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Madrid, Spain, Apr 3, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

In his new book "Integral Transhumanism," Spanish priest Ricardo Mejía Fernández examines the transhumanist movement as "a technological extension of traditional humanism."

According to the definition of the Transhumanist Association, transhumanism "is a cultural and intellectual movement that affirms the possibility and necessity of improving the human condition, based on the use of reason applied within an ethical framework sustained by human rights and the ideals of the Enlightenment and humanism." 

In the book's prologue, the archbishop of Burgos, Mario Iceta, emphasizes that Mejía approaches the general transhumanist proposal from "a de-ideologized view of reality," like the child in Hans Christian Andersen's story who unabashedly declares that the emperor has no clothes.

The prelate summarizes the basis of Mejía's thesis by stating that "technology is a human way of loving, and love is the human way of using technology."

As a philosopher of science and technology, the 37-year-old Mejía has been gaining international standing, including his election in 2021 as a member of the International Society for Science and Religion at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, Mejía did not hesitate to define the majority transhumanist proposal as a "dangerous scam." At the same time, he was quick to point out that "a technical intervention, simply because it is not natural, is not enough for us to disqualify it as immoral."

Mejía advocates an approach consistent with the Church's teachings, a "critical technophilia," to address the issue, since "technology is already present in the plan of creation."

ACI Prensa: Is there a bad transhumanism and a good transhumanism?

Father Ricardo Mejía Fernández: Transhumanism in its majority form (transitive and even substitutional), to the extent that it seeks to improve the person solely through biotechnology by altering their specific limits, is completely contrary to an ethics of the person.

My proposal is a forceful critique of transhumanism as it is known today, which lacks a minimally acceptable anthropological, metaphysical, and ethical foundation.

However, even these transhumanists seek to fulfill an infinite desire for fulfillment, what centuries ago was called, as was so often commented on by St. Thomas Aquinas, the "desiderium naturale videndi Deum" ("the natural desire to see God").

Their error lies in how they propose that this innermost human desire will be fulfilled: not with a reality commensurate with this utterly deep desire but with the provisional devices, techniques, and interventions of the technosciences.

To provide this answer is to defraud humankind because they conceive of the person simply as a complex material mechanism, to which a singular mental capacity is added, the fruit of this mechanism.

The place once occupied by religion will now be taken by the technosciences. Can this transhumanism and its posthumanist extreme be critically reviewed, recognizing its elements of truth? This is what I have done in my work.

You use the concept of "integral transhumanism." What does the "integral improvement" that it proposes consist of in various fields, biologically, socially, or spiritually?

The various transhumanisms have so far been developing their thought without acknowledging their partiality, with a clear danger to the human person: making him dependent on a presumed salvation exclusively through the augmentation of our most hardware-like aspects, which new anthropo-technologies will grant them sooner rather than later.

They also alienate human beings with the future promises that are yet to be revealed thanks to these disciplines. Fortunately, transhumanism is not a closed and monolithic movement, which allows me to reformulate it.

The term "integral transhumanism" means, on the one hand, a technological expansion of traditional humanism as well as the recognition that the person can be also and not only through advances in new technologies assisted, strengthened, and expanded, without detriment to the human community or the ecosystem, in all that does not endanger its essence, dignity, and centrality.

This is not a "do-goodism," since integral improvement must depend on integral moral goodness — that is, improvement, among those found in the technosciences, must depend on integral ethical personalism.

It's highly questionable, and that's why I'm inspired by Jacques Maritain's integral humanism without incurring in his virtualism, a good of the individual completely separate from the good of his community and the planet.

Is transhumanism possible without eugenics, discarding the weak, or the denaturalization of the human being?

Eugenics understood as the elimination of unwanted human life is an aberration, which Pope Francis criticizes as the "throwaway culture," but not so the technical strengthening of personal life without undermining or suppressing it. The latter is not condemned by the magisterium of the Church.

Inspired by a silenced early stage of the English scientist Francis Galton, I call this [by analogy] a viticulture of both care and the improvement of the person in relation to the community and the environment. One cannot improve without caring.

Likewise, a technical intervention, simply because it is not natural, is not enough for us to disqualify it as immoral: Is it immoral to wear glasses, an artificial addition to the body to correct vision? Or a pacemaker? Obviously not.

The majority of transhumanists my integral transhumanism opposes understand technology from an unbridled instrumental perspective: If it is technically possible, it is technically feasible to modify not only certain aspects of humankind but the very essence of humankind.

I believe it is metaphysically impossible to modify this essence, although today multiple genetic edits can be made that radically modify our bodies. This does raise concerns in bioethics and other fields, without thus abandoning a hopeful view of its treatment from a comprehensive ethical perspective.

This is emphasized by Archbishop Mario Iceta of Burgos in his extraordinary prologue to my work.

If a hopeful perspective on the transhumanist proposal is possible, what positive elements do you see?

No matter how much we insist on an uneducated humanism regarding the technosciences applied to humankind, these will likely continue to grow. Biotechnology is a specialty increasingly present in universities and is studied by a growing number of our young students, many of them Catholic.

How can we attempt to articulate an ethical discourse about the person, ignoring that today and in the future, our bodies and minds will increasingly be subject to intervention with these technosciences?

Integral transhumanism, far from a technophobia that ultimately grants these technosciences a free pass by failing to address their problems head-on or ignoring them, seeks to incorporate them into a critical approach that responds to ethical demands.

