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Puebla, Mexico, Feb 26, 2025 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

Faced with uncertainty about the impact of the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, especially regarding America's relationship with Mexico, the Mexican bishops are calling for the strengthening of "authentic national unity."

Last month, at the beginning of his second term in office, Trump announced various measures that directly affect Mexico, including the declaration of an emergency on the U.S. southern border, the designation of drug cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations," and the threat of imposing 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports unless these issues are quickly addressed by those countries.

In this context, the Mexican Bishops' Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) published a message on Feb. 24 addressed to Mexican society stating that the actions announced by the U.S. government seek to "pressure our country to achieve very specific goals in government planning."

"Fighting the activities of organized crime dedicated to drug trafficking, addressing the immigration issue, and overcoming the disadvantages in economic relations between the two countries that, according to its criteria, are unfavorable for America" are the issues at stake, the bishops said in a statement.

However, they expressed their confidence that these challenges can be faced "in a climate of unity between the different Mexican political forces to promote a respectful dialogue and a prudent openness toward the American government to agree on mutual collaboration."

'The real enemy is in our own country'

The CEM also emphasized that, beyond foreign policy, "the real enemy is in our own country where we need authentic national unity to overcome our serious internal problems that have not been properly addressed for years and are becoming increasingly worse."

They pointed to problems such as "corruption that continues to invade all our environments," "insecurity that spreads its bloodthirsty fury in ever-widening territories," "institutional deterioration to the point where the law no longer governs but rather the will of whoever prevails," among others.

Despite the numerous challenges, the bishops indicated that many problems can be overcome "through inclusive government strategies that take into account the different political forces, organized civil society, religious associations, and citizen participation in general."

They called on all Mexicans to join in prayer for their country, to be peacemakers in their daily lives, and to actively commit themselves to the search for the common good.

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, Feb 26, 2025 / 16:50 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump's administration is appealing a federal court decision that ordered the government to resume foreign aid grants by late Wednesday evening as many Catholic groups that receive those grants are still without funds.

The attorney general's office filed an appeal late Tuesday night after U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the administration to supply those funds by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. The same judge, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, had ordered the government to resume its foreign aid funding on Feb. 13. However, the Trump administration has not complied with that order.

Numerous Catholic organizations have lost grant money due to the foreign aid funding freeze, including Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Relief Services.

Ali ruled in his decision that Trump's blanket freeze on foreign aid funding likely violates the Administrative Procedure Act and violates the separation of powers because Congress approved the money to be used in foreign aid programs.

In its appeal, the administration asserts that the judge's order forces the government to "pay arbitrarily determined expenses on a timeline of the district court's choosing" and claimed the court "creates a payment plan" that is contrary to the president's obligations under Article II of the Constitution and the principles of "federal sovereign immunity."

The court filing also argues that United States Agency for International Development (USAID) leadership has determined that the court's order to resume funding "cannot be accomplished in the time allotted by the [court]."

"The district court has ordered the federal government to pay nearly $2 billion in taxpayer dollars within 36 hours, without regard to payment-integrity systems that would ensure that the monies claimed are properly owed, without regard to the federal government's meritorious arguments to the contrary, and without so much as addressing the government's sovereign-immunity defense," the court filing states.

Additionally, the administration claims in its appeal that the judge's order will cause "grave and irreparable harm to the government" because it "has no practical mechanism to recover wrongfully disbursed funds that go out the door to entities that have complained that they are near insolvency."

On his first day in office on Jan. 20, Trump issued an executive order to pause all foreign aid grants for 90 days. He argued in the order that the funding was not aligned with the interests of the United States and worked to "destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries."

During Biden's administration, some foreign aid programs were leveraged to promote LGBTQI+ policies in other countries and to pressure governments into ending discrimination based on a person's "gender identity and expression." One priority was to combat so-called "conversion therapy practices," which include therapies that discourage a person from adopting a "gender identity" inconsistent with the person's biological sex.

Some programs also include humanitarian assistance provided by faith-based organizations like Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Relief Services, which offer food, shelter, health care, and other services to people in foreign countries. 

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Department of State would exempt certain programs from the foreign aid funding freeze.

A spokesperson for Jesuit Relief Services (JRS) told CNA that Trump's stated mission to make the world "respect and admire America … has been obscured by a slapdash ban on foreign assistance carried out by people without the institutional expertise or constitutional authority to do so." 

"Making matters worse, these bureaucrats are doing this despite orders from President Trump and Secretary Rubio to grant waivers to restore funding for lifesaving projects," a spokesperson said. 

