Catholic Relief Services workers help to distribute humanitarian aid materials to Gazan civilians in March 2024. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

CNA Staff, Jul 2, 2024 / 15:40 pm (CNA).

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) on Monday criticized this year’s U.S. State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which cuts foreign aid by 11% compared with last year. 

The official charitable arm of the U.S. Catholic bishops, CRS has in recent years pushed for more government funds, which make up a substantial portion of the organization’s budget. 

“The substantial reductions to critical humanitarian and development accounts, in some cases by roughly 25%, would have dire consequences for millions of families facing hunger, humanitarian crises, and infectious diseases,” said Bill O’Keefe, executive vice president for mission, mobilization, and advocacy at CRS, in a July 1 statement.

“We will collaborate with Congress on a bipartisan bill that robustly funds humanitarian and development programming and provides a courageous response to the challenges facing our global family. The U.S. has long been a force for good around the world, and CRS is committed to supporting the passage of a bill that reflects that history.”

CRS received over $928 million in funding from government grants in 2022, making up a large proportion of the organization’s total revenue of more than $1.4 billion, according to tax documents. CRS says it currently provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries without regard to race, religion, or nationality.

According to the House Appropriations Committee, the 2025 bill, which the U.S. House of Representatives approved last month, includes $3.3 billion in funding for Israel and prioritizes border security and measures to combat China’s influence. It also maintains “all long-standing pro-life protections” and supports “religious freedom programs abroad and religious freedom protections for faith-based organizations delivering foreign aid.”

At the same time, the budget eliminates funding for several programs entirely, including the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund and Contributions to the Inter-American Development Ban. 

The appropriations bill also deprioritizes many climate-focused initiatives by prohibiting funds for the Green Climate Fund and Clean Technology Fund. All told, the proposed budget represents a 19% reduction from the president’s budget. 

O’Keefe noted that the bill retains “strong funding levels” for “a select few” humanitarian priorities, such as addressing nutrition needs and combating malaria. However, the bill “fails to invest in climate adaptation,” despite the “moral, economic, and security benefits of enhancing resilience to severe weather shocks like droughts, flooding, and extreme heat waves.”

As recently as 2021, CRS praised the Biden administration’s proposed budget for its focus on fighting poverty worldwide. That 2022 request included $1 billion in U.S. foreign assistance for fighting infectious diseases around the globe as well as $2.5 billion for international climate programs.

In 2019, CRS criticized then-President Trump’s proposal to cut foreign aid by nearly 25%.

Vandalism at a Heartbeat of Miami pregnancy center in Hialeah, Florida, July 3, 2022. / Credit: Heartbeat of Miami

CNA Staff, Jul 2, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

The owners of a life-affirming Florida pregnancy center have settled with vandals who graffitied the property, according to a Friday announcement from First Liberty Institute, a legal nonprofit based in Plano, Texas, that defended the charity organization.

Heartbeat of Miami, a faith-based nonprofit ministry that offers life-affirming services to women and couples facing unplanned pregnancies, has “reached a favorable settlement” with the vandals, according to a June 28 press release. 

“Heartbeat of Miami gets justice! Vandals who spray-painted threatening messages on Heartbeat’s property last year will pay for their crimes,” First Liberty Institute wrote in a post on X. “This is a big win for Florida’s pro-life community.”

While First Liberty “cannot publicly discuss the specifics,” the press release noted that the vandals who spray-painted threatening messages on the pregnancy center’s property in June 2022 “will be held accountable.” 

The vandals were associated with “Jane’s Revenge,” a militant pro-abortion group that targets pregnancy help centers and takes responsibility for arson, firebombing, and vandalism against the organizations. The group emerged after the leak of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in May 2022. 

At Heartbeat of Miami, the vandalism resulted in thousands of dollars in damages, with graffitied messages such as “Jane’s Revenge” and “If abortions aren’t safe, then neither are you” sprayed on the walls. 

The activists later disrupted the organization’s annual fundraising gala in September 2022, according to Heartbeat of Miami’s 2023 complaint.

“Jane’s Revenge’s campaign of violence, executed by its associated cells across the country against life-affirming reproductive health care facilities, has resulted in attacks on over 80 facilities across the country, including three facilities in Florida,” the complaint read.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed suit on behalf of several pregnancy clinics including Heartbeat of Miami, citing the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, according to the press release.

