Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

Bishop Markus Büchel of the Diocese of St. Gallen in Switzerland. / Credit: Aurelius1717, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

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

Swiss bishop issues call on podcast for ordination of women

Bishop Markus Büchel of the Swiss Diocese of St. Gallen spoke out in favor of women’s ordination during a podcast appearance for a German-language online news outlet, kath.ch, CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported Tuesday.

The bishop argued his position stating that the Church has a “consecration emergency” due to the fact that only celebate men may enter the priesthood.

German director of Münster academy defends award honoring Bishop Barron 

Following backlash over what some have called Bishop Robert Barron’s “conservative” theological and political views, the director of the Münster Academy Franz-Hitze-Haus, Johannes Sabel, has defended plans to award the American bishop and Word on Fire founder with the academy’s Josef Pieper Prize, CNA Deutsch reported.

Sabel stated in a guest article in a German-language outlet that Barron’s theological and political views should not be a reason to cancel his award ceremony. He further called it “a good sign” that there was debate surrounding the award, saying it is the academy’s mission to represent a plurality of positions.

Myanmar military targets St. Patrick Cathedral on eve of his feast

The ruling military junta in Myanmar torched a Catholic cathedral dedicated to St. Patrick in the northern Kachin state on the eve of his feast day last weekend, according to the Vatican news service Agenzia Fides.

The cathedral, its three-story office building, high school, and rectory were all destroyed in the fire, which soldiers of the SAC (State Administration Council) set during military operations around 4 p.m. on Sunday.

President of Zambia: ‘The Catholic Church and the government will always be one’ 

President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia celebrated his government’s partnership with the Catholic Church during a speech on Wednesday, stating that “the Catholic Church and the government are development partners, we are not competitors,” according to ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa.

He further emphasized the bond between the two institutions, adding: “The Catholic Church and the government will always be one and we will work together, and I want to assure you that you have our full support.”

Franciscan monks in Syria condemn attacks on innocent civilians

The Fransiscan Monks of the Custodian of the Holy Land living in Syria issued a statement condemning the recent violence, which they said “increases the suffering of the Syrian people and threatens civil peace and the future of the country at this sensitive stage,” ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, reported on Tuesday.

The statement comes after an onslaught of civilian revenge killings along the coastal region of Syria earlier this month, which took place after remnants of former president Bashar al-Assad regime supporters launched a series of attacks on the country’s interim government that were met with immense retaliatory force targeting mostly Alawite civilians.

Knights of Malta leader reaffirms support for Lebanon’s reconstruction during visit

During his recent visit to Lebanon, the grand chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta met with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï to reaffirm the order’s support for Lebanon in its recovery phase, ACI MENA reported Sunday. The meeting highlighted the international community’s recognition of Lebanon’s sovereignty and neutrality, essential for the country’s stability and rebuilding efforts.

200 Christians at Punjab prison suffer human rights abuses

Following the escape of a fellow inmate, the roughly 200 Christian inmates contained at Rawalpindi Central Jail in the Punjab Province are now being denied usual access to the facility’s church, Asia News reported Thursday.

Human rights activist Xavier William — who visits the prison frequently — told the outlet: “[Christians] are already facing many difficulties, both inside the prison and with the judicial system. They are forced to clean the cells and suffer repeated abuse. Now they are even denied access to the church, to pray or engage in activities for their spiritual growth.”

null / Credit: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels

CNA Staff, Mar 21, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

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

Embryos aren’t property, Virginia judge rules

A Virginia judge this week ruled that embryos aren’t property in a lawsuit between two ex-spouses over their two IVF-produced embryos.

Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Dontae Bugg dismissed Honeyhline Heidemann’s case against her ex-husband, Jason Heidemann, for access to embryos produced during their marriage.

In 2019, Honeyhline Heidemann, a breast cancer survivor, requested permission to use the embryos, but her ex-husband refused, and so she sued her former spouse.

In the bench trial, Heidemann testified that the embryos were her last chance to have another biological child due to her cancer treatment and that she would agree to her husband not being involved in raising the new children.

The husband is currently the primary custodian of the couple’s born daughter and maintained that he did not want to become a biological father again. He also referenced alleged poor parenting decisions made by his former wife.

Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Richard Gardiner, who is no longer assigned to the case, ruled in 2023 that human embryos could legally be considered property, citing a 19th-century state law saying that slaves could be considered “goods or chattels.”