"Weeks later, few, if any, of these are back online, in obvious contradiction to the White House's directives. The result includes things like American-grown food rotting at ports and already-purchased vaccines not being administered — literally hundreds of millions of dollars wasted," the spokesperson said.

The representative from JRS said that those who report to Trump and Rubio must "follow their directives" and court orders "to resume funding these initiatives obligated by our federal government and already paid for by American taxpayers."

"If they do, we and other Catholic organizations should shortly be able to resume providing food assistance, shelter, and medical care in parts of the world like Ethiopia and Iraq, where there have been lengthy and devastating displacement crises," the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Catholic Relief Services declined to comment. 

CNA reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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Madrid, Spain, Feb 26, 2025 / 18:07 pm (CNA).

The Poor Clare abbess of the Monastery of Santo Cristo de Balaguer in Lérida province in northeast Spain is calling out for criticism the 2018 rule established by Pope Francis according to which communities of women religious with less than five nuns must be dissolved, a rule that does not apply to male communities.

Sister María Victoria Triviño, OSC, made her critique in an article published by the magazine "Catalunya Cristiana" regarding the recent closure of the Monastery of Santa María de Pedralbes in Barcelona that had been in existence for 700 years.

Asked about the reason for the closure, "which people, hurt and perplexed, address to some of the Poor Clares every day," the nun explained that the Holy Father published the apostolic constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere in 2016 but emphasized that the document "did not affect monks."

Similarly, regarding the Cor orans instruction, published in 2018 to implement Vultum Dei Quaerere, the Poor Clare nun pointed out that "it affects women's monasteries around the world, not men's."

This instruction establishes that "if a monastery has only five nuns, it loses its autonomy and must be affiliated with another monastery." Furthermore, if it falls below that number, it must be abolished, according to Abbess Triviño.

In such a case, an apostolic visitor is appointed who, if he issues a negative report to the Roman Curia, "the transfer of the sisters is ordered" and the building is closed.

In the opinion of the abbess, this rule "which in normal circumstances may be opportune, in a difficult time of a vocations crisis, a crisis of values, economic crisis, etc., has had an effect of the confiscation of church property by the Church itself."

In her dissertation, the abbess noted that, just as the habit of the Poor Clares can be adapted "according to the cold regions" as stated in their rule, "each monastery acquires peculiarities 'according to the region' in which it lives."

"If the closure of a monastery always means the loss of its production of liturgical items, of the intercessory influence on the city, the loss of a presence that bears witness [in an environment], so often secular, to the fact that 'God exists and makes us happy,' to all this we must add distinctive characteristics such as the artistic legacy, the cultural, musical, artisanal influence, etc. After all this, there will always be regret for desacralizing a sacred place", she noted.

In this regard, the abbess also lamented the closure of other monasteries such as that of the Holy Trinity in Valencia (founded in 1242), the Monastery of St. Clare la Real in Toledo (founded in 1254) or the Monastery of St. Clare in Salamanca, founded by St. Clare of Assisi in 1238.

The abbess concluded that "much has already been lost. And only [by the intervention of] the Roman Dicastery for Consecrated Life can we avoid further loss. How? By attenuating the instructions given for all women's monasteries."

In her opinion, it should be the nuns who "when the time comes, can take the options of continuing or closing according to their real situation, like men's monasteries, for which no limits are set."

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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St. Louis, Mo., Feb 26, 2025 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

A parish church in St. Louis that primarily serves the African American community was announced Feb. 24 as a recipient of a preservation grant to support the restoration of the historic building's stained-glass windows. 

St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church, known in the community as the "The Rock" because of the church building's rock-hewn appearance, was one of 30 Black churches throughout the country chosen to receive a grant this year from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, an independent nonprofit organization.

The parish, which is under the care of the Redemptorists and located in the Grand Center district of St. Louis, will receive $500,000 to help restore its stained-glass windows, which were created in Munich by the German firm Meyer & Company and installed at the church in time for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. 

Shannon Horstmann, a longtime parishioner and volunteer grant writer at The Rock, told CNA that she had been pursuing this particular "highly competitive" grant for several years. The church's 54 stained-glass windows all need to be cleaned, repaired, re-leaded, re-supported, and resealed, ensuring they are water and airtight. 

The windows "are irreplaceable works of art and are estimated at $15 million in total value," the grant application, which Horstmann shared with CNA, reads. 

"[These] 120-year-old iconic works of art have succumbed to the environment and need to be cleaned, repaired, and restored to continue to shed light on this active, Black congregation."

