Holy Trinity Catholic Church

“Roadmap to Reality: Carlo Acutis and Our Digital Age” is a new documentary film exploring the life of Carlo Acutis that will be coming to theaters in the spring of 2025. / Credit: Castletown Media

CNA Staff, Nov 23, 2024 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Castletown Media, the production company behind the new film “Roadmap to Reality: Carlo Acutis and Our Digital Age,” has announced that the National Eucharistic Congress Inc. and the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame have become official partners for the upcoming documentary exploring the life of the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.

“The National Eucharistic Congress is passionate about reigniting devotion to the Eucharist in this country, and when we shared the project with them they were thrilled insofar as how this film really resonates with that mission,” the director of the new Acutis film and founder of Castletown Media, Tim Moriarty, told CNA in an interview.

In a press release, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, chair of the National Eucharistic Revival who appears in the film, said: “Soon-to-be St. Carlo Acutis is a modern apostle who can inspire young people to discover the incredible gift of the Eucharist. Carlo is the model for the kind of Eucharistic missionary we, as bishops, hope every Catholic will become.”

Meanwhile, the McGrath Institute, known for its work partnering with Catholics parishes, dioceses, and schools to offer resources and materials to address pastoral challenges, will be offering its expertise to the film’s production by developing educational materials for parishes and schools based on themes found in the documentary.

Moriarty explained that they began speaking with the McGrath Institute when they began to cover the issue of technology and the impact it’s having on young people while making the film. They interviewed several members of the McGrath team and realized that together they could “do more good.” 

As partners, the McGrath Institute will specifically be creating material for youth preparing for their first Communion by helping them “understand what the Eucharist is at a time in their lives where screen addiction becomes increasingly problematic,” Moriarty explained.

On Nov. 20, Pope Francis announced the canonization date of Blessed Carlo Acutis, which will take place on April 27, 2025, during the Church’s Jubilee of Teenagers. Moriarty called this announcement “providential” as the film will be in theaters in time for the canonization. 

“Roadmap to Reality” explores the life of Carlo Acutis and the lessons he offers young people regarding the challenges of the digital world. The documentary blends live action, animation, and documentary-style interviews with Acutis’ family, friends, tech experts, and scholars to tackle urgent questions about artificial intelligence and the technological world we live in.

“One of the themes in the film is that he [Acutis] was online to lead people offline,” Moriarty shared. “He was online to lead people back to the Eucharist, back to real encounters, and he’s a great model for us.”

“I think what Carlo did in his life was to show us that yes, we have to be engaging online, sharing the Gospel online, but we have to do it in a way where we don’t lose touch with the incarnational reality, which is fully present to us in the Eucharist, which is that real substantial presence. I think there’s something in that that is very powerful and for me has been really moving and healing the more I try to follow Carlo’s example,” Moriarty concluded.

Pope Francis smiles at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Nov 23, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The Holy See on Saturday confirmed the rumors that Pope Francis will undertake a one-day apostolic journey to Corsica next month — marking the first-ever papal visit to the island most famous for being Napoleon Bonaparte’s birthplace.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that the pope had accepted an invitation from French civil and Church authorities to visit Ajaccio, the island’s capital, on Dec. 15.

The visit will be Pope Francis’ 47th apostolic journey abroad and his third visit to French territory, following trips to Strasbourg in 2014 and Marseille in 2023.

On both occasions, the pontiff spoke about migration. This visit continues Pope Francis’ engagement with the Mediterranean region, following earlier trips to Lampedusa, Lesbos, and Malta, where he emphasized the Church’s call to solidarity with migrants and coastal communities.

Pope Francis will be welcomed in Corsica’s capital, Ajaccio, by Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, who was made a cardinal by Francis last year and leads a diocese where more than 80% of the island’s 340,000 inhabitants identify as Catholic.

The journey from Rome to Ajaccio’s Napoleon Bonaparte Airport will take just over an hour — making this one of the pope’s shortest international trips, covering roughly 186 miles. Though technically a visit to French territory, the Mediterranean island lies closer to Italy than to mainland France.

The pontiff’s schedule includes the concluding session of a congress dedicated to Mediterranean popular religiosity in the morning followed by an afternoon Mass at the historic Place d’Austerlitz — known locally as “U Casone.”

The pope will pray the Angelus with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and seminarians at Ajaccio’s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption.

The mountainous Mediterranean island is known for its distinctive religious traditions, including a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary. The island’s unofficial anthem, “Diu vi Salvi Regina,” is originally based on a rendition of “Hail, Holy Queen.”

