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Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde (left) arrives as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during the National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, DC.. / Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 21, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

At the interfaith prayer service held at Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday morning, an Episcopal bishop challenged President Donald Trump, urging him to “have mercy” on migrants and those who identify as members of the gay, lesbian, and transgender community.

“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President,” Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington said at the conclusion of her sermon.

“Millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of [a] loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared,” Budde continued.

“There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families,” she said, “some who fear for their lives.”

In a tradition that has been in place since the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, Trump and Vice President JD Vance attended the interfaith “Service of Prayer for the Nation” along with their families, Cabinet members, and other dignitaries. 

Throughout her sermon, which lasted about 20 minutes, Budde underscored the importance of unity and the need to depart from “the culture of contempt that has become normalized in this country,” which she described as “worrisome.” 

“As a country, we have gathered this morning to pray for unity as people and nation. Not for agreement, political or otherwise, but for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and divisions,” Budde told the assembled dignitaries.

Budde, the first woman to be elected to her position, currently serves as a spiritual leader for 86 congregations and 10 Episcopalian schools across Washington, D.C., and Maryland, according to the Episcopal diocese’s website. She is described as “an advocate and organizer in support of justice concerns, including racial equity, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons, and the care of creation.”

In her sermon, Budde was at times openly critical of the president. 

“Contempt fuels political campaigns and social media, and many profit from that,” she said, adding: “It’s a dangerous way to lead a country.” 

Trump and Vance, who sat in the front row during the service, showed no reaction. 

“And the people who pick our crops, clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and who work the night shifts in hospitals,” she continued, “they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals; they pay taxes and are good neighbors.”

“I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President,” Budde said, again addressing Trump directly, “on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.” She also appealed to the president on behalf of migrants fleeing war zones and persecution in their home countries.

Other religious leaders, including those from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist backgrounds offered prayers during the service, which was interposed with music performed by Christopher Macchio, the Cathedral Contemporary Ensemble, and the Cathedral Choir. There were no Catholic leaders among those offering prayers.

Notably, in the months leading up to the election, both the National Cathedral and St. John’s Episcopal Church announced they would be paring back their pre- and post-Inauguration Day services to center them on prayer, as Religion News Service reported. St. John’s removed the homily from its program, opting to center the event on morning prayer and Scripture, interspersed with music. 

“While Episcopal in nature, the service will be intentionally accessible and open, with prayers aimed at speaking to all. It will be explicitly nonpartisan,” St. John’s Rev. Robert Fisher said in the report. 

For its part, Washington National Cathedral announced in an October press release that it would be hosting services from Election Day through Inauguration Day “designed for quiet reflection, prayer, and spiritual support for the country.” 

“Regardless of who the president is or whether he or she attends, the liturgy will center on the country,” Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of Washington National Cathedral, said in the release. 

“Whether voters choose Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, a large percentage of Americans will feel anxious, upset, or fearful,” he continued, adding: “We need to find a way to heal what divides us, and prayer is an important part of that healing process.”

The National Cathedral further noted at the time that a draft of the January service had already been composed and that it would “emphasize the need for healing and national unity” in addition to “underscor[ing] the values of reconciliation, shared purpose, and the work required to bring the nation together.” 

Political commentator and writer Matt Walsh is seen at Turning Point USA’s Inaugural Eve Ball on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Migi Fabara/EWTN

CNA Staff, Jan 21, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Numerous notable Catholic celebrities and public figures attended festivities surrounding Donald Trump’s swearing-in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.

Trump has made headlines by choosing several Catholics to serve in his Cabinet and other parts of his administration, most prominently among them with the selection of Vice President JD Vance.

Among the other Catholics whom Trump has chosen for his Cabinet are environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., three-term Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, and former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy.

Over several days in Washington, including several inaugural balls that took place throughout the weekend, there were numerous well-known Catholic figures and celebrities in attendance showing their support for the new president.

Arguably the most notable Catholic name in attendance was Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, who led the opening prayer at Monday’s inauguration.

In his prayer, Dolan called on Americans to pray that the incoming administration be guided by and aligned with the will of God and for the new president to be instilled with wisdom.

“We, blessed citizens of this one nation under God, humbled by our claim that in God we trust, gather indeed this Inauguration Day to pray for our president Donald J. Trump, his family, his advisers, his Cabinet, his aspirations, his vice president,” Dolan prayed. 

“Please, God, bless America. You are the God in whom we trust, who lives and reigns forever and ever, amen,” he concluded. 

Brooklyn priest Father Francis Mann delivered the closing benediction at the inauguration.  