But Bugg wrote in an opinion letter that because of the “unique nature of each human embryo,” an “equal division” could not be easily made and that one of the embryos was “better suited for viability than the other.”

Bugg also noted that the Virginia law was not intended to apply to human embryos and concluded that the human embryos “are not goods for chattels subject to partition” under state law.

He further expressed doubt over “reliance upon a version of [the state law] that predates passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution,” which outlawed slavery.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment opposed by the Catholic Church. In the procedure, doctors fuse sperm and eggs to create human embryos and implant them in the mother’s womb.

To maximize efficiency, doctors create excess human embryos and routinely destroy undesired embryos.

Texas attorney general arrests midwife for providing illegal abortions

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday announced the arrest of a midwife for operating an illegal abortion network in northwest Houston.

Paxton announced the arrest of Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, a midwife known as “Dr. Maria,” according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office.

The state charged Rojas with illegal performance of abortions, a second-degree felony, and practicing medicine without a license.

Paxton alleged that Rojas owned and operated multiple clinics with unlawfully employed unlicensed employees who were presenting themselves as licensed medical professionals. She also allegedly performed illegal abortions that violated the Texas Human Life Protection Act. 

Texas pro-life law protects unborn children from abortion when the fetal heartbeat can be detected — usually around six weeks of pregnancy. In a statement Paxton cited the state’s pro-life laws, proclaiming: “In Texas, life is sacred.”

“I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted,” Paxton said. 

Texas officials under Paxton’s direction filed for a temporary restraining order to shut down the clinics under the names Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring.

Florida Catholics applaud DeSantis at Red Mass for pro-life efforts

Attendees at a Florida Mass this week applauded Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his work against a proposed pro-abortion amendment last year. 

The governor was attending the 50th annual Red Mass of the Holy Spirit at St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral in Tallahassee on Wednesday.

As Mass concluded, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski thanked DeSantis for advocating against a proposed amendment that would have enshrined a right to abortion in the Florida Constitution.

Referring to a breakfast event that had taken place earlier that day, Wenski said to DeSantis: “Governor, your ears must have been ringing because we were talking a lot about you during the breakfast, and it was all in praise, especially for the good work that you did in stopping Amendment 4.” 

The governor was given sustained applause after Wenski’s remarks. 

Amendment 4 fell short of the 60% approval requirement in November.

Participants of the widely-attended Red Mass include Catholics and non-Catholics and often include Florida legislators, judges, attorneys, state officials, and members of the executive branch such as DeSantis. 

The Red Mass dates back to a nearly-800-year-old tradition in France, where lawyers and judges would begin each term of court by attending a Mass together. At the Mass, priests and judges wore red to show their commitment to the Holy Spirit.

Idaho Capitol in Boise. / Credit: Through the Lens of Life/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Idaho Gov. Brad Little this week signed legislation that bolsters religious freedom protections for doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals when they object to performing certain procedures or providing certain services.

The new law, signed on Wednesday, amends the Medical Ethics Defense Act to clearly establish that Idaho recognizes “that the right of conscience is a fundamental and inalienable right” whether one’s conscience “is informed by religious, moral, or ethical beliefs or principles.”

Under the law, no health care professional, health care institution, or health care payer can be forced to participate in or pay for any medical procedure, treatment, or service to which he or she objects as a matter of conscience.

The law also prevents employers from retaliating or punishing an employee based on his or her conscience objections to any medical service. It states that a person should communicate his or her conscience objection to the employer as soon as reasonably possible to ensure necessary staffing adjustments can take place.

Under the law, a health care provider cannot be held criminally or civilly liable for refusing to provide a medical service because of the institution’s conscience objection.

Some objections from Catholic institutions or health care professionals could include procedures and services related to abortion, contraception, and transgender drugs and surgeries.

Greg Chafuen, who serves as legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement that “patients are best served by health care professionals who are free to act consistent with their oath to ‘do no harm.’”

“Unfortunately, doctors and nurses have been targeted for caring for their patients by refraining from harmful and dangerous procedures,” he said. “What may be worse, countless young professionals are kept out of the health care field because of fear that they will be forced to violate their conscience.” 

Chaufen added that the Idaho law “ensures that health care professionals are not forced to participate in procedures that violate their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs.”

Idaho’s law also establishes stronger free speech protections by prohibiting departments and regulatory boards from punishing health care providers for engaging in speech, expression, or association that is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution from government interference.

