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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 29, 2024 / 14:41 pm (CNA).

Here's a roundup of the latest developments in the U.S. regarding abortion and pro-life issues:

Lawsuit against Massachusetts 'campaign of intimidation'

A group of pro-life pregnancy centers in Massachusetts is suing the governor and other state officials for a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign against them, which they argue constitutes "impermissible viewpoint discrimination" based on their religious and political speech.

The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 19 by Your Options Medical Centers (YOM), a Christian-based network of pregnancy resource centers.

Under Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, Massachusetts launched a first-in-the-nation $1 million advertising campaign against pregnancy centers in June.

One example of the language used by the ads targeting Massachusetts residents on social media, billboards, and public transit, reads: "Avoid anti-abortion centers. They try to limit your options if you're pregnant."

YOM argues that the state's campaign to paint pregnancy centers as fraudulent and deceptive discriminates against their pro-life, Christian views. 

The centers say this deprives them of the right to free speech and free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

"This case is necessitated by an overt viewpoint-based campaign of harassment, suppression, and threats against YOM and other [pregnancy resource centers]," the suit reads. 

"Government officials can express their views," but they cannot "use the power of the state to punish or suppress disfavored expression," the suit asserts.

The suit also accuses the state of conspiring with a pro-abortion activist group called Reproductive Equity Now to target pregnancy centers in the state for investigation and prosecution.

"This campaign involves selective law enforcement prosecution, public threats, and even a state-sponsored advertising campaign with a singular goal — to deprive YOM, and groups like it, of their First Amendment rights to voice freely their religious and political viewpoints regarding the sanctity of human life in the context of the highly controversial issue of abortion," YOM argues.

According to the suit, the state's "campaign of intimidation has directly contributed" to one doctor quitting. 

The suit also says that YOM has "been forced [to] operate in a culture of fear and harassment from the state and continues to face unprecedented investigations, including unnecessary subpoenas, despite a prior state investigation clearing YOM of any wrongdoing."

Missouri abortion amendment appears likely to win, new poll suggests

A Missouri amendment that would radically alter the abortion landscape in the state seems likely to succeed this November based on a new poll taken by YouGov and the St. Louis University Research Institute.

Titled the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative, the amendment would change the Missouri Constitution by enshrining a "fundamental right" to abortion. 

If passed the amendment would prohibit abortion restrictions before viability and after if determined to be beneficial to life or the physical or mental health of the mother.

The poll found that 52% of respondents indicated they would vote for the abortion amendment. Only 34% said they would vote against the measure. Meanwhile, 14% said they were "not sure."

While Democrats were largely united in support of the measure — 80% in favor versus 11% against — Republicans were split. A slight majority — 51% — said they opposed the measure, while 32% registered support and 18% said they were unsure.

Released this month, the poll was based on a survey of 1,154 registered Missouri voters representing the state's voting demographics.

Currently, Missouri protects unborn life from conception, only allowing abortions in instances in which the mother's life is in danger.

Fox polls suggest half of Arizona and Nevada Republicans support abortion amendment

Two new polls released this week by Fox suggest that half of Republicans in Arizona and Nevada support broad abortion amendments set to appear on the ballot this November.

According to the Arizona poll, 50% of Arizona Republicans support the amendment that if passed would allow abortion until viability and beyond if determined necessary for the health of the mother. Meanwhile, 95% of Arizona Democrats and 76% of independents support the amendment.

Abortion is currently legal in Arizona through 15 weeks of pregnancy.

In Nevada, 54% of Republicans, 95% of Democrats, and 76% of independents support the proposed abortion amendment, according to the Fox poll.

If passed, the amendment would codify already-existing state laws into the state constitution that allow for abortion up to roughly 24 weeks into pregnancy. The amendment would also allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy if deemed necessary to protect the mother's health.

Lila Rose suggests Trump may be losing pro-life support

Prominent pro-life activist and Catholic Lila Rose suggested this week that Trump may be losing the support of pro-lifers through his campaign's recent statements regarding abortion.

Rose said on social media that "if you don't stand for pro-life principles, you don't get pro-life votes." 

She also said that "without some indication that they will work to make our nation a safer place for preborn children, they [the Trump campaign] are making it impossible for pro-life voters to support them."

Trump has said that he considers abortion to be exclusively a state issue following the repeal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. He has also said that he believes some pro-life laws and policies "go too far."

On Saturday GOP vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance said that Trump would veto any national pro-life law that was sent to his desk. Vance has also said that he supports access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which currently accounts for 63% of all U.S. abortions.