The position most compatible with the Church's magisterium would be a critical technophilia that can incorporate those interventions of science and technology that allow for and strengthen a more developed human life in growing measures, even expanding it in aspects that our species has not yet reached through evolution, without this implying the suppression of the human person, particularly in an embryonic or dependent stage, or subordinating it to technological determinism.

What should we fear from the most widespread transhumanist proposal, which seems to be an amendment to the mystery of creation?

The majority of transhumanism is, as I've pointed out, a dangerous scam. I say it's dangerous because it doesn't rely solely on a vague promise but rather proposes that, until the definitive transhuman or posthuman arrives, technological interventions can and should be carried out on human beings, transcending genetic and personal barriers.

According to them, nothing can be more normative, or hold a higher place, than techno-scientific experimentation itself. Thus, we are promised the possibility of being more than human in an uncertain future, and in the meantime, we are invited to do anything with our bodies in an unrestrained experimentalism.

In my work, I assert that this transhumanism deforms humankind (human beings conduct experiments based on deliberation that concerns morality, even if they don't know it) and deforms technology, since the only way to exercise this ability is by opposing it to humankind itself.

I call this a "Molochan" deformation, in reference to the demon Moloch, who demanded that the purest human life [babies] be sacrificed to him so that he could offer greater prerogatives in the future.

But technology is already present in the plan of creation, precisely at the moment when God asks Adam and Eve, according to the beautiful story of Genesis, to care for and serve in the Garden of Eden without damaging it or its caretakers. Caring is key to the creation of technical humanity, since technology is meant to be an ally for the integral good of humankind in relation to our fellow human beings and the Earth.

Is there a relationship between the drive for this transhumanism and the secularization of the West?

This is what I argue in a chapter of my book. The majority of transhumanism is a consequence of secularization, although for some members of this movement, it presents itself with clear overtones of secularist religion.

In my opinion, it is an ultra-secularist proposal in the realm of technoscience, born directly from the most unbridled exclusionary humanism of modernity: a humanism that excludes God, neighbor, and care for our common home.

In my work, I criticize the worst of the modernisms from which this movement springs, as well as the understanding of humanism only as that which defends the despotic man. That's why I so much like the neologism "transhumanism," such that I understand the prefix "trans" not as abandoning our essence (this is metaphysically impossible), but rather as overcoming this modernist and exclusivist bias of a mistaken understanding of the self-deifying individual who can do whatever he pleases, no matter the cost.

I think, as a philosopher of science and technology, as a priest, that we must boldly critique the ultra-secularism that many transhumanists draw upon to try to improve humanity by turning their backs on God, in that neo-Gnosticism and neo-Pelagianism they unwittingly champion.

Integral transhumanism, on the other hand, cannot obstruct the innermost desire of [Homo] Sapiens, his specific religiosity, with techno-scientific fixes that are always revisable and perfectible. Improving humanity is a broader and grander undertaking.

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

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Vatican City, Apr 3, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with President Alar Karis of Estonia at the Vatican on Thursday morning to discuss local and regional issues including prospects of ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

During the April 3 audience, Parolin and Karis expressed appreciation for "good bilateral relations" between their two states as well as the "positive contribution" of local Catholic communities in the northern European nation.

Approximately 6,700 Catholics live in Estonia, accounting for 0.5% of the country's total population. According to Statistics Estonia, the country's 2022 census showed the Catholic population grew from 0.4% in 2011 to 0.8% in 2021.

The Vatican erected the Diocese of Tallinn, which is immediately subject to the Holy See and not a metropolitan archdiocese, in September 2024. The diocese replaced the Apostolic Administration of Estonia that was founded 100 years prior in 1924.

In 2018, Pope Francis visited Estonia during his apostolic journey to the Baltic States and, in 2024, appointed French-born Bishop Philippe Jourdan as the first local bishop of the country. Jourdan had served as apostolic administrator since 2005. 

The Holy See Press Office said that during the Thursday meeting, "satisfaction was also expressed regarding the imminent beatification of Archbishop Eduard Profittlich, a Jesuit martyr and Estonia's first blessed."

Profittlich, who served as the apostolic administrator for Estonia from 1931 to 1942, died in Kirov prison in Serbia after being captured and deported by Soviet authorities. The Soviet Union invaded and occupied the country in 1940.

The Vatican reported "bilateral, regional, and international issues were also discussed" during the audience with "particular reference to the prospects for an end to the war in Ukraine."

Last year, Statistics Estonia reported the country's population is increasing due to Ukrainian immigration. Following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war on Feb. 24, 2022, approximately 44,480 Ukrainians migrated to Estonia, accounting for 73% of Ukrainian nationals living in the country.

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states and international organizations, was also present at the April 3 meeting.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 2, 2025 / 16:31 pm (CNA).

Catholic and evangelical leaders are urging Christians to consider the "sobering" effects of mass deportation efforts by the government, arguing that ongoing aggressive immigration enforcement will be felt beyond those who are being deported. 

Church leaders with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Association of Evangelicals, World Relief, and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity in their report "One Part of the Body" highlight the potential impacts of mass deportations on Christian families in the U.S.

"In the United States," the leaders write in the report, "immigrants from various countries form integral parts of the body of Christ. Most, of course, are lawfully present, whether as naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, resettled refugees, or others with permanent legal status."

"But," the report argues, "a significant share of the immigrants who are a part of our body are vulnerable to deportation, whether because they have no legal status or their legal protections could be withdrawn."