The retired diocesan priest, who was ordained in 1979, began a friendship with the president after he came across the grave sites of Trump’s parents in a Queens cemetery. The site was overgrown and the priest felt called to tidy it up. After Trump saw a photo of the grave site, he personally called Mann to thank him. The two have maintained regular contact for years.

The priest called upon Trump’s parents, Fred and Mary, during his benediction.

“We lift our hearts in gratitude for the beloved parents of President Trump. Without Mary and Fred Trump this day would never be the miracle that has just begun,” Mann said. “From their place in heaven may they shield their son from all harm by their loving protection and give him the strength to guide our nation along the path that will make America great again.”

Former ESPN “SportsCenter” co-host Sage Steele also traveled to the nation’s capitol for the inauguration. Steele was taken off the air and removed from several high-profile assignments for 10 days in October 2021 after criticizing ESPN/Disney’s vaccine mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic. She sued the network and its parent company in 2022 for violating her free speech rights and after successfully settling her case, she left the company after working there for 16 years.

“I’ve said this a lot recently — I wouldn’t be standing today without my faith, which has become stronger than ever before,” Steele said in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly” in September 2023.

Several Catholic media personalities also made an appearance at the Turning Points Inaugural-Eve Ball on Jan. 19, including political commentator, author, and YouTuber Michael Knowles; podcast host Matt Walsh; and Gen Z content creator Isabel Brown, who also recently partnered with the Catholic prayer app Hallow for the launch of a new young adults devotional.

Christine Yeargin, a Catholic mother, speaker, and founder of Be Their Village, a digital community that connects women in unplanned pregnancies to resources in their area and helps complete baby registries for women who choose life, also attended the Turning Points Inaugural-Eve Ball.

Although not a Catholic himself, renowned psychologist and author Jordan Peterson attended the Turning Points ball with his daughter Mikhaila. Peterson’s wife, Tammy, has become a well-known name among Catholics for her powerful story of conversion to Catholicism after her battle with a rare form of cancer.

In an interview with EWTN News Correspondent Colm Flynn, Peterson called his wife’s entry into the Catholic Church a “miraculous thing to see.”

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it during an indoor inauguration parade at Capital One Arena on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jan 21, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump on Monday once again withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, backing the country out of the nine-year-old climate accord and billing the move as both an economic and environmental boon to the U.S. 

The president issued the executive order as part of a flurry of directives he signed within hours of taking the oath of office for the second time. 

The Paris Agreement, an international accord to limit carbon emissions in an effort to halt climate change, has been signed by nearly 200 countries since it was first proposed in 2016. The agreement aims to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. 

The U.S. first entered into the agreement in 2016, but Trump in his first term ordered the country to withdraw from it. Upon taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden directed that the U.S. would once again join the accord. 

Trump’s re-withdrawal from the compact on Monday was done in an effort to “put the interests of the United States and the American people first in the development and negotiation of any international agreements with the potential to damage or stifle the American economy,” the president’s executive order said. 

The order directs the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to submit a withdrawal notice to the United Nations itself and for multiple U.S. departments to rescind policies related to the plan. 

Trump’s directive further abolishes the U.S. International Climate Finance Plan, a Biden-era program that offered funding to low-income nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

In the order, the White House said that the U.S. in recent decades “has simultaneously grown its economy, raised worker wages, increased energy production, reduced air and water pollution, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.” 

“The United States’ successful track record of advancing both economic and environmental objectives should be a model for other countries,” it said. 

The Paris Agreement has received the backing of the Vatican. 

Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said in 2018 that implementation of the accord should be focused on “easing the impact of climate change through responsible mitigation and adaptation measures.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has also expressed support for the accord. 

In 2017, ahead of the U.S.’s first withdrawal from the agreement, the USCCB said in a statement that the “entire Catholic Church” has “consistently upheld the Paris Agreement as an important international mechanism to promote environmental stewardship and encourage climate change mitigation.” 

“The president’s decision not to honor the U.S. commitment to the Paris Agreement is deeply troubling,” the bishops said at the time.

Ulrich Wastl shows copies of the abuse report for the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone at its presentation in Bolzano, Italy, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. The 635-page document, published in both Italian and German, details investigations into abuse cases spanning from 1964 to 2023. / Credit: Diocese of Bolzano/Jan Kusstatscher

CNA Newsroom, Jan 21, 2025 / 12:45 pm (CNA).

A pioneering probe into clerical abuse in northern Italy’s Bolzano-Bressanone Diocese has uncovered 67 cases involving 59 victims over a nearly 60-year period, according to a study released Monday.