The law also creates a framework for health care institutions and health care professionals to file lawsuits to remedy any violations of the new regulations.

null / Credit: Gts/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed into law a bill that bans biological males from entering women’s spaces in the state’s prisons and jails.

The legislation, dubbed the Dignity and Safety for Incarcerated Women’s Act, prohibits men who self-identify as transgender women from accessing women’s changing rooms, restrooms, showers, sleeping quarters, and other facilities.

Under the law, all jails and prisons operated by the state’s Department of Corrections that house inmates of both sexes must provide separate facilities for men and for women. The law defines men and women on the basis of biological characteristics, as opposed to self-asserted “gender identity.”

The new law goes into effect on July 1.

Sara Beth Nolan, who works as legal counsel for the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement that “states have a duty to protect the privacy, safety, and dignity of women.”

“Letting men intrude into women’s spaces is an invasion of privacy, a threat to their safety, and a denial of the real biological differences between the two sexes,” she said. “[This law] safeguards against these harms to women in Mississippi correctional facilities.”

The law also establishes a framework that allows a person to sue a state correctional facility if the person encounters someone of the opposite sex within one of the protected spaces.

A person can obtain civil damages if the jail or prison gave someone of the opposite sex permission to enter the space or failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the person from entering the space. All civil actions must be brought within two years of the violation.

Mississippi’s actions mirror efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to prevent men from accessing women’s spaces and to reflect the biological distinctions of men and women in federal regulations.

Trump signed an executive order to clarify that within federal regulations, there are two sexes that are determined by biological characteristics. His orders also blocked men from women’s prisons and in women’s sports and women’s spaces at all educational institutions that receive federal funding.

Many of Trump’s executive orders have been challenged in court and are being held up by judges.

The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Justin Kozemchak/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” designed to eventually eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.

The order will not immediately close the department — that requires an act of Congress — but will make it “much smaller,” according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

Leavitt said the order directs the U.S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to “greatly minimize the agency.” Before signing the order, Trump said he hopes Democratic members of Congress will vote for the dismissal of the department.

The U.S. Conference of Bishops (USCCB) responded to the new order stating that it “does not take a position on the institutional structure of government agencies,” but “the Catholic Church teaches that parents are the primary educators of their children and should have the freedom and resources to choose an educational setting best suited for their child.”

“The conference supports public policies that affirm this, and we support the positive working relationships that the dioceses, parishes, and independent schools have with their local public school system partners.” 

“As this executive order is implemented, it is important to ensure that students of all backgrounds in both public and nonpublic schools, especially those with disabilities or from low-income backgrounds, will continue to receive the resources they need,” the statement concluded. 

While private schools do not receive federal funds, they often work with the Department of Education to receive benefits from the department’s taxpayer-funded programs. The department does not give directly to private institutions but rather to programs the schools may utilize to support their students.

Jonathan Butcher, a senior research fellow for the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told CNA that the new order should not have an impact on Catholic schools and will not prevent students in public or private schools from receiving the resources they need. He said “the president has said in his executive order that all of the essential services … will continue.”

The department’s two biggest programs for K–12 education are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Title I program.

Butcher, a supporter of the order, said: “The president has committed to keeping programs for children in disadvantaged backgrounds or disadvantaged areas.”

Butcher said he believes the executive order will not influence students in public or private schools in their day-to-day lives. 

“The Department of Education’s role is to move money from the treasury to state departments of education and local districts, handle federal loans, and enforce federal law,” he said. “They don’t operate any schools and they don’t teach in any classrooms.” 

While the administration has received support for this decision, some critics say it will cause “challenges.” President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten told Newsweek that a “gutted department would mean fewer teachers, more crowded classrooms, and increased mental health and behavioral challenges for students.”

Advocacy groups for special needs students have also expressed concern, including Katy Neas, CEO of The Arc, which states it “protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

In a press release following the executive order, Neas said: “Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education is more than a policy shift — it will reverse five decades of progress for students with disabilities.”

“Children with disabilities who do not receive appropriate education services will face greater isolation, unemployment, and poverty,” she said.

null / Credit: Ulf Wittrock/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Mar 21, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is arguing in federal court that a state “human rights” law is infringing upon its freedoms of religion and speech as well as the freedoms of a pregnancy resource center in the state. 

A lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. district court by the diocese and the Pregnancy Care Center of Rockford alleges that the Illinois Human Rights Act “dictates how religious employers must speak and act about employees’ voluntary reproductive decisions like abortion, contraception, and sterilization.”