Drawing from the Acts of the Apostles (10:38), the visit’s motto, “Jesus Went About Doing Good,” reflects what Vatican sources describe as the fundamentally pastoral nature of the pope’s presence among the faithful.

The journey’s official logo prominently features Mary, venerated as Queen of Corsica, set against Mediterranean blues and incorporating traditional Christian symbolism — including a cross representing faith in Christ and a descending line suggesting the Holy Spirit’s presence.

Archbishop Boris Godziak, Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archiparagi of Philadelphia. / Credit: “EWTN News in Depth”/Screenshot

CNA Staff, Nov 23, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

A Ukrainian archbishop says he has encouraged President-elect Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to help “build a policy for the future.” 

During a Friday interview with “EWTN News In Depth” anchor Catherine Hadro, Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia said that he spoke briefly with Trump before the election at the Oct. 17 Al Smith dinner, where he encouraged Trump to visit Ukraine. Gudziak has subsequently written a letter to the president-elect to the same effect.

“I think if he went now, before the inauguration, for example, with a group of religious leaders on a humanitarian mission, he would see for himself what is happening on the ground,” Gudziak explained. “Everybody that has gone to Ukraine — cardinals, political leaders, humanitarian workers, people who were skeptical, people that knew a lot — all came out knowing much, much more and understanding more deeply what’s happening.” 

“So I would encourage President Trump to go to Ukraine,” Gudziak said, as “a base on which to build a policy for the future.”

Nov. 19 marked 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Ukraine on Tuesday used U.S. missiles to strike deeper into Russian territory, following President Joe Biden’s authorization of such use. Russian forces shot down five of six of the missiles that were fired at a military facility.  

Gudziak said of the somber milestone: “It is a time of mourning.” 

“There’s great pain and great wounds in our people, in our Church,” Gudziak noted. “At the same time, there’s great gratitude. Most observers internationally, and particularly Putin, thought Ukraine would fall in a matter of three days or three weeks. And now, three years later, the people still stand, keep standing, defending their God-given dignity, their freedom, their democracy.”

Devastating toll

Hundreds of thousands have been killed as a result of the Russian invasion, with more than 14 million people forced to leave their homes. The archbishop noted that 4,000 schools and 2,000 hospitals have been destroyed. 

“There’s great suffering, great trauma which will be lasting,” Gudziak said. “But there is also the sense of courage and gratitude for God’s graces that Russia has not occupied all of Ukraine and that the country is still free.” 

When asked what it’s like for Catholics in Ukraine, Gudziak said that “the public life of the Catholic Church has been virtually extinguished” in Eastern Ukraine, where Russia has occupied parts of three regions.   

“There [are] no Ukrainian Catholic priests functioning there now, and a couple of priests who were abducted and tortured for 18 months, who were freed in the summer — they show the scars of what Russian captivity is like,” the archbishop said.

“For Catholics, it should be clear that Russian occupation means [the] extinguishing of our normal church life,” he continued.

But Gudziak noted that Catholic charities have come together to support Ukrainians, including Caritas Ukraine, a Catholic charity in Ukraine.

“Bishops and priests are in place, serving the people, celebrating the sacraments, announcing the good news, but also very much engaged in humanitarian work, helping those that have lost their homes, their possessions, distributing clothing, food, fostering medical care,” he said. 

“Very importantly, the Church reminds people of their God-given dignity, the fact that the Lord is with them, that every hair on their head is counted” and that the country has lived through “even more harrowing experiences,” he said.

“During World War II, between the Nazis and the Soviets, 6 [million] to 7 million residents of Ukraine were killed and the whole country was devastated,” Gudziak continued. “Ukrainians know they’ve lived through the crucifixion and have resurrected in the past. So the Church announces this paschal Kerygma: We carry our cross and God will give us life.”

A groom flashes a peace sign at wedding-goers while processing out of St. Mary’s Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, after having his marriage sacramentally blessed at the Marriage Mass on Oct. 19, 2024. / Credit: Nicholas Elbers/The B.C. Catholic

Vancouver, Canada, Nov 23, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Sometimes it just takes moving across the world to understand the value of a sacramental marriage. At least that’s what it took for Eddelyn and Mario John, two recent arrivals to Canada from the Philippines. They were one of 19 couples whose marriages were sacramentally blessed at the Marriage Mass at St. Mary’s in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, one of three such events across the archdiocese this year.