The 635-page report examined cases from 1964 to 2023 in the northern Italian region of Alto Adige-Südtirol and identified 41 clergy members as alleged perpetrators.

However, researchers could definitively confirm allegations against only 29 of the accused, while claims against the remaining 12 clergy could not be verified with sufficient certainty.

In what researchers called a “surprising” finding, more than 51% of the victims were female, while only 18% were definitively identified as male. This pattern marks a significant departure from similar studies in Germany, where male victims predominated, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

The study, conducted by Munich-based law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, noted that the diocese’s handling of abuse cases has improved since 2010. Researchers particularly praised former Bishop Karl Golser (2008–2011) for establishing the diocese’s listening center — described as “an absolute novelty in Italy” — though they noted that before 2010, diocesan leadership had “mostly reacted inadequately or inappropriately.”

The report acknowledged sincere efforts by current leadership — Bishop Ivo Muser since 2011 and Vicar General Eugen Runggaldier since 2018 — to improve the diocese’s approach to abuse cases and support for victims. However, researchers identified 16 additional cases that remain unclear based on available documentation and witness statements.

“We want the Church to be a safe place, especially for children, young people, and vulnerable persons,” Muser said, according to ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner. 

“We need a change in mentality, a new culture of closeness. This is a first step in this journey.”

The bishop, who first viewed the report Monday alongside the public, added that every case was “one too many,” acknowledging that the abuse of power had occurred “at the expense of the victims.”

Muser announced he would provide a more detailed response to the findings on Friday.

Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, was murdered while she was jogging at the University of Georgia. / Credit: Courtey of the Riley family|Wikipedia|Fair Use

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 21, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

A bill that would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain immigrants who entered the country illegally if they commit certain crimes passed the Senate as Catholic bishops reiterate their call for “meaningful immigration reform.”

The Laken Riley Act would subject immigrants who entered the country illegally to detainment if they are charged with or arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, assault on an officer, or a crime that results in death or serious bodily injury. Those detentions could lead to subsequent deportation proceedings.

The House of Representatives passed a similar bill with the same name earlier this month but did not include assault on an officer or crimes that involve death or serious bodily injury in its version. House lawmakers can either pass the Senate version or offer their own amendments to the bill, which is expected to pass in some form.

Under current law, officials are allowed to detain immigrants who are in the country illegally when they commit those crimes but are not required to do so. The legislation is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old woman who was murdered by José Antonio Ibarra — a Venezuelan national who was in the country illegally and remained in the country after an earlier arrest for shoplifting.

Riley would have turned 23 years old on Friday, Jan. 10. 

The Republican-led bill received some bipartisan support, passing the House 264-159. The Senate version also received bipartisan support, passing the chamber 64-35. In both chambers, a minority of Democrats joined Republican lawmakers to advance the bills. No Republican in either chamber voted against their version of the bill.

“No family should have to go through what Laken’s has endured,” Rep. Mike Collins, R-Georgia, who introduced the legislation, said on Jan. 7 after the House passed the bill.

“A secure border [and being] pro-immigration are fully compatible,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, said on X after joining the Republican majority to advance the bill. “I proudly voted AYE on [the] final passage of the Laken Riley Act.”

Both bills would also allow states to file lawsuits against the federal government for failing to enforce immigration laws if harm is caused to the state or its residents. Under the proposed law, states could file lawsuits over a decision to release a person from custody or a failure to detain someone who has been ordered to be deported, among other things.

Bishops take no formal stance on bill

Although the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) often takes a position on bills related to immigration, USCCB Spokesperson Chieko Noguchi told CNA that the American bishops have not taken a formal position on this legislation.

Rather, Noguchi said the bishops “continue to urge Congress to pursue meaningful immigration reform that is consistent with the elements long promoted by the bishops.” She provided a link to a January 2025 USCCB document titled “Catholic Elements of Immigration Reform.”

“This includes safeguarding American communities and upholding the rule of law through targeted, proportional, and humane enforcement measures that ensure due process and demonstrate respect for human dignity,” Noguchi said.

At least one prelate, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, has criticized the bill. Speaking to Crux, the bishop emeritus of Brooklyn called the bill and plans for mass deportation “a vigilante approach to a mythical problem that these people are hurting us.”

“It’s an unfortunate situation where you’re not dealing with facts you’re dealing with a prejudice or an idea that once we get rid of all of these undocumented people that the country’s going to be in great shape,” DiMarzio said.

