Iraqi woman wins final ruling to restore Christian identity in government records
The issue of Iraqi children being legally registered as Muslim when one of their parents converts to Islam has returned to public attention after an Iraqi woman won a final court ruling allowing her official religious identity to be restored to Christian in government records.
The case was announced by ADF International, an organization that advocates for religious freedom.
According to the organization, Iraq’s Court of Cassation issued a final ruling allowing the woman’s religious classification in the government database to be changed back to “Christian,” reflecting the faith she practices after experiencing the consequences of the law.
Several Iraqi laws concerning religious identity have raised questions in light of Article 2 of the Iraqi constitution, which guarantees religious rights and freedom of belief and religious practice for all individuals, including Christians, Yazidis, and Mandaeans.
Earlier laws, including the Population Registration Laws No. 59 of 1955 and No. 54 of 1927, allowed individuals to change their religion. Later legislation took a different approach. The Civil Status Laws No. 189 of 1964 and No. 65 of 1972 allowed only non-Muslims to change their religion, an approach that continued in later laws. The legislation also states that minor children are registered as Muslim if one of their parents converts to Islam.
To better understand the issue, its legal and social consequences, and possible ways to address it, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, spoke with Kaldo Ramzi Oghanna, a member of the Iraqi Parliament and head of the Christian Suyana Parliamentary Bloc.
Oghanna explained that the case recently reported in the media began with a lawsuit filed before the Personal Status Court in the Hamdaniya district. The ruling was later reviewed by higher courts before a final decision was reached.
The history of the ‘right to return’
Oghanna spoke about the difficulties faced by children who were registered as Muslim after one of their parents converted to Islam.
He explained that from the adoption of Civil Status Law No. 65 of 1972 until the 1990s, Iraqi courts allowed a child whose official religion had been changed because of a parent’s conversion to return to his or her original religion after reaching legal adulthood.
He cited Presidential Office Letter No. T/9/33963, dated Sept. 25, 1988, which explicitly recognized the right to return to one’s original religion within one year of reaching legal adulthood.
Oghanna said the situation changed during the 1990s, during what became known as the “Faith Campaign.”
“At that time, a judge sent a letter to former President Saddam Hussein arguing that the right to return amounted to ‘apostasy from Islam,’” Oghanna said. “A directive was subsequently issued prohibiting it.”
He added that the rights continued to be applied in similar cases in the Kurdistan Region from 1992 until 2003.
The legal situation after 2003
After 2003, when Iraq’s judicial system was reunified, people seeking to return to their original religion faced further difficulties because courts did not always take the same approach to such cases, Oghanna explained.
The situation remained complicated until 2020, when Judge Ahmed Jassab al Saadi called for these cases to be reconsidered without applying Islamic law provisions to them.
He based his position on Iraq’s commitments under international agreements, particularly the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
“This created a more positive approach in the courts, allowing a person who reaches the age of 18 to return to his or her original religion within one year,” Oghanna said.
What challenges remain?
Oghanna warned that the one-year deadline remains a major challenge for people who want to restore their original religious identity.
He said the period may be too short for someone to understand the legal process and file a case to correct his or her official records — therefore he called for a longer period and for the law to be applied consistently in such cases.
Oghanna said his parliamentary bloc is working with the government and the judiciary on several key issues. These include addressing the registration of children as Muslim when one parent converts to Islam and guaranteeing their right to return to their original religion after reaching adulthood without a specific time limit.
The bloc is also seeking to amend Article 26, Section 2, of Iraq’s National Identity Card Law, which states that minor children follow the religion of a parent who converts to Islam.
Establishing legal precedents
Oghanna stressed that changing the law should be accompanied by efforts within the judicial system to protect the right of individuals to return to their original religion and to safeguard freedom of religion and belief, in accordance with Iraq’s constitution and international commitments.
He also emphasized the importance of documenting previous court decisions that supported this right so they can be used as legal precedents in future cases.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated for and adapted by EWTN News English.
As TPS designations expire, Catholic bishops remain concerned about safety in affected countries
The Trump administration has moved to end temporary protected status (TPS) for people from 13 countries since 2025, and Catholic bishops warn that people may still face unsafe conditions if forced to return.