The recently amended law forbids employers from engaging in “harassment” against employees; the state has defined harassment to include “unwelcome conduct” regarding whether an employee has “use[d] contraception, fertility treatments, or abortion care.”

The law further “prohibits employers from disciplining or refusing to hire employees” regarding their decisions about abortion and further “requires employers to grant employee accommodations” regarding abortion, the lawsuit alleges. 

The measure renders both the diocese and the pregnancy center “powerless to control deeply theological internal matters and to separate themselves from conduct that fatally undermines their mission and message,” the suit states. 

The law specifically prevents the diocese from hiring a pro-life advocate and an associate general counsel, the suit argues. Overall the act allegedly interferes with both the diocese’s and the pregnancy center’s religious autonomy “by preventing them from only hiring and retaining employees who abide by their religious beliefs.”

The plaintiffs allege that the law violates both the First Amendment and the 14th Amendment.

The lawsuit asks the court to forbid the state from enforcing the act against the two parties “in connection with [their] speech and conduct related to reproductive decisions.”

The plaintiffs are being represented in the suit by the religious liberty law firm Alliance Defending Freedom.  

State Attorney General Kwame Raoul and state Department of Human Rights Director James Bennett were named as defendants. Neither office immediately responded to CNA’s requests for comment on the suit as of Friday morning.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas. / Credit: “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” screenshot

CNA Staff, Mar 21, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday settled a lawsuit against the leaders of a Kansas Satanist group after the defendants testified under oath that the hosts and wine they plan to desecrate in a Satanic ritual are not “Catholic in origin.”

Naumann had on March 14 filed a lawsuit in Leavenworth County District Court seeking an order to secure the safe return of the Eucharist from the co-founder of the Satanist group, who had allegedly boasted online of possessing a “consecrated host” that the group intends to desecrate during an upcoming “black mass.”

The defendants in the suit were Michael T. Stewart and Travis L. Roberts, both Kansas residents who, according to the suit, are co-founders of the Satanic Grotto, also known as the Grotto Society, which is a nonprofit registered in Linwood, Kansas.

In the suit, Naumann alleged that Stewart had posted online that the group has “secured a consecrated host” that they intend to desecrate during a planned “black mass” set to be held March 28 on the grounds of the Kansas state capitol.

“Satanist” groups intending to stage so-called “black masses” — a direct mockery of the Catholic Mass — have on at least one other occasion boasted of possessing a stolen consecrated host with an intent to desecrate the Eucharist in an unspecified but profane ritual.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist, while retaining the appearance of bread and wine, is truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. 

As the leader of the Catholic Church in the region, Naumann appealed to Kansas law related to the return of personal property, saying the Satanists are not authorized to possess the consecrated bread and wine and, if they do in fact have them, must have obtained them illegally. 

“[A]ny and all consecrated host(s) and any amount of consecrated wine is the property of the Catholic Church, and thus Archbishop Naumann, as the custodian of such property being located within the territory of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, is entitled to immediate delivery of such property,” the lawsuit reads. 

As evidence that Stewart and Roberts had the Eucharist, Naumann submitted screenshots of Reddit posts in which a user “xsimon666x” said they had “already secured a consecrated host” and “wine too” for the desecration ritual. The defendants admitted during the proceedings that the xsimon666x username is one of their pseudonyms. 

A promotional flyer for the “mass” posted on Reddit lists the “components” of the ritual, which include the “Denounciation [sic] of Christ,” the “Desecration of the Eucharist,” and the “Corruption of the Blood.” 

Naumann stressed the “incalculable” value of the Eucharist as one of several reasons the court should compel its safe return to the Church. 

“A host is simply a piece of bread. However, a consecrated host — including the consecrated host that [is] the subject of this action — is a host that has undergone the transubstantiation and is now the body of Jesus Christ,” the suit notes.

“Likewise, the wine used at the Mass is simply common wine. However, once the wine has undergone transubstantiation it becomes consecrated wine, and thus the blood of Jesus Christ.”

For his part, Stewart, who has described himself as an atheist who does not believe in Satan, denied the theft allegations in comments to the Kansas Reflector and said that “no one asked” what consecration means to him.

“I find it very entertaining that [Naumann] is convinced that I have Jesus trapped in a cracker and he would take it to court,” Stewart is quoted as saying.