CNA reached out to several bishops who represent dioceses near the southern border to ask their perspectives on the bill, but none were available to provide a comment.

Julia Young, a historian and professor at The Catholic University of America, told CNA that this legislation “doesn’t fundamentally change the immigration system” with systemic reforms. She said that immigration remains a polarizing issue but that “both political parties now agree … our current immigration system is very broken.”

Young, whose work primarily focuses on historical migration, said “concern and fear around immigration in the United States has been present throughout the [country’s] history” and that “concern around immigrant crime has been persistent” as well. 

She said concern about crime has been invoked against Catholic immigrants historically, particularly against Irish immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries who were “accused of being inherently more criminal.”

The influx of Catholic immigrants spurred the Church’s involvement in helping newcomers navigate the immigration system and led to the Church wading into American immigration policy debates, according to Young. At first, she said the Church’s focus was on helping Catholic immigrants, but over time, “they began focusing on immigrants from all over the world; not just immigrants who are Catholics.”

“The history of the Catholic Church in the United States is really linked to the history of immigration to the United States,” Young said.

Chad Pecknold, a professor of historical and systematic theology at The Catholic University of America, told CNA “the Church has traditionally taught that the immigration issue is downstream from the right of nations to safeguard their common good” and that it’s “reasonable to legislate” how certain crimes will affect a person’s immigration status.”

“The Catholic Church has a balanced view of what is essentially a prudential matter in which the common good takes precedence in considering who may or may not enter a country,” Pecknold added. 

“Criminal activity should weigh heavily for lawmakers who should use their regnative prudence in arriving at decisions about immigration which are first and foremost right and just for their own people,” Pecknold said.

President Donald Trump, who assumed office on Jan. 20, campaigned on a hard-line approach to illegal immigration, which includes a plan for the mass deportation of immigrants in the country illegally, starting with those who have committed crimes while in the United States.

El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who heads the USCCB Committee on Migration, has said he is “concerned” about the incoming president’s deportation plans and that bishops will “raise our voice loudly” if the administration advances plans that violate human rights.

Asylum seekers wait for their CBP One appointments with U.S. authorities before crossing through El Chaparral port in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on Jan. 20, 2025. / Credit: GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jan 21, 2025 / 11:15 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump on Monday signed a series of executive orders on immigration, including several that put into motion his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations of people residing in the U.S. illegally — a plan numerous Catholic leaders, including Pope Francis, have criticized as unjust.

Among the orders Trump signed Jan. 20 were a declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, a reinstatement of the controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy from his previous term, and a designation of drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.” 

The president also signed an order setting in motion a process to end birthright citizenship for individuals born within U.S. territory irrespective of the legal status of their parents, an action Trump has repeatedly promised despite birthright citizenship being provided for by the 14th Amendment.

There are an estimated 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., according to July 2023 statistics from the Center for Migration Studies.

Trump’s platform proposed to begin efforts at “the largest deportation operation in American history” by prioritizing the deportation of “the most dangerous criminals” and working with local police.

In his inauguration speech, Trump said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — most recently used, infamously, to intern Japanese Americans during World War II — to remove any gang members, drug dealers, or cartel members who are in the U.S. illegally.

Trump’s immigration plans have attracted criticism from some Catholics even as far away as the Vatican.

In an Italian television interview on Sunday, Pope Francis strongly condemned Trump’s mass deportation plans in the United States, saying “if this is true it is a disgrace,” highlighting the unfairness of punishing the most vulnerable.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November issued a statement that urged the American government to reform the immigration system with “fair and humane treatment” of immigrants. Ahead of Trump’s signing of the orders Monday night, the USCCB released a brief statement saying the “conference will be carefully reviewing the executive orders” and that the bishops “will work with the Trump administration as well as the U.S. Congress to advance the common good for all, which will include instances of agreement as well as disagreement.”

“The Catholic Church’s foundational teaching calls us to uphold the sacredness of human life and the God-given dignity of the human person. This means that the care for immigrants, refugees, and the poor is part of the same teaching of the Church that requires us to protect the most vulnerable among us, especially unborn children, the elderly, and the infirm,” the statement reads.

Several U.S. bishops have also indicated they would “speak out forcefully” if Trump’s immigration plans are implemented in a way that undermines human dignity.

In addition, Catholic and other Christian leaders have spoken out with “grave concern” over Trump’s plans to end a long-standing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy requiring ICE agents to seek their superior’s approval before arresting people at “sensitive locations” such as churches, hospitals, or schools.

