching on the death penalty. 

What does the Church actually teach?

The Vatican in 2018 revised its teaching on the death penalty, holding that though capital punishment was “long considered an appropriate response” to some crimes, evolving standards and more effective methods of imprisonment and detention mean the death penalty is now “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”

The Church “works with determination for its abolition worldwide,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the revision of which was approved by Pope Francis. 

The Church’s revision came after years of increasing opposition to the death penalty by popes in the modern era. Then-Pope John Paul II in 1997 revised the catechism to reflect what he acknowledged was a “growing tendency, both in the Church and in civil society, to demand that [the death penalty] be applied in a very limited way or even that it be abolished completely.”

The Death Penalty Information Center says that 23 states and the District of Columbia have abolished capital punishment. Morris told CNA that bills to abolish the death penalty are filed “every year” in Missouri, though he said those measures have “not been heard in a legislative committee” during his time at the Catholic conference. 

Bishops have thus focused their legislative efforts on advocating against a provision in the Missouri code that allows a judge to sentence an individual to death when a jury cannot reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty. 

Brett Farley, who heads the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, said the state’s bishops have been active in opposing capital punishment there after a six-year moratorium on the death penalty lapsed in 2021 and executions resumed. 

Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley and Tulsa Bishop David Konderla “have been very outspoken both in calling for clemency of death row inmates and, generally, calling for an end to the death penalty,” Farley said. The prelates have called for abolition via Catholic publications and in op-eds, he said.

The state’s bishops through the Tulsa Diocese and Oklahoma City Archdiocese have also instituted programs in which clergy and laity both minister to the condemned and their families, Farley said. 

The state Catholic conference, meanwhile, has led the effort to pass a proposed legislative ban on the death penalty. That measure has moved out of committee in both chambers of the state Legislature, Farley said. 

“We have also commissioned recent polls that show overwhelming support for moratorium among Oklahoma voters, which demonstrate as many as 78% agreeing that ‘a pause’ on executions is appropriate to ensure we do not execute innocent people,” he said. 

Catholics across the United States have regularly led efforts to abolish the death penalty. The Washington, D.C.-based group Catholic Mobilizing Network, for instance, arose out of the U.S. bishops’ 2005 Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty. 

The group urges activists to take part in anti-death penalty campaigns in numerous states, including petitioning the federal government to end the death penalty, using a “three-tiered approach of education, advocacy, and prayer.”

Catholics have also worked to end the death penalty at the federal level. Sixteen people have been executed by the federal government since 1976. 

Executions in the states have increased over the last few years, though they have not come near the highs of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Allmon said Texas is seeing “fewer executions in general” relative to earlier years. 

The number of executions was very high under Gov. Rick Perry, she said; the Republican governor ultimately witnessed the carrying out of 279 death sentences over his 15 years as governor. Since 2015, current Gov. Greg Abbott has presided over a comparatively smaller 78 executions. 

“It still shouldn’t happen,” she said, “but it’s a huge reduction.”