"That has long been true, but it is of increased urgency given President Trump's repeated pledge to carry out 'the largest deportation in U.S. history,'" they write.

The report includes what the leaders call "sobering" statistics that reveal how broadly this situation may affect Christians. 

Currently, 80% of all individuals at risk of deportation are Christians, according to the report. The majority of this group is Catholic at 61%, greatly surpassing the 13% of evangelicals and 7% of other Christian denominations.

About 1 in 12 Christians are vulnerable to deportation or live with someone who is, specifically immigrants in the U.S. who entered "unlawfully" or "on a temporary nonimmigrant visa," the report says. 

The report specifies that of these Christians, 1 in 5 are Catholic.

The leaders state that people in the U.S. who have been granted temporary protected status could have their status "withdrawn by the executive branch, without the need for congressional approval." More than half of those individuals are Catholics.

Those who hold temporary status "are physically present in the U.S. as of a particular date when the conditions in their country of origin make it unsafe for them to return for reasons such as war, conflict, a natural disaster, or a public health epidemic," according to the report.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are also primarily Catholic, making up 73% of the group. The DACA program was originally created to allow deferred deportation for young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children, but the report argues that this program is at risk along with its Christian recipients.

Individuals who have been granted DACA status will be at risk "if the Trump administration (or any subsequent presidential administration) would follow the appropriate processes to terminate DACA or if the U.S. Supreme Court would agree with the lower courts that the program was created illegally and, as a result, invalidate the policy."

Lastly, the statistics reveal that 58% of immigrants who came to the U.S. as asylum seekers are Catholic. These individuals "could be at risk of deportation after the final disposition of their immigration court proceedings, if they are not granted asylum or other relief by an immigration judge."

The report states that "nearly 7 million Christians who are U.S. citizens live in households with someone at risk of deportation," arguing that this issue does not affect only immigrants but also their families and other Christians.

"Our prayer is that the president and his administration as well as the Congress will take these stark realities into consideration as they pursue immigration policies," the religious leaders say.

"Just as importantly," they continue, "we pray that the whole of the American church, including the 11 out of 12 Christian households not at risk of losing a family member to deportation, will recognize that this suffering that is likely to affect many parts of the body of Christ actually impacts them as well."

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National Catholic Register, Apr 2, 2025 / 17:03 pm (CNA).

Vice President JD Vance hailed the accomplishments of the Trump administration in ushering in a return to democratic and faith-based values Tuesday evening at the screening of a documentary film series that warns a regime of "soft totalitarianism" threatens the United States and the West.

In his remarks, Vance returned to the theme he raised in his February speech at the Munich Security Conference in which he criticized European Union leaders for undermining free speech and democracy.

"The ruling elite of the societies have become actively hostile to some of the very ideas that those countries were founded on in the first place," Vance said before an audience of about 100 people at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. In addition to Vance's speech, the by-invitation-only event featured a screening and discussion of the first episode of the film series "Live Not by Lies" released April 1 by Angel Studios.

The vice president praised the 2020 book the film is based upon, "Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents," written by Rod Dreher, who he said is a "dear friend."

The book's title comes from a 1974 essay Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote in which he urged his countrymen to stand up for truth and resist the communist regime's pervasive ideology. It features the accounts of survivors of Soviet persecution and argues that life in the West today is a sort of "soft totalitarianism" that bears a resemblance to life behind the Iron Curtain.

Vance called the work the author's "most prophetic" book, pointing to its diagnosis that the problem afflicting the West is a spiritual one, created by the abandonment of the West's Christian heritage. Dreher is the author of the bestselling 2017 book "The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation."

"It's the most prophetic about where Western civilization has gone; and, in particular, some of the very founding ideas of the West, the Christian faith on which all Western nations were in some important respect really based on in their original charter," Vance said.

"Those very ideas have not just fallen out of favor, and they're not just less popular than they were 200 years ago or 300 years ago; of course, in the case of our friends in Europe, a thousand years ago. What we've seen is that those ideas have become disfavored," Vance said.

"You see, in Europe, people arrested for praying, and you have the police asking them, 'Well, what are you praying about?' — as if it was any of the police's business. Yes, you see people who are thrown in prison or have their jobs destroyed because they don't believe the right things or they don't say the right things, according to the liberal intelligentsia that rules some of these societies," Vance said.

The vice president credited President Donald Trump for "making progress" toward a return to these faith-based values, as evidenced by the administration's protection of free speech.

"I think if you just look in the past two months in this administration, we've gone from a country where we would harass and threaten and investigate and even arrest pro-life protesters to one where we're encouraging pro-life activists to do what they can to persuade their fellow Americans," he said.

"A couple of months ago, we had social-media censorship run amok. We were threatening people's right of free expression for not saying the things that Silicon Valley technology companies told them to say. Now, I believe that we have more free speech on the internet today than we've probably had in 10 or 15 years. So we're making progress," Vance continued.  

Following the vice president's remarks, Dreher concurred with Vance's assessment of the Trump administration's efforts to reverse the trends he documented in his book but warned against complacency.

"We are living in a time of hope," he said. "But we can't lose our vigilance because the conditions that allow for totalitarianism to rise are still with us."

"These evil lies do not conquer our institutions overnight, and they won't be gotten rid of overnight," he said.

Dreher referred to the work of philosopher Hannah Arendt whose 1951 work "The Origins of Totalitarianism" pointed to certain conditions that made Germans and Russians incapable of resisting the state's "lies," even to the point of turning against their fellow citizens and reporting their transgressions to authorities.  