Paul Hunker, a Catholic and an immigration attorney, told CNA that Trump’s promise to invoke the Alien Enemies Act 1798 concerns him as it could be used to “round up people without due process.” He also opined that Trump’s order declaring an emergency at the border is “illegal.”

“President Trump justifies his authority by claiming there is an ‘invasion’ of the United States. However, irregular immigration does not constitute an invasion by a foreign power,” he told CNA. 

Hunker said he thinks it is likely that Trump’s attempts to end birthright citizenship will be rebuffed by the courts due to conflict with the 14th Amendment. 

He further argued that Trump’s reinstatement of the “Remain in Mexico” policy — whereby immigrants with legitimate asylum claims will have to wait in Mexico for long periods, often in poor conditions — may backfire as Mexico will need to cooperate with such a policy. 

Apprehensions at the southern border are already down significantly due to policies put in place by former President Joe Biden, he noted, and the fact that Trump has effectively shut down the ability for refugees to seek asylum — including the halting use of the CBP One mobile app, which asylum seekers can use to schedule appointments — will likely lead to fewer people attempting to cross. 

“Some of the orders seem almost, legally or practically, to end a person’s ability to claim asylum at the border,” Hunker said. 

“This contradicts our nation’s legal responsibility to consider a noncitizen’s claim that he fears persecution. I hope soon a federal court strikes this down.”

Chicago archbishop slams planned deportations

Chicago is rumored to be the epicenter of the first of the ICE raids under Trump. Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago on Sunday strongly condemned the new administration’s impending mass deportations targeting Chicago’s immigrant population. 

While emphasizing the moral imperative for faith communities to defend the vulnerable, Cupich described mass deportations as a violation of human dignity and a betrayal of American ideals, echoing Pope Francis’ call for humane migration policies.

“Government has the responsibility to secure our borders and keep us safe. We support the legitimate efforts of law enforcement to protect the safety and security of our communities — criminality cannot be countenanced, when committed by immigrants or longtime citizens,” the prelate said.

“But we also are committed to defending the rights of all people and protecting their human dignity,” he said.

“Millions of migrants flee their homelands for safer shores precisely because it is a life or death issue for them and their children. For members of faith communities, the threatened mass deportations also leave us with the searing question: ‘What is God telling us in this moment?’”

“People of faith are called to speak for the rights of others and to remind society of its obligation to care for those in need,” Cupich said. 

“If the indiscriminate mass deportation being reported were to be carried out, this would be an affront to the dignity of all people and communities, and deny the legacy of what it means to be an American,” he concluded.

Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan Anderson. / Credit: “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” screenshot

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 21, 2025 / 10:45 am (CNA).

As the newly-installed Trump administration hit the ground running, several high-profile Catholic intellectuals in the United States anticipated and celebrated a number of changes that are coming to the country.

For Trump’s second term in office, author and associate professor of history at the University of Dallas Susan Hanssen noted to CNA that Trump is now “better prepared than his first entry into federal government and unhampered by the need to seek reelection.”

“Trump’s base will be watching hopefully for deep structural changes that cannot be easily reversed or rolled back, particularly to the Department of Justice and FBI so that it cannot be so easily used to target political enemies,” she said.

Hanssen also predicted decisive measures at the Department of Education, with more control being turned back to the states “and ultimately, to the parents.”

“Parental rights over the education of their children is a fundamental issue of social justice, and this includes allowing parents the right to choose religious education for their children,” she indicated. 

An end to ‘lawfare’ and tyranny of gender ideology

“We have been living under a lawless regime for quite some time,” said political theorist and University of Notre Dame professor Patrick Deneen in two Jan. 20 posts on X lambasting the outgoing Biden administration and praising the new president for emphasizing a “common sense” approach to public policy.

News that the country’s new president would kick off his administration by signing a tsunami of executive orders, including one that mandates adherence to the biological reality of two sexes, was particularly welcomed by Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan Anderson.

Responding to Trump’s inaugural address declaration that “as of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,’” the author of the book “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” posted “Thank you @realdonaldtrump” and added: “Does this mean Amazon will be selling my book again?”

Anderson underscored his point by also quoting Martin Luther King Jr., who said: “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with moral law. To put it in terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.”

Chiming in, Catholic columnist and editor Sohrab Ahmari noted that the crowds gathered at the Capital One Arena to hear Trump’s inaugural address “roared loudest at the pledge to uphold two sexes.”

President Donald Trump holds an executive order he just signed during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. / Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 21, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order billed as “defending women from gender ideology extremism,” one that the White House says restores “biological truth to the federal government.”