The parish itself dates to 1867, and the church building, built of quarry stone, was dedicated in 1872. 

Father Augustus Tolton, who was born into slavery in Missouri and later became the first African American Catholic priest, visited the parish and celebrated Mass there in 1887, having been ordained only the previous year. Tolton's sainthood cause is open and currently he has the title of "venerable."

According to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the parish had undergone many years of declining membership until Father Maurice Nutt, an African American Redemptorist priest ordained in 1989, was made pastor in 1993. His preaching and an African American style of worship and music helped to swell the parish membership to over 1,500 households in just a few years. Nutt left the parish in 2002 and is now the diocesan promoter of Sister Thea Bowman's cause for canonization in New Orleans. 

The parish's membership declined after Nutt's departure. In addition, a 2007 fire in the church's roof — which did not damage the stained glass — necessitated two years of celebration of Sunday Mass in the church gymnasium. Though still the largest primarily African American parish in the archdiocese, parish membership has declined to about 600 households, the archdiocese says. 

The parish attracts worshippers from throughout the city and county. The area immediately surrounding the parish is low income, approximately 82% African American, and only 2% Catholic, one of the lowest percentages in the archdiocese. 

The parish still has additional fundraising to do before the project can start, as the complete restoration of the interior and exterior of all sanctuary windows will cost an estimated $1.5 million, the grant application says.

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Vatican City, Feb 26, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).

The Vatican on Wednesday announced that Pope Francis has created a fundraising commission to solicit donations from Catholics and bishops' conferences as the Vatican City State and the Roman Curia continue to face budgetary and funding challenges.

The "Commissio de Donationibus pro Sancta Sede," Latin for "Commission on Donations for the Holy See," has six members, "whose specific task will be to encourage donations" and find benefactors for special projects within the Vatican, according to a papal decree signed Feb. 11.

Pope Francis has been making cost-cutting decisions at the Vatican in recent years as he continues attempts to reverse the institution's struggling financial situation, including a pension fund facing a "serious prospective imbalance."

The donation commission's statutes, signed by Pope Francis, say the team will report directly to the pope with twice-yearly updates on their work, to be carried out with the help of an initial endowment of 300,000 euros (about $315,000).

In its fundraising campaigns, the commission should, according to the norms, emphasize the importance of donations for "the Holy Father's mission and charitable works" and ensure the will of the donor is respected when it comes to the destination of money for specific projects.

The first president of the commission is Father Roberto Campisi, assessor in the general affairs section of the Secretariat of State.

Members include Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity; Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; and Sister Silvana Piro, FMGB, undersecretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which oversees the Vatican's real estate holdings and other sovereign assets.

The last appointee is Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, an Italian lawyer who on Tuesday was promoted from vice secretary to secretary of the Vatican City State Governorate.

The president and members of the commission are appointed for five-year terms.

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Vatican City, Feb 26, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday asked Catholics to have the wisdom to look for the presence of God in our midst like the elderly Simeon and Anna in the New Testament.

In his second catechesis since being admitted into Rome's Gemelli Hospital nearly two weeks ago, the Holy Father reflected on the presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Lord's encounter with two elderly "pilgrims of hope."

"The song of redemption of two elders thus emits the proclamation of the jubilee for all the people and for the world," the pope shared in his written commentary on St. Luke's Gospel. 

"Hope is rekindled in hearts in the Temple of Jerusalem because Christ our hope has entered it," he continued.

The 88-year-old pontiff emphasized that both Simeon and Anna were people of prayer and worship, with "clear eyes" capable of recognizing God in the child Jesus and welcoming him into their lives. 

"Simeon embraces that child who, small and helpless, rests in his arms; but it is he, in fact, who finds consolation and the fullness of his existence by holding him to himself," the pope said. 

"Filled with this spiritual consolation, the elderly Simeon sees death not as the end but as fulfillment, fullness; he awaits it like a 'sister' that does not annihilate but introduces to the true life that he has already foretasted and in which he believes," he added.

Anna, a widow of more than 80 years of age who was devoted to prayer and service, could not contain her joy when Joseph and Mary presented Jesus at the Temple.

"Anna celebrates the God of Israel, who has redeemed his people in that very child and tells others about him, generously spreading the prophetic word," the Holy Father said.

Besides helping Jesus make his "first act of worship" in the Temple, the pope noted how Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph, express the tenderness of a family and "do not simply embed Jesus in a history of the family, the people, of the covenant with the Lord God."