The law, signed by former president Bill Clinton in 1994, prohibits “violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services.”

The law has frequently been used in defense of abortion. Numerous pro-life activists have recently been convicted under the statute for blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C., in 2020. Many of the activists are facing up to 10 years in prison, including two elderly activists who are facing prison time. 

“It’s the first instance of a state attorney general using the FACE Act to hold violent protestors accountable,” the press release noted.

Heartbeat provides free pregnancy tests; sonograms; pregnancy consultation and education, support, and referrals; and parenting preparation, according to its website. The center has a baby boutique that provides material supplies for women and has an abortion pill reversal contact center and post-abortion counseling. 

“Since opening its doors in 2007, Heartbeat has assisted thousands of women in navigating both their pregnancies and the early stages of motherhood,” the complaint read. “It does all of this based on its religious calling to serve its community and love ‘the least’ of its community, including underserved and low-income individuals.”

“This case is a reminder that no one should suffer violence for simply providing faith-based counseling and baby supplies to women and their babies,” First Liberty Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys said in the press release.

Pope Francis prays during his general audience on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Jul 2, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of July is for the pastoral care of the sick. 

“The anointing of the sick is not a sacrament only for those who are at the point of death. No. It is important that this is clear,” the Holy Father said in a video message released July 2. 

“When the priest draws near a person to perform the anointing of the sick, it is not necessarily to help them say goodbye to life. Thinking this way means giving up every hope,” he said, adding: “It means taking for granted that after the priest the undertaker will arrive.”

The pope urged the faithful to “remember that the anointing of the sick is one of the ‘sacraments of healing,’ of ‘restoration,’ that heals the spirit.”

“And when a person is very ill, it’s advisable to give them the anointing of the sick. And when someone is elderly, it’s good that they receive the anointing of the sick,” he said.

He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray that the sacrament of the anointing of the sick grant the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.”

Pope Francis’ prayer video is promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.

The president of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SCBC), Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Mulla, reads a message from SCBC members on June 29, 2024. / Credit: Catholic Radio Network (CRN)

ACI Africa, Jul 2, 2024 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

Members of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SCBC) have expressed concern about the ongoing conflict in the country, saying that the civil war has caused unimaginable destruction and immense suffering to the people.

In their statement following their June 27–29 meeting in the Archdiocese of Juba in South Sudan, members of SCBC say they “cannot distance” themselves from what has been happening in the country since April 2023.

“The fabric of Sudanese society has been torn apart, with people shocked, traumatized, and disbelieving about the level of violence and hatred,” the SCBC statement issued on June 29 said.

“This is not simply a war between two generals, as the military has inextricably embedded itself in the economic life of the country, and both SAF and RSF each have a network of wealthy elite Sudanese and international individuals and cartels who benefit from their control of various sectors of the economy,” the statement said.

The SCBC members said that apart from what they describe as “horrendous war crimes and human rights abuses committed by both sides,” victims of the civil war are suffering “a humanitarian disaster.”

“The Church in Sudan appeals to us to help stop the war, provide humanitarian assistance, do advocacy work for peace, prepare for after the war in terms of reconciliation, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and trauma healing, and above all, to pray for them,” they added.

The Church leaders highlighted feedback from Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku of the El Obeid Diocese about the situation on the ground.

“I believe that our leaders are not ready for peace. Fighting and conflict have the upper hand as we hear them say unless we defeat the other group, we won’t put down weapons,” the bishop said. 

“Time has come for them to think of the people and nation. The more the fighting, the more people get scattered and the more hatred grows among various Sudanese ethnic groups,” the bishop said.

Appealing for peace in Sudan, he added: “Kneel down to pray and hear the voice of God and the voice of the people, the children, the women that cry for peace, and also the blood that cries on the ground of very innocent people who died because of crossfire. Go back to dialogue as children of one mother and one father.”

In their statement, SCBC members said they endorse the words of the bishop of Ol Obeid and called for unity.

They thanked Pope Francis for his concern about Sudan, saying: “We echo his heartfelt plea in early June 2024: May the weapons be silenced and, with the commitment of the local authorities and the international community, help be brought to the population and the many displaced people. May the Sudanese refugees find welcome and protection in neighboring countries.”

