Catholic News

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CNA Staff, Mar 13, 2025 / 16:55 pm (CNA).

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

FDA chief counsel resigns after outcry over defense of abortion pill

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) chief counsel resigned Thursday following criticism from pro-life advocates for having defended abortion pills for the Biden administration. 

As a trial lawyer with the Biden administration's Department of Justice, Hilary Perkins defended access to the abortion pill mifepristone during a lawsuit against the FDA.

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri had criticized Perkins' appointment in a post on X on Wednesday, saying "I can't imagine anyone who would be more at odds with President Trump's agenda." His post followed an Axios story that drew attention to Perkins' appointment.

Hawley noted that Perkins also opposed conscience rights for vaccines during COVID-19 and argued in favor of vaccine mandates.

Perkins joined the Department of Justice during Trump's first term as a trial attorney at the Consumer Protection branch beginning in April 2019 and was retained by the Biden administration.

Acting FDA general counsel Sean Keveney appointed Perkins on Tuesday as part of a reorganization effort by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"I'm pleased Makary has reconsidered that position and dismissed this lawyer," Hawley said in a post on Thursday, referring to FDA commissioner-designate Marty Makary.

During his hearing last week, Makary had pledged to review safety policies surrounding the abortion pill.

Montana judge blocks law barring Medicaid-funded abortion

A Montana judge blocked the enforcement of three pro-life restrictions that limit the public funding of Medicaid-covered abortions. 

The restrictions included two laws passed in 2023 as well as a regulation from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. 

One bill put into effect July 1, 2023, laid out restrictions for abortions covered under Montana's Medicaid program. It only allowed publicly-funded coverage of abortion when a patient's physical health was threatened, or if a pregnancy could aggravate severe mental illness or intellectual disability. The bill also required a physical examination before an abortion and instructed that only physicians in the state can perform abortions covered by Medicaid.

Another bill effective the same date prohibited public funding for abortion, including Medicaid. The bill allows exceptions if the patient's life is in danger or if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest.  

The Department of Public Health rule requires that for an abortion to be covered by Medicaid the abortion can only be performed by doctors. It also requires a physical examination and patient records before abortion. 

In the March 11 ruling, Judge Mike Menahan of the Montana District Court for Lewis and Clark County ruled that women seeking abortion were being treated unequally compared with women carrying their pregnancy to term because of these various restrictions on Medicaid-funded abortions. Menahan maintained that poverty should not play into the ability of a woman to have an abortion. 

Child support from moment of conception debated in Kansas

The Kansas Senate debated a bill on Tuesday that could require child support payments beginning at conception.

The child support bill would provide child support payment orders from the date of conception, designed to include medical and pregnancy-related expenses for the mother. The payment orders would not include money for elective abortions.

The bill would also provide an income tax exemption for unborn children. 

Opponents criticized the bill for providing unborn children with a tax ID number and argued that the bill could lead to personhood rights for the unborn. Proponents, however, argued that it would help financially support single mothers who were facing unplanned pregnancies.

The bill defined an unborn child as "a living individual organism of the species homo sapiens, in utero, at any stage of gestation from fertilization to birth."

The Senate passed an amended version of the bill with 30 voting in favor and nine voting against. The House, which passed the original bill, will still need to approve the version with its amendments. 

Study links abortion and attempted suicide

A recent survey found women who have had an abortion are twice as likely to attempt suicide, while women who had successfully delivered their children had the lowest attempt rate. 

The Charlotte Lozier Institute study found that "women who experience pregnancy losses, either induced or natural, are at higher risk of suicidal and self-destructive thoughts and behaviors." 

Elliot Institute Director and Charlotte Lozier Associate Scholar David Reardon led the study, which was published Jan. 21 in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The study surveyed nearly 3,000 American women ages 41-45, including women who had abortions, difficult pregnancies, pregnancy loss, and live births, as well as women who had never been pregnant.

Reardon found that "aborting women were twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to other women" and that women who had abortions were "significantly more likely to say their pregnancy outcomes directly contributed to suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared to women in all other groups."

Those who had an abortion had the highest rate of suicide attempts, at nearly 35%, while women with pregnancy loss had the second highest rate at 30%. 

Among women who had abortions, those coerced into abortion had the highest rate of attempted suicide at 46.2%, while women who reported that they had chosen abortion freely had a 29.5% rate of attempted suicide. 

Women who had experienced at least one live birth and had no pregnancy loss or problematic pregnancies had the lowest attempted suicide rate at 13.4%.

