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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 26, 2025 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

Several pro-life organizations are praising President Donald Trump's administration for plans to freeze tens of millions of dollars in federal taxpayer money that was intended in part for the country's largest abortion supplier, Planned Parenthood.

Officials are mulling an immediate freeze of $27.5 million from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Title X Family Planning Services Program for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that are yet to be named.

Congress allocated more than $286 million for funding of the Title X program for the current fiscal year. The expected freeze would block about $20 million that was expected to support Planned Parenthood affiliates, according to a Tuesday report from the Wall Street Journal.

Federal law prohibits direct federal taxpayer funding for most abortions but allows funds for abortion clinics if the money is spent on other services.

This move would not end all of the federal taxpayer money Planned Parenthood receives. The organization and its affiliates get hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding annually. 

Planned Parenthood received more than $1.75 billion in federal tax money from a variety of sources between 2019 and 2021, according to a 2023 Government Accountability Office report.

Pro-life groups signal support

The news prompted positive feedback from several pro-life organizations.

Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life Action, told CNA the move is a "great step forward in defunding Planned Parenthood.

"Rather than helping people with families, Planned Parenthood sells never having one and abuses Title X funds to market their real product — abortion," Hawkins said. "... The Pro-Life Generation supports every effort that tells Planned Parenthood to go fund themselves."

Joseph Meaney, a senior fellow at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, told CNA that the report is "wonderful news" and said it is "scandalous that Planned Parenthood managed to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding annually for many years."

"That organization has from its inception trampled on the human dignity of its 'clients' and violated the natural moral law regarding sexual morality and the right to life," Meaney added.

Carol Tobias, the president of National Right to Life, told CNA the group is "extremely grateful" that the administration plans to cut funding for an organization that performs hundreds of thousands of abortions annually. 

"Americans do not want their money being used to end the lives of innocent preborn children," she said.

"We are also very encouraged that the president has said he will look into Planned Parenthood as an alleged supplier of aborted baby parts," Tobias said. "Abortion is gruesome and the government should not be using taxpayer funds to prop up a business involved in performing abortions and promoting the deaths of preborn babies."

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America published a series of posts on X praising the plan, saying that "abortion is not family planning" and criticizing the standards of care at Planned Parenthood facilities.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America did not respond to a request for comment from CNA. However, the organization's president, Alexis McGill, told the Journal that this plan is allegedly part of an effort to shut down its abortion clinics.

"The Trump-Vance-Musk administration wants to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers by any means necessary, and they'll end people's access to birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and more to do it," McGill claimed. 

The pro-life movement has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Trump over the course of his political career.

Trump has delivered several wins for the pro-life movement, including the nomination of three Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, along with several pardons of pro-life activists who were previously in prison.

However, Trump has opposed new federal restrictions on abortion, he has been reluctant to use executive power to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, and he signed an executive order that begins the process of lowering costs for in vitro fertilization (IVF) — all of which have frustrated many pro-life advocates.

Cuts are part of broader diversity targeting

According to the Wall Street Journal, the administration's expected funding freeze for family planning grants is part of the president's efforts to prevent tax money from funding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order to halt all federal DEI programs, which he called "illegal and immoral discrimination programs." The executive order also directs departments and agencies to align its contracts and grant funding with the administration's position on DEI.

"Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great," the executive order read.

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CNA Staff, Mar 26, 2025 / 19:05 pm (CNA).

The Society of Jesus is offering reparations to about 20 women who say they were sexually, psychologically, and spiritually abused by the disgraced ex-Jesuit artist Father Marko Rupnik.

Rupnik is accused of having committed serious sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse of dozens of religious sisters under his spiritual care over decades. His case is currently under investigation by the Vatican.

Father Johan Versuchen, Rupnik's former superior and current general counsellor and delegate for the Interprovincial Houses and Works of the Society of Jesus in Rome, said he sent a letter to the women who have come forward with accusations against Rupnik, offering an open invitation to reparations, according to The Associated Press.

