null / Credit: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock

CNA Newsroom, Jul 3, 2024 / 16:27 pm (CNA).

Voters in Baltimore will decide this fall whether to approve a $1,000 bonus that parents would receive upon the birth or adoption of a child.

Led by the Maryland Child Alliance (MCA), a volunteer organization mainly composed of teachers, the measure garnered roughly 13,000 signatures and received approval Monday from the Baltimore City Board of Elections to appear on the November ballot. 

If approved, the measure would create a fund that would issue one-time $1,000 payments to parents regardless of their income level, costing the city at least $7 million annually. The Maryland Child Alliance says on its website that “the funding for the Baltimore Baby Bonus will come from the city’s general budget, which is $4.3 billion for 2024.”  

The group says its push for the bonus program is driven by evidence that mitigating the significant financial costs of bringing home and caring for a newborn can lead to greater success for children and adults in the long run. 

“The aim is to improve the well-being of children and families, while also having long-term benefits for the economy as a whole,” the group says on its website.

“By voting YES on the upcoming November ballot, you can help improve the well-being of children and families in our community while also contributing to long-term economic benefits.”

The plan is reminiscent of countries around the world that offer various bonuses, whether in the form of cash or supplies, to new parents in order to help them raise their children and, in many cases, as an attempt to buoy low birth rates. 

“Families can’t afford the things that they need, and you’re left with this terrible recipe where that could impact a kid forever,” Nate Golden, president of the Maryland Child Alliance, told the Baltimore Sun. 

“We want all kids lifted out of poverty, but where do you get the most bang for your buck? It’s with babies and newborns.”

City ballot measures almost always pass, the Baltimore Sun reported; voters in Baltimore haven’t rejected a ballot question since 2004. Election Day is Nov. 5. 

Maryland as a whole is one of several states that will vote on a measure to expand abortion this fall.

“The disbelief of Thomas has been more beneficial to our faith than the faith of all the disciples,” St. Gregory the Great said. / Credit: Guercino, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 3, 2024 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

On July 3, the Church commemorates St. Thomas the Apostle, who doubted that Christ had risen from the dead until the Lord himself appeared to him. While a lack of faith, according to three great saints, Thomas’ doubt actually had the benefit of confirming Christians in their faith.

The Gospel of St. John relates that when the risen Christ appeared to his disciples, Thomas was not present. When they told him they had seen the Lord, the apostle said that he would not believe until he touched the wounds of Jesus on his hands and side. Eight days later the Lord appeared to them again. This time Thomas was present and Jesus told him to touch his wounds, exhorting him: “Do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

St. Gregory the Great

For St. Gregory the Great, what happened was not by chance but the work of divine mercy “so that while the unbelieving disciple felt the wounds on his Master’s body, he would heal those wounds of our infidelity in us.”

“The disbelief of Thomas has been more beneficial to our faith than the faith of all the disciples, because while he, by touching, is restored to faith, our spirit is confirmed in it, setting aside all doubt,” the doctor of the Church explained.

St. John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom, a doctor of the Church and the patron saint of preachers, pointed out that Christ, seeking to save Thomas’ soul, appeared to him showing him his wounds. But he emphasized that this did not happen immediately, but eight days later so that “his desire was more inflamed and he was more faithful from then on.”

The saint also pointed out that the incorruptible body of the resurrected Christ kept the marks of the nails “to show them that it was the same body that had been crucified.”

St. Augustine

St. Augustine, another doctor of the Church, observed in a sermon that Christ took up Thomas’ challenge “not only for him but also for those who were going to deny the true flesh of the Lord.”

He pointed out that Jesus “wanted the scars to remain in his flesh to eliminate the wound of unbelief” in the hearts of men and for the signs of the wounds “to heal the true wounds.”

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

An Israeli army convoy leaves the Gaza Strip as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on July 3, 2024 in southern Israel. / Credit: Amir Levy/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 3, 2024 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

Israel’s embassy to the Holy See is criticizing a recent statement by Catholic leaders in the Holy Land that suggested Israel’s ongoing campaign in Gaza is not a “just war.”

In a statement June 30, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Holy Land implied that Israel’s behavior in Gaza goes beyond the “proportionate use of force” necessary for a war to be rooted in justice.

The commission, sponsored by the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, brings together Latin and Eastern Catholic leaders in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus. It is led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.

The June 30 statement pointed to the high death toll in Gaza as a sign that Israel’s conduct there is not just.