"Our findings require rejection of the null hypothesis that pregnancy outcomes, especially abortion, have no effect on suicidal thoughts and behaviors," the study read. 

The study recommended post-abortion mental health checkups and support as well as screening for patients "who may feel pressured to abort contrary to their own values and preference." 

The study also recommended that mental health workers "be aware of the elevated risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviors associated with natural and induced pregnancy losses."

"These findings should be used to improve both pre-abortion screening and counseling and post-abortion care," the study concluded.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 13, 2025 / 17:50 pm (CNA).

Diocese of Boise Bishop Peter F. Christensen raised concerns about a "culture of death" and threats to human dignity after Idaho made death by firing squad its primary method of execution for death row inmates.

"Whether we live in Idaho or anywhere else in the world, Catholics need to stand firm on the Gospel we preach," Christensen said. "Therefore, we oppose this means of execution and every other form of capital punishment. We are people who strive to promote redemption and peace."

The bishop said in a statement provided to CNA Thursday afternoon that "Christians are called to oppose the culture of death" and "a person's dignity is not lost even after committing grave crimes." He noted that the government can protect the community by incarcerating the person "while avoiding definitively depriving the guilty of the possibility of redemption."

"In light of the Gospel of mercy and hope, our response to the death penalty is not based on what the condemned have done but who we are in Christ," Christensen said. "The Catholic Church recognizes that it is the right and duty of every government to maintain law and order. While doing so, the sanctity of life and the dignity of every human being must also be safeguarded."

Christensen cited the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew, in which Christ said: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." He also cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which holds that the death penalty "is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person" (No. 2267).

Governor defends new law

Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, signed the bill this week to make death by firing squad the default method of execution for every person on death row in the state. Per the legislation, lethal injection will be the backup method of execution if, for any reason, the state cannot carry out an execution using a firing squad.

"I have long made clear my support of capital punishment," Little said in a statement provided to CNA.

"My signing of [this bill] is consistent with my support of the Idaho Legislature's actions in setting the policies around methods of execution in the state of Idaho," Little added. "As governor, my job is to follow the law and ensure that lawful criminal sentences are carried out as ordered by the courts."

The state has carried out three executions since 1957 with the most recent occurring more than 12 and a half years ago in June 2012. Those three executions were all completed through lethal injection. 

Idaho attempted to execute convicted serial killer Thomas Creech by lethal injection in 2024, but the medical team was unable to establish an intravenous line to carry out the lethal injection after eight attempts over the course of an hour. A federal judge temporarily halted his execution after the botched lethal injection attempt.

Creech is one of nine people currently on death row in Idaho.

Shift from lethal injection to firing squad

Idaho banned executions by firing squad in 2009 but later reversed that ban in 2023 when the state made executions by firing squad the backup method. At the time, lethal injection was the primary method for executions.

Executions by firing squad are permitted in five states, but the new law will make Idaho the only state in which death by firing squad is the primary form of execution. The new law goes into effect on July 1, 2026. 

Only four death row inmates in the United States have been executed by a firing squad since 1977, with the most recent occurring in South Carolina just last week. South Carolina recently brought back this method of execution because of a shortage of drugs for lethal injection.

Many states have had trouble obtaining the drugs for lethal injection over the past two decades because drug manufacturers have refused to sell the products amid public pressure from death penalty opponents and moral qualms about ending human life.

"As lethal injection drugs become harder to procure, either because pharmaceutical companies refuse to sell their drugs for this purpose or because of rampant botched lethal injections, we have seen states seeking additional methods of execution," Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, told CNA. 

"We are witnessing that some states are so hellbent on pursuing executions that they'll go to distant lengths in order to take these lives," she said. "Catholic Mobilizing Network will continue to oppose legislation that promotes executions because this is clearly a direct affront to the sanctity of life and the inviolability of human dignity."

Catholic Mobilizing Network works closely with the United States Conference of Catholic bishops on efforts to oppose the death penalty.

"Whether someone is shot, electrocuted, injected, or gassed, each and every execution extinguishes a God-given life with inherent dignity and worth," Murphy said. "Each and every execution is a blatant act of state-sanctioned violence."

Some states have also brought back executions by the electric chair and others have approved different drugs to carry out lethal injections. 

Last year, Alabama became the first state to execute inmates by forcing them to inhale nitrogen gas. Louisiana also intends to execute inmates with nitrogen, but the first scheduled execution with this method was temporarily halted by a judge this week.