Referencing the Holy Father’s message for the 2017 World Day of Peace titled “Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace,” the SCBC members said: “Violence is not the cure for our broken world. Countering violence with violence leads at best to forced migrations and enormous suffering because vast amounts of resources are diverted to military ends and away from the everyday needs of young people, families experiencing hardship, the elderly, the infirm, and the great majority of people in our world. At worst, it can lead to the death, physical and spiritual, of many people, if not of all.”

“We once again commit ourselves to seeking peace and justice through active nonviolence, the nonviolence of the Gospel. Nonviolence is the only viable path to peace,” they added.

“Even those who bear arms and commit violence are children of God, the God who called on us to love our enemies. Thus, we reject the demonization of one side or the other in Sudan’s conflict, and we do not take sides.”

They called on those engaged in fighting to lay down their arms and enter into meaningful peace negotiations. 

The bishops spoke further against the atrocities meted against innocent civilians in Sudan, saying: “We condemn the killing, raping, and looting of civilians by any side, and we call for accountability for their crimes.”

SCBC members also thank the government of South Sudan for its “open and generous response to returnees and refugees from Sudan.”

They called upon the South Sudanese government to “remain neutral in Sudan’s conflict, to take measures to prevent any South Sudanese from participating in the armed conflict, and to continue facilitating peace negotiations wherever possible.”

This article was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted nu CNA.

Actor Demetrius Grosse as Rev. Martin in the new movie "Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot," which will be released in theaters on July 4, 2024. / Credit: Angel Studios

CNA Staff, Jul 2, 2024 / 12:15 pm (CNA).

A new film called “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” tells the inspiring true story of a small town in East Texas that came together to adopt 77 of the most difficult-to-place children in the local foster care system. 

The film depicts the lives of Rev. Wilbert Martin and his wife, Donna Martin, their two children, and the families who attend the town’s tiny Bennett Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. 

After the death of her mother, Donna feels God calling her to adopt a child through foster care, which gives her life new meaning and also impacts her husband. Rev. Martin is moved to share their testimony and inspires 22 families in his church to link arms and follow in their footsteps.

“Sound of Hope” will be released in theaters nationwide on July 4. 

Rebekah Weigel, writer and producer of the film, spoke with CNA about her personal experience with adoption and what she hopes this movie will inspire in others when it comes to protecting children.

In 2013 Weigel and her husband — who have five children, two of whom were adopted — began the adoption process. They originally planned to foster and adopt from Los Angeles County, but after getting a call from Colorado asking them if they would consider adopting two kids who had just gone into the foster care system there, the couple said “yes” and the children were transferred to California. Despite it feeling like not the best timing, the couple “felt like God was calling us to do that,” she shared.

“It’s definitely been one of the most challenging things we’ve ever done, but it’s also been the most rewarding thing we’ve ever done as a family,” Weigel expressed.

Weigel’s husband, Joshua Weigel, is the director, writer, and producer of the film. The couple’s personal experience with adoption inspired them to get involved in the movie, which Weigel calls “a heart project” and an “issue that’s very dear to our family and has changed our lives for the better.”

Currently in America there are 400,000 children in the foster care system and 100,000 children waiting to be adopted, Weigel pointed out, urging Christians to take action. 

“We have a foster crisis in America right now,” she said. “And honestly that shouldn’t be the case. We have 400,000 churches in America. We have all the resources, we have people, we have social workers. We have so many churches on every corner we could easily turn this around if the church steps forward and really takes this call.”

She quoted James 1:27, which states: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress.” If more take this verse seriously, Weigel said, “we’re confident that this whole thing can turn around and we can see a movement that ends and clears out the foster system in America and beyond.”

“This is something that’s clearly on the heart of God, and he cares deeply for the vulnerable and for the orphan and the widow, and he’s called the church to care for the most vulnerable and to be his hands and feet on the earth.”

The film will be released exactly one year after the release of the summer blockbuster “Sound of Freedom.” Weigel explained that Angel Studios, the film’s distributor, believed “Sound of Hope” would be “the perfect follow-up to that.”

“‘Sound of Freedom’ shows there’s a problem and ‘Sound of Hope’ shows that there’s a solution,” she said. “And there is a solution. The solution is us. We need good people to step into the fight and really fight and be advocates for these vulnerable children.”

Weigel said she hopes that viewers will have “God move their hearts through this film and they step out and start to really care for kids the way that we’re intended to do.”