While the letters were not made public out of respect to the alleged victims, some excerpts were shared by Laura Sgrò, a lawyer for the alleged victims, Religion News Service reported. 

In the letters, Versuchen reportedly lamented that Rupnik had not publicly taken responsibility for his actions nor repented. He told The Associated Press that in the letters he invited alleged victims to share what they needed and how the order can meet that need.  

Versuchen also reportedly offered to start a "process of healing" and shared that the Jesuit order is "uneasy" with the situation and aware that "the various kinds of violence suffered at the time are compounded by the pain caused by the lack of listening and justice for many years."

Sgrò thanked the Jesuits for the gesture of reparation and called on the Vatican in the statement to follow "the example of the Society of Jesus and bring Marko Rupnik to trial as soon as possible, restoring dignity to the victims." 

"There really can be no more delay now; justice just has to be done," she said.

In Sgrò's statement, the alleged victims thanked Versuchen for "acknowledging the mistakes made thus far" and having "finally welcomed and embraced the victims of Marko Rupnik, offering them the support that had been lacking until now."

The Jesuits want to protect the privacy of the alleged victims and do not plan to share future information on dialogue with them, Versuchen told RNS. 

"Any eventual journey toward reparation will depend entirely on the person who was invited," Versuchen told RNS.

"We wrote the letter because we, too, need reparation and healing," he continued. "We have a lot to learn from them, and to do better in the future, to avoid any type of abuse in the company of Jesus."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 26, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).

Maltese priest Fabio Attard was elected as the new rector major of the Salesian congregation during its general chapter in Turin, Italy, becoming the 11th successor of St. John Bosco.

The new superior general of the order founded in 1859 succeeds Spanish Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, who became prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in January.

According to the Salesians, the new rector major did not participate in the Salesian chapter meeting, so he was informed of his election by telephone, at which point he was asked for his required acceptance.

"His words were heard in the hall and, moved to tears, he thanked the brothers for their trust and especially for their trust in God in taking on this new task," the Salesians said in a statement.

This is the first time that the new rector major is not among the members of the general chapter, "so the profession of faith upon accepting the office and the greeting from the chapter members and the mother general of the Salesians Daughters of Mary Help of Christians will take place throughout the day, when the new rector major can make it to Turin."

Attard will now have six years to lead the Salesian family, which will begin with the work remaining at the general chapter, which will last until April 12.

The priest's election came two days after his 66th birthday. Born in Gozo, Malta, he made his profession as a Salesian in September 1980 in Dublin, Ireland, where he completed his novitiate.

Both his diaconal and priestly ordinations took place in Rome in 1986 and 1987, respectively. After leading several Salesian apostolates in Malta, he founded the Institute for Pastoral Formation of the Archdiocese of Malta in 2005.

With a licentiate in moral theology from the Alphonsianum in Rome, Attard participated in the general chapter held in 2008 as delegate for the Irish province and was entrusted with youth ministry until April 2020, when Artime asked him to create a continuing formation project for Salesians in Europe.

Since 2018, he has been a consultant to the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, a position he continues to hold today.

This week, the other members of the general council will be elected: the vicar of the rector major, the four sector councilors (formation, youth ministry, social communications, and missions), the treasurer, and the nine regional councilors for each of the regions into which the congregation is divided.

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

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Vatican City, Mar 26, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday highlighted the transformative power of God's merciful love for those who encounter him at the crossroads of life.

Since being discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, the Holy Father's weekly general audiences are suspended for the duration of his at-least-two-month convalescence in his Casa Santa Marta home in the Vatican. 

In his written March 26 catechesis, titled "Jesus Christ Our Hope" and released by the Vatican, the pope said: "Jesus waits for us and lets himself be found precisely when we think that there is no hope left for us."

Reflecting on the Gospel of St. John, the Holy Father noted that Jesus had the desire to start a conversation with the Samaritan woman "who has had five husbands and is now with a sixth who is not a husband" who came to draw water at Jacob's well in the town of Sychar.  

"To go to Galilee from Judea, Jesus would have had to choose another road and not pass through Samaria," the pope said. "It would also have been safer, given the tense relations between the Jews and the Samaritans." 