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Vatican City, Mar 13, 2025 / 04:41 am (CNA).

Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on his health and hospitalization:

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Vatican City, Mar 12, 2025 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, reflected Tuesday on the great challenge of illness and suffering for Pope Francis as he approaches a month's hospital stay amid a series of health crises.

Before leading Tuesday evening's recitation of rosary, held inside the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall, Koch drew parallels in the lives of Pope Francis and St. Peter.

"Truly, truly, I say to you when you were young, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go," Koch said, citing Jn 21:18.   

Commenting on the Gospel account when the resurrected Jesus asked Peter, the first pope, to follow him until the end, Koch asked: "How can we not recognize in these words, [is] in fact, what our Holy Father — the successor of Peter — is also experiencing and struggling with?"

"Of course the situations are different, but also the suffering of a serious illness is a great challenge," he said, before starting Tuesday's contemplation of the Rosary's sorrowful mysteries.  

Since Feb. 24, a cardinal has presided over the daily recitation of the Rosary for the pope's health. Hundreds of local Catholic faithful and jubilee pilgrims from around the world have come to St. Peter's Square to join the evening prayers open to the public.

"We ask for the intercession of Mary, the mother of hope, for the health of Pope Francis," Koch prayed.

The 88-year-old pontiff has undergone various medical therapies to treat bronchitis, bilateral pneumonia, as well as mild kidney problems, since being admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital almost one month ago on Feb. 14.

Over the weeks, several Catholic faithful from Rome and abroad have also gathered outside Gemelli Hospital to pray for the Holy Father and have left behind written notes with well wishes, candles, and flowers before the St. John Paul II statue outside the facility.

Wednesday evening's Rosary at the Vatican was held at 6 p.m. local time and led by Cardinal ??George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

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Vatican City, Mar 12, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on his health and hospitalization:

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 12, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Over a dozen family members of Israeli hostages shared the stories of their loved ones in Hamas captivity and asked for continued prayers during an emotional gathering that included several Christian groups in Washington D.C. on Tuesday. 

An intimate group of around 20 people attended the panel, including several representatives of the Philos Project, an ecumenical Christian nonprofit organization that advocates for pluralism and Israel's peaceful existence in the Middle East. 

Organized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Defense Forces, the panel included family members of Oct. 7 hostages Matan Angrest, 24, Manny Godard, 73, Guy Ilouz, 26, Tamir Nimarodi, 20, Evyatar David, 24, Idan Shvtivi, 28, Rom Brasvlavski, 21, and Omri Miran, 47. 

"We are living for more than 16 months with a big hole in our heart," said Ilan Dalal, whose son Guy Gilboa-Dilal was taken from the Nova Music Festival by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and is believed to be among the 24 remaining live hostages. 

Thirty-five hostages in Gaza are presumed dead. "We are going from place to place, and I am trying to talk to everybody that's willing to listen and trying to achieve the goal that all the hostages will be free, and until then, we will not rest," Dalal said.

"Everything [has become] an issue of interest, a political interest, in this world," said Michel Ilouz, whose son Guy Ilouz is now known to have died in the tunnels under Gaza from injuries he sustained on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants shot and abducted him at the Nova festival. 

"When I educated my oldest son, I always tried ... to educate him, to be in the right place, and to have the right values, and always try to stand behind the truth about what is right and what is wrong," Ilouz said, adding: "This is wrong." 

During his testimony, Ilouz played a recording of the last phone call he had with his son on Oct. 7, which featured the sounds of machine gun bullets and his son repeating the phrase "Father, I love you," in Hebrew. 

"I remember I told him, 'Guy don't dare you, don't dare you try to separate from us, please,'" Ilouz said. "And then everything finished." 

Reports of Guy's death did not surface until January. Ilouz told the small gathering on Tuesday that he does not care if his son's body comes back last, so long as a negotiation for the release of all hostages is achieved somehow. 

During his testimony, Eli Shvtivi stood from his seat on the panel and walked in front of the table as he spoke in a mixture of English and Hebrew of his son, Idam Shtivi, who he said had gone to the Nova Music Festival "for peace and love." 

Shvtivi explained that his son did not have a gun, and was "a good person." He then held up his phone with a video depicting his son being shot in the head four times and killed by Hamas before he was dragged into the Gaza Strip. 

"I don't know what to do now," Shvtivi said, sitting back down.  

