Church of the Holy Spirit

Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of Quebec speaks at a press briefing on the synod at the Holy See press office, Oct. 9, 2018. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 14:08 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec announced Monday that he will resume his duties as archbishop after a voluntary six-month withdrawal amid abuse allegations. 

Lacroix, a member of the Council of Cardinals that advises Pope Francis, had been accused in a lawsuit made public in January of abusing a 17-year-old girl almost four decades ago. 

The Vatican had in March commissioned André Denis, a former judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, to conduct an investigation into the allegations. Lacroix “categorically” denied the allegations made against him.

“Never, to my knowledge, have I made any inappropriate actions towards anyone, whether minors or adults,” Lacroix said in January. “My soul and my conscience are at peace in the face of these accusations, which I refute.”

In May, the Vatican said it would take “no further canonical procedure” after the investigation found no evidence of misconduct or abuse.

According to a July 22 statement from the archdiocese, Denis found that “the elements gathered during my investigation make it implausible that the facts attributed to the cardinal occurred.” 

The alleged victim did not participate in the investigation, however, and Denis said the investigation could be reopened if she chooses to participate, CBC reported. 

Lacroix has been a cardinal since 2014 and archbishop of Quebec since 2011. He said he will celebrate Mass on July 26 for the feast of St. Anne — a popular saint in Canada and patron saint of Quebec — at the famous Sainte-Anne-de Beaupré sanctuary.

“It has been a difficult journey, but the conclusions of Judge Denis’ investigation, the support of those around me, and the possibility of making myself heard that could result from the request for intervention lead me to calmly resume my ministry,” Lacroix said in the Monday statement.

“The community knows to what extent the Church of Quebec condemns reprehensible acts and knows the measures we have taken to prevent them,” he said, urging the reporting of any kind of abuse that harms “the moral, spiritual, and physical integrity of our brothers and sisters.”

When it was filed in 2022, the class-action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec included the testimony of 101 people who said they were sexually assaulted by dozens of clerics or Church staff from 1940 to the present. 

The Canadian law firm Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats, which has also filed several other class-action lawsuits against other Catholic dioceses and religious orders, filed the lawsuit.

In that filing, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the former Archbishop of Quebec, was also accused of sexual assault. The Vatican in 2022 said an investigation revealed “no elements to initiate a trial” against Ouellet.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. / Credit: Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images; Horacio Villalobos Corbis/Getty Images

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2024 / 13:23 pm (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday at the end of a diplomatic visit to the country.

Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X that he had “a meaningful meeting” with Parolin and is “grateful for [the] cardinal’s support of our country and people.”

Earlier the same day, Parolin toured the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv and met some of its young patients.

The country’s largest pediatric hospital partially reopened early last week, one week after it was seriously damaged in an alleged Russian missile attack on July 9.

Russia has denied responsibility for the attack, which reportedly injured dozens of children receiving treatment at the hospital.

According to Zelenskyy, he and Parolin mainly discussed the decisions of the international summit on peace in Ukraine held in Switzerland in June and the Vatican’s role in facilitating peace. 

Zelenskyy also said they spoke about Russia’s ongoing aerial attacks and the humanitarian situation in the country as well as the outcomes of the president’s meeting with Pope Francis during the G7 in Italy last month.

The Secretariat of State said in a post on X that Parolin, in his meeting with Zelenskyy, “reiterated the pope’s closeness and commitment to finding a just and lasting peace.”

Parolin also met with Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, and the president of the Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, on Monday.

Tuesday marked the last full day of Parolin’s July 19–24 trip to Ukraine. It was the diplomat’s first visit to the country since the outbreak of war with Russia in 2022.

He also celebrated Mass for Latin-rite Ukrainian Catholics at the Marian shrine of Berdychiv on Sunday, traveled to the severely-damaged port city of Odesa, and met with Catholic and Orthodox leaders, including Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Bishop Richard Umbers. / Credit: Archdiocese of Sydney

Sydney, Australia, Jul 23, 2024 / 09:27 am (CNA).