"Instead, he wants to pass through there, and stops at that very well, right at that time!" he added. 

According to the pope, the woman's "complicated and painful" history and questions on what "divided Jews and Samaritans" did not prevent God from wanting to love her and offer her the fullness of salvation. 

"He gives the highest revelation: He speaks to her of the Father, who is to be adored in spirit and truth," he said. "He tells her: 'I am he, the one who is speaking with you' (cf. Jn 4:26)." 

"It is like a declaration of love: The one you are waiting for is me, the one who can finally respond to your desire to be loved," the pope continued.

After the experience of feeling understood, welcomed, and forgiven by God, the woman runs to her village to tell others about her encounter with Jesus.

"It is an image that should make us reflect on our search for new ways to evangelize," the Holy Father said. 

"To go and proclaim the Gospel, we first need to set down the burden of our history at the feet of the Lord, to consign to him the weight of our past," he said. "Only reconciled people can bring the Gospel."

Encouraging people to not let their past prevent them from "setting out anew" in the journey of faith, the pope concluded his catechesis saying: "God is merciful and awaits us always!"

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 26, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is urging President Donald Trump to ensure that religious freedom violations by foreign governments result in severe consequences, such as sanctions, for the aggressors.

The USCIRF, which is a federal commission tasked with providing policy recommendations on advancing religious liberty abroad, conveyed those recommendations in its 2025 Annual Report published on March 25.

"Make appropriate policy changes to demonstrate meaningful consequences and encourage positive change," the report recommends.

The report urges the Trump administration to impose consequences on countries that the U.S. Department of State currently designates as countries of particular concern (CPCs), which is the label given to countries with "systematic, ongoing, and egregious" religious freedom violations.

The State Department designates 12 countries as CPCs, including China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. The report recommends renewing these designations and adding four other countries to the CPC list: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

During the last year of Trump's first term in office, the department designated Nigeria as a CPC, but that designation was not renewed by former President Joe Biden. The USCIRF repeatedly urged the previous administration to include Nigeria on the list during Biden's time in office.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria over the past few years. Christians were 6.5 times more likely to be killed and 5.1 times more likely to be victims of abduction. However, Muslims and other religious groups have also been victims of the violence.

"Religious freedom conditions in Nigeria [have] remained poor," the report notes. "Federal and state governments continued to tolerate attacks or fail to respond to violent actions by nonstate actors who justify their violence on religious grounds."

The report further noted that "in 2024, religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua remained abysmal." Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega has expelled religious sisters, shut down Catholic schools and media outlets, and imprisoned dozens of Catholic clergy who oppose his socialist government. His regime has also targeted other Christian denominations. 

"Religious communities in Nicaragua have continued to show remarkable resilience in the face of such threats," the report notes. "Their members meet discreetly — sometimes in the middle of the night — to exercise their freedom of religion or belief. They continue to provide aid to each other while meeting communal spiritual needs, although the Nicaraguan government views each of these modest acts as deplorable."

Although federal law requires that administrations take action against CPC designees, a report published by USCIRF last September found that since 1998 some 164 CPC designations have only led to three new sanctions and one "binding agreement" entered into with the United States. It found that American presidents have frequently found workarounds to taking action, such as appealing to existing sanctions to justify no new action or simply waiving the requirement.

In its 2025 report, the USCIRF is urging the new administration to change that approach by reviewing its policies toward CPC countries in which waivers are in place. It also urges Trump officials to consider lifting existing waivers and to not issue waivers for future CPC designees.

The recommendations include targeted sanctions on the Taliban in Afghanistan, the military junta in Myanmar, certain Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entities and officials, and Eritrean government officials. It also encourages targeted sanctions in Iran, Nicaragua, and India for individuals and entities violating religious liberty.

Additionally, the commission urges Trump to nominate or appoint individuals to fill key roles that are relevant to religious freedom abroad.

The report also encourages the Trump administration to resettle refugees fleeing religious persecution through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program — a program that Trump has paused. It also requests that the administration establish a plan to fully comply with asylum laws.

