WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R.21), while the Senate failed to overcome the 60-vote procedural threshold for its version (S.6). “The House of Representatives took decisive action to protect innocent babies from infanticide,” said Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities. “Babies are being left to die after failed abortions – denied care and basic human compassion. It is a stunning failure of the Senate to reject this necessary, common-sense legislation – which, in reality, does not even limit abortion but protects infants who are born alive,” he added.

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would require health care providers to give children born alive after an attempted abortion the same medical care that they would for any child born at that same gestational age and to transport them to a hospital. Currently, denying these infants care and leaving them alone to die – unlike a direct action of killing – is often not adequately covered by state laws, leaving a critical gap in needed protection. On Tuesday, Bishop Thomas sent a letter to Congress, urging members to vote for the bill. His letter may be read here.

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WASHINGTON – The following statement was issued in response to action taken by the Trump Administration rescinding guidance related to "protected areas" in immigration enforcement. 

“Catholic health care, Catholic Charities agencies, and the Church’s other social service ministries work daily to feed, house, heal, educate, and meet people’s needs in communities across our nation. Through these ministries—together with the Church’s responsibility to proclaim the Gospel and celebrate the sacraments—we uphold the belief that all people are conceived with inherent dignity, reflecting the image of God. Through our parishes, shelters, hospitals, schools, and other Church institutions, we recognize that this dignity is not dependent on a person's citizenship or immigration status. Moreover, the charitable services we provide are fundamental to who we are as Christians. ‘For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally well be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being’ (Deus caritas est, no. 25).

“We recognize the need for just immigration enforcement and affirm the government’s obligation to carry it out in a targeted, proportional, and humane way. However, non-emergency immigration enforcement in schools, places of worship, social service agencies, healthcare facilities, or other sensitive settings where people receive essential services would be contrary to the common good. With the mere rescission of the protected areas guidance, we are already witnessing reticence among immigrants to engage in daily life, including sending children to school and attending religious services. All people have a right to fulfill their duty to God without fear. Turning places of care, healing, and solace into places of fear and uncertainty for those in need, while endangering the trust between pastors, providers, educators and the people they serve, will not make our communities safer. 

“Our organizations stand ready to work on a better path forward that protects the dignity of all those we serve, upholds the sacred duty of our providers, and ensures our borders and immigration system are governed with mercy and justice.”

This statement was offered by Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO, Catholic Health Association of the United States, and Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO, Catholic Charities USA.

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ROME (CNS) -- Before the millions of pilgrims expected to come to Rome during the Holy Year 2025 cross through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, they will be met by smiling faces and lime green jackets.

Jubilee volunteers of all ages and nationalities have become a mainstay along the boulevard leading up to St. Peter's Square since the start of the Holy Year.

Wearing uniforms emblazoned with "volontario" across their backs and the Jubilee and Vatican logos on their chests, the volunteers line the pilgrims' path, offering guidance and companionship on their spiritual journey.

They escort pilgrims along the final leg of their pilgrimage to the Holy Door, checking passes, providing directions and accompanying groups in prayer.

For Craig and Laura Schlattmann -- a married couple of Jubilee volunteers from Tacoma, Washington -- participating in the current Holy Year has been 25 years in the making.

Craig was stationed in Italy for military service, and the couple lived in Rome during the Holy Year 2000. Back then they "vowed, God willing, to come back for the next ordinary Jubilee year in 2025," Laura told Catholic News Service.

After Craig's recent retirement, the couple decided to fulfill that promise. "We returned not just for ourselves and our own experience but also to help our family, friends and everyone who comes to Rome to experience this special year," Craig said Jan. 23. "It's been a real blessing."

Though volunteer positions are open to all Catholics over 18 who can volunteer at least one week of their time at the Vatican, the Schlattmanns committed to moving to Rome for the duration of the Jubilee Year to host friends and family making pilgrimages to the Eternal City and assist other pilgrims.

Volunteers arrange their own travel to Rome, but once they arrive, the Dicastery for Evangelization provides meals and accommodations at the "Domus Spei," a former convent in central Rome equipped with dozens of rooms and 100 beds. Applicants must submit a letter of introduction from their parish priest or another representative of a church organization.

The dicastery said it had received more than 7,000 volunteer applications before the start of the Jubilee.

In their day-to-day activities, the volunteers "are here to smooth the pilgrim's path so that they can focus on their spiritual journey along the pilgrim way," Laura told CNS.