TPS is an immigration status granted to eligible foreign nationals from designated countries that are deemed unsafe to return to due to ongoing conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions.
Multiple nations will lose their designations in coming months. TPS for El Salvadoran nationals will expire Sept. 9. Designations for Sudan and Ukraine are set to expire Oct. 19, while Lebanon’s will end Nov. 27. TPS for Haiti ended July 27.
Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Migration, said bishops are focused on Haitian nationals “because thatʼs the community most affected right now, and now lives in a fear because they could be deported any time.”
The situation there “is pretty dire,” he told EWTN News. “The government is ending the temporary protected status and wants to return people to Haiti,” but “in our judgment it’s not safe, and thereʼs a moral question of returning people to Haiti right now.”
“The bishops themselves from Haiti have … said ‘itʼs just not safe,’” he said.
In April, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation, H.R. 1689, that would extend TPS for Haitians for three more years. No legislative efforts have gained traction in the Senate.
“Weʼre hoping, politically right now, for the Senate to agree to a resolution the House has already passed,” Cahill said.
In January, Cahill called on the administration to extend TPS for Haitians. In June, Cahill followed up after the Supreme Court allowed TPS designations for Haiti and Syria to end, calling for other options including “deferred enforced departure.”
“If we have, in good faith, offered temporary protected status, we should not return people until we deemed it safe to go back,” Cahill said in an interview. “And whatʼs the criteria? And thatʼs the question for politicians to work out: ‘Whatʼs the criteria for determining when it is safe that a person can return to their country?’”
“Justice is about human dignity and how we treat other human beings,” Cahill said. It’s an “injustice” to somebody who has been here legally, “to all of a sudden say, ‘Weʼre going to take it away and send you back,’” he said.
“Itʼs about justice and right reason,” he added.
Temporary protected status across U.S.
As of March 31, 2025, the U.S. provided TPS protections to about 1.3 million individuals from 17 countries including Venezuela, Haiti, El Salvador, Ukraine, Honduras, Afghanistan, Nepal, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Syria, Burma, Nicaragua, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Lebanon.
Since the program’s inception, nearly 30 countries have received TPS designations, some more than once. TPS designations can be, and usually have been, extended.
TPS holders reside all over the United States. As of 2025, the largest populations of TPS holders live in Florida (403,965), Texas (147,080), New York (98,250), California (79,320), and Georgia (50,110), according to the National Immigration Forum.
The Trump administration has ended, or moved to end, TPS for 13 of the 17 nations. The programs for Venezuela, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua ended throughout 2025.
In 2026, TPS for South Sudan, Burma, Haiti, Somalia, Yemen, Haiti, and Syria were terminated or expired. In February, a district court blocked the terminations for Haitian and Syrian nationals, but in June the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the administration to officially terminate the designations.
Self-deportation
Once TPS protection ends, a TPS holder will revert back to his or her previous immigration status, and those who no longer hold status in the U.S. will potentially be subject to removal proceedings.
While the TPS designations end, DHS is encouraging people without status to self-deport rather than be deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Once non-criminal illegal aliens submit their intent to depart through the CBP Home Mobile App and pass vetting, they will be temporarily deprioritized by ICE for detention or enforcement action before their scheduled departure,” DHS reported on its website.
Those who do self-deport will receive “cost-free travel, a $2,600 exit bonus, and forgiveness of any failure to depart fines,” according to DHS.
According to the department, those who self-deport can potentially return to the United States legally. It is unclear what would allow or block potential reentry, and returning is not guaranteed. Those who are deported by ICE are unable to return with legal status.
“Temporary Protected Status is exactly that — temporary,” DHS said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “For too long, TPS has been allowed to function as a de facto amnesty program despite Congress never intending it to be permanent.”
Catholic Relief Services receives share of $1.4 billion in aid to faith‑based groups
The State Department has awarded $50 million to Catholic Relief Services as part of a $1.4 billion partnership with faith-based organizations around the world.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will receive the funding through the State Department’s Faith and Community Initiative (FCI) announced Aug. 6, alongside other international aid groups, including World Vision, Compassion International, and Samaritan’s Purse.