In total 121 couples had their marriages convalidated this year in the archdiocese, a substantial increase from last year’s 42.  

Eddelyn and Mario met almost two decades ago while Eddelyn was working at a farm supply store where Mario would come to purchase feed. Things developed quickly, and the couple married after only three months of courting.

At the time, the couple embodied a certain cultural Catholicism. Mario’s family urged them to have a church wedding, but they declined.

“I always said we were good — it’s OK,” Eddelyn recalled. “As long as we always go to church every Sunday, it’s OK.”

Soon, they were pregnant, and their daughter was born before their first wedding anniversary.

Life continued apace, but something always felt like it could be better. They weren’t unhappy and had a good family life with their daughter. It wasn’t until they were apart that things clicked for Eddelyn and Mario.

In 2019, an opportunity arose for them to immigrate to Canada. One of Mario’s favorite uncles encouraged the couple to make the journey, but COVID delayed their plans, and he passed away before they made the move.

Eddelyn was finally accepted for a student visa last year. Because of delays with their daughter’s visa application, she made the trip alone, arriving in Canada in December 2023 to start her studies in business management.

At the first Canadian Mass she attended at St. Mary’s in Vancouver, someone announced that the Marriage Mass was coming up on Oct. 19 — the birthday of her beloved uncle who had passed away.

Eddelyn saw this as a sign, and she and Mario decided that if they could get their marriage sacramentally validated in Canada, they would.

“We want to be part of the seven sacraments of the Church,” Mario said.

As anyone dealing with Immigration Canada knows, getting the paperwork done can be a nightmare. Still, as fate would have it, everything was finalized in time for Mario to bring their daughter to Canada for the Marriage Mass. Their application to have their marriage blessed barely made this year’s deadline, submitted the day before the cutoff.

“We have a desire to live out our spiritual commitment — I think it’s in God’s perfect timing,” Eddelyn said.

“A religious ceremony provides a sense of fulfillment,” Eddelyn said. “Those are the steps that are quite meaningful for our whole family. It is a fulfillment for those in heaven as well.”

Their daughter, who struggles with communication due to hearing problems, was also happy. “We saw through her face that she was very happy,” Eddelyn said.

In addition to an honor guard by the Knights of Columbus and music by a joint St. Mary’s choir, couples were each given six tickets to a catered reception after Mass so they could celebrate with friends and family.

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and has been adapted by CNA. It is reprinted here with permission.

The relics of St. Thomas Aquinas are kept in Toulouse, France, where the Dominican order was founded. / Credit: Didier Descouens|Wikimedia|CC BY-SA 4.0

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 23, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The major relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, “The Angelic Doctor,” are on tour and scheduled to make a stop in Washington, D.C., next weekend as part of the commemoration of the 700th anniversary of his canonization. 

Members of the faithful will be able to venerate the relics, including his skull, on two separate occasions: first at St. Dominic’s Church on Friday, Nov. 29, and then again on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Dominican House of Studies. The event is co-sponsored by the Thomistic Institute. 

“In a time of renewed interest in the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, the jubilees of his canonization (700 years in 2023), death (750 years in 2024), and birth (800 years in 2025) draw our attention to the masterwork of wisdom and sanctity which God wrought in him,” Father Gregory Pine, OP, assistant director at the Thomistic Institute, said in a press release. 

“The opportunity that we have to receive and venerate his relics makes this grace all the more proximate and precious to us,” Pine added.

Friday’s event will begin at 12:10 p.m. with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics of the revered theologian and philosopher from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be solemn vespers at 5:30 p.m. and night prayer at 6:45 p.m. with a Marian procession to follow. 

On Saturday, the Dominican House of Studies will begin the day with solemn lauds and a votive Mass of St. Thomas Aquinas at 7:30 a.m., and veneration of the relics will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pine will also preach at 3 p.m. that day. 

“‘Get wisdom, get understanding’ (Prv 4:5). One way is to study, another way is to pray for it, but an exceptional way is to pray for it in the presence of the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas,” Father James Brent, OP, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Dominican House of Studies, also stated in the release. 

The relic of St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull comes to the U.S. from the Dominicans in Toulouse, France, and is one of two skulls Church officials claim to have belonged to the 11th-century saint. The other is housed in the Italian city of Priverno. The Dominicans in France commissioned a new reliquary for the skull last year to celebrate the saint’s canonization anniversary.