She explained that at the end of the film, the real-life Rev. Martin and Donna Martin will invite viewers to join the fight for children and guide them to an impact site where people can get involved with meeting the needs of vulnerable children and families through a platform called Care Portal. 

“This is something that is on God’s heart — that he’s commanded his people to do is to care for the vulnerable,” Weigel said. “The churches have so many resources and so much potential. On every street corner we have a church in America that can be caring for kids and caring for families and wrapping around them with support. So we want to see the faith that we all have be expressed in practical ways.”

Participants in the Eucharistic procession walk up Capitol Hill, near the Tennessee State Capitol, in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 28, 2024. / Credit: Tyler Arnold/CNA

Nashville, Tenn., Jul 2, 2024 / 11:35 am (CNA).

More than 1,000 Catholics processed with the Eucharist through the boisterous streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, passing by tourists, party buses, and backed-up traffic to bring Christ to the Music City and pray at its historic churches.

“I think it’s a beautiful opportunity to be witnesses to our faith,” one of the attendees, Katie Carney — the assistant principal of St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee — told CNA.

The four-mile procession brought Christ through several neighborhoods in and around the downtown area on the hot morning of June 28. Despite temperatures surpassing 90 degrees, the procession brought out families with young children, high school students, both young and older adults, and Dominican sisters from the local St. Cecilia Motherhouse.

“It’s incredibly inspiring to see the young people and the families here [showing their] love for Jesus,” Sister Mariana Thayer told CNA.

“I hope that souls will see [the procession] and be moved [by it],” said Jeanne Robinson, a Nashville resident who attended the procession with her husband, Mark.

Some of the processors prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet during the event. Some also sang hymns while processing, which was often led by the sisters, including the hymn “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All.”

“Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore,” the faithful sang. “Oh, make us love thee more and more.”

People stopped to take photos and videos of the procession as it passed. At one point two groups of young children accompanied by a few adults stopped and waved as the procession went by them.

As the procession passed slow-moving traffic along U.S. Route 41, some passengers waved, while one semitruck driver hauling a trailer honked to the crowd when prompted by some of the young children.

The procession passed by iconic downtown Nashville locations, such as the famous Printer’s Alley, a popular nightclub spot, and went down First Avenue, which runs parallel to the Cumberland River and intersects with Broadway — the heart of the Music City bar scene.

While downtown, the procession also caught the attention of people on several party buses and party bikes on which people drink and blare music. Most of the partiers waved and cheered as they continued to sing along and dance to music while the procession went past. One young woman on one of the party buses appeared to genuflect while passing the Eucharist.

Thayer noted the intrigue of the onlookers, telling CNA: “It was definitely a very positive interaction [with the community] that I saw.”

Phillip Baker, a lifelong resident of the area, told CNA the turnout was “extraordinary.” He said the interactions with the community during the procession were “one of overwhelming joy and peace and real welcome.”

Noting that central Tennessee is located in the Protestant-heavy Bible Belt, Baker said: “I think people were more curious and flabbergasted than anything.” 

He added that “people hear about us but they don’t really see us.”

In addition to going downtown, the procession brought the faithful to three Catholic churches that are more than 130 years old: St. Mary’s of Seven Sorrows, which was constructed in 1845; Assumption Catholic Church, which was constructed in 1858; and St. Patrick Catholic Church, which was constructed in 1889. The procession stopped for adoration at all three locations.

The procession also walked up Capitol Hill in Nashville, passing near the Tennessee State Capitol. 

Friday’s procession was part of the broader National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which is an initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival — an effort to help foster a greater understanding and devotion to the mystery of Jesus in the Eucharist. 

The pilgrimage began on Pentecost along four routes launched from the East and the West coasts and the northern and the southern border.

The pilgrimages are leading hundreds of events along their routes before meeting in Indianapolis on July 16 for the National Eucharistic Congress.

The route that stopped in Nashville is the St. Juan Diego Route, which began in Texas and has traveled through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The route left Tennessee and is now making its way through Kentucky before heading into Indiana.

Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune poses alongside many of the priests of the Diocese of Charleston at a recent ordination. The diocese has seen a recent surge in vocations. / Credit: The Catholic Miscellany/Doug Deas

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

While parish closures and consolidations have made headlines across the United States, a lively community of devout Catholics dedicated to deepening their faith has flourished in the South, particularly in South Carolina.