As the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis drew to a close, an Australian bishop praised the event as a model for revitalizing the Catholic faith across the world and expressed hope that it could inspire similar revivals worldwide.

Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers of Sydney, who attended the congress as an international observer, said that the U.S. gathering had generated a lot of interest in Australia, according to the Australian Catholic Weekly.

“We are very interested in learning all the aspects of the journey to this national congress,” Umbers said.

“We’ve been following this revival, and it has captured our imagination.”

The bishop noted that the congress, which drew over 50,000 participants from all 50 states and 17 countries, demonstrated the power of Eucharistic devotion to unite and energize the faithful.

“It has been an amazing experience that we can all gather so many people,” Umbers said. “We talk about Real Presence, but for that we need to be present, and present in the liturgy.”

U.S. support for Eucharistic congress in Australia

Umbers said Australia is closely studying the U.S. Eucharistic revival with a specific purpose, too: Catholics in the Land Down Under hope to host the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney — with American support — in the year 2028. 

This September, the 53-year-old prelate plans to travel to South America for the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador.

“I will be going to Quito and I will be taking a group of people with me,” the bishop said. “We will have an observation team and a pilgrimage to see where we can learn because we love holding events such as these in Australia.”

Umbers explained that following the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia’s Plenary Council voted to pursue hosting an International Eucharistic Congress to help reinvigorate Catholic life and bring people back to Mass.

“COVID had hit us hard, we really need to revitalize ourselves in appreciation of the work of the Lord and worship together,” he said.

The bishop also addressed growing challenges to religious freedom in the U.S. and Australia, suggesting these pressures may fuel a resurgence in public expressions of faith.

“The Catholic Church in Australia is the largest nongovernment provider of education, health care, and social services and we are increasingly noticing a squeeze on being able to operate according to our faith,” Umbers said.

“Even culturally with the intellectual battles taking place, identifying yourself as a Christian or a Catholic in everyday life is to take it on the chin. This is one reason why more Catholics are going out on the street and saying we believe in Jesus.”

American ‘blueprint’ for universal Church

As the 10th National Eucharistic Congress concluded Sunday in Indianapolis, Umbers expressed hope that the congress’ fruits would spread far beyond American shores.

“The world is so connected. The kinds of challenges you’re facing here in the United States are very similar to the ones we are facing in Australia,” he said.

“We’re looking to the U.S. experience as a blueprint for how the universal Church can be renewed through greater devotion to Christ in the Eucharist.”

null / Credit: 10 FACE/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Senate of the Dominican Republic has approved the first reading of a draft penal code, which maintains the total prohibition of abortion in the country and establishes new criminal charges with penalties ranging between 30 and 40 years in prison.

The bill has been sent to a special committee for in-depth study and possible modifications before possible passage in a second reading by the Chamber of Deputies (lower house).

In an interview with EWTN News, Father Manuel Ruiz, national executive secretary of the Life Commission of the Dominican Bishops’ Conference, commented that “a step forward” has been achieved.

“Although it has not been fully approved, because the deputies who already approved it in a first reading and the committee are absent, we went to public hearings, they listened to us, and it was approved without the three grounds that [typically] decriminalize abortion, because our constitution does not allow that,” he explained.

Among the most notable new provisions in the bill are punishments for genocide, feminicide, contract killings, and harm caused by chemical substances. However, the point that has generated the greatest debate and public attention is retention of the total prohibition of abortion in line with Article 37 of the Caribbean country’s constitution, which protects the right to life from conception to natural death.

Ruiz stressed the importance of “fighting scientifically and medically to save both lives,” that of the mother and that of the unborn child, and emphasized that in cases where an attempt is made to save both lives but one of the two dies, there is no sin nor crime. 

“What [abortion advocates] want is to establish abortion as a right, a human right of women. And we have clearly said that there is only one Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the same for men, women, children, for everyone. And they want to expand rights, which is an attack on dignity. But our constitution doesn’t allow it,” the priest said.