In response, Rose has been very vocal in encouraging the Trump campaign to "earn the pro-life vote" by changing its messaging to support unborn life.

In an interview with Politico, Rose said: "People will need to vote their conscience in November. We're over two months out, so there's a lot of things that can change. I think that it's the job of the pro-life movement to demand protection for preborn lives. It is not the job of the pro-life movement to vote for President Trump."

"Nobody owns the pro-life vote; the pro-life vote is earned. And you don't earn the pro-life vote by throwing it under the bus … and throwing the babies under the bus," Rose said in a Tuesday episode of her podcast. 

"You earn the pro-life vote, and I would say the respect even of the middle moderates and I would even argue the respect of your average Joe by getting up there and saying: 'I'm going to fight for what I believe in, for what is good and true, I'm going to fight for the lives of children.'"

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Vatican City, Aug 29, 2024 / 11:18 am (CNA).

The Vatican Museums this summer introduced a new family-friendly excursion through the papal gardens, an experience designed to teach children how to "contemplate and appreciate nature," according to the tour's originator.

Whether skipping down a tree-lined path, sitting on a tree stump, or spotting turtles in a fountain, children and their families now have the chance to encounter the Vatican Gardens in a way tailored to capture the attention of some of its youngest visitors.

"There was a desire to give families something to actually do together in the museum. There's such a wealth of possibilities. And so we wanted to, for the first time, dedicate an actual tour to families," Sister Emanuela Edwards of the Missionaries of Divine Revelation told CNA during an Aug. 23 preview of the tour.

Edwards, who designed the tour as part of her role heading the Vatican Museums' office of educational activities, said one of the first activities on the walk is to listen to the sounds of nature in the English Garden.

"We start by identifying all the different sounds from the natural world," she said. "But of course, what can be more joyful and more natural than to hear children laughing and enjoying themselves as well? And so to the natural world, we also add this wonderful and essential human element, which is the joy of being together in the family."

The roughly two-hour "Capture Nature" tour is currently offered on Saturday mornings in English and Italian to groups of about 20 people. It is fully accessible to children with intellectual or physical disabilities — something Edwards said was very important to them when designing the visit.

On a recent tour with two families, CNA followed 5-year-old twins Francesco and Chiara Salvatori and 7-year-old Margherita Scavetta as they played games inviting them to use their senses in various areas of the gardens.

A highlight for all the children was trying to count the number of turtles living in the fountain next to the Casina Pio IV, the home of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Another game asked the kids to work together with their parents to find and identify certain plants from the Bible in the Scripture garden.

With the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica as a backdrop, the three children were asked to spot particular plants or features of fountains and buildings.

During one stop in the walk — which passes statues of Mary, including a replica of the Marian grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France — the children got to create their own "masterpieces" with leaves, bird feathers, and twigs collected along the way. 

Edwards, whose religious order is sometimes called by the nickname "the green sisters" for the unusual color of their habits, explained that the tour also takes some of its inspiration from Pope Francis' environmental encyclical Laudato Si'.

"A few steps away there's the Vatican Museums, where there are the masterpieces of art," she said. "But in the garden, we're able to teach the young children that the trees are also the masterpieces of the garden. And so they learn how to care for those masterpieces as well."

Guide Isabella Salandri, one of several tour guides handpicked by Edwards to lead the family tours, interacted with Francesco, Chiara, and Margherita in an engaging way, telling them in lively tones about features of the Vatican Gardens, especially those involving animals, like the monumental Aquilone Fountain, which features a large eagle, the personification of the north wind in Roman mythology.

"The opportunity for the children to do something very interactive we found quite original and fun," Margherita's mom, Paola Nuccetelli, said. "Even we are having fun getting to see something we don't usually see in the city. ... And then, who expects to see woods in the heart of Rome?"

Near the end of the tour, the families were surprised by an appearance from Vatican gardener Augusto Minosse, who drove up to the group in his little work van. He asked the kids about their visit and posed for a selfie with Margherita.

"It was really an immense joy to see [our childrens'] wonder at nature, at creation," the twins' dad, Daniele Salvatori, said.

"Certainly for us, and I think also for others, when one is immersed in nature, you become closer to God," his wife, Romina Zicca, added.

As the tour wrapped up under the hot, noonday sun, guide Salandri asked the three children: "Are you ready for the last game?"

"Does it have to be the last?" Margherita asked.