“Being in the Bible Belt, or a predominantly Protestant area, can be a challenge in our faith and causes us to have to know why we believe what we believe,” Father Rhett Williams, vocations director of the Diocese of Charleston and chaplain at the University of South Carolina, told CNA. 

“The beauty of the Catholic faith is the more you get into it, for whatever reason, the more you come to love it. In the Southeast, people are moving for different reasons, finding a vibrant community that intrigues them.”

In South Carolina, the Diocese of Charleston traces its history back to its establishment on July 11, 1820, by Pope Pius VII. Originally encompassing three states, the diocese now just covers South Carolina and consists of 95 parishes, 21 missions, 32 diocesan schools, and Charleston as its see.

When compared with other areas in the 1980s, South Carolina was found to be the least Catholic state in the country — only 2% of its population identified with the religion. However, this number shot up following Pope John Paul II’s 1987 visit to the University of South Carolina as part of an ecumenical conference.

Addressing 60,000 people gathered in a football stadium, John Paul expressed his hope for attendees to embrace “great love for truth — the truth about God, the truth about man, and the truth about the world. I pray that through truth you will serve humanity and experience real freedom. In the words of Jesus Christ: ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

Since then, South Carolina has seen its Catholic community grow to over 218,000 registered Catholics, or 4.07% of the state’s current population, according to the Diocese of Charleston. This number represents a more than 200% increase from the state’s Catholic population in 1987.

Young adult involvement has grown exponentially 

According to statistics shared with CNA by the Diocese of Charleston, there has been a registered parishioner increase of 14% in the last decade. While this is in large part due to the influx of converts and individuals moving to the South from various regions, it is also due to the strong rise in Catholicism among the state’s younger population.

Numerous colleges and universities throughout South Carolina have witnessed heightened involvement in both campus ministry and FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) programs. 

“This is my fourth year [at St. Thomas More Catholic Church], and in the last few years, pretty much every metric for campus ministry has tripled or quadrupled,” Williams said. These metrics consist of attendance at Masses, retreats, and other activities put on by campus ministry.

Having to account for these growing numbers, St. Thomas More implemented an additional Mass to its weekend schedule.

“There was one priest and four Masses: A vigil, two morning ones, and one evening Mass. What we found pretty soon was that we didn’t have room anymore, so we added a 9 p.m. Mass, still with only one priest,” he explained. “Now, the 9 p.m. Mass averages about 70% capacity during the year and is still filling. At USC, we are trying to find donors to help us build a new church because we simply can’t fit the students into our current chapel.”

Reflecting this demand for increased Catholic involvement among younger adults, South Carolina will open its first Catholic college this coming fall in Greenville. Rosary College will offer students a two-year liberal arts education in the Benedictine tradition, spearheaded by Catholic scholars and prominent author and convert Father Dwight Longenecker.

A city known for its Catholic community

Greenville, renowned for its robust Catholic community, stands out as one of the state’s foremost hubs of Catholicism in recent years. The area boasts multiple parishes — Prince of Peace, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Mary’s, Our Lady of the Rosary, and St. Anthony of Padua, among others — where Masses often overflow with faithful, young families.

In fact, many families from all over the country have moved to the Greenville area for the excellent Catholic churches and schools. 

One such family is the Billings. Troy and Kathleen Billings, who relocated from Chicago to Greenville in the summer of 2020, described their move as a “leap of faith.”

“At the time, [Greenville] was just beginning to grow as a Catholic community, and it has now grown tremendously within the last four years,” Kathleen Billings told CNA. “We felt that the Lord was calling us here, so we made that leap of faith. And come to find out, many other families have felt that same calling.”

Since settling in Greenville, the Billings have witnessed firsthand the Church’s presence in the region: “Our Masses are beautiful, the churches are packed, and the community is incredible.” 

As a way to remain active within this Catholic scene, the Billings started a monthly rosary ministry at their home. With 20 people at its first meeting four years ago, the ministry now averages “250-350 participants monthly, drawn from all of the Catholic churches in the Upstate [region of South Carolina].”

Similarly inspired by this burgeoning community, Michael Sandifer relocated with his family from Wisconsin to Greenville five years ago. 

As the pastoral associate of adult faith formation at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Sandifer shared that one of his responsibilities consists of working “with people who come into the Church and are interested in learning and knowing more about the Catholic faith.”

“Every day, we’ll get a phone call or email saying, ‘I am new to the area, we are looking into Prince of Peace,’” he continued. “It’s been a huge uptick that isn’t surprising, but definitely rewarding.”