"They take care of his growth, and introduce him into the atmosphere of faith and worship. And they too gradually grow in their comprehension of a vocation that far surpasses them," he said.

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CNA Staff, Feb 26, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

A 20-year-long decline in the number of Americans who identify as Christian may be "leveling off," according to data released on Wednesday by Pew Research Center. 

Pew said its most recent Religious Landscape Study showed 62% of U.S. adults identifying as Christian, a number that has been "relatively stable" since 2019. 

The number of U.S. adults claiming to be Christian is still significantly lower than when the survey first began, falling 16 points over the course of the poll, from 78% in 2007 to the 62% most recently reported.

Yet the last several years of data show the decline has "slowed or perhaps even plateaued," Pew said.

The research group noted that the "Catholic share" of Christian respondents has been stable since 2014, considerably earlier than the broader group stability seen since 2019. Catholics constitute 19% of Christians in the U.S., Pew said. 

Overall, "in 11 Pew Research Center surveys conducted since 2014, all but one have found between 19% and 21% of respondents identifying as Catholic," the group said. 

Still, Catholics were particularly vulnerable to departures from the faith, Pew noted. For every convert to Catholicism, there were more than eight who left through "religious switching." 

The study further shows the "unaffiliated" category, also known as "nones," is seeing nearly six new adherents for every one that leaves. The growth of that group has, however, leveled off in recent years after rising from 16% in 2007 to its present level of 29%.

Relatively low levels of Catholics, meanwhile, reported that religion was "very" important to them. While 55% of Christians overall said religion was very important, just 44% of self-identified Catholics did. Among Christian groups, only Orthodox Christians (43%) and mainline Protestants (37%) reported lower numbers in that category.

And just 29% of Catholics said they attended Mass "weekly or more often," though Catholics are obligated to attend Mass at least weekly. That's down from 39% in 2014.

Twenty-seven percent of Catholics, meanwhile, said they attend Mass "a few times a year," while nearly a third reported "seldom/never" attending Mass. 

In its study, Pew noted that "generational replacement" is helping to drive the overall downward trend of Christian identity in the U.S. 

"Older, highly religious, heavily Christian generations are passing away," the survey noted. "The younger generations succeeding them are much less religious, with smaller percentages of Christians and more 'nones.'"

That trend has held even within generations, Pew noted: Over the course of the survey, "each birth cohort has become less religious, by several measures, as it has aged."

Overall, "people within the oldest and youngest cohorts, as well as those in between, have become less likely to say they pray daily, less likely to identify with a religion … and less likely to believe in God or a universal spirit with absolute certainty."

Last year Pew reported that religiously unaffiliated people, often referred to as "nones," now make up the largest religious category in the U.S.

Nones were also reported as being less likely to vote, do volunteer work, or have strong friend groups or community, according to Pew.

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CNA Staff, Feb 26, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

A federal judge in Seattle blocked the Trump administration's suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions program on Tuesday.

In a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead ordered the Trump administration to restore the program and funding to refugee aid programs amid a lawsuit alleging that the freeze was unlawful.

The judge said it was likely that the Trump administration had exceeded its authority in halting the long-standing program, which was established by Congress in 1980.

"The president has substantial discretion ... to suspend refugee admissions," Whitehead said, according to the Associated Press. "But that authority is not limitless."

A recent executive order by President Donald Trump suspended the refugee program for at least 90 days, citing the burden of high levels of migration on cities and towns that do not have the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants.

Several faith-based refugee services brought forward the lawsuit against the Trump administration, citing damages such as having to lay off staff amid the funding freeze for processing refugee applications overseas. Individual refugees who were trying to resettle in the U.S. and their families also brought forward the lawsuit. 

The plaintiffs included the International Refugee Assistance Project on behalf of Church World Service, the Jewish refugee aid group HIAS, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest as well as individual refugees and family members. 

The plaintiffs maintained that the refugee freeze was unlawful and had caused irreparable harm to refugees and aid organizations. 

Justice Department lawyer August Flentje asserted that by law, the president may deny entry to foreigners if their admission to the U.S. would be detrimental to the nation's interests. 

Whitehead is set to write a full opinion within the next few days. 

The U.S. bishops recently brought forward a similar lawsuit over the refugee funding freeze. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., refused to immediately block the order, though another hearing is set for Friday. 

Jesuit Refugee Services USA, an advocacy and aid group for refugees operating in 58 countries, was negatively impacted by the funding freeze and the pause of the refugee program. 

Bridget Cusick, a spokesperson for the group, noted that "for generations, the U.S. has been a leader in refugee resettlement."