Arendt, he said, saw that "mass atomization and loneliness, a complete lack of confidence in institutions, a desire for transgression for the sake of transgression" paved the way for totalitarianism then, adding that those conditions remain with us today.

"I'm very grateful that we have a president and a vice president who are pushing back hard against this stuff," he said.

He said he hopes the book and the film "Live Not by Lies" are shared with young people, many of whom know little about the consequences of communism and even profess themselves enamored of it.

"Let's remember that if we forget the past, we are condemned to repeat it. This film and the book, they're acts of memory. And do not forget what you see here. And be sure to tell, especially young people, that it's important to know what communism was," he said, noting that there are dozens of films on Nazism on Netflix but little focus on communism from the streaming service.

Dreher emphasized: "This is why I believe we have a whole generation, a post-Cold War generation, of young people who are all into socialism and communism. That's all on us. We can now turn it around. But you've got to share these stories with young people and let them know what happened and why it matters to them."

Watch

"Live Not by Lies" is produced and distributed by Angel Studios, which previously produced the popular series "The Chosen" about the life of Jesus as well as the film "Sound of Freedom." The first episode of the four-part documentary film is now available to stream on the Angel Studios app for members of the Angel Guild, a paid subscription service that allows the studio's faith-based content to be crowdfunded. To join the Angel Guild, visit Angel Studios' website. Subsequent episodes will be available to watch each week. Watch the trailer here.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

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Puebla, Mexico, Apr 2, 2025 / 17:46 pm (CNA).

Attacks against Christians, especially Catholics, are on the rise in both Europe and Latin America, according to various reports from specialized organizations.

During 2023, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe documented 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes in 35 European countries. This figure includes 232 personal attacks ranging from harassment and threats to physical violence. Nearly half the attacks occurred in France.

The disturbing trend was also noted in the 2023 Report on Religious Freedom published by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need.

The executive summary of the latter research report warns of "a considerable increase in incidents perpetrated by individuals or groups advocating for certain ideological views that are intolerant of the religious beliefs of others."

"The attacks have largely focused on members of religious communities (i.e., Catholics and evangelicals) and have generally been committed by members of pro-abortion and pro-feminist groups, as well as by groups that promote gender ideology," the summary adds.

"In Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, and Mexico, incidents (in several cases, crimes) have been reported, including attacks on religious persons, acts of vandalism, desecration, or offenses against religious sentiments," the document states.

Polonia Castellanos, president of Christian Lawyers, a foundation founded in Spain that has opened a chapter in Mexico, said: "When Catholics and Christians in general are attacked and humiliated, nothing happens, but if it were done to another group, the consequences would be immediate."

"I think the reason is partly our fault," she lamented, because Catholics "have allowed ourselves to be humiliated and insulted without doing anything, and that's why we've reached these extremes that are beginning to be dangerous."

She is not alone in her views. Along with her, other Catholic leaders from Latin America and Europe interviewed by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, warn of growing complacency in the face of attacks against Christians in countries that were once staunch defenders of the faith.

A recent, global example of an offense against Christians was the parody of the Last Supper presented during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Other cases in Latin America include the canceled art exhibition "The Coming of the Lord" in Mexico, which featured sexualized religious symbols, and the play "María Maricón" in Peru, which, according to the official synopsis, "explores the conflict between religion and gender through the deconstruction of various Catholic virgins and saints." 

'Unreported or normalized' attacks

For Uriel Esqueda, campaign manager for the Mexican platform Actívate (Get Active), "the attacks against Christians and people who practice a religion are growing larger and more noticeable every day. I think it's a form of persecution, and the attacks are unfortunately unreported or normalized to a certain extent. So it's a very serious situation."

"Unfortunately, both religious leaders and individuals are not accustomed to the culture of speaking out regarding the violations of their human right to religious freedom, and I think that's part of the problem," he noted, warning that currently "there is greater intolerance against Catholic groups compared with other types of religious groups."

For example, although the Mexico Constitution "recognizes and protects the human right to religious freedom," as well as international treaties, "unfortunately, no one knows how to report [violations] or how to enforce this human right," he lamented.

Esqueda said Actívate will launch a campaign so that "Christianophobia can be reported and that authorities know what to do about these types of issues, and that people who carry out or practice Christianophobia can receive some type of sanction."

Attempts to eliminate the presence of Catholicism in Mexico

Marcial Padilla, director of ConParticipación (Awareness and Participation), a Mexican organization dedicated to promoting human dignity, lamented that "historically, there has been a desire on the part of political and ideological groups to reeducate society to eliminate the presence of Catholicism, whether in education, customs, art, or any trace of laws inspired by the principles of the Christian faith."

He explained that secularism is "expressed as tolerance of mockery of the faith but intolerance toward expressions of faith. Put another way: In the name of freedom of expression, the Catholic faith can be ridiculed, but in the name of the secular nature of the state, it cannot be freely expressed or celebrated in community." 

In Mexico, national symbols are protected, but religious symbols are not

"In Mexico, you can desecrate religious images or churches, but not the flag or national symbols, because that is clearly penalized," noted Father Hugo Valdemar, a Mexican priest who headed the communications office of the Archdiocese of Mexico City for 15 years when it was led by Cardinal Norberto Rivera.

"The question is: Why are national symbols out of bounds but religious symbols can be mocked and ridiculed without any criminal consequences?" Padilla questioned.