After Aquinas’ death in 1274, his body was kept in Fossanova Abbey in Priverno until 1369, when his relics were moved to Toulouse, a city in southwestern France, where the Order of Preachers was established. Aquinas’ tomb rests in the Church of the Jacobins. 

Researchers are currently weighing the possibility of conducting an in-depth forensic analysis of both skulls to determine their authenticity. 

Where do the relics go next?

After two stops in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, Aquinas’ relics hit the road for their U.S. tour:

Charlottesville, Virginia: St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 2

Providence, Rhode Island: Providence College on Dec. 4

Cincinnati: St. Gertrude Priory on Dec. 6

Columbus, Ohio: St. Patrick Priory on Dec. 7–8

Louisville, Kentucky: St. Louis Bertrand on Dec. 10

Springfield, Kentucky: St. Rose Priory on Dec. 12

New York City: St. Vincent Ferrer on Dec. 14

Philadelphia: St. Patrick on Dec. 16

Baltimore: Sts. Philip and James on Dec. 18

Farm workers. / Credit: mikeledray/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 22, 2024 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

The national anti-poverty program run by U.S. bishops has released its annual report from 2023, revealing that it spent $11.4 million more than it collected.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) Annual Report 2023 revealed that the program ended the year with a net operating deficit of $2,830,364 after spending more than the combined total of its $8,451,156 savings and the $7,284,574 in revenue it collected this year. 

The CCHD is a nationwide anti-poverty program run by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that raises money every year and allocates funding to charitable organizations that benefit the poor. 

In total, the organization dedicated to “breaking the cycle of poverty” spent $18,696,903 overall despite having just $15,735,730 in available funds after clearing out its accumulated assets.

Bishop Timothy Senior of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who chairs the Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, stated in the annual report that the various charitable projects that received CCHD funds mentioned represent “a small taste of how CCHD invested $7.3 million of [donor] gifts in grants in 2023 to help people help each other.” 

The CCHD has not published a list of grantees since 2022, though USCCB spokesperson Chieko Noguchi told CNA this week that she expects CCHD’s 2023 grantee list to be “posted soon.” 

CCHD’s recent difficulties and past controversy

The CCHD annual report documenting its financial difficulties comes after its former director, Ralph McCloud, resigned from his position in April. In June, several USCCB social justice employees working for the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, which oversees CCHD, were laid off. Bishops had privately discussed the CCHD during its June plenary assembly ahead of the layoffs. 

Noguchi told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, at the time that the layoffs were part of a “reorganization” geared toward enabling the conference to “align resources more closely with recent funding trends.” 

“The CCHD subcommittee will continue its work,” she continued, adding: “In the interest of good stewardship, the administration of the collection is being reorganized to allow for more efficient management.”

McCloud is now a fellow at a social justice political advocacy group called NETWORK, which was founded by Catholic Sisters in 1972. 

Over the years the program has generated controversy and criticism. Beginning in 2008, the CCHD was faulted by activists — and some Catholic bishops — for funding organizations that have taken positions contrary to Church teaching, such as on abortion and same-sex marriage.

In 2010, the USCCB instituted new controls to help ensure that grantees conform with Catholic teaching.

Father José Eduardo de Oliveira e Silva has over 420,000 followers on Instagram and 130,000 on YouTube. / Credit: Courtesy of Father José Eduardo de Oliveira e Silva

Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nov 22, 2024 / 16:50 pm (CNA).

On Nov. 21, Brazil’s Federal Police charged Father José Eduardo de Oliveira e Silva of the Diocese of Osasco in São Paulo state as part of a group of 37 people that includes former President Jair Bolsonaro on suspicion of plotting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, plotting a coup d’état, and belonging to a criminal organization. 

According to authorities, the publication of the list of defendants in the final report of the investigation into the alleged coup d’état was authorized by the country’s Supreme Federal Court.

The charges stem from the investigation by the Federal Police into an alleged plot to assassinate then-President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Military personnel and military police have already been detained in connection with the investigation.

Despite the announcement by the police, the public prosecutor’s office is not obliged to go forward with prosecuting the persons implicated or the alleged crimes being charged. 

The priest’s defense attorney, Miguel Vidigal, told ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner, that “the press release by the Federal Police with the list of defendants is one more abuse by those responsible for the investigation, and publishing it on the police department’s official website contaminates the entire institution.”

“Who authorized the Federal Police to break the secrecy of the investigations? As far as we know, [Supreme Court] Justice Alexandre de Moraes decreed absolute secrecy,” the attorney said.

“So far there is no decision by [him] that voids such determination,” he added.