The bill on the penal code was approved in the first reading by a 20-3 vote, reflecting broad support in the country’s Senate. However, there is still a way to go before this bill can become law. “We are hoping it will be passed before August,” Ruiz said.

The priest said that for pro-life advocates, the position is clear: The fight against abortion will continue without letting up. “We’re not going to get weary. These people don’t sleep, and neither do we. What we cannot do is stand idly by believing that evil is unconcerned, that the devil is on vacation.”

Ruiz concluded the interview by pointing out that people of goodwill will continue encouraging “everyone, where abortion has not been approved and where it has been approved, to continue fighting.”

“Because there is faith, there is hope.”

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

Katie Ledecky visits students at Stone Ridge of the Sacred Heart School following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games / Credit: Stone Ridge of the Sacred Heart School

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 23, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Katie Ledecky, an Olympic athlete considered to be one of the best female swimmers of all time, often speaks about her faith and experiences of attending Catholic schools.

After winning her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 at age 15, Ledecky has gone on to become one of the best female swimmers of all time. With 10 Olympic medals and 21 world championship titles under her belt, Ledecky is poised to be one of the top competitors in the Paris Olympics later this month.

While her swimming feats have brought Ledecky accolades worldwide, those who knew the Maryland native in her youth while she attended Catholic schools describe her as being a bright, kind, and faithful student.

“She’s not only a wonderful athlete, but she is also a role model that you would want a young, Catholic woman to be,” Sister Rosemaron Rynn shared with CNA. “She’s grown into this wonderful person because of her great parents, her family life, and also the fact that she keeps herself close to God.”

Sister Rosemaron, who served as Ledecky’s principal at the Little Flower School in Bethesda, Maryland, said Ledecky attended the school from pre-K to eighth grade. “Her mom was a part of the Mystical Rose Society that takes care of the altar and other things in the church,” she added.

“Katie used to help her mom now and then with that, and I know from reading stories about her that she continues to say that her faith is very important,” Sister Rosemaron continued. “She has said that she prays before each event, and I believe that the Lord has really blessed her.”

In a 2016 interview with the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, Ledecky shared that she often prays a Hail Mary before each of her races, stating: “More than anything, praying just helps me to concentrate and let go of things that don’t matter in that moment. It gives me peace knowing I’m in good hands.”

“I think our devotion to Mary is very beautiful,” Ledecky said. “She has a sacred role in Catholicism, and her strong faith and humility are things we can learn from.”

Humility is another attribute that Sister Rosemaron credits Ledecky as having, telling CNA that “[Katie] never touted the fact that she was that good. In fact, it blew our minds when we found out that she was going toward the Olympics.”

“She’d come in during the morning before school started, her hair all wet because she had been out swimming before school,” she said. “But she never bragged about anything, ever. She was truly humble.”

Upon entering Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart for high school in 2011, Ledecky continued to remain “extremely grounded” and “humbly gracious” amid her rise to fame, according to Stone Ridge Principal Catherine Karrels.

“On our swim team, there were students of all levels. We had Katie who was an Olympian and students who were just learning how to make their way across the pool,” Karrels told CNA. “One of the things I admired about Katie was that she was so inclusive and celebratory for the other kids and all that they were able to accomplish.”

In addition to being a member of the Stone Ridge swim team and setting numerous records, Ledecky also participated in many of the school’s service opportunities. She volunteered as a teacher’s aide in her former elementary school, served meals to homeless people at the Shepherd’s Table soup kitchen, and helped lead Stone Ridge’s campus ministry program among others.

“Katie really cares deeply about other people and is very focused on community and family. I think a lot of that comes from her faith in that she sees the dignity in everyone around her,” Karrels said. “All of these things fit in with a faith life that is grounded in strong values that come from her family and that were also expressed in her education here at Stone Ridge.”

Ledecky has kept her Catholic formation and roots close to her, often making stops to see both the Little Flower School and Stone Ridge following her Olympic feats and accomplishments. As Sister Rosemaron recounted, Katie would visit her and the other sisters, “bringing her medals, letting us each wear one to take pictures with her.”