In the country, he lamented, "a Jacobin [anti-religious] mentality persists against the Catholic Church."

There are remnants of the past that culturally have not been overcome, he said, referring to the tensions between the state and the Catholic Church in Mexico that date back to the mid-19th century and reached their peak in the 1920s, during the fierce government persecution of Catholics that sparked the Cristero War.

For Valdemar, it's important for Catholics to "firmly defend their faith and their values, but without falling into provocations that make us appear fanatic or intolerant. And also with great prudence, because often these expressions of hatred for the faith would go unnoticed if they weren't provoked in order to gain publicity."

"Sometimes, some supposed works of art are so mediocre that no one would notice them if it weren't for the scandal that publicizes them," he noted.

Social media important to ensure attacks are not silenced

For Father Juan Manuel Góngora of the Diocese of Almería in Spain, who has more than 82,600 followers on X, "we are living in adverse times, and an example of this is the growing number of Eucharistic desecrations in various parishes and anti-Christian violence."

"The social engineering we have been suffering for decades has gradually increased [tolerance of offenses]. And since the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party came to power in 2018 and [prime minister] Pedro Sánchez took office, a series of laws that are completely harmful to the Catholic faith and anthropology are being implemented, such as the application of laws on historical memory, abortion, and euthanasia."

Furthermore, Góngora criticized "the attempt by the government and its parliamentary partners to eliminate the crime against religious sentiments, protected by Article 16 of the Spanish Constitution and included in the penal code (Articles 522-526)."

The Spanish priest emphasized that these laws "are generally serving to ensure that these attacks and power strategies are not silenced and hidden. Meanwhile, the vast majority of the media, fueled by institutional advertising and along with a constellation of associations affiliated with the progressive left, are necessary collaborators in implanting narratives and stories along secularist and anti-Christian lines."

Europe is 'forgetting its identity'

Castellanos said she believes the current situation of religious freedom in Spain and the rest of Europe is "very worrying and dangerous; attacks against Christians are increasing not only in number but also in intensity."

"Europe, which was built on Christian roots, is forgetting its identity and persecuting Christians and imposing anti-Christian ideologies," she said.

Referring to the proposal to eliminate crimes against religious sentiments, the president of Christian Lawyers warned that this would "exponentially multiply crimes against Christians."

"What's even more alarming is that many crimes are committed by public officials. So what we see is that not only is the crime not prosecuted (because we already know that in Spain the law is not equal for everyone), but we are paying with our taxes for people or individuals who dedicate themselves to insulting us, when they should be the first to respect all citizens," she said.

Castellanos specified that legislation should "guarantee respect. The freedom of expression of some does not involve insults or humiliation; they are two very different things."

"Despite everything, we must be aware of our victory (although action will be necessary). Spain is the land of Mary, and I am sure that all the struggle in defense of life (from conception to its natural end), the family, and religious freedom will bear fruit very soon," she stated.

The results depend on Catholics

Alberto González Cáceres, president of the St. Thomas More Center for Legal Studies in Peru, lamented that the defense of religious freedom seems "not relevant to the vast majority of the population, because religion has become an almost secondary cultural manifestation, except when people are living in dire straits, as in the case of Nicaragua, or when there are calamities. I say this with great sadness."

"Now, for people who truly practice their faith, it's overwhelming to realize that there is strong media censorship against all forms of religious practice, just as there is social stigmatization against anything orthodox," he noted.

In this context, Catholics, he said, can respond in "two concrete ways": "The first is by praying a lot, and the second is by educating themselves in the catechism and Catholic doctrine."

Regarding the authorities' actions regarding religious offenses, González said he believes that "absolutely nothing can be expected. The results will depend on actions taken by Catholics themselves."

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

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 2, 2025 / 18:16 pm (CNA).

The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments for a lawsuit that will determine whether South Carolina and other states can deny Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood for non-abortive medical services.

All three justices appointed by Democrats appeared to empathize with Planned Parenthood in the case, but the six Republican-appointed justices were more nuanced with their questions for the lawyers representing both parties.

Federal Medicaid funds cannot be used to cover elective abortions, but federal law does not restrict abortion clinics, such as Planned Parenthood facilities, from receiving Medicaid funds for other services they offer.

However, in 2016, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed an executive order to block abortion clinics from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for any services, arguing that tax money should not support institutions that perform abortions. This spurred a lawsuit from Planned Parenthood and a patient named Julie Edwards who was receiving non-abortive services at a Planned Parenthood facility through Medicaid.

The bulk of the legal arguments focus on one line in federal law that regulates the way in which state governments must structure their Medicaid reimbursement policies.

Under the federal law, "any individual eligible for medical assistance … may obtain such assistance from any [doctor or health care provider] qualified to perform the service or services required."

Interpretation of federal law

John Bursch, a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom representing South Carolina, and Nicole Saharsky, a lawyer representing Planned Parenthood, disputed the meaning of the federal law and whether patients can file lawsuits about the matter.

Bursch told the justices that states have the authority to set their own eligibility requirements and argued that the federal law does not establish an absolute "right" to receive services from any medical provider and patients should not be able to seek recourse through the courts. 

"[There's] a difference between a benefit and a right," he said and alleged that to assert an absolute right, there would need to be "rights-creating language with … an unmistakable focus on the benefited class."

Bursch argued that South Carolina has many other alternative health care providers that can provide the services covered by Medicaid and acknowledged that one of the primary reasons the state denied funding to Planned Parenthood was because "they're the nation's largest abortion provider."