“CRS is so proud to be among the recipients of the new Faith and Community Initiative! We received $50 million in first-year funding to lead programming in Cameroon, Liberia, and Nigeria, working as part of a group of faith-based organizations,” CRS spokesperson Brittany Wichtendahl said in a statement to EWTN News.
“The funding will help improve hospitals, clinics, and the health networks in rural parts of the countries — where a lot of families have limited access to quality healthcare,” she said. “This investment reflects a core strength of CRS’ approach: working alongside trusted local Church, Caritas, and faith-based partners that are deeply rooted in the communities they serve.”
CRS’ financial statements show that U.S. government grants routinely constituted 40% to 50% of total revenue in fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2025, and the 2026 federal grants to the U.S.-based international humanitarian nonprofit organization are only a fraction of the government funding CRS previously received. CRS’ fiscal 2023 budget totaled $1.3 billion, rising to $1.4 billion in fiscal 2024 before dipping to $1.2 billion in fiscal 2025.
The aid CRS is set to receive is part of $850 million the State Department earmarked for distribution among faith-based groups over the course of five years.
The State Department also said an additional $570 million will be provided directly to faith-based hospitals and clinics under memorandums of understanding with country governments.
The State Department said leveraging faith-based and community-run hospitals and clinics ensures that “at least 80% of resources go toward frontline health services that reach patients and clients while streamlining overhead and management costs, a significant increase from the 35% to 40% of resources that went to frontline health services in historical awards from the State Department.”
The latest aid package comes after CRS received $235 million in food aid from the State Department for programs in Sudan and Ethiopia in July.
15,000 faithful and pope’s representative commemorate centenary of 4 Mexican martyrs
Around 15,000 faithful gathered on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Holy Places of Chalchihuites in the Mexican state of Zacatecas to commemorate the centenary of four martyrs killed during the Cristero War.
Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, apostolic nuncio to Mexico and representative of Pope Leo XIV in the country, presided over the celebration that concluded the centenary jubilee year.
The Archdiocese of Durango shared images of the crowd gathered at the site where Sts. Luis Bátis Sáinz, Manuel Morales, Salvador Lara Puente, and David Roldán Lara were killed.
The four martyrs were shot to death on Aug. 15, 1926, at Puerto de Santa Teresa, a town located in the state of Zacatecas and under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Durango.
‘God does not die’
“God does not die,” Spiteri said at the beginning of his homily, echoing the words spoken by St. Manuel Morales before his execution.
The nuncio recalled that the four martyrs “offered their lives while freely and peacefully professing their faith in God.”
“Their crime was wanting to profess publicly, freely, and peacefully their faith in the God of life and in the Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ,” he stated.
Spiteri noted that the four saints were victims of “an ideology that did not admit freedom of thought and conscience,” which some sought to “impose with violence.”
In the face of this violence, he continued, the martyrs bore witness to the value “of peaceful resistance.” He emphasized that authentic freedom “is not wanting to do whatever we feel like, but being able to choose freely, consciously; choosing good and not evil.”
He said that “choosing to respond to bad actions, violence, and injustice” by doing good and extending forgiveness “is true freedom.”
The Vatican diplomat also encouraged Catholics to work “to build a more just society grounded in solidarity.”
He emphasized that the Church relies not on “the force of power” but on “the power of service,” and he encouraged the faithful to renew their commitment to offering a witness “of dialogue, understanding, and listening to the most vulnerable and those on the margins, in order to build the kingdom of God.”
Who were the 4 martyrs?
St. Luis Bátis Sáinz was a priest in San Pedro Parish in Chalchihuites and was particularly noted for his work with young people, according to the Vatican website. He was arrested just 15 days after the suspension of public worship in Mexico, amid the intensification of religious persecution under the government of Plutarco Elías Calles.
St. Manuel Morales, a husband and father of three, was a member of the Mexican Catholic Youth Action and president of the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty, an organization that sought the repeal of the federal governmentʼs anticlerical provisions.
When Bátis asked the soldiers to spare Morales’ life because he had a wife and children, Morales replied: “Father, I am dying, but God does not die. He will look after my wife and my children.”