Court documents show that Stewart and Roberts answered the lawsuit’s allegations, in part, by contending that “there is no evidence that the host to which defendants refer in their posts is a Catholic Eucharist host” and that “the Catholic Church does not have a monopoly on Communion or the consecration of hosts or wine.”

“The hosts that are the subject of this lawsuit are not Catholic in origin,” the defendants maintained.

The Kansas Catholic Conference, in a statement provided to CNA, called the Satanist group’s assurances that they did not steal and do not possess the Eucharist an “unexpected but welcome development” that alleviates many of the Church’s “grave concerns.”

However, they noted that the Satanist group is still planning to defile a Bible, crucifix, and other Christian symbols and that Catholics should still pray for the conversion of those planning to take part.  

“We now have a sworn statement before a judge that the group does not possess a validly consecrated host,” said Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference. 

“This alleviates a major concern. It is still sad that a group can get permission to use the statehouse grounds when their sole purpose is mockery and denigration of not just Catholics but people of all denominations,” he said. 

Amid a heated debate among Kansas lawmakers as to whether the event should be allowed to go forward March 28, Gov. Laura Kelly last week said she has “limited authority” to cancel the event, instead decreeing that the event must take place outside and not inside the building itself. A Catholic-led petition asking Kelly to shut down the event has attracted over 40,000 signatures as of Thursday. 

The Catholic bishops of the state are urging the faithful to counter the planned event through prayer, good works such as seeking out volunteer opportunities with Catholic Charities, and by contacting their lawmakers to ask them to shut the event down. 

During the Satanic event, Naumann will be leading a Holy Hour at Assumption Catholic Church, which is directly across the street from the capitol. The Holy Hour will begin at 11 a.m. followed by noon Mass. Similar Holy Hours and Masses are planned in the neighboring Kansas dioceses of Wichita, Salina, and Dodge City. 

The planned Satanic ritual is an “affront to all Christians,” Naumann noted in the statement, but he urged the faithful not to “succumb to anger and violence, as that would be cooperating with the devil.”

“Rather, approach this situation with confidence in God’s ultimate victory over Satan, sin, and death as stated in Matthew 16:18,” the archbishop concluded. 

Nearby Benedictine College announced March 10 that students and staff will be dedicating the month’s weekly Holy Hours, rosaries, and Memorare prayers to the intention of the conversion of those involved in the sacrilegious event and to the intention that faith will grow in Kansas.

Catholic opposition to “black mass” events has a history of success in recent years. 

Last October, Catholics in Atlanta were outraged and called to prayer when a “black mass” event was announced by the Satanic Temple, a provocative Salem, Massachusetts-based political organization that denies belief in the supernatural and is known for protesting religious symbolism in public spaces.

After legal action by the Atlanta Archdiocese, the Satanic Temple admitted it did not have a consecrated host and did not intend to use one in its “mass.”

In 2014, a planned “black mass” at Harvard University sparked considerable outcry from Catholics, as did another one later that year in Oklahoma City. The latter led to a successful lawsuit from the Oklahoma City Archdiocese against an occult group that claimed to have obtained a consecrated host, leading to the host’s safe return.

Sister Mary Casey O’Connor, SV, and her twin sister, Casey Gunning, who has Down syndrome, speak at the March for Life Rally in 2023. / Credit: Screenshot EWTN YouTube

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 21, 2025 / 09:45 am (CNA).

As Americans become more conscious of the importance of welcoming people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including those with Down syndrome, the Catholic Church in the United States is also working to accommodate Catholics who have such conditions.

Today, March 21, marks World Down Syndrome Day — a global awareness day recognized by the United Nations to advocate for the legal rights of people with Down syndrome and promote greater inclusion and less stigmatization of people with the genetic condition.

Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has a third chromosome 21, which normally occurs at the moment of conception. Although the condition affects each person differently, it typically causes intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, distinct physical characteristics, and increased risks of certain health problems.

About half a million Americans have Down syndrome. Although stigmatization of people with Down syndrome is still prevalent in society, there are growing opportunities within the Catholic Church to address their needs during faith formation and ensure proper access to Mass and the sacraments.

“No one can refuse the sacraments to people with disabilities,” Pope Francis said in 2021.

Catechetical options

Charleen Katra, the executive director of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), told CNA that stigmatization of those with Down syndrome is “still an issue, even in good Catholic faith communities,” but highlighted the ongoing progress on inclusion within the Church.

Katra provides training and other resources for catechists on how to better accommodate the needs of people who have disabilities. She said special training on the subject is important for catechists “because the audience is a little more specialized.” 