“Less than seven days after giving testimony to the Federal Police,” Father José Eduardo “sees his name in print [on the list] by the Federal Police as one of those indicted by investigators.” The same investigators didn’t shy away from breaking the law and international treaties by combing through the priest’s conversations and spiritual direction that are guaranteed to be confidential, Vidigal denounced.

In February, the priest was the subject of a raid and seizure operation by the Federal Police that was authorized by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The priest was accused of being part of the “legal core” of the alleged coup d'état, for which former president Bolsonaro, advisers, allies, military personnel, and former ministers of his government were also investigated.

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

Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi during an interview with CNA in Rome on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 22, 2024 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, who will be installed as a cardinal on Dec. 7, spoke to the Vatican new agency Fides about the present and future state of the country.

The archbishop said that “an aging society like Japan’s will not be able to survive,” pointing to the dangers of the country’s demographic winter.

Faced with this reality, he noted that the government “is hesitant to fully accept migrants” for fear of entering into territory never previously explored in Japan, a nation little accustomed to receiving migrants.

“Until now, Japan has been a remarkably homogeneous country. However, the reality is that without the presence of migrants, Japanese society cannot sustain itself. This is a fact. It’s true that migrants come in with different types of visas but, due to the reluctance of institutions, many of them are forced sooner or later to face bureaucratic problems related to their immigration status,” he said.

Kikuchi said that Japanese society often perceives migration as a “problem” and that even within the Church there is talk of the “immigrant problem.” The archbishop believes that this language reflects the “negative perception” of many Japanese about this reality.

Immigrants in Japan ‘not a problem but a hope’

“I firmly believe that immigrants are not a problem but a hope for the Church. They offer the Catholic community a unique opportunity to grow, especially with young people, and to proclaim the Gospel in areas where there is no active presence of the Church,” he said.

“In a certain way, immigrants offer the Japanese Church the possibility of renewing itself and of being more active in its mission. This is a real hope,” he added.

Since it is geographically located in a strategic position, between great world powers such as the United States, Russia, and China, the country of the “rising sun” is not unfamiliar with the diatribes and circumstances that the world is going through today.

Specifically on the subject of war and the growing threat of the use of nuclear weapons, Kikuchi was emphatic in pointing out that nuclear weapons “do not provide real protection.”

The Japanese government approved a 16.5% (about $56 billion) increase in defense spending by 2024. “It’s just throwing money away,” the archbishop said.

Dialogue ‘the key to stability’

“Anyone who seriously analyzes the political situation in Asia understands that dialogue is the key to ensuring stability, not the threat posed by weapons. Investing more money in weapons, especially nuclear weapons, is an unnecessary and dangerous expense, since these weapons are not designed to resolve conflicts but to destroy the world,” he commented.

The prelate said the Japanese Church will continue to promote initiatives “that seek the elimination of nuclear weapons. We will work with bishops in the United States and other countries to demand that both Japan and the U.S. government commit to abolishing these weapons as soon as possible.”

“Dialogue is the key to stability. We must not argue. We must talk to each other. Dialogue is not just about talking, but also about building relationships. Synodality is also necessary in this area,” the archbishop concluded.

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

President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom to former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, photographed here with Kirk Adams and First Lady Jill Biden, in a photo posted to his X account, Nov. 20, 2024. / Credit: President Joe Biden/X

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 22, 2024 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest civilian honor in the country — to Cecile Richards, an abortion activist who was the president of Planned Parenthood for more than a decade.

Although the Medal of Freedom is often awarded in a public ceremony, the president gave the medal to Richards in a private ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 20. This is the 37th person to whom Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom but the first who is known primarily for abortion advocacy.

“With absolute courage, [Richards] fearlessly leads us forward to be the America we say we are — a nation of freedom,” Biden, the second Catholic president in American history, said in a post on X late Wednesday afternoon.

“Through her work to lift up the dignity of workers, defend and advance women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilize Americans to exercise their power to vote, she has carved an inspiring legacy,” Biden added.

Richards reposted the president’s remarks on her X account, thanking Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for “all you’ve done to support women’s health and rights.”

“Such an honor representing abortion rights and the need for health care for all,” Richards said.

Richards was the president of Planned Parenthood from February 2006 until she stepped down in April 2018. The number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood increased by more than 10% during her tenure. In 2006, the organization performed 289,750 abortions but increased that number to 321,384 abortions in 2016.

Planned Parenthood abortionists completed about 320,000 abortions each year during her time as president, which amounts to more than 3 million abortions under her leadership.