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CNA Staff, Aug 29, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Amid the culture wars, one girl scouting group endorsed by an archbishop this month is staying "true to its founding Christian principles" while creating space to help Catholic girls grow in faith.  

Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati "wholeheartedly" endorsed the faith-based scouting group American Heritage Girls (AHG) in an Aug. 8 letter to local priests, where he encouraged parishes to consider chartering with the group.

"AHG is openly Christ-centered and dedicated to helping girls respond to God's call to grow in purity, service, stewardship, and integrity," Schnurr noted. "Moreover, AHG expressly believes that every person is made in the image of God."

AHG is interdenominational but is intentional about supporting Catholic girls in their faith. A quarter of AHG troops are at Catholic parishes or schools with activities ranging from troop-led Stations of the Cross to Eucharistic Revival patches. 

"The AHG ministry program is designed to create a nurturing environment where girls can grow in their identity in Christ," explained Julie Goodwin, the national Catholic relations specialist for AHG. 

"Much like parish youth groups enrich the faith lives of all who attend, AHG is dedicated to raising up a generation of girls who strive for sainthood," she said. 

Founded in the 1990s by a group of parents who wanted a Christ-centered scouting group, AHG now boasts more than 50,000 members in every state and across 15 countries. The scouting group is dedicated to serving God, family, and community while members and leaders pledge to a statement of faith that highlights integrity, purity, service, and stewardship. 

"It is an honor and a privilege to come alongside the families of parishes of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati," Patti Garibay, founder and executive director of AHG, told CNA. 

Garibay has led the organization since its small beginning to its great expansion, meeting with former vice president Mike Pence in 2017 and detailing the scouting group's story in her 2020 book "Why Curse the Darkness When You Can Light a Candle?" 

Garibay voiced her "gratitude" to the Cincinnati archbishop "for his courage and discernment" in aligning with American Heritage girls.

Schnurr noted that AHG has "stayed true to its founding Christian principles" in his endorsement. 

"Scouting is fundamentally good — it builds virtue, discipline, and community. It helps form responsible, well-rounded citizens," Schnurr said in his letter. "Scouting has a strong, multigenerational heritage in our country, one associated with positive values and memories."

AHG has programs for girls ages 5 to 18 that emphasize faith, leadership, outdoors, citizenship, and other life skills. Its program levels include the "Pathfinder," "Tenderheart," "Explorer," "Pioneer," and "Patriot."

The scouting program also includes a badge program with six "frontiers": heritage, personal well-being, family living, arts, science and technology, and outdoor skills.

"When done correctly, scouting can be an efficacious part of Catholic youth ministry, espousing a way of life congruent with the Gospel," Schnurr noted. 

"Unfortunately, in recent years, some scouting organizations have embraced and promoted an impoverished worldview regarding human life and sexuality," Schnurr noted. "Through activities, badges, and awards, these organizations have contributed to normalizing a gender ideology devoid of Christian virtue and contrary to the Catholic understanding of the human person made in the image and likeness of God."

AHG's membership policy requires girls to agree to live according to the AHG Oath and AHG Creed, and invites all girls to join. The scouting group's mission is "Building women of integrity through service to God, family, community, and country."

"We often hear from youth ministers, parents, and troop volunteers that AHG girls are deeply engaged in parish life — they're active in youth groups, eager to serve their communities, and setting a positive example for other young Catholics," Goodwin said. "Through AHG, these girls are growing in virtue and developing a lasting faith foundation that continues to shape their biblical worldview well into adulthood."

Sister Elizabeth Grace Donahue of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, an AHG alumna who received AHG's highest honor, the Stars and Stripes Award, said that AHG serves families well.

"Through a balance of Bible teaching and life skills, the girls are growing more and more in the image of Christ," she said in a statement shared with CNA. "The troop has blessed our Church in many ways as well."

AHG also features a National Catholic Committee that elected Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, as the episcopal moderator in 2015. The committee "acts as a liaison" between the Catholic Church and the scouts by "promoting and providing for the growth and spiritual development of its Catholic members."

The scouting organization has been endorsed by other Catholic leaders including Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, who, in 2017, authorized an archdiocesan transition from Girl Scouts to American Heritage Girls. AHG has also been endorsed by other Catholic dioceses and archdioceses including Birmingham, Alabama; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fort Worth, Texas; Milwaukee; Omaha, Nebraska; Rockford, Illinois; and St. Louis.

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CNA Staff, Aug 28, 2024 / 14:07 pm (CNA).

Bishop Mylo Hubert C. Vergara of the Diocese of Pasig in the Philippines announced last month that the Vatican has given permission to continue with the sainthood cause of Servant of God Laureana "Ka Luring" Franco. 

