Catholic News

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=283020&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 14, 2025 / 17:40 pm (CNA).

Here are some of the major stories about the Church around the world that you may have missed this week:

3 Christian converts sentenced to over 40 years in prison by Islamic Republic of Iran

Three Christian converts in Iran have been sentenced to over 40 years in prison collectively, Article18, a London-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting and promoting religious freedom in the Islamic country, has reported.

The Iranian Revolutionary Court collectively sentenced Abbas Soori, Mehran Shamloui, and Narges Nasri, a 37-year-old woman who is pregnant with her first child, to more than 40 years in prison for charges described as "propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law." 

Catholic nonprofits speak out against climate credit scheme targeting Indigenous Tanzanian community 

The International Cooperation for Development Solidarity (CIDSE) is speaking out on behalf of the Tanzanian Maasi community after a recently published study found the native community had been coerced into allowing carbon credit projects on their land, threatening their livelihoods. 

The CIDSE told ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, that the Maasi communities were pressured into signing unfair contracts that forced them out of their traditional grazing lands. The CIDSE condemned the dubious contracts, which it said "undermine Indigenous rights." 

Diocese of Guinea-Bissau celebrates appointment of new bishop

The Catholic community in Guinea-Bissau is celebrating this week after the appointment of Monsignor Victor Luís Quematcha as local ordinary of the Bissau-Guinea Episcopal See on March 8, ACI Africa reported. The appointment comes almost exactly four years after the passing of Bishop Pedro Carlos Zilli in March 2021. 

Holy pilgrimage honors 10th anniversary of Coptic Martyrs in Egypt

Marking the 10th anniversary of the martyrdom of 20 Egyptian Copts and a young Ghanaian in Libya, the Apostolic Vicariate of the Latins in Egypt organized a holy pilgrimage with over 300 people to the Egyptian city of Samalut. 

Coinciding with the Jubilee of Hope, the pilgrimage took place under the patronage and participation of Bishop Claudio Lurati of Alexandria and his vicar, Monsignor Antoine Tawfik, ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, reported. 

Nigerian bishops' conference: Unemployed youth are 'ticking time bomb'

The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria issued a warning this week about increased rates of joblessness among the country's youth as violence and criminal activity continues to surge across Africa's largest nation-state.

Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji called the crisis a "ticking time bomb" for Nigeria's youth and called for federal and state governments to take action to address unemployment among young people or risk "losing the battle against insecurity and violent crime."

Religious freedom win: Pakistani Christian girl free from forced marriage, conversion

Pakistani courts have granted an annulment to Shahidi Bibi, allowing her to return to her father's house and her faith, according to her legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International. Bibi was forced by her mother to marry her stepfather's brother, a Muslim man, when she was just 11 years old. During the marriage, she gave birth to two children and was falsely legally registered as "Muslim" on her identification documents. 

Cases of violence against Christians in India on the rise, report finds

According to a March 10 report from The Evangelical Fellowship of India's Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC), 640 incidents of violent attacks against Christians occurred in 2024, an increase of 39 cases compared with 2023, and 147 cases recorded in 2014. 

"Attacks on Christians take various forms, including physical assaults, disruptions of prayer meetings, church vandalism, social boycotts, denial of community resources, and targeted arrests under anti-conversion laws," the report states, adding: "Reports indicate that on average, four to five churches and pastors face attacks daily, with incidents nearly doubling every Sunday."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=283009&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Mar 14, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The contribution of nearly 700 Catholic religious sisters to a "groundbreaking" decades-long study on Alzheimer's and dementia continues to offer important information for maintaining "cognitive health" across the lifespan, researchers say.

Launched in 1986 by neurologist David Snowdon, the "Nun Study" produced "seminal findings" on "cognitive impairment and related neuropathologies," researchers said in a historical review published at Alzheimer's & Dementia journal last month.

Kyra Clarke, a doctorate student at UT Health San Antonio and one of the authors of the February review, said Snowdon opted to use Catholic sisters for the monumental study after he "realized that studying nuns came with many advantages for dementia research." 

"Normally, it's hard to pinpoint what causes some people to develop dementia while others remain healthy because people can have very different lifestyles, environments, and biology — some smoke, some don't; some have better access to health care than others; some may be more genetically disposed to disease," she said.

"But Catholic sisters from the same order share the same environment for most of their adult lives: similar marital histories, housing, nutrition, health care, income, and social networks," she pointed out. 

"It is difficult to find a community of people with such consistent and comparable lifestyles. This makes it easier to figure out what factors truly increase or decrease the risk of dementia."