Saharsky disputed those claims, arguing that the federal law uses "individual-centric rights-creating language that imposes a mandatory obligation" on South Carolina and all other states.

She said the federal law ensures that a patient "may obtain [these services] from any qualified and willing provider," which she said prevents health care providers from "being excluded from Medicaid arbitrarily." She argued that this language has the same effect as it would if Congress had used the word "right" or the language that no person "shall be denied."

Saharsky referred to South Carolina's rules as imposing a "magic word test" by asserting that there is no established "right" based on the word choice used. 

Justices weigh the arguments

Justices appointed by Democrats landed heavily on the side of Planned Parenthood during the oral arguments.

"What this language does is the same as the rights language does," Justice Elena Kagan said. 

While questioning Bursch, Kagan asserted: "It's impossible to even say the thing without using the word 'right,'" adding: "The right is the right to choose your doctor."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Congress was motivated to pass the law because "states were limiting the choices people had." She added: "It seems hard to understand that states didn't understand that they had to give individuals the right to choose a provider."

"You're not quite calling it a 'magic word,' but you're coming pretty close," she added.

Alternatively, Republican-appointed justices assumed a more nuanced approach when addressing the lawyers. 

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, for example, said he's "not opposed to magic words" if it could provide clarity on "the words that are rights-creating."

"One of my goals coming out of this will be to provide that clarity," Kavanaugh said.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 2, 2025 / 18:36 pm (CNA).

Rescue teams have been working against the clock in Myanmar searching for survivors under the rubble after last Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake. But the battle hasn't just been against time or the high temperatures of over 100 degrees.

"The army isn't allowing relief teams to operate freely," a priest from the Diocese of Loikaw in eastern Myanmar told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.

"The Church is also trying to help, but we encounter countless obstacles. We can't freely access the affected areas because there are military checkpoints everywhere. Supplies are confiscated, volunteers are prevented from entering, and in some areas the army doesn't even allow victims to receive the assistance they need," said the priest, who requested anonymity.

He said he fears reprisals from the military regime that seized power in a coup in February 2021 and overthrew the democratically-elected government of the National League for Democracy party.

So far, the official death toll from the March 28 earthquake stands at 2,886, while the number of injured is approaching 4,639, according to the latest figures shared by the military junta. This number is expected to continue to rise.

The devastation is particularly widespread in Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, just 11 miles from the earthquake's epicenter, as well as in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, which is more than 150 miles away, and in the Sagaing region in the northwest of the country.

Catholic Church 'one of the first to respond'

"Many people are still trapped under the rubble, but time passes and the chances of finding survivors are diminishing. Furthermore, those who managed to escape alive are in deplorable conditions: without food, without drinking water, and without shelter. There is a great need for medical assistance, but there is also no access to adequate hospitals," the priest related.

"People are desperate. This morning I heard someone say: 'If you can't give us anything else, at least give us clean water.' That shows the gravity of the situation," he added.

From the very beginning, the Catholic Church has tried to mobilize to assist the victims. Through Caritas Myanmar, teams have been coordinated to distribute drinking water, food, and medicine.

"The Church has been one of the first to respond to the emergency, but we encounter barriers in every attempt to help. There are military checkpoints on the roads, we are required to obtain permission to transport supplies, and in many cases, the soldiers simply confiscate the aid or block its passage," the priest explained.

The nation, one of the poorest in Asia, has been mired in a civil war for four years, triggered by the 2021 coup by the current military junta in power. The conflict has displaced 3.5 million people, according to the U.N., and has exacerbated poverty and food insecurity.

Despite the humanitarian crisis unleashed after the powerful earthquake, the spiral of violence has not abated.

"The conflict makes it almost impossible to move aid from one region to another. The military junta controls access to main roads, there are checkpoints everywhere, and anyone trying to bring supplies risks arrest or having everything confiscated," the priest recounted.

The archbishop of Rangoon and president of the Myanmar Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, has called for a ceasefire in his country to facilitate rescue efforts, but his appeal has been unsuccessful.

"We have received reports of fighting in some areas, but communications are damaged, making it difficult to assess the full impact," said Lisette Suárez, head of the Mental Health and Protection Department of Action Against Hunger in Myanmar, one of the organizations responsible for collecting foreign humanitarian aid and distributing it throughout the country.

"It's essential to ensure safe and unrestricted access to all affected communities, regardless whose control they're under," she emphasized.

The distribution of humanitarian aid has also been hampered because many roads and main thoroughfares "have been completely destroyed" by the earthquake.

"Furthermore, some local airports are still working to restore operations, limiting the air transport of humanitarian aid," Suárez added.

Without food, water, or electricity

Added to this infrastructure paralysis are administrative problems, as many government offices have also suffered damage and some of their staff are directly affected by the tragedy, Suárez noted.

"The country was already experiencing a humanitarian crisis before the disaster, with a conflict limiting mobility and safe access to many areas," she pointed out.

The electricity and running water supply remains disrupted, hampering access to health services and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks spreading through water and food. Furthermore, hospitals are operating at half capacity.

"They are treating patients on the streets, with limited resources and without electricity. The few remaining care centers are overwhelmed," said the worker for Action Against Hunger, an organization that has been operating in the country for 30 years.

Supply problems also affect food. "Markets have collapsed, and there is no access to basic foodstuffs. Thousands of families have lost their livelihoods."