The diocese had in February opened Franco's sainthood cause, and on July 10, the bishop publicized a "nihil obstat" document from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints allowing the diocese to continue investigating her life. 

Franco, a longtime member of the Legion of Mary, dedicated her life to teaching the Catholic faith, praying, and serving the poor. She died in 2011 at age 75 of ovarian cancer. 

Born into a poor family in 1936, the oldest of eight children, Franco was brought up with strong faith thanks to the witness of her parents. She worked for a time as a switchboard operator for the Philippine Air Force before joining the Legion of Mary as a full-time, unpaid catechist in 1969. 

According to AsiaNews, a Catholic news site, Franco was at the time one of only two laywomen authorized to administer Communion in the Archdiocese of Manila. She was distinguished for her service to the poor, which she did while living a humble life and without seeking any recognition for herself. 

In February, the Diocese of Pasig, which includes her hometown of Taguig, announced Franco's candidacy for sainthood.

And at an Aug. 21 event at the archdiocesan minor basilica and shrine of St. Anne in Taguig City, the postulator of Franco's cause, Erickson Javier, presented the bishop with the "supplex libellus," a collection of documents requesting that the diocesan phase of Franco's cause be officially opened.

Now that the diocesan phase is open, a diocesan tribunal will investigate Franco's life to see how she lived a life of heroic virtue. Once that investigation is done, the resulting set of documents, known as a "positio," will be sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

If the pope recognizes Franco's heroic virtue, she will be declared "venerable." The next step would be beatification — being declared "blessed" — which requires at least one miracle attributed to her intercession. The final step in the sainthood process is canonization, where the pope officially declares a person to be a saint.

For her work as a catechist, St. John Paul II in 1990 bestowed on Franco the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award, an honor given to Catholics over age 45 with a history of long and distinguished service to the Church and the office of the pope. Franco was also bestowed the Mother Teresa Award in 2002 by St. John Paul II.

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Vatican City, Aug 28, 2024 / 11:06 am (CNA).

Pope Francis said Wednesday those who knowingly and intentionally "repel" migrants are committing a grave sin.

Breaking from the current theme of his general audiences Aug. 28, the pope spoke at length about the poor conditions of migrants who attempt to cross a sea or desert to reach safety but who sometimes lose their lives in the process.

"The tragedy is that many, the majority of these deaths, could have been prevented," Francis underlined in his speech to thousands in St. Peter's Square.

"It must be said clearly: There are those who work systematically and with every means possible to repel migrants," he said. "And this, when done with awareness and responsibility, is a grave sin."

Departing from his prepared remarks, the pontiff recalled seeing the heartbreaking viral photo of the wife and child of Pato Crepin, who died in the desert in the summer of 2023 while trying to cross the border into Tunisia on their way to Europe.

Last year, Tunisian authorities were clamping down on irregular immigration by taking people who entered the country to remote areas on the borders with Libya and Algeria.

The country's leader also signed an agreement with the European Union to receive 1 billion euros (about $1.1 billion) in order to stem the area's highly profitable business of smuggling people from Tunisia into Europea via the Mediterranean Sea.

"We all remember the photo of the wife and daughter of Pato, dead from hunger, thirst, in the desert," Pope Francis said. "In the time of satellites and drones, there are migrant men, women, and children that no one must see. They hide them. Only God sees them and hears their cry. This is a cruelty of our civilization."

The Missing Migrants Project, run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), records that since 2014, an estimated 47,000 people have either died or gone missing while attempting to migrate in Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean areas. 

Most deaths were caused by drowning, usually while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in unsafe and overcrowded boating vessels.

In his general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis also waded into political arguments about immigration and borders.

"We can all agree on one thing: Migrants should not be in those seas and in those lethal deserts," he said. "But it is not through more restrictive laws, it is not with the militarization of borders, it is not with rejection that we will obtain this result."

The solution, according to the pope, is to extend safe and legal access routes for migrants so that those who are fleeing war, violence, persecution, and natural disasters can find refuge.

Migrants will stop risking their lives to cross the sea or deserts, he continued, if we promote "a global governance of migration based on justice, fraternity, and solidarity."

In numerous past statements on refugees and migrants, Pope Francis has asked countries to be as welcoming to immigrants as they are able while also acknowledging their right to control their borders and to determine how many migrants and refugees they can safely integrate into their societies.

Paragraph 2241 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church also affirms that "the more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin."