St. Salvador Lara Puente, who had just turned 21, worked for a mining company and was an active member of Catholic Action. When soldiers arrived looking for him, he replied: “Here I am.”
St. David Roldán Lara, 24, also worked for a mining company and was actively involved in the parish apostolate. He and Lara were cousins.
Bátis and Morales were the first to be shot to death. A few feet away, soldiers subsequently executed Salvador Lara and David Roldán.
The four were beatified by St. John Paul II on Nov. 22, 1992, and canonized by the same pontiff on May 21, 2000, alongside St. Cristóbal Magallanes and other Mexican martyrs.
The Archdiocese of Durango also counts among its martyrs St. Mateo Correa Magallanes, a priest murdered on Feb. 6, 1927, in the city of Durango.
Religious freedom and freedom of conscience
On Friday, Aug. 14, during a press conference held upon his arrival in Durango, the nuncio said his message for the local Church was one “of peace and communion, as the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, also asks of us.”
Spiteri highlighted the martyrs of Durango as examples of freedom of conscience.
“Whenever the respect for freedom of conscience has been lacking … the results have always been very sad and tragic,” he warned.
The pope’s representative clarified that religious freedom protects not only Catholics or those who profess a particular faith but also an individualʼs right not to adhere to any religion.
“When this freedom of thought is restricted … it is always a step in the wrong direction; we are moving backward, not forward,” he stated.
During his visit, Spiteri had the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Holy Martyrs and attend the opening of the photographic exhibition "Centenary of the Beginning of the Cristero Movement in Mexico and Durango."
A shrine dedicated to the martyrs is currently being built at the Holy Places of Chalchihuites.
The celebration was preceded by an eight-day archdiocesan pilgrimage that traveled the road to the Holy Places.
At its conclusion on Aug. 14, the archbishop of Durango, Faustino Armendáriz Jiménez, stated: “Blessed are those who have traveled this path, because those of us who live this experience have experienced God.”
The archdiocese also shared images of the pilgrims after completing the pilgrimage, “tired, but happy,” and with their “hearts full of gratitude and joy.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Mexican bishops question proposed government regulation of media
“Truth is not decreed; rather, it is sought and recognized through free and pluralistic debate,” stated Mexico’s bishops as they questioned various aspects of the government’s proposal to regulate the rights of radio and television audiences.
In an Aug. 13 statement, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) warned that the proposal could make freedom of expression contingent upon the government’s criteria of “truth” and also compromise religious freedom and the editorial independence of the media.
The public consultation, open from July 27 to Aug. 21 and conducted by the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, addresses a regulation that, according to the bishops, “will touch the daily lives of millions of Mexicans: what we hear on the radio, what we watch on television, and the spaces where information, culture, faith, opinion, and constructive criticism find a voice.”
The CEM acknowledged positive aspects of the proposal, such as the explicit prohibition of prior censorship, nondiscrimination based on religion, and the protection of vulnerable groups against manipulation, misleading advertising, and content that degrades human dignity.
“That these rights have clear mechanisms to be enforced is a good thing for everyone,” the conference highlighted.
However, the bishops warned that, although the purpose of protecting the rights of audiences is legitimate, the way in which the goal is attempted to be achieved also matters.
The CEM statement joins others made by the Catholic Church in Mexico. On Aug. 1, the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico stated that “there can be no prior censorship” and that no administrative authority should determine the veracity or acceptability of opinions.
A week later, an editorial in Semanario, a publication of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, questioned who would have “the authority to decide when information is true, false, or presented out of context,” and highlighted the importance of balancing state regulation with media independence.
No authority can act as an ‘arbiter of truth’
The bishops emphasized that “freedom of expression is a fundamental pillar of the democratic order” and noted that “no administrative authority can set itself up as an arbiter of truth, particularly regarding ideas, opinions, convictions, and beliefs, whether religious or otherwise.”
The CEM drew a distinction between the veracity required of journalistic information and personal convictions, which cannot be subjected to administrative verification.
“The truthfulness legitimately required of journalistic information is a duty of due diligence: to cross-check, verify, distinguish fact from opinion, and rectify errors,” the CEM explained.