She said a person may need instruction at “a slower pace” and “a more adaptive pace,” noting that people with learning disabilities often benefit from a “multisensory approach” that includes visuals or touch. 

In one example, she noted that putting one’s hands in a prayer posture could help a person visualize prayer if he or she is struggling to understand the concept simply through verbal instruction. Another example she noted is modeling clay into the form of a dove to help visualize the Holy Spirit when teaching about confirmation to provide a “more tangible, multisensory experience.”

“The more options we give, the more people we serve,” Katra said.

Katra noted that Loyola Press publishes a lot of material for catechists and parents designed to help them learn how to better instruct people who have intellectual disabilities.

One option available in some dioceses is Special Religious Development (SPRED), which are faith development programs designed specifically for people who have disabilities and struggle with other catechesis programs available. Although this is not the approach of most dioceses, Katra said it is “one of many positive models.”

Nancy Emanuel of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, helps run her diocese’s Special Religious Education (SPRED) program. The program includes about 150 children and adults who are broken into different age groups.

“SPRED is for people who don’t fit into more typical programs,” Emanuel said.

Emanuel told CNA the approach in Arlington also includes “a lot of multisensory learning.” This includes visual aids and crafts and trying to “make learning fun and adventurous” in an engaging way. 

In one example, she explained a 3D visual lesson on the Eucharist in which a picture of Christ is placed behind the host so when the students lift up the host, they see an image of Jesus. She said visuals like this help them understand the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist to ensure they are properly prepared for their first Communion.

Emanuel said one of the most important concepts to ensure that a person is ready for Communion is to comprehend the distinction between food, which is nourishment of the body, and the Eucharist, which is nourishment of the soul. 

“Then we know that they understand the concept,” Emanuel said.

Katra emphasized that when catechizing a person with an intellectual disability, it is important to recognize that every person has “different gifts and abilities.” She said it is important to not “do for someone anything they can do for themselves,” adding that it is necessary to “set them up to be an independent person and live as independently as possible, and yet support them as needed.”

“Let them do as much as they can for themselves before you assist,” Katra said.

Sensory-friendly Masses

Apart from unique catechesis options, some parishes are also introducing sensory-friendly Mass options in which lights are dimmed, there is no organ music, and homilies are concise. Another component to these Masses is that the church will often provide objects, such as rosaries, that people can fidget with if it helps them maintain focus.

For people with Down syndrome or other intellectual disabilities, Katra told CNA the sensory Mass gives them “the ability to feel free to come out of a pew” if needed to help “regain focus or maybe calm down if someone’s getting anxious or agitated.”

Katra said these Masses “make parishes and churches more accessible for more worshippers” and referenced stories of people coming back to Mass thanks to these options.

Additionally, Katra said it is important that the Church “shows love, shows kindness, shows patience, [and] shows compassion” when accommodating the needs of people who have disabilities. 

She said people with Down syndrome “are pure love and they are pure joy, absolutely.”

“They are exceptional models for us in so many Christian traits and values,” Katra said.

Dr. Jérôme Lejeune (1926-1994). / Credit: Fondation Jérôme Lejeune via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

CNA Staff, Mar 21, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

On World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, people around the world raise awareness and promote the rights and well-being of people with Down syndrome.

The date, “3/21” symbolizes the triplication of the 21st chromosome — the genetic cause of Down syndrome, which was discovered by Dr. Jérôme Lejeune, a Catholic doctor on his way to sainthood.

In 2021, Lejeune, who was born in 1926 and died in 1994, was declared venerable for his heroic virtue, including his advocacy for people with Down syndrome and his defense of unborn children.

Aude Dugast, a philosopher by training who is postulator for the cause for Lejeune’s canonization and author of “Jérôme Lejeune: A Man of Science and Conscience,” described Lejeune as “an apostle of the gospel of life.”

“Jérôme Lejeune was a man of great science and great faith who used his immense intelligence in the service of his patients,” Dugast told CNA. “Not to make money, to get more power, but with humility he used his intelligence to serve the most humble, the children, his patients.”

Dugast told CNA she was “impressed by the sanctity of his intelligence.”

“His intelligence was magnetized by the truth, and this, united to his deep love, unconditional love, for his patients gave him the strength to always testify in their favor,” Dugast said. “He was not afraid — nothing and nobody could make him deviate.”