Naama Miran recounted the story of her brother Omri Miran's abduction from Nahal Oz, a kibbutz at the southern Israeli border, which took place in front of his wife and two young daughters. She said Omri's wife, Ishael, managed to tell him three things before he was taken away: "I love you, I'll take care of the girls, and don't be a hero." 

"Every time that I fly with this group of families, I feel how strongly this family is connected," Naama said, describing the other family members as a "support group." 

"But I can see also the suffering and the pain and how it gets harder each time, and every day," she added. 

Each family member urged those in attendance to utilize any connections with elected officials or the Trump administration to advocate for their loved ones. 

At the end of the panel, Philos Catholic Director Simone Rizkallah addressed each of the family members assuring them of prayers and support from the Catholic community.

Rizkallah, who is behind the launch of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism, hosts the Beyond Rome podcast and is of Armenian-Egyptian descent. 

"There's so much love and support for you from our community, and I wanted you to know that we're doing everything we can to educate so many Catholics who have no idea of our history, but they're open to learning and educating and spreading awareness," she said.

She noted the thousands of Catholics who signed up to pray novenas for Israel through the Avila Foundation and on the Hallow app. 

"This is what we're praying for," she said, adding: "There's more people who are supporting you than you even are aware of, and certainly in the Catholic community."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 12, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Two Republican senators sent a letter to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to demand answers about why the Planned Parenthood Federation of America received more than $100 million in COVID-19 relief funds, which the lawmakers allege was "unlawful."

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who chairs the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, sent a letter to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler to request documents and records related to Planned Parenthood's receipt of funding through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

According to the letter, Planned Parenthood affiliates received about $120 million in PPP loans in 2020 and 2021.

Lawmakers have inquired about the funding for the past few years, though they reportedly did not receive the information from the previous administration. 

"The Biden administration obstructed our investigation of potentially illegal applications of PPP loans to Planned Parenthood entities, and we are confident the Trump administration will provide the transparency the American people deserve," Paul said in a statement provided to CNA.

Ernst said in a statement to CNA that the PPP loans were "designed to help Americans struggling during the pandemic, not to go to ineligible recipients fueling abortion on demand." 

"The Biden administration stonewalled my oversight efforts at every turn and prevented the American people from learning how Planned Parenthood cashed in on COVID," she added. 

"Now that Administrator Loeffler has ushered in a new era of transparency at the SBA, I look forward to working with her to uncover the truth and stop the flow of these funds."

The senators are requesting all records related to Planned Parenthood facilities requesting PPP funds, along with any communications with affiliates. They also asked for information about efforts to recover funds that were improperly given to Planned Parenthood and an explanation for why funding was approved. 

According to the letter, the SBA under the first Trump administration told Planned Parenthood affiliates that they had wrongfully applied for 38 PPP loans totaling $80 million and informed them they needed to return the money. 

However, in 2021 under the Biden administration, the SBA approved $40 million in additional funding and allowed at least 44 affiliates to have their loans forgiven. 

"Borrowers who made incorrect or false eligibility certifications on their PPP application are subject to severe penalties," the senators' letter states. 

The senators asked the SBA to investigate whether any Planned Parenthood affiliates "made a knowingly false certification on their applications" and to "pursue all appropriate penalties for any unlawful participation in the program."

Katie Glenn Daniel, the director of legal affairs and policy council at Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, alleged in a statement provided to CNA that the Biden administration "illegally" gave Planned Parenthood forgivable loans for which they were not eligible, calling it "one of many lawless pro-abortion overreaches the Trump-Vance administration is now dismantling." 

"We commend Sens. Ernst and Paul for demanding accountability, and we are optimistic that under this new administration of transparency and common sense, the American people will get the answers Biden refused to give, and hopefully, our money back," Daniel said.

Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request for comment.

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Washington D.C., Mar 11, 2025 / 20:25 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Robert McElroy emphasized the importance of Christian hope, mercy, and respecting human dignity in a homily in the nation's capital during his solemn installation Mass in which he assumed the role as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington. 

More than 100 priests, bishops, dozens of religious sisters, and hundreds of Catholic laity attended the Mass on Tuesday afternoon at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The basilica sits adjacent to the campus of The Catholic University of America in the Brookland neighborhood of the city.

McElroy is replacing Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who is retiring from his position at the age of 77. 

"With jubilant hearts, we say 'welcome,'" Gregory said during a brief speech before the Mass began, which yielded a round of applause from Mass-goers.