Something different, the conference noted, is “the truth of convictions, which admits of neither administrative verification nor sanction, and whose assessment by the state would be, in itself, incompatible with freedom of conscience and freedom of expression.”
The episcopate expressed particular concern regarding the possibility that a governmental authority might classify and potentially sanction the dissemination of information deemed “false” or “taken out of context,” given that the bill does not clearly define the boundaries of these concepts.
In the bishops' view, such a mechanism could “make freedom of expression contingent upon the government’s criteria for truthfulness” — something “incompatible” with the Mexican constitution, international treaties, and “various judicial precedents.”
Religious freedom and editorial independence
The CEM pointed out that by Mexican law “religious associations may not own or manage radio and television licenses.” Consequently, it called for the pluralism envisioned by the guidelines to “also include the pluralism of religious convictions and beliefs.”
This protection, they added, must benefit all faiths as well as those who profess no religion, to prevent them from being subjected to “administrative judgments regarding truthfulness” or “compulsory labels.”
The bishops also expressed reservations regarding the powers the bill would grant the governmental authority “to review and validate media codes of ethics,” review the decisions of audience ombudsmen, and order the rectification or modification of content.
“Ethical self-regulation is a good that flourishes in freedom; when permanently subject to governmental validation, it ceases to be self-regulation,” they pointed out.
Participation in consultation encouraged
The CEM deemed it “essential” for the public to participate in the consultation before Aug. 21.
“Citizen participation is not merely a procedural step in the regulatory process, but an exercise of co-responsibility for the common good; a democracy is strengthened when citizens participate, not when they remain silent,” it stated.
The bishops also expressed their “willingness to engage in frank and constructive dialogue” with authorities and license holders, and offered their educational and pastoral network “to collaborate on media education and literacy programs, the development of audiences that exercise critical thinking, and the dissemination of mechanisms for defending rights.”
The CEM also noted that no regulation can replace the responsibility to discern information, verify it before sharing, and avoid spreading content that harms others or creates confusion.
“The primary defense of the truth is not a regulation; it is a well-formed conscience,” they emphasized.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Archbishop Moth urges UN to act against global persecution of believers
Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster in England issued “a vital call to action in support of people around the world oppressed for their faith” to national governments and the United Nations.
Moth, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, called on Catholics and people of goodwill to sign a petition urging world leaders to ensure countries fulfill the religious freedom requirements in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Religious freedom is a right not a privilege,” Moth said in the Aug. 18 statement.
The article, created and adopted in 1948, “affirms the right to freedom of religion or belief,” he said. “It was ratified by the United Nations and quickly became recognised around the world.”
“The Second Vatican Council affirmed this right, teaching that ‘this freedom means that all people are to be immune from coercion… in such a way that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his or her own beliefs,’” he said.
The petition is part of a campaign organized by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). It is intended to advocate for Article 18 ahead of the 10-year anniversary of Red Wednesday, an annual global campaign by ACN to raise awareness about religious persecution.
It is “a critical moment to act,” as “more than 5 billion people live in countries where persecution, oppression, and discrimination restrict religious freedom, including more than 200 million Christians,” ACN reported.
Despite Article 18’s recognition, “all too often Article 18 is ignored,” Moth said.
The bishop said: “Men and women are imprisoned, others are driven from their homes, or even killed, simply because of their peacefully held beliefs.”
“In some countries women and girls are kidnapped, forced to renounce their faith and marry their abductors; children are denied the right to learn about their faith; many people — young and old alike — are the victims of religious hatred; they suffer abuse and discrimination in the streets, at school and at work.”
“We need to stand up for our brothers and sisters in Christ and stand in support of all those who suffer for their beliefs, recognising religious freedom as a universal human right,” Moth said.
Answering Pope Leo’s call
The bishop echoed Pope Leo XIV’s call to not abandon persecuted believers.
“As Pope Leo has said, ‘Religious freedom is not merely a legal right or a privilege granted to us by governments. It is a foundational condition that makes authentic reconciliation possible,’” Moth said.
“In the words of the Holy Father, there can be … ’no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and respect for the views of others,’” he concluded.