Karrels echoed this, sharing with CNA that Ledecky has done “a great job in keeping in touch with us, frequently coming back to campus when she’s in town.”

“She will often come and talk to our student body and engage with the kids. Usually when she does that, she wants it to be very informal,” Karrels continued. “She likes to come back and check in with her teachers and coaches, roam the halls, and see how everyone’s doing. I think she also knows how much we like for the young girls to be able to see and get to know her because she’s such an inspiration and a great role model for them in so many different ways.”

Set to compete in the upcoming Olympic games’ 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events — two of which she currently holds the record for — the 27-year-old Ledecky is favored to win the gold for several of these events.

Sister Rosemaron and her fellow sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary plan to watch Ledecky and cheer her on, and the priests and congregation at the Church of the Little Flower expressed their prayers and well wishes for the athlete as she competes in Paris.

Stone Ridge will be hosting an Olympic Pep Rally on July 25, where more than 500 are expected to celebrate not just Ledecky but the school’s other two alumni competing for Team USA in swimming — Phoebe Bacon and Erin Gemmell.

Karrels, who will be traveling to Paris in order to cheer on her former students and report back to the Stone Ridge community, shared that “it’s astounding to have such high representation from our alumni.”

“I am thrilled to be going to watch Katie, Phoebe, and Erin compete,” she stated. “Hopefully when they get back from the games, we’ll be able to find a time for them to come to campus and tell their stories to our students, and to celebrate again all that they’ve accomplished and all the lessons they learned.”

St. Bridget of Sweden. / Credit: Carlston Marcks, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On July 23, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Bridget of Sweden, a mystic of the Middle Ages who was a wife, mother to a large family, lady-in-waiting to a queen, and founder of a religious order that still exists today.

1. St. Bridget experienced her first vision at age 10.

Bridget, or “Birgitta,” was born to wealthy, devout parents in Sweden in the year 1303. Her mother died early in her life, and she and her siblings were raised by their aunt. At 10 years old, Bridget had a vision of Christ on the cross in his agonizing suffering. In her vision, Bridget saw Christ with his wounds from Good Friday, with the wounds of “The Man of Sorrows” in Isaiah 53. She asked Jesus who hurt him, and he responded: “Those who despise me and refuse my love for them.” She would go on to write about these revelations; her works were published posthumously. 

2. Bridget served in the royal court of Sweden. 

Bridget was married in 1316 at the young age of 13 to 18-year-old Ulf Gudmarsson, the Swedish prince of Nericia. The two joined the Third Order of St. Francis and dedicated their resources to building a hospital and caring for the needs of the poor. Ulf served on the council of the king of Sweden, Magnus Eriksson, and the king asked Bridget to be a lady-in-waiting for his wife, Queen Blanche of Namur. 

3. Bridget was a mother to eight children, and one of them became a saint.

Bridget and Ulf raised a large family together while also serving the poor and managing their duties in court. Of Bridget’s eight children, two died in infancy, and another two died in the Crusades. Two of their surviving children were married, and another two joined religious life. One of those two became a saint and was canonized St. Catherine of Sweden.  

4. Bridget founded a religious order, the Bridgettines, after her husband died.

Bridget and Ulf made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela between 1341 and 1343, but on their return trip, Ulf became ill. The couple stopped in France until Ulf regained his health, but soon after they returned to Sweden, in 1344, he passed away. 

After his death, Bridget donated her belongings to the poor and devoted her life to Christ, following a call from God to start a new religious order. 

She founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior, now known as the Brigittines, in 1346, and her congregation was approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. The Brigittines were to be led by an abbess and constitute both nuns and priests. The priests, who lived in a separate section, served as chaplains and confessors for the nuns.

King Magnus helped Bridget make the Abbey of Vadstena the home of the Brigittines. He donated a small palace and land for the new monastery.

But Bridget would never see her work come to fruition. She had a vision from Christ calling her to return to Rome and await the pope’s return from France during the Avignon Papacy. She never became a nun herself, and she never saw the monastery in Vadstena. She died several years before the pope’s permanent return to Rome. 