Accompanying pilgrim groups is "a truly holy experience," she said, particularly when guiding them toward the altar over St. Peter's tomb.

"You can feel their love, you can feel their faith, and to realized that I am blessed enough to accompany them, it's just amazing," she said.

While participating as a pilgrim is powerful, Craig emphasized that volunteering offers a unique perspective. "To be a volunteer is to serve, and we're serving our brothers and sisters in Christ, many of whom have come many, many miles at great expense to have a special, probably a once in a lifetime, experience."

Although volunteers often accompany large groups of pilgrims through the Holy Door, the Schlattmanns said even smaller encounters with pilgrims leave a lasting impression.

Craig recalled witnessing a young priest and a layperson assist an elderly person to walk across the threshold of the Holy Door. "You could see their reverence and the excitement that they had," he said, expressing gratitude for the blessing that is helping others reach the culmination of their long pilgrimage.

And obtaining that blessing beats out any other trip one could plan for 2025, Laura said.

"Put the ski vacation on hold for a year, put the cruise on hold for a year," she said. "Come to Rome, do it for you, do it for your children, do it for your grandchildren, do it for your soul."

Vocation, not vacation: Volunteers "vector" visitors at the Vatican

CNS spoke with volunteers assisting with the Holy Year 2025.

WASHINGTON – Following an earlier statement by Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, issued the following statement:

“The Catholic Church is committed to defending the sanctity of every human life and the God-given dignity of each person, regardless of nationality or immigration status. Church teaching recognizes a country’s right and responsibility to promote public order, safety, and security through well-regulated borders and just limits on immigration. However, as shepherds, we cannot abide injustice, and we stress that national self-interest does not justify policies with consequences that are contrary to the moral law. The use of sweeping generalizations to denigrate any group, such as describing all undocumented immigrants as ‘criminals' or ‘invaders,’ to deprive them of protection under the law, is an affront to God, who has created each of us in his own image. Pope Francis has stated, ‘No one will ever openly deny that [migrants] are human beings, yet in practice, by our decisions and the way we treat them, we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human. For Christians, this way of thinking and acting is unacceptable.’ 

“While an emphasis on anti-trafficking is welcomed, several of the executive orders signed by President Trump this week are specifically intended to eviscerate humanitarian protections enshrined in federal law and undermine due process, subjecting vulnerable families and children to grave danger. The open-ended deployment of military assets to support civil immigration enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border is especially concerning. Meanwhile, policies barring the consideration of any humanitarian claims—including those of unaccompanied children and trafficking victims—have repeatedly failed to reduce irregular migration in a legal, sustainable, and humane manner.

“Preventing any access to asylum and other protections will only endanger those who are most vulnerable and deserving of relief, while empowering gangs and other predators to exploit them. Likewise, indefinitely halting refugee resettlement is unmerited, as it is already proven to be one of the most secure legal pathways to the United States. Even non-humanitarian legal immigration and naturalized persons are targeted by these policies in support of a so-called ‘unified American identity.’ Finally, the proposed interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment to limit birthright citizenship sets a dangerous precedent, contradicting the Supreme Court’s longstanding interpretation. 

“We urge President Trump to pivot from these enforcement-only policies to just and merciful solutions, working in good faith with members of Congress to achieve meaningful, bipartisan immigration reform that furthers the common good with an effective, orderly immigration system. My brother bishops and I will support this in any way we can, while continuing to accompany our immigrant brothers and sisters in accordance with the Gospel of Life.”

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ROME (CNS) -- The Holy Doors of the basilicas of Rome, the beautiful churches, the countryside around Assisi, the gelato and the pasta and the daily Masses were just some of the pilgrimage highlights mentioned by Holy Year pilgrims from the Diocese of Cleveland.

"It's one thing to see photos online of the Sistine Chapel and another to stand in awe under it with other pilgrims," said Father Dan Schlegel, pastor of the diocese's St. Raphael Parish in Bay Village.

Bishop Edward C. Malesic of Cleveland and 90 pilgrims, including two priests and three permanent deacons, made their Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi Jan. 13-23. Their last full day in Rome included Pope Francis' general audience and going through the Holy Door and celebrating Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. 

Earlier in the trip, they had Mass with Bishop Malesic near the tomb of St. Peter at the Vatican and next to the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi.

Those Masses were "very special," said Jim Ruddock, a member of St. Noel Church in Willoughby Hills. "It's like getting to sit next to the field at a football game" rather than high up in the bleachers.