According to the White House, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is reserved for people “who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public, or private endeavors.”

Earlier this year, Richards announced that she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer — the same type of cancer that claimed the life of Biden’s son Beau in 2015.

Biden’s views on abortion have shifted during his career. The president began serving his first term in the Senate in 1973, just days before the United States Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal nationwide. At the time, Biden criticized the decision. He gradually moved toward a staunch pro-abortion stance over the next 50 years in politics.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned during his presidency in June 2022, Biden vowed to codify a national right to abortion into federal law and supported ending the prohibition on federal tax money directly paying for abortion. 

During his presidency, the Biden administration sought to scale back religious freedom protections in abortion laws and moved to expand surgical abortion through the Department of Health and Human Services and chemical abortion through federal regulations. Other policies included funding for overseas organizations that promote abortion and a policy at the U.S. Department of Defense to fund abortion travel costs for service members and their families.

President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated president on Jan. 20, 2025, opposes federal restrictions on abortion, and he supports leaving abortion law to the states. He has vowed to protect religious freedom and is open to reenacting the federal ban on overseas abortion funding.

On Wednesday, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), penned an op-ed with the Wall Street Journal, which stated they will recommend ending federal funds for Planned Parenthood.

Biden’s support for abortion has put him at odds with Catholic bishops and the pope on the issue of life.

In April, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and said that Biden “picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts … especially in terms of the life issues.”

“There is a phrase that we have used in the past, a ‘cafeteria Catholic,’ [in which] you choose that which is attractive and dismiss that which is challenging,” Gregory said.

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, accused Biden of “making a mockery of our Catholic faith” in May after the president made the sign of the cross while promoting abortion.

In 2022, Pope Francis said Biden should “talk to his pastor about that incoherence” when talking about Biden supporting abortion even though he is a Catholic.

Missouri’s bishops are urging the state to forgo executing a Christopher Collings, who was convicted of the 2007 abduction, rape, torture and murder of a 9-year-old girl. Collings is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 3, 2024. / Credit: Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Corrections

St. Louis, Mo., Nov 22, 2024 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

Missouri’s bishops are urging the state to forgo executing a man next month who was convicted of the 2007 abduction, rape, torture, and murder of a 9-year-old girl.

Police said Christopher Collings confessed to killing Rowan Ford after raping her on Nov. 3, 2007. The murder took place in rural Stella, Missouri, in the far southwest corner of the state. 

Collings’ confession, which became a key piece of evidence at his trial, allegedly took place during an unrecorded conversation with now-deceased Police Chief Clinton Clark. Collings’ attorneys have argued that the prosecution suppressed information about Clark’s alleged criminal history that would have been relevant to the trial. 

Ford’s stepfather also admitted to playing a primary role in the crime, though he was ultimately only charged with lesser offenses and eventually released from prison. 

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey in April announced that his office had requested that the Missouri Supreme Court set an execution date for Collings, claiming “no court has ever found any legal errors” with his conviction.

Barring an intervention from the Missouri Supreme Court or the governor, Collings will be executed on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

The Missouri Catholic Conference, which advocates policy on behalf of the state’s bishops, is urging Catholics to contact the governor to express their opposition to Collings’ execution.

“The death and other circumstances of Rowan’s murder are tragic and abhorrent, and though her death was a great injustice, it still would also be an injustice if the state carries out a man’s execution in lieu of confining him to life imprisonment,” the bishops said in a statement.

“The Catholic Church is strongly opposed to the death penalty because it disregards the sanctity and dignity of human life,” they said.

The bishops said that citizens can reach out to the governor’s office to express opposition to the pending execution. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, reflecting an update promulgated by Pope Francis in 2018, describes the death penalty as “inadmissible” and an “attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” (No. 2267).

The change reflects a development of Catholic doctrine in recent years. St. John Paul II, calling the death penalty “cruel and unnecessary,” encouraged Christians to be “unconditionally pro-life” and said that “the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.”

Missouri is among the most prolific of all U.S. states when it comes to the death penalty; it was one of only five states to carry out executions in 2023, carrying out four that year. 

Outgoing Republican Gov. Mike Parson has never granted clemency to a death row inmate during his governorship. In April Parson denied death row inmate Brian Dorsey’s clemency request despite protests from Catholics and others, clearing the way for the state’s first execution of 2024. 

In September Missouri executed Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams for the brutal murder of a St. Louis journalist in 1998 despite doubts about Williams’ guilt.