U.S. bishops urge Supreme Court to require 12-person juries for criminal cases
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to require 12-person juries in criminal cases, with the bishops arguing against a Florida policy allowing smaller six-person juries in many cases.
The case Kian v. Florida, which the Supreme Court agreed to hear in June, was brought after Florida chiropractor Hamed Kian was convicted of five felony counts for practicing without a license.
Kian was found guilty by a six-person jury; the state of Florida only requires 12-person juries in capital cases. Several other states have similar rules.
Kian sued the state arguing that the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees a right to a 12-person jury. He lost his appeal at the Fourth District Court of Appeal of Florida and subsequently appealed directly to the Supreme Court, which will hold arguments in the case in its upcoming term.
In their amicus filing, the U.S. bishops argued that the term “jury” in the U.S. has historically referenced a body of 12 jurors; the bishops pointed to “Founding-era dictionaries” as well as “common-law history.”
The bishops said they have a “strong interest” in the case, insofar as the Catholic Church over the centuries has played a “central role in shaping the legal culture from which the common-law jury emerged.”
Among the historical examples of 12-person juries the bishops cited include the General Fundamentals of Plymouth, “the earliest codified legal system by English colonists in North America,” which guaranteed that “all trials” would be “tried by a jury of twelve good and lawful men.”
The prelates disputed the Supreme Court’s 1970 ruling in the case Williams v. Florida, which held that the Sixth Amendment does not require 12 jurors in court cases.
That ruling in part “discard[ed] the robust common-law history of the jury right,” while the high court in that decision “set far too high a bar for historical relevance,” they said.
The bishops further cited the biblical commandment to “love your neighbor justly.” They pointed to the Catholic catechism’s mandate for public authorities to “dispense justice humanely by respecting the rights of everyone.”
They urged the Supreme Court to “return to its previously long-held understanding that the Constitution entitles criminal defendants to a jury of twelve of their peers.”
Numerous advocacy groups have also filed amicus briefs advocating the 12-juror standard, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Innocence Project, several dozen current and former prosecutors, and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Quebec Archdiocese will pay out more than $30 million in major abuse settlement
The Archdiocese of Quebec in Canada will pay out an eight-figure sum as part of a major class action lawsuit that has played out there over the last several years.
The archdiocese said in a press release that the agreement was ratified on Aug. 12 by Quebec Superior Court Judge Danye Daigle. The law firm Dufresne Wee, which had originally brought the lawsuit in 2020, also confirmed the settlement on its own website.
An Aug. 12 filing in the superior court said the agreement would consist of $31.5 million “to compensate the class members covered by [the] class action.”
The agreement also stipulated that a “letter of apology” would be delivered to abuse victims.
In its press release the archdiocese said its leaders “welcome this news.” The archdiocese said Church officials were “aware that [the settlement] can help members continue on their path to peace and healing.”
Announcing the settlement, Auxiliary Bishop Jean Tailleur told victims: "Faced with the suffering you are carrying, there is little that my words can relieve or heal.”
“However, something must be said,” the prelate continued. “On behalf of the Catholic Church of Quebec, I would like to offer you our most sincere apologies.”
The archdiocese said alleged abuse victims would have a final chance to join the class action settlement prior to the distribution of the funds.
The payout signals the looming end of a process that has taken place over more than half a decade, starting in August 2020 when the first filing in the class action suit was made in the superior court.
Filings in the lengthy lawsuit had accused two major Church leaders in Quebec of committing abuse. In January 2024, Archbishop Cardinal Gerald Lacroix was accused of abusing a 17-year-old teenager decades before. Lacroix was ultimately cleared by the Vatican after an investigation.
In 2022 the Vatican also said it would not pursue a trial against Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who had been accused of abuse in a 2022 filing in the class action suit that was settled this month.
The Vatican said it found “no elements to initiate a trial” against the cardinal regarding the allegations.
Bishops mourn Polish pilgrims killed in Hungary after Medjugorje trip
Twelve Polish pilgrims died and 10 were seriously injured when their bus crashed in Hungary on Aug. 16. They were returning from a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine at Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Others among the roughly 60 people on board suffered minor injuries, and an investigation into the crash has been launched.