His wife, Maria Ruddock, said it was even more special "getting to celebrate Mass in these places with our own bishop." 

At Mass Jan. 22 under the Marian icon "Salus Populi Romani" ("health of the Roman people") in St. Mary Major, Bishop Malesic told the pilgrims, "Don't be shy" to return home and share their pilgrimage experience with their families, parishes and communities.

The bishop told Catholic News Service that while he has been to Rome many times, the trip gave him a chance to experience the holy sites through the eyes of many people who had never been to Italy before and to draw hope from the faith of "people who want to do a spiritual pilgrimage and to encounter Jesus."

"I experienced the best of the church with the joy at our meals, the intensity of our prayer at Mass, the awe when walking through the Holy Doors and the contrition of our hearts in the sacrament of reconciliation," he told the pilgrims in his homily at their final Mass.

Pope Francis opened the Holy Year 2025 on Christmas Eve with the theme, "Pilgrims of Hope."

Mary Lou Ozimek, assistant executive director of the diocese's Catholic Community Foundation, which organized the pilgrimage, said one sign of hope for her was seeing pilgrimage members keep prayer journals and bring to the altar each day their "intention books," which were filled with their prayer requests and those of their family and friends.

The 90 pilgrims came from each of the eight counties in the diocese, she said, and the prayer intentions represented the hopes and needs of the whole diocese. 

The pilgrims crossed the thresholds of the Holy Doors at the basilicas of St. Peter, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. John Lateran before reaching St. Mary Major. But they also visited the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs, which tradition holds are the stairs Jesus ascended when Pontius Pilate brought him before the crowd and handed him over to be crucified.

Jodi Theis from St. Martin of Tours Parish in Valley City said the highlight of the pilgrimage was climbing the stairs on her knees, which was much more difficult than she had expected.

"I was immediately overcome with emotion," she said. "It was painful, but I'm so glad I did it. I was filled with joy at the top and overwhelmed by the love of Jesus, who suffered so much for us."
 

WASHINGTON - In response to this week’s Executive Orders signed by President Trump, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered the following statement:

“Many of the issues President Trump addresses in his recent Executive Orders, along with what may be issued in the coming days, are matters on which the Church has much to offer. Some provisions contained in the Executive Orders, such as those focused on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, foreign aid, expansion of the death penalty, and the environment, are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us. Other provisions in the Executive Orders can be seen in a more positive light, such as recognizing the truth about each human person as male or female. 

“I wish to reiterate that the Catholic Church is not aligned with any political party, and neither is the bishops’ conference. No matter who occupies the White House or holds the majority on Capitol Hill, the Church’s teachings remain unchanged. It is our hope that the leadership of our Country will reconsider those actions which disregard not only the human dignity of a few, but of us all. 

“Following the ancient tradition, Pope Francis has declared 2025 as a Jubilee Year of Hope. As Christians, our hope is always in Jesus Christ, who guides us through storm and calm weather. He is the source of all truth. Our prayer is one of hope that, as a Nation blessed with many gifts, our actions demonstrate a genuine care for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers, including the unborn, the poor, the elderly and infirm, and migrants and refugees. The just Judge expects nothing less.”

The USCCB will publish additional information pertaining to specific Executive Orders on usccb.org. 

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God tells Christians not to be afraid because he is always close, accompanying the faithful throughout their lives and through all their challenges, Pope Francis said.

"God says 'Do not be afraid' to Abraham, Isaac" and many others in the Bible, but "he says it to us, too. 'Be not afraid,' keep going," because God "is your traveling companion," the pope said Jan. 22 during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

The pope also expressed his closeness to and prayers for the people of Los Angeles, where severe wildfires continue to burn. "I want you to know that my heart is with the people of Los Angeles," he said.

"May Our Lady of Guadalupe intercede for all residents so that they may be witnesses of hope through the strength of diversity and creativity for which they are known around the world," he said at the end of his general audience.

The pope also told those gathered in the audience hall that during his daily phone call with the Holy Family Parish in Gaza yesterday, the people living there were happy with the ceasefire.

"Inside, there are 600 people in the parish and the school. And they told me, 'Today, we ate lentils with chicken -- something we weren't used to in these times. Just some vegetables, a little something... They were happy," he said.

He again invited Catholics to pray for Gaza, "for peace there, and in so many parts of the world," and to "remember in your prayers the elderly in Ukraine, who are living through the tragedy of war." 