USCIRF commissioners are appointed to two-year terms. Three are chosen by the president and the others are chosen by House and Senate leadership. Most of the terms of current members end in May 2026, although one term for one of Biden's appointees will expire in May 2025.

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CNA Staff, Mar 26, 2025 / 11:20 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Chicago this week filed a lawsuit alleging a "racketeering enterprise" among a group of individuals who reportedly filed false abuse claims against a former priest to receive compensation from the Church there. 

The archdiocese said in a Monday statement that it had filed a lawsuit in Cook County circuit court "seeking injunctive relief and damages from participants of a wide-ranging racketeering scheme" that reportedly involved "more than a dozen" fraudulent abuse claims against disgraced former priest Daniel McCormack, who spent more than a decade in prison after pleading guilty to abusing young children.

Lawyers for the diocese did not respond to requests for comment and for a copy of the lawsuit on Wednesday morning. The diocese said in its press release that some of the participants in the alleged scheme are "convicted felons and known gang members," including allegedly one convicted murderer.

The alleged fraudulent claimants are "associated by gang affiliation, friendship, or family," the archdiocese said, with the conspirators reportedly working together to determine "what to say, how to pursue a false claim, how to embellish purported injuries, and how to reach attorneys."

Some of the alleged fraudsters reportedly discussed the scams on prison phone calls. One of the defendants reportedly told a fellow conspirator that he did not go to MCormack's church and "wasn't even in" any programs involved with him, and yet he he still received compensation. 

The Cook County circuit court has already ruled on two other fraudulent abuse cases, the archdiocese said. The filing "reflects the breadth of the fraud and seeks to expose the conspiracy that has become a criminal enterprise for those involved," the statement said. 

"False claims make it necessary to investigate all claims more aggressively, which places a greater burden on true survivors," archdiocesan attorney James Geoly said. 

"Our attention is directed toward survivors, not fraudsters seeking to gain financially from others' pain and suffering," he added. 

McCormack pleaded guilty in 2007 to multiple abuse charges. He served a sentence in prison and was then remanded to a state facility for sex offenders. 

He was released from custody in 2021 and currently lives in Chicago, where he is registered as a sex offender. The Illinois attorney general's office described him as "one of the most infamous child abusers anywhere in Illinois."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic nonprofit organization Napa Institute is pushing for more collaboration among Catholic and Protestant leaders to promote cultural values and aims that are common to both communities.

Earlier this month, Napa Institute Board Chairman Tim Busch hosted a meeting among 15 Catholic and Protestant faith leaders for the organization's first Ecumenical Forum in New York City, according to a news release.

The Napa Institute works to promote the re-evangelization of the United States and the defense of Catholicism in the public square.

While recognizing the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism, Busch emphasized that there is shared agreement on many central tenets of the faith, such as in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Certain goals, he noted, could be better accomplished to the extent that both groups work together.

The two groups, Busch stated, "share a profound concern about rising cultural hostility to core Christian teachings and truths."

"We all believe in the sanctity and right understanding of marriage," he said. "We are all committed to defending the unborn and vulnerable mothers. And we know that religious liberty is a fundamental right that must be protected in modern society."

The attendees agreed to establish a steering committee to host more ecumenical gatherings and to develop more partnerships. Busch also indicated that he would involve "a limited number of Protestants" at Napa's summer conference.

In an interview with CNA, Busch said some of the legal and political shifts that are of common concern include the arrests of pro-life advocates protesting abortion clinics, the promotion of abortion, and the embrace of same-sex marriage and gender ideology.

Essentially, Busch said there is a "dilution of biblical teachings" in public life. He further said the American embrace of "wokeism" is "really just a form of pagan religion that promises utopia on Earth … [that] fails to recognize it's not a free-for-all. There are certain principles all of us need to follow."

"The devil's really the enemy, but the devil working through people has made an abomination of God's teaching within our society," he told CNA.