"Political authorities," the catechism continues, "for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption."

In his Wednesday audience, Pope Francis recalled a lesson from the Book of Exodus: "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him."

"The orphan, the widow, and the stranger are the quintessential poor whom God always defends and asks to be defended," he emphasized. 

"There is a Psalm which says to the Lord: 'Thy way was through the sea / Thy path through the great waters' (Ps 77:19). And another says that he 'led his people through the wilderness / for his steadfast love endures forever' (Ps 136:16)," the pope quoted.

"These holy words tell us that, to accompany the people on their journey to freedom, God himself crosses the sea and the desert," Pope Francis said. "[God] does not remain at a distance, no; he shares in the migrants' tragedy, God is there with them, with the migrants, he suffers with them, with the migrants, he weeps and hopes with them, with the migrants."

The pontiff said that while most of us are unable to be on the front lines with the courageous people who, acting as good Samaritans, "do their utmost to rescue and save injured and abandoned migrants on the routes of desperate hope," there are still ways to help — "first and foremost, prayer."

"And I ask you: Do you pray for migrants, for those who come to our lands to save their lives?" he said. 

He also urged cooperation to combat human trafficking and the criminal traffickers who "mercilessly exploit the misery of others" for money.

"Let us join our hearts and forces so that the seas and deserts are not cemeteries but spaces where God may open up roads to freedom and fraternity," he said.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 27, 2024 / 17:27 pm (CNA).

A New York court has temporarily blocked the state's attorney general's efforts to keep a group of faith-based pregnancy centers from promoting abortion pill reversal medications.

The ruling, in the form of a preliminary injunction, comes after Attorney General Letitia James sued 11 faith-based pregnancy centers in the state because their promotion of abortion pill reversal was allegedly spreading "false and misleading" information.

Issued on Aug. 22 by Judge John Sinatra of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, the ruling means that the pregnancy centers can continue promoting these medications as the case proceeds in the courts.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases and is representing the pregnancy centers in the case, called the ruling a victory for both freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

"Pro-life centers should be free to offer lifesaving info to women who want the choice to save their child," ADF said in a post on X. "The court was right to affirm this while the case proceeds."

What is abortion pill reversal?

Abortion pill reversal — sometimes referred to as APR — is a medication meant to stop a chemical abortion after the process has already been initiated.

While the chemical abortion pill mifepristone works by cutting off progesterone, essentially starving the unborn baby to death, abortion pill reversal can restore progesterone flow in the womb, reversing the effects of mifepristone.

What did the ruling say?

Sinatra wrote that the pregnancy centers are "likely to succeed" in arguing that the attorney general's actions violate their First Amendment right to free speech.  

"The First Amendment protects plaintiffs' [the pregnancy centers'] right to speak freely about [abortion pill reversal] protocol and, more specifically, to say that it is safe and effective for a pregnant woman to use in consultation with her doctor," Sinatra wrote. 

Sinatra also said that "a preliminary injunction is in the public interest" and that "pregnancy centers' statements about the availability of APR [abortion pill reversal] are of interest to women who have begun a chemical abortion and seek ways to save their unborn child's life."

For these reasons, Sinatra temporarily blocked any attempt by the state to keep the pregnancy centers from promoting abortion pill reversal in any way whether online, in person, or through print resources.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 27, 2024 / 18:27 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Conference of Ohio has said a court's temporary elimination of a 24-hour waiting period for abortion shows a "callous disregard" for women considering abortion.

This comes after an Aug. 23 ruling by Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge David Young temporarily blocked a state law requiring a woman be given informational materials on abortion, undergo two visits with a physician, and wait 24 hours before obtaining an abortion.

The doctor visits and 24-hour waiting period are designed to both allow the woman time to consider her decision as well as to determine the gestational age of the unborn child.

In his ruling, Young said the 24-hour waiting period violates the Ohio Constitution, citing the 2023 state constitutional amendment guaranteeing a "right to abortion." The amendment, known as Issue 1, was approved by 57% of the state's voters last November. 

As a result of the amendment passing, Ohio's six-week "heartbeat" law was invalidated. Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up to 20 weeks of pregnancy or later if the mother's life is determined to be in danger. 

Young said that certain aspects of the law present an "irreparable harm" to those seeking the constitutional right to abortion and "fail under the amendment because there is no evidence or support to find that they are the least restrictive means to advance the individual's health in accordance with widely accepted and evidence-based standards of care."

Because of this, Young ruled to temporarily block the law while a challenge brought by a Cleveland-based abortion group called Preterm and several other pro-abortion groups works its way through the courts.