Also reflecting this Catholic liveliness in the Greenville area is St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, which, according to its website, welcomes “all people to worship God in the genius of African American Catholic spirituality.” Here, parishioners are able to share in the Catholic faith across many ministries and programs, including a Hiking Ministry, Prison Ministry, a Living Waters Bible Study, and a Women’s Council, among many others.

Echoing this growing interest and parishioner involvement, the Diocese of Charleston has seen a surge in vocations. 

This past year, two men were ordained to the priesthood and four to the transitional diaconate. With 28 in formation for the 2024-2025 year, the diocese now has more seminarians than ever before in its recent history.

How does the South compare with the rest of the country?

Compared with other regions in the United States, the South — which includes South Carolina — currently hosts the highest percentage of Catholics (29%). Meanwhile, former Catholic stronghold states in the Northeast, such as Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, have experienced a rapid decline in their Catholic populations over recent decades.

“There are so many families here doing their best to live faithfully, and clergy who love to love the Lord and serve his people. All of that speaks volumes to what God is doing here,” Sandifer said. “I foresee the Church in South Carolina having an influence on our neighboring communities, and I am excited to witness how it continues to grow.”

This story was updated on July 3, 2024, with the correct number of Catholics in the Diocese of Charleston and with information on St. Anthony of Padua Parish.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court building in Madison, Wisconsin. / Credit: Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 1, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled late last week that a court order prohibiting a pro-life advocate from approaching a Planned Parenthood employee violated his free speech rights under the First Amendment and must be overturned.

Brian Aish, a pro-life advocate who regularly and peacefully protested at a Planned Parenthood clinic in the city of Blair, began interacting with nurse Nancy Kindschy in 2019 and was eventually accused of harassment.

Holding signs that quoted the Bible and expressed his Christian faith, Aish told Kindschy in October of that same year that she “had time to repent.” 

Aish told the Planned Parenthood employee that it wouldn’t “be long before bad things will happen to you and your family” and that she could “be killed by a drunk driver tonight.”

In February 2020, Aish told Kindschy and her co-workers: “I pray you guys make it home safely for another day or two until you turn to Christ and repent. You still have time.”

In court, Kindschy argued that Aish’s messages were “threatening,” thus leading to the Trempealeau County judge issuing a four-year injunction banning Aish from being anywhere near her. While a state appeals court upheld this ruling in 2022 following Aish’s appeal, the state’s Supreme Court ordered on Thursday to dismiss it completely. 

The Supreme Court unanimously agreed with Aish’s assertions that his dialogue with Kindschy — which occurred on a public sidewalk — was free speech protected under the First Amendment.

Furthermore, the unanimous ruling cited the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court case Counterman v. Colorado, which questioned the nature of a “true threat” unprotected by the First Amendment following a Colorado man’s conviction for stalking.

The case held that the First Amendment requires the government to prove at a minimum that the defendant “consciously disregarded a substantial risk that his communications would be viewed as threatening violence.”

Justice Rebecca Bradley concurred in Thursday’s judgment, stating in a separate opinion that “Aish’s statements could not be of true threats of violence because he disclaimed any desire for violence to befall Kindschy.”

“Because a reasonable fact finder could not construe Aish’s statements as true threats, the First Amendment protects them,” the opinion continued. “An unconstitutional injunction impermissibly infringed Aish’s fundamental First Amendment right to speak freely on ‘a profound moral issue on which Americans hold sharply conflicting views.’”

The clinic where Kindschy worked has since closed, but the Thomas More Society, a Catholic public interest law firm based in Chicago, applauded the recent ruling in favor of protecting the speech of pro-life advocates. 

“We are very pleased that the Wisconsin Supreme Court vindicated Brian Aish’s free speech rights and restored his ability to continue sharing his pro-life message,” stated Joan Mannix, executive vice president and managing counsel of the Thomas More Society.

The Thomas More Society originally appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court following the initial injunction. This firm often represents pro-life groups and advocates, including those who have recently been convicted for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act under the Biden administration.

“[The Wisconsin Supreme Court decision] reaffirms that the First Amendment embodies a paramount American value of protecting free speech even if the viewpoint expressed may be unpopular or controversial,” Mannix said. “[This is] a value that transcends partisan divides.”