“As Catholics in the Holy Land who share Pope Francis’ vision for a peaceful world, we are outraged that political actors in Israel and abroad are mobilizing the theory of ‘just war’ in order to perpetuate and legitimate the ongoing war in Gaza,” the statement reads.

“This theory is being used in a way in which it was never intended: to justify the death of tens of thousands, our friends and our neighbors.”

The statement argued that in the case of Israel’s war in Gaza, it is clear that negotiations have not been exhausted before the use of force, among other issues. 

“There are those pretending that the war follows the rules of ‘proportionality’ by arguing that a war that continues until the bitter end might save the lives of Israelis in the future, therefore balancing the scales of the thousands of Palestinian lives being lost in the present,” they said.

“In doing so, they privilege the security of hypothetical people in the future over the lives of living and breathing human beings who are being killed every day,” the Catholic leaders continued.

“It is in a spirit of hope that we cannot allow words like ‘just’ to be mobilized to justify what is unjust, cruel, and devastating. We must argue for the integrity of language, because we remain convinced that true justice is still possible if we can hold fast to its promise.”

Israel seeks to prevent further ‘atrocities,’ embassy says

In a response posted to social media July 2, the Israeli embassy to the Holy See characterized the statement as “using religious pretext and linguistic stunts” to de facto object to Israel’s “right to defend itself.”

The embassy stated that Israel’s objective from the beginning of the conflict was “to end Hamas rule in the territory and secure that atrocities like the ones committed on Oct. 7 [2023] will not happen again.”

The embassy also took issue with the Catholic leaders’ framing of post-Oct. 7 events as “the war in Gaza” and said criticisms of the disproportionate nature of the fighting create “a false symmetry that reflects bias and one-sidedness.” 

They noted that Hamas terrorists have embedded themselves in civilian areas, putting noncombatants at risk. 

The Church teaches in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that in order for a war to be justified, in part, “the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated” (No. 2309).

Pope Francis himself has questioned the concept of just war, saying “war is essentially a lack of dialogue.” Just this week, a top Vatican official said the concept of just war “is being reviewed.” 

This is not the first time the Israeli embassy to the Holy See, led by outgoing ambassador Raphael Schutz, has criticized Catholic leaders’ statements on the war.

In December 2023, Schutz accused Pizzaballa of “blood libel” for saying that two Christian women in Gaza had been intentionally killed “in cold blood” by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 

Pope Francis had joined the patriarchate in condemning the women’s deaths, going so far as to call it an act of “terrorism” during his Dec. 17 Angelus address. 

And in May, the embassy sharply condemned a Yemeni Nobel laureate’s comments on Israel’s alleged “genocide” in Gaza, which she made at a Vatican conference. 

Schutz, however, told the Italian news wire ANSA that the remarks “should have no influence on bilateral relations” as the “shameful statement was not made by the Vatican or on behalf of the Vatican.” 

British media executive Sir Nicholas Coleridge, journalist Fraser Nelson, classical pianist Dame Mitsuko Uchida, author Tom Holland, and human rights advocate Bianca Jagger in a July 2, 2024, letter in the London newspaper The Times called upon the Holy See to preserve what they describe as the “magnificent” cultural artifact of the Catholic Church’s Traditional Latin Mass. / Credit: ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spectator Life; Ian Nicholson/WPA Pool/Getty Images; David Levenson/Getty Images; and Dave Benett/Getty Images for Harry's Bar

CNA Staff, Jul 3, 2024 / 12:45 pm (CNA).

A distinguished cadre of British public figures is calling upon the Holy See to preserve what they describe as the “magnificent” cultural artifact of the Catholic Church’s Traditional Latin Mass.

In 2021 Pope Francis placed sweeping restrictions on the celebration of Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal, known also as the extraordinary form of the Roman rite and the Tridentine Mass. Rumors have circulated in recent months that the Vatican is preparing to clamp down further on the celebration of that ancient liturgy.

No new directives on the Latin Mass have yet been promulgated amid the rumors. In a Tuesday letter to the London newspaper the Times, meanwhile, a wide cross-section of English cultural fixtures openly implored the Vatican to refrain from restricting the rite further.

“Recently there have been worrying reports from Rome that the Latin Mass is to be banished from nearly every Catholic church,” the letter said. “This is a painful and confusing prospect, especially for the growing number of young Catholics whose faith has been nurtured by it.”

The signatories, which included actress and human rights advocate Bianca Jagger, author Tom Holland, musical eminence Julian Lloyd Webber, and media executive Sir Nicholas Coleridge, described the Latin Mass as a “cathedral” of “text and gesture” that developed over many centuries.