Busch added that many Protestants no longer view the Catholic Church in a hostile way, in spite of historical anti-Catholicism within some elements of American society. He said "the hatred of Catholics [has been] significantly mitigated" in recent decades, adding there is "an opportunity today that did not exist before to collaborate." 

Catholics at the meeting included Father Ambrose Criste, a priest at St. Michael's Abbey in California, and Bishop Steven Lopes, a bishop in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. Protestant leaders in attendance included executives from Christianity Today and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

In Napa's news release on the meeting, Busch indicated that every attendee agreed to work together to promote common values in American culture and law and acknowledge that "spiritual warfare is real and worsening." He added that "the path forward depends on prayer and our shared faith in Jesus Christ" as a means to advance the common good in the United States.

Busch added that his intention when he began the Napa Institute was to prepare Catholics for what Philadelphia Archbishop Emeritus Charles Chaput called the "next America." The "next America" refers to a United States in which Christian views and Christianity are viewed in a hostile way.

"The next America has arrived, and as we confront the challenges ahead, it will help us to work with Protestants to defend our faith and the truth," Busch wrote. "I hope this ecumenical forum is the start of many such collaborations. It may be the first time we've done this, but it won't be the last."

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Vatican City, Mar 25, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

The head of the medical team that treated Pope Francis during the 38 days he spent at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, revealed that one of the most critical moments of his hospitalization was when they had to choose between continuing the therapy or letting the pope die.

"We had to choose whether to stop and let him go, or push it and try every drug and therapy possible, running the extremely high risk of damaging other organs," he said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.

In the interview, Alfieri described in detail the doctors' response to the respiratory crisis suffered by the pope on Feb. 28.

According to the medical report published that day, Pope Francis suffered an isolated attack of bronchospasm, a severe coughing fit that suddenly worsened his clinical condition, after days of moderate optimism at the Vatican.

Although the pope never lost consciousness and cooperated with the specialists' therapeutic maneuvers, the alarms went off, and doctors opted to place him on a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe.

'I saw tears in the eyes of some people who were close to him'

"For the first time, I saw tears in the eyes of some people who were close to him. People who, I've come to understand during this period of hospitalization, truly love him, like a father. We were all aware that the situation had worsened further and there was a risk that he might not make it," Alfieri explained.

However, despite the risk of causing irreversible kidney and bone marrow damage due to the medical treatment he underwent, they decided to act. "We really thought we wouldn't make it," he said.

It was a difficult decision, as Alfieri recounted, ultimately supported by the decision of the pope himself, who, through his personal health assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, his personal nurse at the Vatican, gave a clear order: "'Try everything, let's not give up.' And no one gave up."

In the end, Pope Francis responded to the treatment. However, after his recovery, there was another moment of intense concern.

While eating, the pope suffered an episode of vomiting, and the gastric juices ended up entering his lungs.

"We were just coming out of the toughest period, and while eating, Pope Francis vomited and inhaled it. That was the second truly critical moment because, in these cases, if you don't act quickly, there's a risk of sudden death, in addition to complications in the lungs, which were already the most compromised organs," Alfieri related.

He might not survive the night

The doctor explained that, despite the seriousness of the situation, Pope Francis was always fully aware, "even when his condition worsened."

"He was aware, like us, that he might not survive the night," the doctor stated.

He added: "We saw the man who was suffering. However, from the first day he asked us to tell him the truth and wanted us to tell the truth about his condition."

In this regard, the director of the medical-surgical department at Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital expressed the desire for transparency that prompted the Vatican to report on Pope Francis' health.

"We communicated the medical information to the secretaries, and they added other information that the pope later approved. Nothing has ever been modified or omitted," he noted.

The power of prayer

In the interview, Alfieri also highlighted the pope's incredible strength, both physical and mental: "In the past, when we spoke, I would ask him how he managed to keep up this pace, and he always replied, 'I have a method and rules.' Beyond a very strong heart, he has incredible resources." 

In addition to the pope's stamina, the Gemelli medical coordinator added that the prayers offered by faithful around the world in recent days also contributed to his recovery.