In response, Brian Hickey, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio, issued a statement saying "the decision to grant a preliminary injunction for Ohio's 24-hour waiting law shows a callous disregard for the seriousness of a woman's situation who is considering an abortion."

Hickey asserted that "most abortions" are "unwanted or coerced" and that this decision would only worsen the situation.

"With this decision, women will be pressured into having an abortion against their will and without opportunities for coercion screening. It also cheats a woman in need of the opportunity to learn about the people available to accompany her and resources to assist her during her pregnancy and after the birth of her child," he said.

The Ohio bishops were staunchly opposed to the abortion amendment before voters last year. After the amendment's passage, the bishops said it was a "tragic day for women, children, and families in Ohio" and warned it would present new obstacles to the protection of life.

Despite this, Hickey said this week that "the Catholic Church throughout Ohio remains committed to providing the care and support pregnant women in need fear they will lack if they choose life."

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St. Louis, Mo., Aug 27, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

With all eyes on the U.S. presidential matchup on Nov. 5, activists across the country have been mobilizing for more than a year to place abortion-related ballot measures in front of voters. 

The efforts come after the 2022 repeal of Roe v. Wade, which returned to the states the power to legislate on abortion, resulting in nearly half of states enacting strong protections for babies in the womb.

Several of the proposals in front of voters threaten current pro-life protections. At the same time, in other states that do little to protect unborn babies, the proposed measures would make abortion even more widely accessible.

Voters in 10 states will see abortion-related questions on their November ballot, and the majority of those will be proposed constitutional amendments to expand abortion. One state — Nebraska — is in the unusual position of having two competing abortion-related ballot measures, one pro-life and one pro-abortion. One other state, Arkansas, was previously set to vote on a pro-abortion measure before the secretary of state disqualified it.

Here's everything you need to know about these ballot initiatives. 

Arizona

Arizona voters will be allowed to decide whether to add a so-called "right to abortion" to the state constitution, meaning the state will not be able to restrict abortion until the point of "viability," at approximately 24 weeks of pregnancy.

On April 3, Arizona for Abortion Access PAC surpassed the required number of signatures to get its initiative, Proposition 139, on the November ballot. If approved by the people, the amendment would invalidate the state's law protecting unborn life up to 15 weeks as well as most of the state's other pro-life laws. 

In late July, a judge ruled that the phrase "unborn human beings" may not appear in the measure put before voters — a ruling the Arizona Supreme Court later reversed. And in early August, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian rejected a series of claims by Arizona Right to Life that signers of the petition were misled.

Colorado

Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate circulated dueling ballot proposals for 2024, but only the pro-abortion measure managed to get enough signatures to appear on the ballot. 

The pro-life initiative, which would have been added to the state statutory code, would stipulate that a living human child "must not be intentionally dismembered, mutilated, poisoned, scalded, starved, stabbed, given toxic injections known to cause death, left to die of the elements for lack of warmth or nutrition," or otherwise killed. It failed to meet the required number of signatures before the April 18 deadline.

The pro-abortion measure, meanwhile, would affirm state laws that are already in place that allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. It would amend the state constitution to say that the government "shall not deny, impede, or discriminate against the exercise of the right to abortion, including prohibiting health insurance coverage for abortion."

Florida

The pro-abortion group Floridians Protecting Freedom successfully gathered enough signatures to place its Right to Abortion Initiative constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

The proposed language of the measure would add a right to abortion before the point of "viability" to the state's constitution if 60% of voters approve. It would also allow for abortions later in pregnancy if a woman's doctor deems it necessary to end the life of her child. 

The Florida attorney general in October 2023 had asked the state Supreme Court to block the effort, arguing that the initiative "does not satisfy the legal requirements for ballot placement."

The court's justices ruled in April that the measure could appear on the ballot.

In Florida, abortion is currently illegal after six weeks of pregnancy with limited exceptions.

Maryland

The proposed Maryland Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment would cement an abortion "right" in the state's constitution and make it impossible for pro-life laws to be enacted. The amendment was added to the ballot by the state Legislature, based on a supermajority vote in both chambers (60%). 

Maryland currently places no gestational limits on abortion. Parental notice is required for a minor to have an abortion.

Missouri

Amendment 3, which was certified to appear on the November ballot after garnering thousands of signatures, would "prohibit any regulation of abortion, including regulations designed to protect women undergoing abortions and prohibit any civil or criminal recourse against anyone who performs an abortion and hurts or kills the pregnant women," according to the secretary of state's office.