“Not everyone appreciates its value and that is fine,” the writers said, “but to destroy it seems an unnecessary and insensitive act in a world where history can all too easily slip away forgotten.”

“The old rite’s ability to encourage silence and contemplation is a treasure not easily replicated, and, when gone, impossible to reconstruct,” they said.

The writers in their letter pointed to a 1971 petition from a similar cross-section of prominent Britons that had also asked the Vatican to preserve the Latin Mass in England.

That petition led to the “Agatha Christie indult” allowing the extraordinary form to continue there; the indult was named after the famous author who was among the signatories.

In their letter this week the British celebrities said their petition, like the 1971 request, was “entirely ecumenical and nonpolitical.”

“The signatories include Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and nonbelievers,” they wrote. “We implore the Holy See to reconsider any further restriction of access to this magnificent spiritual and cultural heritage.”

In issuing the 2021 guidelines, the pope had said he was saddened that the celebration of the extraordinary form was now characterized by a rejection of the Second Vatican Council and its liturgical reforms.

To doubt the council, he said at the time, is “to doubt the Holy Spirit himself who guides the Church.”

Pope Francis leads the Synod on Synodality delegates in prayer on Oct. 25, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Jul 3, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).

The Vatican will publish next week the guiding document for discussions at the final assembly of the Catholic Church’s yearslong Synod on Synodality.

The Instrumentum Laboris, or “working tool” for the upcoming 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, will be presented at a July 9 press conference by Cardinals Mario Grech and Jean-Claude Hollerich, together with the special secretaries of the synodal assembly. 

Dubbed the “Instrumentum Laboris 2,” the document has been in preparation since early June, when approximately 20 experts in theology, ecclesiology, and canon law held a closed-door meeting to analyze synod reports from dioceses and religious communities.

The Instrumentum Laboris will guide the discussions at an assembly at the Vatican in October. The monthlong gathering is the second session of a two-part assembly of the Synod on Synodality. The first session was held in October 2023.

The second October assembly is a continuation of the multiyear Synod on Synodality, which began in October 2021 and has included stages of discernment and discussion at various levels of the Church. 

The fall meeting will bring together Catholic bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople from around the world to discuss topics included in the Instrumentum Laboris and to prepare the synod’s final document.

This is the second Instrumentum Laboris of the Synod on Synodality. A similar working document of 50 pages was published last year ahead of the synod’s October 2023 assembly.

The 2023 Vatican assembly produced a 41-page synthesis report, while the 2024 assembly is expected to vote on a “final report,” which will then be sent to Pope Francis for consideration.

The third phase of the Synod on Synodality — after “the consultation of the people of God” and “the discernment of the pastors” — will be “implementation,” according to organizers.

Mosaics by alleged abuser Father Marko Rupnik are displayed at the shrine in Lourdes, France. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Jul 3, 2024 / 06:38 am (CNA).

The bishop of Lourdes said Tuesday that he personally believes that the Marian shrine’s mosaics by alleged abuser Father Marko Rupnik should be removed but is holding off on making a final decision on the mosaics’ fate in the face of “strong opposition.”

Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes issued a statement on July 2 explaining that more time is needed “to discern what should be done,” as his belief that Rupnik’s mosaics should be torn down “would not be sufficiently understood” and “would add even more division and violence” at this moment. 

For now, as a “first step,” the French bishop has decided that Rupnik’s mosaics will no longer be lit up at night during the Lourdes’ nightly candlelight rosary processions with pilgrims.

The Lourdes bishop’s announcement comes less than two weeks after he met with Pope Francis in a private audience at the Vatican on June 20.

“For my part, my personal opinion is now clear … my personal opinion is that it would be preferable to remove these mosaics,” Micas said.

“This option is not widely accepted. It even meets with strong opposition on the part of some: The subject stirs up passions. Today the best decision to take is not yet ripe, and were my conviction to become a decision, it would not be sufficiently understood, and would add even more division and violence,” he added.

The bishop’s statement comes after more than a year of discernment and prayer. Micas formed a special commission in May 2023 to determine the future of the Rupnik mosaics made up of victims of abuse, sacred art specialists, lawyers, safeguarding experts, and chaplains. 

Micas told CNA in an interview at the Lourdes shrine in February that he had received a “pile of letters” from Catholics all over the world regarding Rupnik’s mosaics. 

“We’ve received letters, letters, a pile of letters — people very angry because the mosaics are still there and other people who were very angry at the idea we could remove them,” the bishop said.