McElroy devoted his first homily as the archbishop of Washington to highlight the need for Christian hope, which is the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Holy Year. He also spoke at length about the importance of mercy, compassion, and respect for human dignity.

The cardinal called on Catholics to be "pilgrims of hope in a wounded world" and pointed to the hope displayed by St. Mary Magdalene in Tuesday's Gospel reading. John 20: 11-18 recounts Magdalene's arrival to Christ's empty tomb, where she weeped when she saw his body was gone, but maintained hope in Christ before ultimately encountering the resurrected Christ.

"She realized that every presupposition that she had about her life, her mission, her purpose in the world, needed to be changed," McElroy said, and urged the faithful to "embrace the same risen Lord that Mary Magdalene encountered in the garden." McElroy referenced Francis' emphasis on mercy and compassion, saying the pontiff understands that "all of us are wounded, all of us are in pain, [and] all of us are sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness." 

"Mercy and compassion must be our first impulse when confronted with sin and human failure," McElroy said. 

"For hope arises when we confront ourselves as we truly are, understanding that the bountiful, merciful love of God is without limit, and undertake the call to live out the teachings of the church and be sacraments of mercy to others," he added. "We are a Church which believes that love and truth do meet. That is precisely our glory as the children of God." 

The cardinal stressed the human dignity of every person, such as the unborn, migrants, and the poor. 

"The search for genuine encounter and unity lie at the heart of God's vision for our world, alongside special care for those who are most vulnerable among us," he said. "What hope we could bring to our world as the Church of Washington if we could truly help our society to see others more as God sees them: beloved children, brothers and sisters."

The Mass was multilingual, including some prayers and readings in English and Spanish. The intercessions included several additional languages, including Haitian Creole, Tagalog, Igbo, and Chinese. The intercessions included prayers for Pope Francis, civil and political leaders, unborn children, migrants and refugees, and increased vocations.

At the end of the Mass, McElroy led the congregation in a decade of the rosary to pray for the continued recovery of Pope Francis, who has spent weeks in the hospital.

McElroy is taking charge of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. less than two months after President Donald Trump's inauguration for his second non-consecutive term. Days after his appointment in January, the cardinal wished Trump success in the White House but also criticized his plans for mass deportations of immigrants who entered the country illegally. 

"We are called always to have a sense of the dignity of every human person," McElroy said on Jan. 6. "And thus, plans which have been talked about at some levels of having a wider indiscriminate massive deportation across the country would be something that would be incompatible with Catholic doctrine. So we'll have to see what emerges in the administration."

McElroy mostly avoided a discussion of politics during his homily, but spoke about concerns he has with division in the country. 

"God is the Father of us all, and God sees us as equal in dignity and moral worth," he said in the homily. "How deeply that contrasts with the world that we have made. Divisions of race and gender and ideology and nationality flourish in the world of politics, religion, family life and education."

Pope Francis announced in early January that the 71-year-old McElroy would leave his post at the Archdiocese of San Diego to assume his new role in the Church. McElroy, who holds a doctorate of sacred theology and a doctorate of political science, was made a cardinal by Francis in 2022.

Other concelebrants included Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop emeritus of Washington. Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich were also in attendance.

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CNA Staff, Mar 11, 2025 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines who was rebuked by Catholic leaders for overseeing thousands of extrajudicial killings, has been arrested on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity. 

Duterte, 79, was detained shortly after landing at Manila's international airport on a flight from Hong Kong, NPR reported. The outspoken former mayor of the city of Davao won election to the presidency in 2016 in large part because of his pledge to be tough on crime, especially the illegal drug trade. 

As president, Duterte reportedly dispatched police "death squads" nationwide to carry out extrajudicial executions of suspected drug dealers and drug users, which attracted worldwide attention and criticism. 

The United Nations investigated Duterte's tactics during his drug war beginning in 2018 and concluded in 2020 that young men in poor and urban areas were being routinely gunned down in the street by police without any due process. Testimonies and reports gathered over the years suggest that the police were incentivized to carry out the extrajudicial killings with financial rewards. 

Estimates vary widely, but the Philippine government has officially acknowledged just 6,248 deaths due to the anti-drug campaign. However, the ICC prosecutor has said the death toll could be as high as 30,000, Reuters reported. 

Duterte in 2019 withdrew the Philippines from the treaty that created the ICC in order to avoid an investigation into the drug war, but the ICC has reiterated that it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed when the Philippines was still a member, AsiaNews reported. 