The tragedy prompted immediate reactions from public figures, including condolences from Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk. The Polish prime minister sent a special aircraft to Hungary carrying representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical services to assist those affected. Polish President Karol Nawrocki said he was praying for “the families and loved ones of the victims.”
The heads of both the Polish and the Hungarian bishops' conferences also responded to the accident.
Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdańsk, president of the Polish Bishops' Conference, received the news “with great sadness” and prayed “for eternal life for the tragically deceased victims of the accident and for the recovery of the injured.”
Wojda extended prayers “to the families of those who died and those injured,” asking “God to grant them relief from their pain, as well as the strength and hope that will help them survive these extremely difficult times.”
Bishop János Székely of Szombathely, president of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, expressed solidarity with the Polish victims who died while passing through his country.
“I was deeply moved to learn of the tragic bus accident,” he said, and prayed “for the eternal salvation of those who lost their lives.”
Székely asked “the Almighty to grant comfort to the families of the deceased in these difficult hours and to help the injured recover as quickly as possible.”
On behalf of the entire Catholic community in Hungary, the bishop assured “our Polish brothers of compassion and solidarity.”
The bus carrying the Polish pilgrims overturned in the early hours of Sunday and went off the road into a ditch on the M3 motorway in eastern Hungary. Some media have reported that the driver may have fallen asleep and that he has been taken into custody.
Sydney archbishop asks Australia news outlet to investigate its euthanasia coverage
Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, of Sydney has demanded an investigation from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) over its coverage of calls to lift the federal ban on using telehealth and other carriage services for voluntary assisted dying (VAD), as euthanasia and assisted suicide are termed in Australian law.
The Australian reported that in a letter to the ABC ombudsman, Fiona Cameron, he claimed the national broadcaster had breached its own guidelines on impartiality.
He asked the ombudsman whether its platforms “operated to amplify one side of a contentious policy debate."
VAD is legal throughout Australia apart from the Northern Territory, which is expected to pass enabling legislation soon.
However, a federal law banning advice about committing suicide over the phone or internet also bans telehealth consultations for VAD.
VAD advocate Andrew Denton — a former ABC television host, comedian, and founder of Go Gentle Australia — has campaigned to have the ban overturned.
Fisher cited four occasions in nine days in July when Denton promoted his views on ABC platforms. Three of them appeared before the Australian Labor Partyʼs national conference in July, which supported an end to the federal ban on telehealth consultations.
In his letter, Fisher set out what he said was documentation of a failure by the ABC to present the contentious issue impartially.
He wrote: "Over a period of nine days the ABC repeatedly provided the founder of an organization established to advocate for euthanasia and assisted suicide law reform with opportunities across television, radio, online, and social media to make the case for amending a federal prohibition on the use of telehealth for euthanasia and assisted suicide.”
"The principal arguments for retaining the prohibition were not put forward by those who hold them; rather, they were largely summarized or characterized by Denton,” he said.
The imbalance is particularly significant, the bishop continued, “because three of the relevant items, as well as two associated social media posts, were published or broadcast in the four days immediately preceding an Australian Labor Party National Conference vote on the issue being advocated.”
A subsequent ABC current affairs program interview occurred in the context of a foreshadowed parliamentary attempt to amend the law, Fisher added.
He stressed: "In those circumstances, providing an alternate perspective at some indefinite later time could not remedy the absence of diversity during the period in which the issue was the subject of an active and imminent political decision.”
Given the “significance of the issue, the imminence of the political decisions to which the coverage related, and the ABCʼs particular obligation to maintain public confidence in its impartiality,” Fisher asked that these matters be carefully investigated and addressed.
The archbishop also said Denton had misrepresented remarks he made in 2011 on “redemptive suffering.”
“Denton omitted [my] immediately preceding response, which clearly states that the goal of the Catholic Church is to reduce suffering,” he wrote in his letter to the ombudsman.
Responding to questions from The Australian, an ABC spokesman said a complaint had been received by the ombudsmanʼs office.
This story was first published by The Catholic Weekly, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Sydney, and is edited and republished by EWTN News with permission.