Iowa state capitol building in Des Moines, Iowa. / Credit: Paul Brady Photography/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 1, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Church in Iowa is celebrating a decision by the state Supreme Court that found abortion is “not a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution,” allowing a pro-life “heartbeat” law to take effect.

The narrow 4-3 decision, issued in Planned Parenthood v. Iowa on June 28, reversed a lower court’s temporary blockage of the law. This means that the measure, which protects unborn life from abortion starting at the point at which a fetal heartbeat is detectable, will soon go into effect.

Commending the ruling, Iowa’s bishops said: “For us, this is a question of the common good and human dignity. Human life is precious and should be protected in our laws to the greatest extent possible.”

A state district court blocked the heartbeat law shortly after its passage in 2023. The district court ruled the measure was likely unconstitutional because it imposed an “undue burden” on abortion.

The Iowa Supreme Court, however, ruled that the law is likely not unconstitutional.

“We have previously held that abortion is not a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution,” state Justice Matthew McDermott wrote in the majority opinion. “Applying our established tiers of scrutiny, we hold that abortion restrictions alleged to violate the due process clause are subject to the rational basis test. Employing that test here, we conclude that the fetal heartbeat statute is rationally related to the state’s legitimate interest in protecting unborn life.”

Using this rationale, the state high court reversed the district court’s injunction and sent the case back for further examination, meaning the case will continue. In the meantime, however, the path has been cleared for Iowa’s heartbeat law to take effect.

Bishops celebrate decision

Bishops Walker Nickless of Sioux City, William Joensen of Des Moines, and Thomas Zinkula of Dubuque issued a joint statement on Friday in which they said: “We celebrate that the Iowa Supreme Court has recognized there is no right to an abortion to be found in the Iowa Constitution.”

Quoting Pope Francis’ call to “respect and love human life, especially vulnerable life in a mother’s womb,” the bishops said that “as a state and as a society, we should commit ourselves to working for the protection of all vulnerable populations from violence — wherever individuals and groups are at risk.”

“We urge people of goodwill in Iowa both to work for an end to the practice of abortion and to join us in tireless, unremitting, and compassionate solidarity with pregnant women in distress, with the men who fathered these children, and with families in need,” the bishops wrote.

Besides celebrating the court’s decision, Tom Chapman, a representative for the Iowa Catholic Conference, told CNA that the bishops are encouraging parishes to continue outreach to women and families in need and are asking for support of pregnancy help centers. 

He also said that the Iowa Catholic Conference is advocating for increased support for mothers through the state’s MOMS (More Options for Maternal Support) program. 

Responding to arguments proffered by opponents of the law, Chapman said that while “some are spreading confusion about needed medical interventions,” there is “nothing in the law which would prevent women and their unborn child from receiving the medical treatment they need.”

Sviatoslav Shevchuk is Major Archbishop of Kyiv–Galicia and Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. / Credit: Screenshot/EWTN News Nightly

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 1, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) announced the release of two Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests who had been captured in November 2022 by the Russian National Guard.

The freed priests are Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, members of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), who had been accused of having committed “subversive” and “guerrilla” activities.

The priests, who served the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, were accused of allegedly possessing weapons, ammunition, and books on the history of Ukraine in a parish building.

The information about the release, announced June 28 by María Lozano, press officer for ACN International, has been confirmed by the information department of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The priests had been arrested on Nov. 16, 2022, in Berdyansk, a city on the north shore of the Sea of Azov, an area occupied by the Russians. Despite the danger, both had decided to stay to serve the “communities of Roman Catholics and Greek Catholics, to give them hope in the face of the occupation.”

The ACN news brief also noted that Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic major archbishop of Kyiv-Halyč, expressed his “deep gratitude to the Holy See,” in particular to Pope Francis, to Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin; to the Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has carried out various peace missions to try to end the conflict; and to Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, for his efforts to obtain the release of the two priests.

“Despite the joy of this news, ACN recalls that many innocent civilians remain in custody and invites its friends and benefactors to continue to pray for their release, and for peace in Ukraine,” the news brief concludes.

On multiple occasions, Pope Francis has encouraged prayer for “martyred” Ukraine and has urged dialogue to end the conflict.

On June 23, in his last public intervention on the matter, he asked the Holy Spirit to “enlighten the minds of the rulers,” stressing that “negotiation is needed” to end not only the war in Ukraine and the Holy Land but also in other places in the world.

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