Attorney general nominee pledges to enforce ‘pro-life acts’
U.S. attorney general nominee Todd Blanche has pledged to enforce a federal law already on the books that would allow the federal government to end the shipping of chemical abortion drugs.
When pressed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during his confirmation hearing on July 15, Blanche agreed to enforce the Comstock Act and other federal pro-life acts to the greatest extent possible.
When asked by Cruz if he would “carefully evaluate every lawful action available to ensure the faithful enforcement of the Comstock Act and other federal pro-life acts,” Blanche said: “Yes.”
Under former president Joe Biden, the Department of Justice determined that mail-order mifepristone is not a violation of the Comstock Act.
The Comstock Act of 1873 prohibits sending obscene materials via the post office as well as the mailing of "every article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion.”
Activists urge Congress to defund Planned Parenthood
Advocates for unborn babies and legislators this week rallied to urge Congress to permanently end taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood and abortion businesses.
At a July 16 press conference on Capitol Hill, hosted by Live Action and Defund Coalition partners, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, said Congress “should have acted long ago.”
“There is no excuse for Planned Parenthood to be receiving taxpayer money to be carrying out the mutilation of our children, to be carrying out the murder of the innocent unborn, and yet that is what this Congress is planning to do,” Hawley said.
“I’m here to say, ‘Not on my watch.’ It is absolutely unacceptable and indefensible that a Republican Congress would fund Planned Parenthood.”
The rally took place just weeks after the Trump administration’s temporary defunding of Planned Parenthood expired on July 4.
Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action, said taxpayer dollars “should never be used to prop up America’s largest abortion business.”
“Planned Parenthood exists to end the lives of preborn children, and every dollar it receives helps sustain an industry built on violence against the innocent,” Rose said in a statement shared with EWTN News.
“The American people should not be made to subsidize abortion businesses under the guise of women’s health. Defund Planned Parenthood now.”
Planned Parenthood investing $47 million into 2026 midterms
Planned Parenthood is investing $47 million into the November midterm elections, targeting Republicans who voted to defund the abortion giant last year.
The “We Decide” Campaign from Planned Parenthood Votes, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood, will target voters in Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as well as in Senate races in Michigan and potentially Maine.
“All the freedoms weʼve fought for are on the line this year, and WE DECIDE what comes next,” reads the We Decide website.
Idaho ballot initiative could repeal protections for unborn babies
An initiative to end Idaho’s strong protection for unborn children has qualified for November’s general election ballot.
Idahoans United for Women and Families, a group that advocates for abortion, announced Monday that it collected more than 110,000 signatures for the ballot initiative.
The proposed initiative would legalize abortion until the unborn baby is viable outside of the womb and establish a right to reproductive health decisions about abortion.
Idaho protects unborn babies throughout all stages of pregnancy, except to save the pregnant woman’s life or in cases of rape or incest, the latter two rules applying only during the first trimester.
Missouri governor signs abortion survivors protection act
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an act to reinforce protections against infanticide for babies born alive after attempted abortions.
The Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act establishes charges of first-degree murder against a healthcare practitioner who “knowingly performs or attempts to perform an overt act that kills a child born alive.”
Abortion is legal in Missouri up to the point of fetal viability, where the baby can survive without extraordinary medical intervention, according to the Missouri Constitution.
Missourians will vote on several abortion-related measures in November, with proposed amendments that would protect unborn children throughout pregnancy, with some exceptions.
Catholic leaders in Maine and Texas speak out after fatal ICE shootings
Catholic leaders are offering prayers and calls for peace and justice after federal immigration agents fatally shot two immigrants in the span of one week.
The Diocese of Portland, Maine, is offering prayers and pastoral support to the family of a Colombian man, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 26, who was shot and killed on Monday, July 13, in the small town of Biddeford, Maine.
Archbishop Joe Vásquez of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, meanwhile, called for a “reform that brings about justice to all parties” as well as “peaceful dialogue, mutual respect, and a commitment to charity” after 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, was fatally shot by an ICE agent during a traffic stop July 7 in Houston’s Hispanic Magnolia Park neighborhood.
Conflicting stories
The Maine shooting occurred as Durán “attempted to flee the scene” during a vehicle stop by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, an ICE spokesperson told EWTN News in a statement.
The spokesperson said the agency was “conducting targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal.”
Identifying Durán, the ICE statement indicated that “an illegal alien departed the residence in a vehicle,” and when the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.”
The Diocese of Portland said its Hispanic ministry is providing support to Durán’s wife and 3-year-old daughter as well as the community.
“We pray that all those affected by his death may experience Godʼs loving comfort, strength, and peace,” the diocesan statement added in the wake of the tragedy.
Mufalo Chitam, the executive director of Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, told the Associated Press that Durán was on his way to work when he was apprehended and shot.
The Colombian native was authorized to work in the U.S. and had been issued a Social Security number, according to the immigrant advocacy group Presente!
Not the intended target
ICE said Salgado, a father of three who has lived in the U.S. for more than three decades, rammed an ICE vehicle in an East Houston neighborhood and attempted to run over an officer, who then fired in self-defense.