But her order spread through Europe and still exists today in both contemplative monasteries and apostolic convents, with branches in 19 countries including Sweden, Norway, Poland, Italy, Israel, India, the Philippines, Mexico, and the United States. 

5. St. Bridget is the co-patroness of Europe.

After Bridget died in Rome on July 23, 1373, her children brought her remains back to the headquarters of her religious order. Less than 20 years later, in 1391, Pope Boniface IX proclaimed her a saint. Her revelations and writings on the sufferings of Christ were published after her death. In 1999, St. John Paul II chose her as one of the three female co-patronesses of Europe, along with St. Catherine of Siena and St. Edith Stein.

Steven and Joelle Schlotter, from Louisville, Kentucky, created special homemade T-shirts for their children in honor of the National Eucharistic Congress. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/CNA

Indianapolis, Ind., Jul 22, 2024 / 17:52 pm (CNA).

The 10th National Eucharistic Congress concluded Sunday in Indianapolis with a clarion call for participants to share with others the love and joy of the Catholic faith that they just experienced. 

For the many parents who brought their young children to the historic July 17–21 gathering in Indianapolis, the congress was an inspiring confirmation that the Catholic Church is alive and well and that other families across the country are working hard to raise their kids in the faith. 

The McKenzie family — Brendan and Laura and their eight children — made the trip to the congress from Evansville, Indiana, a few hours south of Indianapolis on the Kentucky border. 

Brendan said for his older kids, he hopes that seeing the large numbers of priests and religious present at the congress will be something of a “normalizing” experience, helping to expose his children to those kinds of vocations as a possibility for their lives. 

For the younger of his children, Brendan said he appreciated the efforts made by organizers to engage with the children and make it a fun and memorable experience. 

“The musicians and the emcees did a great job interacting with the kids, getting them up and dancing and singing, which was good for the little kids,” Brendan said.  

“I think the speakers help infuse the faith and make it more real and personal for the kids. I think the environment has been very conducive, too — allowing kids to participate and not feel like they’re an annoyance. Even the speakers have been very good about welcoming the noise of the children, to put parents at ease.”

The congress featured numerous opportunities for Eucharistic adoration and Mass as well as workshops and educational sessions. 

Numerous families attended a family-focused session on Saturday presented by Damon and Melanie Owens, Catholic speakers from Philadelphia and parents of eight children. The Owenses said it was difficult early on in their marriage to find other families who shared their values. 

Damon and Melanie spoke about the “communal dimension of marriage” and the importance of Catholic couples with children seeking out other like-minded families to “do life with.” They encouraged the families in attendance to make building a community around themselves a priority.

“Marriage is not private — our family life is not meant to be private. It’s personal, but it’s not private,” Damon Owens said. “I want to encourage and exhort you to honor that, to reverence that, and also to lean into it, to do the hard work of drawing even closer to one another.”

Paolo and Jessica Laorden from Mishawaka, Indiana, near South Bend, attended the talk with their five children. The Laordens said the Owenses’ talk about the importance of finding like-minded families resonated with them, especially since their family dynamic is different from many of their peers — Jessica is a family physician, while Paolo is a stay-at-home dad to their five children.

The talk, as well as the experience of seeing so many other families at the Congress, reminded Jessica that “there isn’t a perfect Catholic family and that we’re meant to share what we have, to support each other and find support, to depend on other people instead of turning in,” she said. 

Treating the congress as their “family vacation” for the summer, Paolo said a highlight has been the opportunity to take their kids to say “good morning” and “good night” to Jesus each day of the conference at the adoration chapel.

“They have gone above and beyond to make the conference work for families … we were really nervous about how we were going to make this work,” Jessica added. 

Paolo said he and Jessica want to be intentional about continuing the practice of bringing their children to Eucharistic adoration when they return home. Many churches in their hometown offer adoration, and “we want to do it again, on a more regular basis … even if it’s just for a couple of minutes, or an hour.”

“We want to make sure that when we go home, we bring it all home with us and be the life for the area,” he said.