"There is a scientific publication that says prayer strengthens the sick. In this case, the whole world began to pray. I can say that twice the situation was lost, and then it happened like a miracle. Of course, he was a very cooperative patient. He underwent all the therapies without ever complaining," he stated.

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

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Vatican City, Mar 25, 2025 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican Press Office reported that Pope Francis' convalescence at St. Martha's House, his Vatican residence where he returned after being discharged from the hospital on Sunday, continues "under the terms prescribed by the doctors at the time of his discharge from the Gemelli Hospital."

Thus for the time being, both the general audience scheduled for this Wednesday and the Angelus on Sunday will remain suspended, and the Vatican will release the text prepared by the pontiff, as it has done during the nearly six weeks he was hospitalized in Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

Furthermore, he is not expected to meet with large groups of faithful until at least the end of May. In fact, the greatest fear of the medical team treating him for double pneumonia is that he could become infected with another virus or bacteria that could compromise his health again.

In this regard, the doctor who coordinated the Gemelli team, Sergio Alfieri, requested "everyone's help" in a press conference on Saturday afternoon to avoid "visits and meetings" and thus speed his recovery.

At the St. Martha residence, the pontiff has a Vatican medical team available 24/7 in case of any emergency. During the day, the pope also does respiratory and motor physiotherapy exercises and continues his drug therapy.

According to the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday, Pope Francis concelebrated Mass and performed some work-related tasks that did not require much effort.

In this regard, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, assured that, for the time being, in order to be respectful of this recovery period, they will only take care of the most important matters "that require his decision, also so as not to tire him out too much."

"I will meet with him when he has gotten situated a bit," the prelate explained yesterday outside the conference titled "Vatican Longevity Summit: Challenging the Clock of Time." The doctors have said he should take it easy for a while, he added.

In any case, the Vatican confirmed that this period of convalescence is different from that of hospitalization. In fact, he can receive visitors, but they should be kept to a minimum.

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, Mar 25, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The Memphis Police Department (MPD) last week arrested a 30-year-old man who is accused of sending a threatening email to a local Catholic parish expressing his intent to "butcher" Catholics with a machete.

Zachary Liberto, who lives in Memphis, was charged with commissioning an act of terrorism for allegedly sending the email to a member of the staff at St. Louis Catholic Church, which is on the eastern side of the city. If convicted, he could face between 15 and 60 years in prison.

According to a police report provided to CNA, Liberto is accused of sending an email to the parish's music director on March 20 containing the threat against parishioners.

Liberto had reportedly requested video footage of an unrelated incident as part of the threat. "I need a video of [the unnamed person] getting slapped by you in 24 hours before I butcher people in that church with a machete," the email sent to the music director read, according to the MPD report.

The music director forwarded the email to the unnamed person mentioned within it, who subsequently filed a complaint with the MPD.

According to the report, the complainant said Liberto is known to have a machete, which he allegedly nicknamed "chete." The complainant also claimed Liberto has mentioned in the past that he owns a firearm.

The person who filed the complaint told police that Liberto lives in a homeless encampment in the city. The complainant and the music director both told police that Liberto has an unknown mental illness.

According to the police report, the music director said he and Liberto had communicated by email before. It also stated that neither the music director nor the unnamed person know what prompted Liberto to allegedly send the threatening email.

The suspect has a mental evaluation hearing scheduled for the morning of April 7, according to police.

Rick Ouellette, a spokesman for the Diocese of Memphis, told CNA that the parish also found garbage placed in the baptismal font on the same day as the threatening email. Both of these incidents combined prompted the parish to alert the authorities immediately.

Ouellette said Liberto was known to some members of the parish staff and that he had come to the church before.

"Our St. Louis staff notified authorities immediately of the incident," Ouellette added. "The parish thanks the authorities for their quick response in apprehending a suspect. The incident is also a reminder to everyone that our St. Louis parish has a solid safety and security plan in place as does our 46 parishes and 13 schools in West Tennessee." 

Ouellette said there were not any physical or verbal confrontations between Liberto and parish staff or parishioners.

"We're praying for everybody involved," Ouellette added.

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