The country's Catholic bishops had long been vocal in their opposition to Duterte, including his "war on drugs," and opposed his call in 2020 to reinstate the death penalty for illegal drug use and other crimes. 

In a March 11 statement, Caritas Philippines, the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, welcomed the developments in the ICC case against Duterte. The group appealed to Duterte's supporters and political allies to "set aside personal loyalty and choose to stand with the rule of law" over and above partisan interests.

"These killings were not random; they were part of a policy that violated the fundamental right to life," emphasized Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, vice president of Caritas Philippines. 

"The families of the victims deserve truth, reparations, and justice. As a nation, we must ensure that such crimes never happen again."

Duterte was openly hostile to religion and to the Catholic Church — to which the vast majority of Filipinos belong — during his time in office. Just prior to his election as president, Duterte called Pope Francis a "son of a wh-re" after a papal visit caused increased traffic in Manila. Duterte later apologized to the pontiff in a letter. 

In June 2018, Duterte called God "stupid" and a "son of a b-tch" during a speech. He also claimed that the majority of Philippine priests were homosexual.

Later that month, Duterte said he was willing to enter into a dialogue with the country's bishops' conference in an effort to repair relationships, and the president's spokesperson announced that a committee would be created to better collaborate and communicate with the Catholic hierarchy.

But then, later that same year, Duterte said citizens should "kill and steal" from Catholic bishops, stating that "this stupid bunch serves no purpose — all they do is criticize."

In a September 2021 pastoral message, the archbishops of Nueva Segovia, Lingayen-Dagupan, and Tuguegarao in northern Luzon lamented the spate of drug-related killings in the country and attacks on journalists, members of the political opposition, lawyers, activists, and priests. The bishops urged the faithful to resist the "culture of murder and plunder." 

In 2020, four bishops and two priests were accused of attempting to overthrow Duterte, but the charges were dropped. And several Catholic priests and Catholic laypeople who were arrested under Duterte's administration for criticizing the drug war were later acquitted in 2023. 

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ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 11, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis and the Catholic Church in Argentina expressed their solidarity with flood victims in the city of Bahía Blanca located in Buenos Aires province.

In addition to prayers, the Catholic Church in Argentina has sent material aid to Bahía Blanca, which suffered severe flooding on Friday after 16 inches of rain fell in just a few hours. So far, 16 fatalities have been reported, more than 900 people have been evacuated, and significant damage has been reported.

In a Monday telegram, Pope Francis sent a message of hope and solidarity to the hard-hit community through Archbishop Carlos Azpiroz Costa, OP, of Bahía Blanca.

"Saddened to learn of the natural disaster that is affecting the region of Bahía Blanca, which has [resulted in] so many victims and material damage, I offer fervent prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased," the Holy Father said in his message.

He also assured his spiritual closeness to the population, beseeching the Lord "to grant comfort to the bereaved and to all those who are suffering in these moments of pain and uncertainty" and prayed that the Lord would also "sustain with his grace" all those committed to searching for the missing and undertaking "the arduous process of rebuilding the devastated areas."

Finally, Pope Francis assured his prayers to Our Lady of Mercy, that she may intercede for those affected, and sent his apostolic blessing.

The executive committee of the Argentine Bishops' Conference said it shared "the pain and uncertainty of our brothers and sisters from Bahía Blanca, asking the Lord to alleviate the anguish of those who have been affected in different ways."

They also prayed that the Lord would "strengthen the volunteers in their dedication to care for the lives of their brothers and sisters" and prayed for the intercession of Our Lady of Mercy, patroness of the Archdiocese of Bahía Blanca.

Azpiroz and his auxiliary bishop, Pedro Fournau, addressed the people "in these hours of anguish" that the city is going through.

"We want to be at the side of those who are suffering the most from the consequences of the storm: to assure our prayers for each of the victims of this flood and to be close to those who have lost a loved one, those who still cannot find the whereabouts of a family member, or those who have seen their homes flooded and have had to evacuate," they said.

The bishops asked God to grant comfort and "sustain everyone's spirit to stay afloat together" and encouraged the population to trust in the Lord and offer him "all the pain, uncertainty, fear, or helplessness" in their hearts.

They also urged "mutual compassionate help" at this time. "In the midst of the storm, we want to say with you: We are not alone, God walks with us and never abandons us!" they exclaimed.

Caritas Argentina immediately launched a campaign to address the emergency. A donation can be made at this link. 

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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