Missouri law currently protects unborn babies throughout all of pregnancy with the only exception being cases of "medical emergency."

The Missouri Catholic Conference, which advocates policy on behalf of the state's Catholic bishops, called the measure "an extreme constitutional amendment that legalizes abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no protections for the preborn child, even when the child is capable of feeling pain."

Montana

Ballot Issue No. 14, if passed, would amend the Montana Constitution "to expressly provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one's own pregnancy, including the right to abortion," according to the secretary of state's office.

The initiative would guarantee the right to abortion before fetal viability, enshrining a 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling that held that pre-viability abortions fall under a constitutional "right to privacy."

The Montana measure would "prohibit the government from denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability," prohibit the government from "denying or burdening access to an abortion" when a doctor determines it is necessary to protect the woman's "life or health," and would "prevent the government from penalizing patients, health care providers, or anyone who assists someone in exercising their right to make and carry out voluntary decisions about their pregnancy."

On March 21, the Montana Supreme Court overturned the state attorney general's block of the measure, holding that Attorney General Austin Knudsen "erred" when his office determined that the proposed pro-abortion ballot measure was "legally insufficient" to be placed on the ballot in this year's election.

Montana's Catholic bishops issued a joint letter in May denouncing the proposed pro-abortion constitutional amendment, calling the initiative an attack on the "recognition of the infinite dignity enjoyed by all persons" that fails to respect "life as a precious gift from God and recognize our sacred duty to nurture and protect every human life."

Nebraska

Nebraska is currently the only U.S. state where voters will consider two conflicting ballot measures related to abortion in November. One proposal would constitutionally enshrine the state's current pro-life protections, and the other would enshrine a constitutional "right" to abortion.

The proposed "Protect Women and Children" amendment would amend the state constitution to outlaw abortion "in the second and third trimesters" except in cases of medical emergencies or when the baby is the result of rape or incest. Nebraska's current state law restricts abortion after roughly 12 weeks.

Meanwhile, the pro-abortion ballot measure would enshrine in the state constitution the "right" to have an abortion until the point of viability or later to protect the health of the pregnant woman.

Because the Nebraska measures are mutually exclusive and cannot both be added to the constitution, the measure with the most "for" votes will be added.

Nevada

Nevadans will vote on a measure in November that would codify already-existing state laws into the state constitution that allow for abortion up to roughly 24 weeks into pregnancy. 

The pro-abortion group leading the initiative, Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, submitted 200,000 signatures in May, nearly twice what they needed. The Nevada secretary of state's office certified the ballot initiative in late June. 

In Nevada, a simple majority vote in two consecutive elections is required for state constitutional amendments, so it must be approved in 2026 as well.

New York 

A proposed "Equal Rights" amendment to the New York Constitution would bar discrimination based on "pregnancy outcomes" or "gender expression."

On May 7, a New York state court blocked the proposal from reaching the ballot, citing procedural errors. A unanimous appellate court decision on June 18 reversed the lower court ruling, placing the measure back on the ballot.

South Dakota 

The South Dakota secretary of state confirmed in May that a pro-abortion amendment would appear before voters on the November ballot. 

The measure would establish "a constitutional right to an abortion" and allow the fatal procedure through all nine months of pregnancy. Signature-gathering was spearheaded by the pro-abortion group Dakotans for Health. 

Abortion is illegal in South Dakota barring exceptions to save the mother's life.

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Rome, Italy, Aug 26, 2024 / 17:50 pm (CNA).

In an Italian-language book published in April 2023, "Esorcisti contro Satana" ("Exorcists against Satan"), journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona revealed how St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis have confronted the devil throughout their pontificates, promoting the ministry of exorcism or even practicing it.

"Father Gabriele Amorth already decried that in the Church, in the 1980s, there were many bishops who did not believe in exorcisms or in the devil. John Paul II, but also Benedict XVI and Francis, supported this deliverance ministry through their speeches against the action of the evil one," Marchese explained in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.

In his homilies, Pope Francis has repeatedly mentioned that "the devil enters through the pockets" in reference to the power of corruption.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, Marchese recalled his meeting with the pontiff in preparation for his book on exorcism. "Never dialogue with the devil, because he will win," the Holy Father warned him.

"He makes you believe that everything is good, that you will be successful, and then he traps you, you fall into the abyss and then it's difficult to get up again," the expert recalled the pope saying. 