Snowdon launched the pilot study of the program in 1986 in cooperation with the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), with a pool of 678 sisters eventually being drawn out of 1,000 candidates from what were then seven main convents across the country, including in Chicago, Baltimore, Dallas, and elsewhere. 

The age of the sisters at the outset of the study ranged from 75 to 102. All had similar life histories, while the vast majority were at least college graduates, with nearly 90% having been teachers at some point.

Researchers used a variety of methods to gauge progression of cognitive function of the sisters later in their lives, including autobiographies the nuns wrote prior to taking their vows, medical records, academic transcripts, and questionnaires.

The sisters "consented to participate in neuropsychological assessments and permitted researchers access to personal records kept by the convents," researchers said; they were further required to agree to brain donation upon their deaths for the scientists to study. 

Clarke said the sisters exhibited "extraordinary dedication and enthusiasm" for the study, particularly as evidenced by the high numbers of them who agreed to participate. 

"A 66% participation rate is a truly impressive amount for a longitudinal study requiring participants to undertake extensive cognitive testing every year for the rest of their lives and agree to brain donation as well," she noted.

The inclusion of healthy as well as cognitively impaired sisters was a critical factor in the study, the researchers said, as it "allowed for the longitudinal tracking of cognitive changes through annual assessments."

The high brain donation rate likewise "provided the opportunity to compare neuropathology findings from the autopsied brains of impaired individuals with healthy control brains, which had been historically difficult."

The findings of the study have "significantly advanced" understanding of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. One key discovery, Clarke said, was that "higher early-life cognitive ability seems to be protective against dementia."

"Researchers found that sisters with higher educational attainment and academic performance (based on school transcripts stored in convent archival records) had higher scores on cognitive tests in late life and lower risk of dementia," she said. Religious sisters with better written language skills earlier in life were also at a lower risk for dementia. 

"The Nun Study really emphasized that maintaining cognitive health is a lifelong task and emphasized the importance of education and cognitive stimulation in reducing the risk of dementia," Clarke said.

All of the sisters in the study have since passed away. In some cases the research has taken on personal significance: multiple family members of Margaret Flanagan, the director of the ongoing Nun Study at UT Health, attended Chicago's Academy of Our Lady run by SSND sisters. 

Researchers, meanwhile, continue to meet with representatives of the SSND to provide updates on the ongoing data. 

The scientists are "deeply appreciative of their dedication to education and helping the lives of others," Clarke said. 

"Their kindness and generosity made the Nun Study an iconic and groundbreaking contribution to dementia research and continuously inspires us to keep pushing towards understanding and treating this debilitating disease," she said.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=283008&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Lima Newsroom, Mar 14, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The bishop of Cajamarca, Peru, has denounced a "direct attack" on the Catholic Church's freedom of speech by the LGBTQ+ community, which accuses the Church of the "alleged crime of discrimination" for a talk warning of the consequences of "Comprehensive Sexual Education" (CSE) in Peru.

In a statement signed by Bishop Isaac Martínez Chuquizana of Cajamarca, the diocese referred to the complaint filed in December 2024 by Reyna Consuelo Solís Rivera, "who claims to be part of the LGBTQ+ community," with the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Human Rights and Interculturality of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Cajamarca.

Solís' complaint targets "representatives of the Diocese of Cajamarca and Human Life International," who gave the talk titled "Comprehensive Sexual Education and Its Consequences" on Aug. 26, 2024, at the Cajamarca Book Fair.

The talk was led by Father Javier Hoyos Huamán, head of the Life and Family Committee of the Diocese of Cajamarca, and Roxaida Carolina López de Ojeda from Human Life International, who holds a master's degree in bioethics. The participants warned about the harmful consequences of CSE in Peru and other countries in the region.

"They didn't like the fact that we told them that condoms don't protect against all sexually transmitted diseases," López told the Spanish-language edition of EWTN News a month later in September 2024.

Likewise, the expert continued, "when you tell a girl, 'take it, here's your contraceptive.' What are you telling her? What's the underlying message? That you can have sexual relations whenever you want, as long as you 'take care of yourself.'" And if either the contraceptive or the condom fails, they are offered abortion, she warned.

Hoyos told EWTN News that "God will hold us accountable for all the lives we are allowing to be murdered in the world," emphasizing that "the IUD or the morning-after pill are means that cause abortion."

The statement from the Diocese of Cajamarca also noted that "since the ad about [the talk] was published, feminist and LGBTQ+ groups, both local and national, have labeled the event on social media as a 'serious offense, misinformation, shameful, anti-rights, etc.'"