Trump, who centered the transgender issue during much of his 2024 presidential campaign, signed the order on Monday, the first day of his return to the U.S. presidency.

“Across the country, ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex have increasingly used legal and other socially coercive means to permit men to self-identify as women and gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women, from women’s domestic abuse shelters to women’s workplace showers,” the executive orders states. “This is wrong.”

The executive order is sweeping in nature. Its application will include removing gender ideology guidance, communication, policies, and forms from governmental agencies. It explicitly affirms that the word “woman” means “adult human female.” And it orders that government identification like passports and personnel records must reflect biological reality and “not self-assessed gender identity.” 

The order establishes a government-wide acknowledgement of the reality of biological sex, including the explicit assertion that there are only two sexes, male and female. 

It also puts an end to the practice of housing men in women’s prisons and brings an end to the use of taxpayer money to fund “transitions” for prisoners. 

Additionally, the order directs that the U.S. attorney general shall “issue guidance to ensure the freedom to express the binary nature of sex and the right to single-sex spaces in workplaces and federally funded entities covered by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

At a rally in Washington, D.C., on Sunday prior to his inauguration, Trump told the crowd he also intends to “keep men out of women’s sports.”

Trump reverses Biden’s LGBT directives

The move is a stark reversal from former President Joe Biden’s directives on gender on his first day in office four years ago. 

At that time Biden ordered the federal government to “review all existing orders, regulations, guidance documents, policies, programs, or other agency actions” in an effort to bolster transgender “rights.” Trump on Monday also formally rescinded Biden’s order.

Trump on Monday also rescinded rules set by Biden that withheld federal money from schools, including colleges, that failed to adhere to the government’s gender ideology. 

The directives were hailed by conservatives on Monday. 

“In a shocking return to normalcy, Trump’s first executive orders will rescind all of Biden’s orders promoting gender ideology and revert to regular human recognition of male and female,” wrote Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, on X ahead of the signing of the order.

Two senior administration officials framed the executive order in terms of protecting women, telling The Free Press: “Women deserve protections, they deserve dignity, they deserve fairness, they deserve safety. And so this is going to help establish that in federal policy and in federal laws.”

Trump made issues surrounding transgenderism central to his campaign, often remarking on the stump his desire to get “the transgender insanity“ out of schools and other areas of public life. 

“Just take a look at the polling,” an administration official told The Free Press. “The public is broadly in favor of the president’s and of the Republican Party’s stance on gender. That there are two biological sexes is something that the public is supportive of.”

A New York Times/Ipsos poll, conducted between Jan. 2 and Jan. 10, found that 49% of respondents said that “society has gone too far in accommodating transgender people,” compared with 28% who believe society has struck a reasonable balance on the issue and 21% who believe society has not gone far enough.

Tom McFeely contributed to this report.

null / Credit: Mehdi Kasumov/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 21, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Administrators, faculty, and students at The Catholic University of America (CUA) are in the throes of dealing with difficult decisions to eliminate a $30 million structural deficit revealed last month by the institution’s president, Peter Kilpatrick. 

During emotional meetings with faculty and students last week, CUA Provost Aaron Dominguez discussed a proposal, yet to be approved by the institution’s board of trustees, that among other changes could potentially close the university’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art, and move that school’s existing academic programs into other schools of the university.  

The proposal also calls for CUA’s National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS) to be merged into the Conwar School of Nursing.  Under the proposal, the deans of both the Rome School and NCSSS would remain on faculty but not in their capacity as deans. 

Dominguez told students Jan. 16 that if approved, the proposal to close the Rome School would take place at the end of the spring 2025 semester. In an email sent to faculty, staff, students, and parents on Jan. 17, Dominguez specified that under the proposal, the music and drama departments would be merged into the School of Arts and Sciences, while the art department will be moved to the School of Architecture and Planning.

Dominguez discussed the proposal in separate meetings with faculty members and students as part of the university’s protocol that dictates proposals of this nature go through a “consultative phase.”   

Proposal is ‘administration’s recommended course of action’ 

CUA spokeswoman Karna Lozoya explained that the proposed changes represent “the administration’s recommended course of action, but these must go through established consultation and approval processes” including by CUA’s Academic Senate and Board of Trustees, whose next meeting is scheduled for March.

There are currently 238 music, drama, and art students at CUA. Dr. Jacqueline Leary-Warsaw, the dean of the Rome School, is the wife of Michael Warsaw, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of EWTN Global Catholic Network, the parent company of CNA. 