Frannie and Alec Moen made the four-hour drive from Wildwood, Missouri, to attend the Congress with their seven children. Frannie said that although everyone they met was helpful and friendly, the experience was challenging — it was a workout getting the kids and stroller from one place to another, and anxiety-inducing keeping the kids from getting lost in the crowds. 

“But we trusted that God had us there for a reason, and that he’d help us keep track of them. It felt a lot like a pilgrimage,” Frannie said. 

Seeing the diversity of the Church as well as the large numbers of priests and religious “made a huge impression” on her kids, especially during Saturday’s Eucharistic procession. Frannie also mentioned a special moment when one of her daughters, who has a “unique Catholic name, and sometimes feels self-conscious about it,” met a religious sister with the same name who gave her a special handmade rosary.   

“I’d say every five minutes, someone stopped to thank us for what we are doing and for bringing our family,” Frannie said. 

“We do feel a deeper intimacy with Jesus in the Eucharist after going. We go to him every day, and we feel like he saw our loneliness and discouragement in this world and drew us to a place where we could be restored and sent back on mission to raise these children in the faith. It is hard, but we were reminded that it is worth it … The Church is young!”

Peter and Naomi Atkinson, who came from Chicago with their two young children, said the organizers of the congress did a good job of making the event family-friendly. Although they weren’t able to make it to any of the evening sessions because of their children’s bedtime, Naomi said that overall the accommodations to help families — and especially mothers with small children — feel comfortable at the congress were “amazing.” She said the space provided for nursing mothers was especially appreciated. 

“Seeing the other families who brought their kids here is really encouraging — the fact that there are so many families who are in the same boat we are, and trying to make the same sacrifices to bring their kids up with a deep love of the faith,” Peter said. 

“As Catholics, we don’t believe individually. We believe as a community. I think it’s really important for our families to see the strength and diversity and the unity of the faith,” he continued. 

“I think it’s really important for parents to receive that with other parents, and it’s important for children to see their parents receiving that, and to see other children being formed in those communities as well.”

“There is a reason that countries across the world — from Sweden to Norway, France, and the United Kingdom — have taken steps to pause these procedures and policies,” said New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. / Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, Arizona, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 22, 2024 / 17:22 pm (CNA).

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law a bill that restricts sex-change surgeries on minors, along with a bill that restricts access to female athletic competitions in certain grades to only biological girls. 

“As the debate over [these bills] has played out in Concord and throughout the state, charged political statements have muddled the conversation and distracted from the two primary factors that any parent must consider: safety and fairness for their children,” Sununu said in a statement. 

“These two factors have been my primary consideration in reviewing these bills,” the governor added.

Sununu vetoed a third bill related to transgender policies. 

The vetoed legislation would have ended the state’s anti-discrimination protections for people who identify as transgender. This would have permitted public and private entities to restrict bathroom and locker room access based on biological sex rather than self-asserted gender identity.

Banning transgender surgery on minors

House Bill 619, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, prohibits doctors from performing “genital gender reassignment surgery” on anyone under the age of 18.

This includes a ban on internal and external gender transition surgeries. For boys, this ban includes removal of genitals and surgical interventions to make the genitals appear similar to a female. For girls, this ban includes the removal of ovaries or other surgeries that alter the genitals and make the genitals appear similar to a male.

“This bill focuses on protecting the health and safety of New Hampshire’s children and has earned bipartisan support,” Sununu said. “There is a reason that countries across the world — from Sweden to Norway, France, and the United Kingdom — have taken steps to pause these procedures and policies.”

However, New Hampshire’s restrictions do not go as far as many other Republican states. The law still allows other transgender surgeries, such as the removal of healthy breasts in girls and the addition of prosthetic breasts in boys to facilitate a sex change. The state will also continue to allow doctors to prescribe puberty-blocking drugs and hormone therapy to facilitate a sex change in minors.

The ban on genital surgery is enforced through licensing agencies. Minors or parents will also be permitted to sue doctors who perform banned surgery on minors. 