“This [decision] occupies my mind, my prayer, and my heart every day, especially when I meet victims of abuse,” Micas added.

The Rupnik mosaics, added to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in 2008, depict the luminous mysteries of the rosary with the “Wedding Feast at Cana” in the center of the exterior entrance to the lower basilica. Rupnik’s wide-eyed figures are set against bright gold backdrops in marked contrast with the 19th-century shrine’s neo-Gothic stone facade.

Rupnik, a priest and artist, has been accused by about two dozen women, mostly former religious sisters, of spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse over three decades.

He was removed from the Jesuits one year ago, and the Vatican has announced that Rupnik will face a canonical process over the abuse allegations after Pope Francis decided to waive the statute of limitations on the claims.

The priest’s prolific art career that followed his alleged abuse has created a problem for many shrines and Catholic churches across Europe and North America. Rupnik’s workshop has accounted for projects for more than 200 liturgical spaces around the world, including Fátima, the Vatican, the John Paul II shrine in Washington, D.C., and the tomb of St. Padre Pio. 

Some have argued that removing Rupnik’s art would be a manifestation of “cancel culture” and point to the work of Renaissance artists with scandalous personal lives. Others highlight the allegations that the accused priest convinced religious sisters to commit sins with him by persuading them that sinful acts would worship God and ask if his sacred art might likewise be imbued with and communicate “a false Gospel.”

The Vatican has come under criticism as it has continued to publish images of mosaics made by Rupnik on its official media outlet, Vatican News, most recently on June 28. Paolo Ruffini, the head of the Vatican’s communications office, defended using Rupnik’s art during an appearance in Atlanta on June 21, arguing that removing it wouldn’t help his accusers.

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, the pope’s top adviser on clerical sexual abuse prevention, sent a letter to the Roman Curia on June 26 asking Vatican officials not to use Rupnik’s art to “avoid sending a message that the Holy See is oblivious to the psychological distress that so many are suffering.”

For Lourdes, the problem is felt acutely as the Marian shrine is known throughout the world as a place of healing and consolation and thought of by many as a privileged place for abuse victims seeking healing. The French bishops have underscored this by gathering in Lourdes to pray and fast for victims of abuse.

In his most recent statement, Micas underlined that he believes that at Lourdes the suffering and the wounded, including victims of sexual abuse, must always come first.

“My role is to ensure that the sanctuary is welcoming to everyone, especially those who are suffering, including victims of sexual abuse and assault, both children and adults,” the bishop said.

“At Lourdes, the suffering and wounded in need of consolation and reparation must always be prioritized. This is the special grace of this shrine: Nothing should prevent them from responding to Our Lady’s message to come here on pilgrimage.” 

For this reason, Micas said he believes that mosaics should be removed. He added that Rupnik’s art “has nothing to do with other artworks whose artists and victims are deceased, sometimes for centuries.”

“Here, the victims are alive and so is the artist,” he said.

Entrusting the situation to Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette, the bishop said that he will “continue to work even more with victims and to discern what should be done here in Lourdes to honor the absolute requirement of consolation and reparation.”

Statue of St. Peter in front of St. Peter's Basilica. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 3, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

As every year during summer vacation time, the Vatican does not schedule any public, private, or “special” audiences for Pope Francis in the Vatican, including the general audience on Wednesdays.

The Vatican usually suspends such audiences on only two occasions: during the month of July and the week when the pontiff carries out his spiritual retreat at the Vatican.

The Holy See’s press office announced in a statement that the Holy Father’s agenda will resume on Aug. 7.

However, during this usual period of rest, Pope Francis will lead the Angelus on Sundays from the window of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.

Although the Holy Father doesn’t spend the summer at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo as popes have traditionally done, this year, as confirmed by the master of papal liturgical ceremonies, he will have a greater rest than in previous years.

Pope Francis will not preside at any public Mass for eight weeks, from July 8 to Sept. 1.

After this well-deserved rest, Pope Francis will travel to Asia and Oceania for 11 days in September and will also visit Belgium and Luxembourg at the end of the same month. In October, the second and final session of the Synod of Synodality will take place in Rome.

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

The Incredulity of St. Thomas by Caravaggio. / Credit: Caravaggio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

National Catholic Register, Jul 3, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ―John 20:28

Although several stories of doubt exist in the Bible, it is Thomas’ incident that seems to catch the most attention, earning him the nickname “Doubting Thomas.” Fortunately, John’s Gospel and some early Church historians give additional information on Thomas, helping searchers to realize that the doubting story was only one part of Thomas’ experience as an apostle.