The earthquake has not only worsened the conditions of those internally displaced by the conflict. "It has affected everyone, without distinction. Displaced communities, those who lived in conflict zones, and those who did not," explained Suárez, who also emphasized the incalculable psychological impact on a population already traumatized by the war.

"The earthquake has left a profound mark on the mental health of the population. Not only have the communities suffered human and material losses, but also the response teams are working in extremely difficult conditions," she explained.

Despite the difficulties, international aid has begun to arrive. "Many organizations are using supplies that had been reserved for the monsoon season [June-October], but they probably won't be enough," Suárez pointed out.

In any case, despite the devastation, the small Catholic community in Myanmar continues to show great resilience. "Our faith remains strong. Despite the difficulties, we remain united, praying, and helping one another. We cannot lose hope that better days will come," the priest from the Diocese of Loikaw said.

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

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Rome Newsroom, Apr 2, 2025 / 10:52 am (CNA).

While a Catholic shrine in Lourdes, France, announced on Monday it is covering mosaics by alleged abuser Father Marko Rupnik on the doors to one of its basilicas, another of the world's most popular sites of Marian devotion said it is not considering removing its own Rupnik artwork.

A spokesperson for the Fátima shrine in Portugal told the Portuguese news outlet 7Margens via email this week that the international shrine is not taking down the mosaic installation but has stopped using its image in any distributed materials.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, which receives over 6 million visitors a year, is located on the site of the Virgin Mary's apparitions to three shepherd children in 1917.

The back wall of the shrine's largest and most modern worship space, the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, is covered in an enormous, floor-to-ceiling work by Rupnik and several of his artist collaborators.

The approximately 33-by-164-foot gold mosaic was installed in 2007 and features the paschal lamb at the center flanked by saints and angels.

"We are not considering removing it. However, since we became aware of the accusations against Father [Marko Ivan] Rupnik, we have suspended the use of the image, the entire work, and its details in our dissemination of materials," the shrine's communications department told 7Margens.

Echoing a similar statement made to OSV News in July 2024, the shrine said it "strongly repudiates the acts committed by Father [Marko Ivan] Rupnik," and it "has already expressed its solidarity with the victims."

Rupnik, a native of Slovenia, was expelled from the Jesuits in June 2023 for disobedience following the public revelation that he was accused of the sexual and psychological abuse of dozens of women under his spiritual care in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The priest is currently under canonical investigation by the Vatican.

The abuse accusations sparked an enormous debate about whether to remove the hundreds of religious artworks created by Rupnik and his collaborators through his Rome-based art and theology center, the Centro Aletti.

At least 230 religious sites around the world feature Rupnik's distinctive mosaics, from some of the biggest international shrines to smaller chapels and churches, including the Redemptoris Mater chapel in the Vatican.

Victims of sexual abuse and organizations that support them have called for the works to be removed or covered, especially since some of the accusations against Rupnik allege he committed abuse in the context of the creation of his art.

In July 2024, the bishop who oversees the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France said he had received opposition to the idea of removing the Rupnik mosaics on the facade of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary but that, as a first step, they would no longer be lit up at night.

On March 31, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes announced a further step — the covering of the main entrances to the basilica, which also feature mosaics by Rupnik.

In the United States, the Knights of Columbus announced July 10, 2024, that it would cover the Rupnik mosaics located in the two chapels of the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in Washington, D.C., and in the chapel in the Knights' headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut.

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Vatican City, Apr 2, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Now 20 years since Pope John Paul II's death on April 2, 2005, one of his closest collaborators says the Polish pontiff lives on in the hearts and memories of the many people who still feel connected to him today.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, John Paul II's personal secretary for nearly four decades, told EWTN News during an interview in Krakow that visitors to the saint's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica "don't go to the dead pope, they go to the living pope. He lives in hearts, he lives in memories."

"There is still this dialogue between the pope and the people and the people with him. This is how I feel," the 85-year-old cardinal and former archbishop of Krakow said. "He departed but at the same time remained with us. … People cling to him, study him again."

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, who has Polish parents, said John Paul II changed Poland and the world.

"The world that we live in today is in the shape it's in, at least in some aspects, because of John Paul's witness," Wenski told EWTN News in Miami, "especially when he went to Poland in 1979 and inspired the people by saying 'Be not afraid' and asking the Holy Spirit … to change the face of this land, this Polish land."

Dziwisz echoed this sentiment, noting that "many things changed in the Church and in the world under the influence of John Paul II and his activities. … In Rome itself and in the Church, there was a belief that the future belonged to Marxism. And the pope said that the future belongs to human rights, to the human person, to human freedom, and not to the enslavement that Marx gave."

'We want to be with him'

"I also remember his departure wasn't a departure to history, to the archives," Dziwisz said. "He works and you can see it. People run to God thanks to him and receive different graces."

The cardinal remembered how emotional everyone was when they said goodbye to the Polish pope in the days leading to his final breath on Saturday, April 2, 2005: "How they approached the pope, crying, to kiss his hand and say goodbye."

"It was only in the afternoon, on Saturday, the day of his departure and death, that the pope asked to have the holy Scripture read to him," Dziwisz said, recalling that a priest there in his room "read the Gospel of St. John, nine chapters. And [the pope] followed, he didn't say anything, he just followed and listened to the Gospel. He prepared [for death] simply, by reading the holy Scripture, consciously knowing he's leaving."

Then a priest, Dziwisz had been at John Paul II's side as his personal secretary since 1966, when the future pope was the new archbishop of Krakow. He said he and others "opened the window discretely" of John Paul II's apartment where he lay dying so he could hear the voices of the thousands keeping vigil in St. Peter's Square outside.