Both Leary-Warsaw and Dominguez emphasized that all students would graduate with the degrees they applied for and enrolled in.

Several students expressed frustration and anxiety over the proposal to close the school, citing fear over their program’s potential loss of integrity and not having access to the same classes or quality of education.

“Us being merged, us potentially losing our identity as an art school is not really what we paid for, is not what we applied for, is not what we wanted to come to school for at Catholic University,” CUA student Christiane Ensala, 19, told CNA in an interview after the student meeting on Thursday.

“Personally, I don’t feel too panicked,” a doctoral student of vocal accompaniment at the Rome School who identified himself as Xiao told CNA. He explained that he had experienced a similar process at his previous graduate school where he obtained his master’s degree.

Responding to the anxiety of students and faculty at the prospect of changes to their programs, CUA Board Chairman Robert Neal told CNA in a phone interview that the university is “carefully assessing” as it undergoes its consultative process, “whether as we integrate these programs into other schools, we can retain the named school.”

Lozoya told CNA that the dialogue around the Rome School “continues to evolve” as the university works at “refining the initial proposal” as part of the consultative process.

Lozoya pointed to a similar situation several years ago where deliberations at CUA lead to the creation of the Rome School itself.

“During that time, initial proposals underwent significant modifications through consultation and dialogue,” she said, noting that an initial proposal for a “School of Music, Visual, and Performing Arts” eventually led to the creation of the Rome School.  

“Additionally, the original proposal to move media and communication studies was amended based on community input, showing how these processes can and do change substantially through consultation,” she added. 

In December, Kilpatrick had cited significant decline in enrollment as a primary contributor to the university’s deficit, as well as inflation, the pandemic, and the “poorly redesigned” federal aid (FAFSA) program.  

Although the university has seen an uptick in enrollment in the past three years, Kilpatrick noted that it is still not enough to counter the 15% enrollment decline it experienced from 2012 to 2021.  

Lozoya said the university “must reduce its operating budget by $30 million to ensure long-term financial sustainability.”

“This fiscal reality will necessitate significant structural changes across the institution,” she acknowledged, while noting that the “specific form of these changes continues to evolve through consultation.” 

Dominguez similarly told faculty during their meeting that while the proposal to close the performing arts school was “definitely precipitated by a financial situation,” the move is “not the solution that fixes all of our problems.” 

“The benefit of moving [the programs] into a larger college is that it’s got more staff,” the provost said during his meeting with students. He also noted that the School of Arts and Sciences has more resources for students.  

Dominguez declined to answer specific questions regarding staff eliminations communicated as effective during the meetings, changes to course offerings, and whether certain academic programs would also be cut, stating that a comprehensive plan regarding these details would not be announced until later in the semester.

“What is not on the table is not allowing you to finish your degrees; radically changing what’s going on in the Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art; firing tons of faculty; changing really what it is that you came here to do and why,” he told students.

“What we’re doing instead is trying to make that more viable,” he insisted, “more viable financially, and more excellent academically, now and in the future for the friends that come behind you for the next 20, 30 years.”  

“I want to reassure you that there’s nothing of your own education here that’s really going to be disrupted because of these changes,” Dominguez said.  

The consultative phase will continue with presentations to the Academic Senate and the university president, according to the faculty handbook. The board of trustees is expected to take up and vote on the changes in March. The result of that vote is expected to be effective at the end of the university’s current fiscal year.

The U.S. Department of Education sign hangs over the entrance to the federal building housing the agency’s headquarters on Feb. 9, 2024, in Washington, D.C. / Credit: J. David Ake/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jan 21, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

During his campaign for the presidency, President Donald Trump said in a video posted in October 2024 that he would close the U.S. Department of Education and send education “back to the states.” This would require an act of Congress. But as commentators and activists speculate on what the new Trump administration may bring, CNA took a closer look at how the Department of Education impacts Catholic education and what shuttering it might look like.

Though private education doesn’t receive government funding, private schools often work with the Department of Education to enable their students to receive benefits from the variety of taxpayer-funded programs the department offers.

Reestablished under President Jimmy Carter in 1978 to collect data, the Department of Education now manages funding for various programs for elementary and secondary students as well as federal student loans for higher education.

An estimated 10% of funding for public schools comes from the federal government, with the rest coming from state and local taxes.

The department’s two biggest programs for K–12 education are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is meant to ensure that students with special needs have a free public education, and the Title I program, which is designed to help educate children from low-income families. 

For higher education, the department manages federal student loans as well as the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) program. The federal student loan program currently has an outstanding balance of more than $1 trillion.