John’s first account of Thomas actually displays a man of tremendous faith. Jesus had barely escaped a fierce stoning in Jerusalem when, just a few days later, he received word that his friend Lazarus was very ill. Lazarus lived in Bethany, a very short distance from Jerusalem, and Jesus felt strongly compelled to go there, knowing that a miracle surrounding Lazarus’ death was necessary to illustrate the glory of God.

However, the apostles were aghast and tried to discourage Jesus from returning to an area where he had so recently almost been killed. Ironically, it was Thomas who was the believing one. He bravely encouraged all to go to Bethany with Jesus, even if it meant death for them: “Let us also go to die with him” (Jn 11:16).

The “Doubting Thomas” story took place after Jesus’ resurrection. When Jesus appeared to the disciples in all his glory, for some reason, Thomas was absent. Later, when Thomas rejoined the disciples, they told him all that had happened, but he was unconvinced. He then made his famous statement about needing to place his finger and hand in Jesus’ wounds before he would believe. A week later, Jesus again appeared, and this time Thomas was there. Jesus momentously offered Thomas the opportunity to touch his wounds, and Thomas then proclaimed an ardent belief in the risen Jesus.

Most traditions point to Thomas as having evangelized in India following Pentecost. Today, there is a devout community of Catholics on the Malabar Coast of India who call themselves the St. Thomas Christians. They claim that their community began through the teachings of Thomas himself.

It is believed that Thomas was speared to death for his works in India. He is honored on July 3 and is the patron of architects.

Nine Days with St. Thomas

If you would like to better imitate Thomas’ bravery in remaining close to Jesus, despite any dangers that might arise, or if you have trouble with a doubting heart, consider spending nine days in prayer with this apostle. Prayerfully read one St. Thomas-relevant passage a day for nine days; keep a journal if you’d like, and see how this apostle helps to draw your heart closer to Christ.

• Day 1: Matthew 10:1–15

• Day 2: Mark 3:13–19

• Day 3: Luke 6:12–16

• Day 4: Luke 8:22–25

• Day 5: John 11:8–16

• Day 6: John 14:5–6

• Day 7: John 20:24–29

• Day 8: John 21:1–14

• Day 9: Acts 1:6–14

This article was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, on July 3, 2018, and has been adapted by CNA.

Dainelys Soto, Genesis Contreras, and Daniel Soto, who arrived from Venezuela after crossing the U.S. border from Mexico, wait for dinner at a hotel provided by the Annunciation House on September 22, 2022 in El Paso, Texas. / Credit: Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

A district judge has thrown out Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against Annunciation House, a Catholic migrant shelter accused of facilitating illegal immigration.

In an order issued on Monday, El Paso District Court Judge Francisco Dominguez dismissed the suit, partially because he said it violates the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Dominguez wrote that the state’s suit “violates the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act by substantially burdening Annunciation House’s free exercise of religion and failing to use the ‘least restrictive means’ of securing compliance with the law.”

This comes as the state’s attorney general has been investigating Annunciation House over concerns that it is facilitating illegal immigration.

Located just a few minutes from the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Annunciation House is a lay-run Catholic organization that offers migrants temporary shelter, food, and clothing and advocates on their behalf. 

On Feb. 7 Paxton’s office ordered the nonprofit to immediately turn over various documents and records to examine whether it is engaged in unlawful activities. Annunciation House refused to comply with the order and denied any illegal activity.

In response, the attorney general’s office threatened to revoke Annunciation House’s license to operate and on Feb. 20 filed a lawsuit accusing the shelter of being “engaged in the operation of an illegal stash house by potentially allowing others to use its real estate to engage in human smuggling.” 

Dominguez issued a temporary ruling in March in which he said that Paxton could not immediately revoke Annunciation House’s license to operate or force it to turn over documents.

In his ruling, Dominguez wrote that Paxton’s attempts to force Annunciation House to turn over its documents constituted harassment and overreach, amounting to an attempt on the part of the attorney general to manipulate the law “to advance his own personal beliefs or political agenda.”

A representative for Paxton’s office declined to comment.

The decision is being celebrated by Annunciation House’s attorney, Jerome Wesevich, and other allies, including El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who also serves as the head of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration.

“This is a day of gratitude for El Paso, the work of Annunciation House, and the resilience of our community’s hospitality workers,” Seitz wrote in a statement obtained by CNA. 