"So that he could have the satisfaction [of knowing] that there are people with him," Dziwisz explained. "There was this big, quite large youth group who had been camping for the second day [in St. Peter's Square]. I said to them: 'You are going home.' They said: 'He was with us, so now we want to be with him.' And indeed, they were. The youth did not abandon him to the end."

Umberto Civitarese, a longtime employee of Vatican Radio (now Vatican News) who covered up close John Paul II's papacy, including many of his international trips, said the pope "never gave up, he didn't give up, he managed everything until the end and he was trying in every way to be present."

Civitarese told EWTN News he remembered an Angelus one Sunday in which John Paul went to the window but he couldn't speak, but "that was enough" for his flock waiting below. People "didn't expect anything else, it was enough just to see him," he added.

Even when he was sick, he was active, Dziwisz said. "He had perfect awareness until the end, until the last day and hour."

The retired Polish cardinal emphasized that even in suffering, John Paul II never complained: "What I know is what he said, that suffering has meaning. That's how he approached it."

'A man united with God in prayer'

"Very early on, we, not only me, had the impression that we were dealing with a saint," Civitarese said about his and his colleagues' experience with the pontiff. "Because the example he set on a daily basis, in my opinion, remained inimitable."

"So many times one asks but what does one have to do to become a saint? And I know, I understood — seeing him, yes, from following the example that he set … the commitment he put into his role, putting the meaning of being pope first," he noted.

Dziwisz said John Paul II's "holiness was because he was a man united with God in prayer."

Civitarese saw this commitment to prayer in action on the pope's many international trips, when, after a very long day, the first thing he would do is go to the chapel of the nunciature he was staying at to pray.

"While the others [traveling with him] maybe were refreshing, there were those who were eating, those who were phoning, those who were resting, he instead put prayer first," the radio technician said, adding that these are the memories that have stuck with him and left a lasting impression.

"The thing I remember most strongly about him was this magnetism that he had," he said. "When you are in contact with a personality like that I think it changes your life a little bit."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Many Catholics credit prayers of intercession to Blessed Solanus Casey for curing and helping people who suffer from illnesses. Mary Bartold of DeWitt, Michigan, is now among the many who do so after her two tumors vanished with no medical intervention but after continuous prayers to Casey, whose ministry was built upon healing and compassion.

Mary's unexpected health issues began almost a year ago in late April 2024, the Detroit Free Press reported. Mary was a sophomore at Lansing Catholic High School in Michigan when she began to experience severe abdominal pain while at school. Mary and her family could not pinpoint what the problem was.

Mary's parents, Susan and Rick Bartold, took her for a CT scan and ultrasound of her abdomen. The images revealed two masses on each of her ovaries: one was 7.3 centimeters large and the other was 1.5 centimeters. At just 16 years old, Mary began to worry about losing the potential to have children and all the implications the tumors could have on her health.

The Bartolds subsequently took their daughter to University of Michigan Health to work with Catholic physicians and determine a course of treatment. Susan said they chose Catholic practitioners specifically to ensure that they "understood what was happening" and "were making moral decisions that weren't led by secular belief."

The doctors determined the masses were tumors, both teratomas that needed to be surgically removed. The doctors scheduled the surgery for Aug. 2.

As the date approached, Susan and Rick decided to go on a pilgrimage to Blessed Solanus Casey's tomb in Detroit to pray for their daughter. Susan even put together a novena, a nine-day period of prayers, in Blessed Solanus Casey's name that her family, friends, and church community participated in.

Susan said she had longed prayed to Casey. She felt a sense of familiarity with him since he also resided in Michigan, where he became a Capuchin friar and worked as a porter at St. Bonaventure Monastery in Detroit.

He also helped start the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit to help those in need. Susan and Rick shared that they often wonder if Casey ever directly helped their own fathers who lived just down the street from the kitchen during a time they were both facing poverty. 

Susan told the Diocese of Lansing that Casey's life "is an inspiration" to her, which led her to also ask others to pray to him for her daughter's healing. 

After weeks of prayer and anticipation, Mary went to the doctor on July 30 for a pre-surgery MRI scan to get updated images. The date coincidentally happened to be Casey's feast day. 

On the drive there, Susan prayed: "Solanus, this is your feast day. I am doing this for you. I know you have big news."

The day after the scan, Mary and her parents received a call from her doctors that the surgery could be canceled. It was determined there was no sign of the tumors after multiple radiologists and doctors looked over the images. They were completely gone.

Mary said her first thought was that "it was a mistake," but six months later, follow-up scans continued to reveal no evidence of any masses or tumors. 

"We forget about the power of prayer," Susan said, "and this is just a testimony to the power of prayer."

On the day Mary's surgery was supposed to take place, she and her parents traveled back to Casey's tomb, this time to give thanks for their answered prayers. 

While the family was there, they submitted documentation of Mary's case to the Solanus Casey Center so it can be considered as a miracle to help further Casey's path to sainthood.

Pope Francis acknowledged a previous miracle by Casey in 2017. A woman with a genetic skin condition prayed at Casey's tomb in Detroit and was miraculously healed. If another miracle is recognized by the Vatican, it would further propel Casey to canonization. 

Mary's family strongly advocates that he receives that standing. Mary told the Diocese of Lansing that she would be "honored" if her story was what led Casey to become a saint. "He deserves to be canonized," she said.

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