‘An apostle of the gospel of life’

Lejeune is called the “father of modern genetics” for his discovery of the genetic, chromosomal cause of Down syndrome in 1958. The discovery was a “genetic revolution” in a time where chromosomal diseases were virtually unknown, Dugast explained.

People with Down syndrome can present a variety of different conditions including growth delays, varying levels of intellectual impairment, and a variety of physical abnormalities. Down syndrome, also known as “trisomy 21,” was not understood for centuries, and those with it were often marginalized well into the 19th century and still are today. 

Lejeune spent his life researching ways to help people with Down syndrome and advocating for his patients. Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome increased from 10 to 60 years thanks in part to his research and advocacy.

“He demonstrated an unconditional love for his ‘little patients’ with Down syndrome and all the patients with any mental disability,” Dugast said. “He had an unconditional love with no criteria of age or illness. ‘Every patient is my brother,’ he liked to repeat, and seeing in each of them the suffering face of Christ, he gave his life to try to cure them. He was a servant of life.”  

Lejeune received many awards throughout his life for his scientific achievements, including the Kennedy award, which he received from President John F. Kennedy, as well as the Allan Memorial Award — the highest award in genetics. He received honorary doctorates from four universities and had an international position with the World Health Organization. 

“As a great scientist, he showed the deep harmony between faith and science. This is one aspect of his holiness that inspires many scientists today,” Dugast reflected. “He saw God everywhere, in his research, in his life.” 

“He was a witness to the beauty of creation and the existence of the Creator,” she continued. “Jerome Lejeune’s intelligence was magnetized by truth. And he always used his intelligence for the good of man and only for the good of man.” 

The physician was a staunch advocate for life, condemning the abortions of individuals identified in the womb as having Down syndrome. He advocated against prenatal testing. Lejeune even testified in a legal case in the U.S. arguing that embryos have a right to life — the first time that argument was made in legal history.

Ten years after his discovery of the extra chromosome on pair 21, Lejeune discovered that it was being used for prenatal screening of children with Down syndrome.

“It was a terrible shock, a heartbreak for him,” Dugast said. “He then decided to work even harder to find the treatment that would free them from the threat of abortion as soon as possible. And he decided to publicly defend them all over the world in scientific congresses.”

Lejeune testified against abortion in front of many parliaments including in Canada, Australia, and countries in Europe, and in many courts in the U.S. as well as in the media.

But after speaking out about his pro-life views, Lejeune became ostracized in the scientific community in France. He lost his research funding in the country and was even refused academic appointments. 

“He served life and truth, in spite of the attacks he was subjected to, in spite of the risks to his career — and he lost a lot: He lost the Nobel Prize, his research credits, his team in his laboratory in Paris,” Dugast said. “But he continued to defend the rights of disabled children by reminding [everyone of] their right to life.”

“Everything was unified, harmonized in him: His intelligence adhered to the truth, his heart loved unconditionally, and this inner unity gave him great strength, great freedom,” Dugast continued. “This is how he was able to become the heroic defender of the unborn without fear of breaking his career.”  

Lejeune would gain recognition in the Catholic world after Pope John Paul II appointed him to lead the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The pope later appointed Lejeune to be the founding president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Lejeune ardently drafted the bylaws and the oath of the Servants of Life, but just 33 days after the appointment, he died of lung cancer on Easter Sunday 1994.  

The path to sainthood

“On the very day of his death, a petition of 50 people asked the Vatican to open his canonization process,” Dugast said. “His reputation for sanctity is important in the United States, Latin America, and Europe and continues to grow.” 

In 2007, Lejeune’s cause for canonization in the Catholic Church was officially opened. In 2021, Pope Francis advanced the cause for canonization after declaring Lejeune “venerable” within the Catholic Church and approving the decree that Lejeune was “heroically” virtuous. 

Lejeune could be beatified if a miracle is found to have been worked through his intercession. 

Dugast said she has seen support for Lejeune from all over the world, while the biography she wrote about him has been published in many languages. 

“Requests for prayers and relics of Jérôme Lejeune are pouring in from all over the world! From Australia to the United States, via Canada, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, the Philippines, Africa, India, New Zealand and, of course, Europe, families are praying with perseverance. This surge of faith and hope unites us in the communion of saints,” she said.

“He is a fantastic example for our world who pretends to be very intelligent but which is, so often, very far from the truth,” Dugast continued. “He shows us the star that we must follow.”

Lejeune’s legacy continues today through the foundations created in his name by his family and colleagues soon after his death. 