On the day of the talk, the text continues, "a group of members of the aforementioned groups attended who were agitated and violent during the talk, and with a ruthless and cruel attitude, shouted, mocked, and constantly interrupted. Thanks to the intervention of security provided by the [book fair] organization, nothing further escalated."

Regarding the complaint filed by Solís, the diocese called "on those who administer justice to carefully evaluate the criteria of the complaint, which are not consistent with the aforementioned values, nor with the freedom of religion and speech that governs our people."

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

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=283007&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Vatican City, Mar 14, 2025 / 07:30 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:

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=283001&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Madrid, Spain, Mar 13, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

Regnum Christi has announced that it will review the safe environments protocols it has in place in Spain following five allegations of sexual abuse against the former secretary of Marcial Maciel, Legionary priest Marcelino de Andrés Núñez, who worked at the Highlands El Encinar school in that country.

Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi, was found to have sexually abused at least 60 minors, most between the ages of 11 and 16, according to a report issued by the Legionaries of Christ in December 2019. 

The measure was announced in a letter to the students' parents dated March 11 listing a series of "public commitments" that were reportedly conveyed to the students' parents in an in-person meeting held Monday.

The section on reviewing processes and protocols begins with the decision to "select and hire an external auditing firm to review existing safe environment protocols and to identify and implement areas for improvement."

Additionally, the current protocols and codes of conduct as well as the hiring process for all school staff will be examined, and it will be verified that all persons in contact with minors "have an updated Sexual Offenses Certificate."

In addition, a one-month period has been established for the governing board of Regnum Christi schools to review whether the school's principal, Father Jesús María Delgado, LC, should remain in his position.

Previous protests by parents

Upon learning of the priest's arrest, Regnum Christi acknowledged through a FAQ section on its website that some parents had protested the priest's hiring in 2023.

"They asked that he not continue at the school, and their opposition had to do with the fact that the priest had been Marcial Maciel's secretary, not because they had perceived inappropriate behavior with minors," the website states.

This situation had already occurred in 2015 at another school in Madrid, Highlands Los Fresnos, where Maciel's former secretary had worked since 2011. Due to the protests, "it was then requested that he take a secretarial job in Rome, and he did not remain at the school."

Support for victims

Among the announced commitments, Regnum Christi offers families who report abuse to listen and attend to their needs, "whether or not they are in school," as well as "independent and specialized services from experts in listening and comprehensive care."

In addition, Regnum Christi will provide "psychological counseling sessions in specialized private centers" for all families at the school, helping them address the issue in a conversation at home.

Two additional complaints

In a new statement dated March 13, the sixth since the priest's arrest, the school's administration said that it is seeking "official confirmation" from the police about two additional complaints against the priest, which were reported on by a popular television program in Spain.

"We have not received information from the police regarding this development, but we wanted to share it with all of you while we seek official confirmation," the statement explained.

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

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=283000&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Vatican City, Mar 13, 2025 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis marked the 12th anniversary of his pontificate on Thursday from Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for pneumonia for nearly a month.

Hospital staff commemorated the occasion by presenting the 88-year-old pope with a cake decorated with candles. Additionally, he received hundreds of drawings, messages, and letters from children and well-wishers worldwide.

The Holy See Press Office told journalists that Pope Francis continued his medication regimen, motor physiotherapy, and high-flow oxygen therapy on Thursday morning. He participated in spiritual exercises and prayed in the hospital chapel.

In the afternoon, he followed the Roman Curia's spiritual exercises via video link to the Paul VI Hall and continued respiratory therapy. His clinical condition remains stable yet complex, according to the Vatican, with ongoing "noninvasive mechanical ventilation" at night and high-flow oxygenation during the day.

Friday will mark one month since the pope's hospitalization. During his hospital stay, the pope has experienced multiple episodes of acute respiratory failure in which his situation appeared critical. After weeks of treatment, the pope's doctors indicated on Tuesday that the Holy Father is "no longer in immediate danger from the respiratory infection."

A chest X-ray earlier this week indicated "a slight improvement" in Pope Francis' lungs. The Vatican is currently not providing an estimate for when the pope may be discharged from the hospital.

At the age of 76, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th successor of St. Peter on March 13, 2013, taking the name Pope Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. He is the first Latin American pope and the first from the Jesuit order.

To mark the 12th anniversary of Francis' pontificate, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin will offer a Mass for the pope on Friday morning in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, attended by members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. The liturgy will be broadcast live via Vatican Media at 10:30 a.m. local time.

Catholics are invited to gather in St. Peter's Square on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. to pray the rosary for the pope's recovery.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282999&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

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.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282998&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

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.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282986&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

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:

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282975&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

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.

Full Article