Marchese, a Vatican journalist with Mediaset (Italian television) with more than 10 years of experience, wrote the book full of stories of victims of possession and testimonies of exorcists who fight against the devil, including a previously unpublished interview with Pope Francis in which he describes how the devil always "tries to attack everyone and sows discord, also in the Church, trying to pit one against another."

Pope Francis, attacked by the devil

The pope admits in this interview that he too has been attacked by the devil, Marchese said. "The devil attacks everyone, but above all those in the hierarchy of the Church. He tempted Jesus and he also does the same with the popes and bishops."

Indeed, in the first chapter of the book, Marchese tells the story of a nun who was freed from diabolic possession and who, during the exorcisms, with a demonic voice, indicated that the devil hated Pope Francis: "Have you seen everything I put that Argentine through?" the devil said to the priest. "But he doesn't go away, he is strong, too much for me."

"I asked the pope," Marchese recalled, "did you know that the devil says that about you? And he answered me: 'Perhaps because I annoy him with prayer and I follow the Gospel.' At the same time, he is certainly pleased when I commit some sin. He seeks the downfall of man, but he has no hope when prayer is present."

In some dioceses in northern Europe there are no exorcists despite the warnings of recent popes, Marchese noted in the interview with ACI Prensa. "Yes, unfortunately it's like that, and I have to agree with Father Gabriele Amorth (1925–2016), who was a great exorcist."

Some popes have performed remote exorcisms

Although some popes have performed remote exorcisms, such as Pius XII and St. John Paul II, there is no evidence that other contemporary pontiffs have done so. Even in times when the devil has manifested himself, such as when Benedict XVI blessed three demoniac youths from a distance after a general audience in 2009, popes have not carried out exorcisms.

St. John XXIII never performed exorcisms and neither did St. Paul VI, who in 1972 commented how "the smoke of Satan had entered through some crack" into the Church. Nor has Pope Francis performed an exorcism, as confirmed in the interview with Marchese, since he prefers that specialized priests do it.

His approach is focused on preventing and combating evil temptations through faith and prayer. The pontiff has not only openly preached against the devil, he also recognized the International Association of Exorcists in June 2014, Marchese noted.

In 2019, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published the book "Rebuking the Devil," which compiles Pope Francis' most important teachings on the prince of lies, "his empty promises and works, and how he can be actively combated."

"The pope tells us how to use powerful spiritual weapons against the devil, including the word of God and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament," wrote Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, at the presentation of the book.

This updated 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, Aug 26, 2024 / 10:39 am (CNA).

Pope Francis met with 30 relatives of victims of the Port of Beirut explosion in a private audience at the Vatican on Monday, expressing his sorrow and closeness with families suffering due to the ongoing political turmoil in Lebanon.  

"I continue to keep you and your loved ones in my prayers, and I join my tears to your own," the Holy Father shared. "Together with you, I think of all those whose lives were taken by that enormous explosion."

Four years since the deadly blast that killed more than 220 people and injured some 6,500 people in the country's capital, investigations into the actual cause of the explosion remain stalled due to political wrangling.

"Together with you, I ask for truth and justice. All of us know that the issues are complex and difficult and that opposing powers and interests make their influence felt. Yet truth and justice must prevail over all else," the pope expressed to the families present at the private audience. 

"Four years have now gone by. The Lebanese people, and you above all, have a right to words and actions that manifest responsibility and transparency," he added.

The Holy Father praised the "dignity of faith" and the "nobility of hope" of the families he met Monday morning, likening their spirit to that of the cedar tree — the symbol of Lebanon. 

"Cedars invite us to lift our gaze on high, to heaven, to God, who is our hope, a hope that does not disappoint," he said.

He also encouraged them to uphold and live their vocation to be people of peace in the Middle East.

"Lebanon is, and must remain, a project for peace. Its vocation is to be a land where diverse communities live together in concord, setting the common good above individual advantage, a land where different religions and confessions encounter one another in a spirit of fraternity," he said.

The pope also reminded the families present that the local and universal Church is not indifferent to their sufferings but is united to them in action and in prayer.

"I know that your bishops and priests, your men and women religious, are close to you. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for all that they have done and continue to do," he conveyed. 

"You are not alone, and we will never abandon you but express our solidarity with you through prayer and concrete works of charity."

At the conclusion of the meeting, Pope Francis imparted his paternal blessings and entrusted the care of the families to Our Lady of Lebanon.

"May the Virgin Mary from her shrine in Harissa continue to watch over you and all the Lebanese people. I cordially impart my blessing. I assure you of my prayers, and I ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you."

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