Protecting girls’ sports

House Bill 1205 ensures that only biological girls will be allowed to participate in female sports competitions in grades 5 through 12. The legislation does not affect lower grades or college sports.

The legislation requires that sports competitions for those grades be classified as either “male,” “female,” or “coed.” Only biological males can participate in “male” competitions, only biological females can participate in “female” competitions, and both can participate in “coed” competitions.

Per the legislation, a biological male who identifies as transgender could not participate in a sports competition reserved for girls.

“[This legislation] ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions,” Sununu said. “With this widely supported step, New Hampshire joins nearly half of all U.S. states in taking this measure.”

Any student who is deprived of an athletic opportunity based on a violation of the law or who faces retaliation for reporting a violation will be allowed to sue the school for damages.

This bill goes into effect 30 days following the governor’s signature.

One priest and seven deacons were ordained July 20 in the Matagalpa cathedral by the president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference. / Credit: Diócesis Media - TV Merced/Screenshot

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 22, 2024 / 16:52 pm (CNA).

After being under various forms of house arrest since August 2022, the bishop of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, Rolando Álvarez, was sentenced to 26 years in prison on Feb. 10, 2023, charged with being a “traitor to the homeland” by the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega. In a deal with the Vatican, Álvarez was released from prison almost a year later and exiled to Rome on Jan. 14.

Now for the first time since Alvarez was exiled and while he is still the shepherd of his flock, one priest and seven deacons were ordained in his absence by the president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference and bishop of Jinotega, Carlos Enrique Herrera, on July 20 in the Matagalpa cathedral.

According to Diocese Media-TV Merced, the television channel of the Diocese of Matagalpa, Herrera celebrated the Mass in St. Peter the Apostle Cathedral in Matagalpa, where he ordained Juan José Orozco Jarquín to the priesthood.

The prelate also ordained to the diaconate Aníbal Hernaldo Vallejos Vallejos, Byron Antonio Flores Mejía, Celestino Eliécer Martínez Martínez, Ervin Andrés Aguirre Corea, Juan Dionisio Jarquín Díaz, Roberto Clemente Manzanares González, and Saúl Antonio Martínez Obregón.

According to the Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaico, this is the first ordination since Álvarez was exiled to Rome.

The newspaper also confirmed that the Diocese of Matagalpa has lost 25 of the 60 priests it had in 2020, most of whom have been arrested or exiled by the dictatorship of Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.

‘Propagate the kingdom of Christ throughout the earth’

In his homily, in which he did not mention Álvarez, the bishop of Jinotega highlighted that “it is always a cause of joy for us as a Church that God continues to bless us with these brothers who have freely decided to give themselves to the Lord.”

“We cannot help but feel great sadness because we must recognize that, although there are people who want to hear good things, there is a lack of those who are dedicated to announcing the good news and bearing witness,” the prelate noted.

“The Church was born with this purpose: to spread the kingdom of Christ throughout the earth, for the glory of God the Father, and thus make all men participants in the saving redemption and through this, order the entire universe toward Christ,” he emphasized.

Just mentioning Álvarez or asking for prayers for him during his long ordeal could result in being arrested by the dictatorship, which happened in December 2023 to the bishop of Siuna, Isidoro Mora, who was also exiled to Rome in January of this year.

Who is Álvarez?

Rolando Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí, is a well-known defender of human rights and critic of the Nicaraguan dictatorship, which since 2018 has intensified its persecution of the Catholic Church in the country.

The cancellation of the legal status and the expropriation of the assets of Radio María Nicaragua on July 9 was the latest attack perpetrated by the regime.

Beginning Aug. 4, 2022, the regime’s riot police prevented Álvarez from leaving his residence along with some priests, seminarians, and a layman.

Two weeks later, when they had almost run out of food, the police broke into the house and abducted him to Managua, where he was placed under house arrest.

On Feb. 9, 2023, in a deal with the U.S. State Department, 222 political prisoners including priests and seminarians were deported by the Ortega regime to the United States. Álvarez could have been on the plane bound for freedom but refused.