The Institut Jérôme Lejeune in Paris “welcomes 12,000 patients for medical follow-up, from the beginning to the end of life, with a very competent team of specialized doctors,” Dugast said, noting that it is “probably the largest consultation center for patients with a mental handicap of genetic origin in the world.” 

The Fondation Jérôme Lejeune in Paris, another organization carrying on Lejeune’s work, conducts clinical and fundamental research programs on Down syndrome and other chromosomal diseases. The French foundation has opened other offices in the U.S., Spain, and Argentina.  

On the 31st anniversary of Lejeune’s death, April 3, the Association of Friends of Professor Lejeune will hold a Mass for life at Notre-Dame in Paris at 6 p.m., which will be celebrated by Monsignor Denis Dupont-Fauville, canon emeritus of Notre-Dame and canon of Saint-Pierre, according to Dugast.

Dr. Catherine Pakaluk and six of her children. / Credit: Jack D. Hardy

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mar 21, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The problem of below-replacement fertility rates across the globe and possible solutions to reverse the trend will be the subject of the Natal Conference on March 28-29 in Austin, Texas.

The conference website sets out the problem dramatically: “By the end of this century, nearly every country on Earth will have a shrinking population, and economic systems dependent on reliable growth will collapse. … Governments have tried everything in the standard technocratic toolset — tax incentives, subsidized child care, propaganda — and nothing has worked.” 

Conference organizer Kevin Dolan of natalism.org told CNA that currently more can be said about what doesn’t advance natalism (the promotion of childbearing) than what does.

“Crude cash incentives are less likely to be effective than reforms which remove structural obstacles to raising families,” he pointed out, such as reforming family law and welfare penalties for two-parent homes.

Among the conference participants is Harvard-trained economist Catherine Ruth Pakaluk, a mother of eight and an associate professor of political economy at The Catholic University of America.

“I want to bring my dose of sanity to the conference so that people can appreciate the limits of policy,” Pakaluk told CNA. She will tell the conference about “positive outliers” bucking the birth dearth.

Pakaluk is the author of “Hannah'’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth,” a book that examines the lives of college-educated women who have chosen to defy the demographic norm by bearing five or more children.

Pakaluk counts herself among these women who affirm the biblical sense that children are a blessing, “intrinsically valuable and worth having. Even if they cost me something.”

Pakaluk said that among Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, there are significant minorities that view children as a blessing. “They are people living according to biblical, grace-filled principles, despite the cost, when the rest of the world isn’t,” she said.

Because there are limits to what policies can do, “positive outliers,” she said, should be encouraged.

“If there is a broadened space for the Catholic Church and other churches to operate, and we can lean into religious liberty more, there is a reasonable expectation of a moderately higher birth rate, not through policy but through the living religious community,” she said. 

Terry Schilling, a Catholic father of seven who heads the American Principles Project, is also among the conference’s scheduled speakers. He told CNA he will speak on the importance of fathers’ participation in family formation.

“We have to prioritize fatherhood to reinvigorate the family in America,” Schilling told CNA. An economy that encourages two-income families and divorce is worsened by attacks on manliness, he added.

Schilling also made a point of applauding the Trump administration for recently featuring so many children at White House ceremonies, including the children of billionaire Elon Musk, who is celebrated as a leading ally of the movement.

Currently, of the top 10 countries exhibiting the highest birth rate, all of them are in Africa. Leading the world is Niger, at a rate of 46.6 births per 1,000 people as of 2024. According to the CIA World Factbook, this means every woman in Niger can expect to deliver approximately six babies in her lifetime.

Greece, Taiwan, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Andorra, Japan, Monaco, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and Ukraine were at the bottom of the list. Ukraine, in the very last place, showed six births per 1,000 people in 2024, or 1.26 births per woman. The replacement fertility rate for a population is 2.1 children per woman.

The United States shows 1.66 births per woman, or 12.2 births per 1,000 people. According to a December 2023 U.S. Census Bureau press release, net international migration is driving growth in the U.S. population.

“What stands out is the diminishing role of natural increase over the last five years, as net international migration has become the primary driver of the nation’s growth,” Census Bureau demographer Kristie Wilder said.

Some governments have tried to affect fertility rates with policies. For example, Japan provides child allowances to women with three or more children, but according to the U.N., its rate of births per woman remains at 1.3 to 1.4 children. Hungary exempts mothers of four or more children from taxes, but at 1.51 live births per woman it remains below the replacement rate.