He called the ruling “an important moment for religious freedom” and a “recognition of the important role that faith communities play in helping our nation lead with compassion and humanity in meeting the challenges of migration at the border.”

The bishop also added that he looks forward to “continuing to work with our federal and state partners in identifying solutions to our broken system of immigration, working for reform, and addressing the growing humanitarian crisis of deaths at the border.”

Paxton’s office has 30 days to appeal the case to a higher state court.

null / Credit: Lost_in_the_Midwest/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2024 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

As Nevada becomes the sixth state to add a pro-abortion amendment to its 2024 ballot, pro-life groups are strategizing on how to stop a slew of abortion amendments from being passed in states across the country.

Nevada currently allows abortion until 24 weeks of pregnancy. If passed, the amendment, which qualified to be on the ballot last week, would further expand abortion by establishing it as a “fundamental right” to be exercised up until fetal viability “without interference from the state.”

The amendment, which must be approved by a simple majority of voters in two consecutive elections, would only allow state interference with abortion when it is in the interest of “protecting, maintaining, or improving the health of an individual who is seeking abortion.”

Montie Chavez, a representative for the Archdiocese of Las Vegas, told CNA that the Nevada Catholic Conference is working with both parishes and non-Catholic faith leaders to take an “ecumenical and interfaith stance” against the abortion amendment.

“We believe that God alone is the author of life and the sole arbiter of death,” he said, adding that the “pernicious amendment would have terrible consequences for families in Nevada.”

Winning with ‘deceptive’ messaging

Including Nevada, six states are set to vote on pro-abortion amendments in November, and seven are considering adding measures to their ballots.

Numerous states, meanwhile, have already passed pro-abortion measures since Roe v. Wade was repealed in June 2022.

Kelsey Pritchard, the director of state public affairs at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told CNA that her group is dedicating $92 million to a voter contact campaign.

“Pro-abortion activists’ No. 1 tactic is to spread misinformation on pregnant women’s ability to receive emergency care under pro-life laws because they know they will lose if they campaign on enshrining late-term abortion,” she said.

Pritchard pointed to Florida, where an initiative to fight the state’s 2024 pro-abortion amendment was just launched this week.

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops has pledged to fight the abortion amendment. According to Pritchard, Gov. Ron DeSantis is “leading the fight” by “explaining the extreme measure’s deceptive language.”

“With Vote No on 4 Florida launching today and Gov. DeSantis’ leadership,” she said, “the pro-life coalition is united to stop the abortion industry.”

Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, warned that the 2024 pro-abortion measures will “have devastating effects on the unborn and women in states after passing.” 

Mancini told CNA that rather than being based on genuine support, the abortion industry’s victories thus far have been due to what she called “deceptive” messaging.

“Tragically, we have seen their efforts play out in many of the states, with millions of dollars from national pro-abortion special interest groups being funneled into misleading, fear-mongering pro-abortion campaigns,” Mancini said.

“These confuse and scare voters into approving state constitutional amendments which override any existing or future pro-life policies, even the most modest protections for women and children.”

Kristi Hamrick, a representative for Students for Life Action, told CNA that she believes the many abortion amendments popping up across the country are just “glorified get-out-the-vote efforts for Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.”

The Biden administration is aiming to use the issue of abortion to its electoral advantage this November. Since January, Vice President Kamala Harris has been making stops across the country on a “Reproductive Freedoms” tour, repeatedly slamming Republicans for passing abortion regulations.

During last week’s debate, former President Donald Trump argued that the Biden administration plans to “restore Roe” and bring about unlimited, late-term abortions, something that he said is out of step with what Americans want.  

“[Biden is] willing to, as we say, rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month and kill the baby. Nobody wants that to happen,” Trump said. “We don’t think that’s a good thing, we think it’s a radical thing. We think the Democrats are the radicals, not the Republicans.”

Hamrick contends that Democratic hopes to use the abortion amendments to increase voter turnout will be disappointed come November.

Citing a recent Rasmussen poll that found 66% of Americans oppose late-term abortion, Hamrick believes there is not as much enthusiasm for the abortion position as some Democrats hope.

But to win, she said the pro-life movement needs to up its messaging.

“The focus needs to be on late-term abortion extremism because these [amendments] … offer basically unlimited abortion, taxpayer-funded abortion. They are radical and extreme,” she explained.

“We’re focusing on abortion extremism [and] late-term abortion and the inhumanity of that, and the fact that women are being harmed by the abortion environment that we’re allowing,” she added.