According to Felix Maradiaga, one of the released political prisoners, the bishop refused because “he couldn’t leave his people behind. Because he had to give an example, a sacrificial witness” to the 37 political prisoners still incarcerated. Maradiaga said that the bishop stated at that time: “I’m not going to leave until all the prisoners are free.”

After a swift sham trial, the dictatorship sentenced the bishop the next day to 26 years in jail, sending him to the La Modelo prison, where political prisoners of the dictatorship are held.

After Vatican mediation, he was finally deported to Rome in January. According to José Antonio Canales, the bishop of Danlí in Honduras, who had an opportunity to make contact with Álvarez when he was in Rome, the Nicaraguan prelate “is very animated, full of hope and optimism.”

Since arriving in Rome in January, Álvarez has made no public statements. However, according to Canales this silence has not been imposed on him but rather “is his personal decision to have time for himself, to reflect on his life, but everything is fine.” 

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

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 22, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

A coalition of 18 state attorneys general is throwing its support behind a lawsuit from a former Indiana high school teacher who lost his job because he would not use pronouns for students that were inconsistent with their sex. 

The Republican coalition, co-led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, filed an amicus brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Wednesday that asks the judges to rule that the teacher’s religious liberty was violated. 

An amicus brief, also known as a “friend of the court” brief, is a document filed by parties that have an interest in the outcome of the litigation but are not parties in the lawsuit.

Former music teacher John Kluge, who taught orchestra at the Brownsburg Community School Corporation just northwest of Indianapolis, was given the option of resigning or being fired from his job over the pronoun dispute, according to his lawsuit.

In 2017, the school district adopted a policy that forces teachers to use pronouns and names that reflect a student’s self-asserted gender identity, even if they are inconsistent with the student’s sex.

Kluge requested a religious accommodation that would allow him to avoid using any pronouns in reference to students, simply calling them by their last names, so he could avoid using pronouns that are inconsistent with a student’s biological sex.

The school district initially granted Kluge — a Christian — his requested accommodation and he taught for another year, according to the lawsuit. After receiving complaints from a few students and teachers, the school district revoked his accommodation, according to the lawsuit, and then “forced Mr. Kluge to resign or be fired.”

In the amicus brief, the attorneys general wrote that the school district “squandered an opportunity to showcase to students respect for people with different religious beliefs and practices” by forcing Kluge’s resignation. 

“Discriminating against teachers with religious convictions raises serious concerns as to the values taught to students and whether students are truly free to discover, learn, and grow in their own thought processes and beliefs,” the attorneys general added. “Schools should strive to teach respect for all religions instead of uniformity of thought.”

In a statement, Rokita said that Kluge’s compromise to avoid pronoun use altogether would allow him “to treat everyone equally and respectfully while also staying faithful to his own religious convictions.” 

“Kicking this teacher to the curb sends students the wrong messages about America’s heritage of respecting religion,” Rokita added. “And, at a time when teachers are in short supply, this kind of intolerance of faith among faculty members is sure to push additional good teachers out of the classroom.”

Rory Gray, who serves as senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom — the legal group representing Kluge — told CNA that “public schools can’t force teachers to abandon their religious beliefs.” 

“Mr. Kluge went out of his way to treat all his students with respect and care,” Gray said. “Yet the Brownsburg school district violated Title VII by censoring and punishing him for his religious beliefs. The 7th Circuit should … protect the religious convictions of employees, especially for teachers in our public schools.”

A spokesperson for the school district did not respond to a request for comment from CNA.

The school district has argued that the requested accommodation provides the district with an “undue burden” that jeopardizes the enforcement of its policies. 

The district has also argued that refusing to use a student’s preferred pronoun and name could violate Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination — a question that is currently before several courts.

In 2021, a Virginia teacher was fired after he criticized a proposed Loudoun County Public School Board policy that would require teachers to use a student’s preferred pronoun and name. The school board ultimately adopted the policy but reached a settlement with physical education teacher Byron “Tanner” Cross that gave him his job back.