"We invite refugees to our shores because it is the right thing to do — and, as the Gospel of Luke says, in sowing bountifully we have reaped bountifully: The contributions of refugees to our nation have redounded to us in the form of leaders in government, business, and industry, not to mention culture, cuisine, and friendship," Cusick told CNA. 

"Refugees are the most thoroughly vetted new arrivals to our country and are models of resilience," Cusick said. "We truly believe that the administration will ultimately decide it advances our nation's interests and standing as a world leader to continue our tradition of inviting refugees to become Americans." 

After filing the lawsuit last week, the U.S. bishops emphasized the plight of refugees, urging the U.S. government to restore funding.  

"We are urging the government to uphold its legal and moral obligations to refugees and to restore the necessary funding to ensure that faith-based and community organizations can continue this vital work that reflects our nation's values of compassion, justice, and hospitality," said U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesperson Chieko Noguchi.

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Madrid, Spain, Feb 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience (OLRC, by its Spanish acronym) is calling on Spain's Ministry of the Interior to strengthen security at the country's cathedrals after a threat against the sacred structures was issued by the Islamic terrorist group Daesh (ISIS).

According to a recent report by Memri, a publication specializing in Islamist terrorism, a poster with the label "Let's slaughter" is being disseminated online in which a terrorist armed with a knife and an image of a Spanish cathedral can be seen.

According to the Spanish newspaper La Razón, the poster is accompanied by the incitement to "make the next news yourself and show your anger at what is happening to Muslims. Follow in the footsteps of your brothers who preceded you and sowed fear in the hearts of unbelievers."

These threats come as major events are being held in some Spanish cathedrals, for example in Madrid and Seville, to pray for the health of Pope Francis, where a large number of faithful are expected to attend.

In response to the threats, the OLRC has launched a petition to ask the minister of the interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to increase security in the nation's cathedrals.

The petition states that "jihadism is asking its 'lone wolves' to attack our churches. The security of Catholics is in danger. Have we forgotten that two years ago a jihadist murdered sacristan Diego Valencia in Algeciras and injured a priest?"

The organization, which advises the Spanish government's Monitoring Commission for the Action Plan to Combat Hate Crimes, recalled that last New Year's Eve "two jihadist minors planned to attack the basilica in Elche" and that in January threats were made against the Palencia cathedral via Telegram.

The president of the OLRC, María García, pointed out in a statement that "the safety of believers is in danger. We cannot ignore the threats of Daesh. We know what they are capable of, and we are seeing it these days in Europe."

García also recalled that last year "a record number of arrests for jihadism in Spain were made."

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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CNA Staff, Feb 25, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to a Tennessee law restricting drag performances when children are present.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied the petition to hear an appeal on the ruling, which was filed by an LGBTQ+ theater company in December 2024 after a circuit court ruled against the group. 

The Friends of George's theater company had challenged Tennessee's Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) in 2023 soon after the law limiting "adult-oriented" performances in public was passed. 

The AEA prevented "adult cabaret" performances on public property and anywhere that children might see them. The law defines adult cabaret as "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors" and that include "topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers."

The theater group had previously filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the law from taking effect in their county, maintaining that the law was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker temporarily blocked the law in March 2023, but a federal appeals court later reversed the decision and dismissed the lawsuit. 

The Friends of George's theater company had argued that Tennessee's law would go against the First Amendment right to freedom of speech by restricting its drag performances. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the company did not have legal standing to sue because its performances did not break Tennessee law.

Dissenting judge Andre Mathis argued in a 25-page dissent to the July 18, 2024, decision that the law was an "unconstitutional content-based restriction on speech." 

But proponents of legislation argue that freedom of speech does not apply to sexually explicit performances in front of children.

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti lauded the decision in a post on X, calling it a "big win for Tennessee."

"Free speech is a sacred American value, but the First Amendment does not require Tennessee to allow sexually explicit performances in front of children," Skrmetti said. 

Tennessee Sen. Jack Johnson welcomed the Supreme Court decision in a post on Facebook.  

"I'm proud that the United States Supreme Court has upheld yet another Tennessee law protecting our children," Johnson said. "SB 3 ensures that Tennessee children are not exposed to sexually explicit entertainment."

While the First Amendment protects the right to free speech, long-standing legal precedent affirms that it does not protect obscenity.

Several states have taken steps to limit adult performances in front of minors in recent years. For instance, Montana established restrictions on drag performances and drag reading events in public schools and libraries in May 2023, though enforcement of the law was blocked by a federal judge.

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