In addition, the department tracks data about education through programs such as the Nation’s Report Card and the Civil Rights Data Collection program.

The Department of Education — one of the smallest Cabinet-level departments in terms of employees — has a staff of more than 4,000 people and a discretionary budget of $80 billion for 2025. 

The department’s role in Catholic education

The Department of Education plays a role in Catholic education by contributing funding to private-school students for various programs. While private K–8 schools don’t receive government funding, private-school students are eligible for several federal education programs following the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965.

The department’s Office of Non-Public Education (ONPE) “is the liaison to the nonpublic school community including religious, independent, nonsectarian, and home schools,” spokesman for the Department of Education Jim Bradshaw told CNA.

“ONPE’s congressionally mandated mission is to foster maximum participation of nonpublic school students and teachers in federal education programs and initiatives,” Bradshaw explained.

“In general, the department does not regulate private elementary and secondary schools or home schools,” Bradshaw noted. “Government regulation of private and home schools is limited and, if any regulation is made, it is usually enacted at the state level.”

“The department’s interaction with nonpublic elementary and secondary schools, including Catholic schools, is primarily related to the participation of their students and teachers in federal education programs and initiatives,” Bradshaw continued.

“Catholic schools also actively participate in the National Center for Education Statistics surveys and the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card,” Bradshaw added. “Important to note: Catholic private schools do not receive any funding under these programs. Rather, their students and teachers receive services.”

Sister Dale McDonald, PBVM, vice president of public policy at the National Catholic Educational Association, noted that for various federal and state programs, “private schools participate differently from public schools.”

“Private schools have to follow what they call the ‘child benefit theory’ that only children in need get served,” McDonald explained. 

Through a consultation process, private schools can request aid for various needs such as professional development or technological assistance or direct aid to kids with learning needs, McDonald noted.

Students have access to various government programs, but not all of them are implemented by the Department of Education. For instance, the Obama-era National School Lunch Program is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while the early childhood education program Head Start is run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What dismantling the Department of Education could look like 

Trump is not the first to call for the shuttering of the Department of Education. Closing it was a major goal of Ronald Reagan’s administration — a goal it ultimately backed down on due to lack of congressional support.

While closing it is not a new idea, it has become more popular amid school choice debates and criticism of the public school system. Sen. Mike Rounds, R- South Dakota, recently proposed a bill in November 2024 to dismantle the agency.

Jonathan Butcher, a senior research fellow for the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, shared with CNA what reform of the department could look like on a practical level in his view.

Butcher, a proponent of dismantling the department, said there are many programs that would be better served if moved to other departments in the federal government.

“I think that the Department of Education is simply taking on roles and responsibilities that it’s not designed to do — nor is it best at doing these things,” he told CNA.

For instance, the U.S. Department of Education’s data collectors — the Institute for Education Science, the Nation’s Report Card, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress — could be run by the Census Bureau, Butcher proposed.

“They collect data already. In fact, they already release reports about student enrollment in states around the U.S.,” he said.

Butcher proposed that the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights be moved to the Department of Justice “for much the same reason.”

“The Department of Education’s main responsibilities — what it was built to do — is to facilitate the transfer of money from the treasury to districts and states,” Butcher said. “Civil rights is an urgent issue; it should be handled by an agency that is dedicated to doing that.”

“We don’t want to get rid of it just because we’re getting rid of the Department of Education,” he noted. “We just want to move it to a place where it’s more appropriate to operate.”

Shuttering the department would require an act of Congress, which currently has a narrow Republican majority.

Some legislators are hesitant to cut federal funding to public education, and others expressed concern that important programs would be cut.

Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education think tank, told the Wall Street Journal that he doesn’t anticipate large budget cuts.

“I don’t think you’ll see enormous cuts because that’s super unpopular,” Petrilli said.

Some argue that practically speaking, it’s not feasible to close the Department of Education.

Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute said the Trump administration may need to keep it open to fulfill other commitments.

“It strikes me that a lot of the other promises Trump made about holding campuses accountable, about responding to antisemitism, or the excesses of DEI, require using some of the machinery at the [education] department,” Hess told National Public Radio in November.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) noted that the bishops are committed to education regardless of what happens with the Department of Education.

“We are aware of the various proposals and ideas being expressed by the [Trump administration] regarding education,” Chieko Noguchi, spokesperson for the USCCB, told CNA. “The USCCB remains committed to upholding the education mission of the Catholic Church that is carried out locally in our parishes and schools, and we will engage appropriately when policies are put forth by the officeholders.”