In his main address, the pope continued a series of talks on "Jesus Christ our hope," which is the theme for his weekly catechesis throughout the Jubilee Year, by looking at the effect of God's transforming power on a young Mary in Nazareth.

The angel Gabriel "brings a message of an entirely unheard-of form and content, so much so that Mary's heart is shaken, disturbed," the pope said.

Gabriel's greeting, "Hail!" is an invitation to rejoice, and "God calls Mary with a loving name unknown to biblical history, 'kecharitoméne,' which means 'filled with divine grace,'" he said.

Mary, full of grace, means that "God's love has already for some time inhabited, and continues to dwell, in Mary's heart … making her his masterpiece," he said.

God immediately reassures Mary to "be not afraid," he said, because "the Lord's presence gives this grace of not being afraid."

Mary learns of her mission to be "the mother of the long-awaited Davidic Messiah" whose name will be "'Jesus,' which means 'God saves,' reminding everyone forever that it is not man who saves, but only God," the pope said. 

"This absolutely unique motherhood shakes Mary to the core," he said, but she reflects and hears an invitation to trust completely in God.

"Illuminated with trust," he said, "Mary welcomes the Word in her own flesh and thus launches the greatest mission ever entrusted to a human creature," placing herself in service, collaborating with God's plan.

"Let us learn from Mary, mother of the Savior and our mother, to open our ears to the divine Word, to welcome it and cherish it, so that it may transform our hearts into tabernacles of his presence, into hospitable homes where hope grows," the pope said.

Greeting different language groups after his main catechesis, the pope welcomed representatives of other Christian communities who were in Rome for the week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which concludes Jan. 25.

"This unity is not the fruit of our own efforts, but a gift we must ask the Father for, so that the world may believe in his only son, Christ the savior," the pope told German-speaking visitors. 

Pope: God doesn't want us live in fear

A look at Pope Francis' general audience Jan. 22, 2025.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- On the day a ceasefire deal between Hamas militants and Israel went into effect, Pope Francis said he hoped all Israeli and Palestinian political leaders would support dialogue, reconciliation, peace and the existence of two states.

"Both the Israelis and the Palestinians need clear signs of hope," he said after praying the Angelus at noon with visitors in St. Peter's Square Jan. 19.

"I trust that the political authorities of both of them, with the help of the international community, may reach the right solution for the two states. May everyone be able to say: yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace," he said.

A ceasefire, mediated by officials from the United States, Qatar and Egypt, went into effect Jan. 19 in the hopes of ending a 15-month war triggered by a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel Oct. 7, 2023. The deal was to be carried out over the next six weeks starting with the release of some of the hostages by Hamas and the release of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel. The agreement also included Israel withdrawing from some areas and allowing a massive increase in humanitarian aid into Gaza, followed by the freeing of all remaining hostages and a full Israeli withdrawal. 

The pope thanked all the mediators for "a good job" mediating to bring about peace.

"And I also thank all the parties involved in this important result. I hope that what has been agreed will be respected immediately by the parties, and that all the hostages may finally return home and embrace their loved ones," he said, adding that he prays a lot for the hostages and their families. "I also hope that humanitarian aid will reach the people of Gaza, who so urgently need it, even faster and in large quantities."

Pope Francis also spoke about the ceasefire deal during an Italian television interview aired that evening, and specifically about the need for a two-state solution.

"The possibility exists! I also believe it is the only solution," he said.

Some individuals are willing to accept a Palestinian state and others aren't, he said without saying who. "And we have to convince (them), convince with that meek rhetoric" that is able to persuade those with strong convictions.

It takes courage to make peace, he said, adding that "often you lose something in order to make peace, but you gain much more."

Some 146 countries, including the Vatican, recognize the State of Palestine while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

WASHINGTON - In response to the Executive Orders that are expected to be signed today by President Trump, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered the following statement from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, executive director of public affairs:

“The bishops’ conference will be carefully reviewing the executive orders that are expected to be signed today by President Trump. 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 bishops’ conference 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.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis told U.S. President Donald Trump he hoped that the nation would prosper under his leadership and make no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion.

The pope offered his "cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength and protection in the exercise of your high duties," in a message marking Trump's inauguration as the 47th president of the United States Jan. 20.

"Inspired by your nation's ideals of being a land of opportunity and welcome for all, it is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion," the pope wrote.

"At the same time, as our human family faces numerous challenges, not to mention the scourge of war, I also ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples," the message said.

Pope Francis also invoked "upon you, your family, and the beloved American people an abundance of divine blessings."