Witnesses, including his brother, who was a passenger in his van, have disputed that account.
In response to the shooting, Vásquez said in a statement on July 15: “As a society, we need to see and treat each other as men and women created in the image and likeness of God, including our immigrant brothers and sisters, our elected officials, as well as our law enforcement officers. Violence and disrespect will only lead to more fear and division,” Vásquez wrote.
Vásquez reiterated the U.S. bishops’ call for “meaningful immigration reform as opposed to an ‘enforcement-only approach.’”
“The U.S. Catholic bishops have repeatedly called for enforcement efforts that are targeted, proportional, and humane,” Vásquez continued.
No body cameras used in either shooting
U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said the ICE agents were not wearing body cameras at the time of Durán’s shooting, the AP reported of the latest incident.
"The question is, what did he do with his vehicle," King said. "Were officers threatened? Were the threats rising to the level that justified deadly force? Thatʼs what this investigation is all about.”
Though cameras at local businesses have footage of the incident, Maine State Police have asked for the footage not to be released pending the investigation, per the AP.
DHS told Houston Public Media the officers involved in Salgado’s shooting were not wearing body cameras because of recent lapses in federal funding.
State and federal agencies, including local police departments, the attorney general’s offices, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the FBI are investigating both shootings.
The law enforcement officers who shot Durán and Salgado have been placed on leave during the investigations.
It is not clear if one of the three men in the van with Salgado was the man ICE was searching for, but a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia told Houston Public Media she spoke with David Venturella, ICE’s acting director, who told her Salgado was not “the intended target.”
Aaron Reitz, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said in a statement July 16 that on the morning Salgado was shot in Houston, federal officials were investigating two Guatemalan men “who had previously evaded arrest and were potentially subject to deportation.” They were also known to be driving a white van.
Reitz said that while searching for the men, federal officers received a report of a similar vehicle in the area, leading police to pull over Salgado’s van because the men inside “fit the suspects’ description.”
“The aliens then fled,” Reitz’s statement continued, “conducting a rapid U-turn and hopping a median to get away. The agents chose not to pursue.”
The federal agents came across Salgado’s van again later that morning, according to Reitz, “and again, the illegal aliens attempted to flee, but this time the agents successfully surrounded the vehicle.”
The officers “instructed the noncompliant aliens to put the van in park. Preliminary information indicates the driver shifted the van into reverse, then forward again, while an officer was partially inside the van or immediately next to it.”
Officers then fired “a single shot” during the confrontation, hitting Salgado.
Durán and Salgado’s deaths bring the number of those who have been fatally shot by ICE agents this year to four.
In January, two people — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were killed in separate incidents during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
Scottish teacher takes legal action after dismissal over pro-life views
A Catholic teacher based in Arbroath, Scotland, is filing suit after she was fired over her pro-life views.
Supported by pro-life group the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), Sarah Morse, 66, is taking Arbroath High School, run by Angus Council, to court on grounds of discrimination. The move comes after Morse was fired after telling a student, “I am a faithful Roman Catholic and I am against it,” when asked her opinion on abortion during a history lesson in November 2025.
“At no time did I attempt to persuade any student to adopt my position. To be ‘canceled’ and lose my livelihood because of my religious identity is a terrifying precedent for the teaching profession in Scotland,” Morse said.
“As a faithful Roman Catholic, Sarah Morse respectfully said she opposes [abortion]. Hours later she was sacked on the spot,” SPUC said. “We must all have the right to express our pro-life views without fear of losing our jobs.”
Attack on Christians in Egypt raises questions about hate speech
A new attack on Christians in Egypt’s Minya Governorate has renewed scrutiny of sectarian incitement and the deeper roots of anti-Christian hostility.
According to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Bishop Macarius, Coptic Orthodox bishop of Minya, said extremists attacked Copts in the village of al-Tal al-Qibliya, damaged a priest’s car, prevented worshippers from leaving a church, and cut off electricity. Security forces later arrived, arrested those accused of incitement and rioting, and began documenting the damage.
Egyptian senator Bassem Kamel said repeated incidents in Minya point to failures that cannot be addressed by security responses alone, calling for renewed religious discourse, educational reform, media policies that promote acceptance, and faster action on an independent antidiscrimination commission.
Apostolic vicar of Northern Arabia describes pastoral visits amid war
Apostolic Vicar Aldo Berardi, OSST, of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia revealed that he was able to carry out 11 pastoral visits throughout the region despite airport closures and ongoing conflicts.
“Despite the difficulties caused by the attacks and the closure of airports, we were able to carry out the program as planned,” Berardi said in a Fides News article, emphasizing the need to visit his flock “especially at a time marked by tension and fear.”
The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. “We gathered to pray for peace and organized special moments of encounter and fraternity,” he said. “No priest requested to return to his home country, a source of great consolation for the entire community.”
Vatican diplomat highlights HIV crisis among children
Monsignor Marco Formica, counselor of the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations, called for increased attention to HIV cases among children.
“My delegation would like to draw special attention to children, who remain particularly vulnerable to HIV. Gaps in both diagnosis and treatment mean that the 3% of HIV patients that are children account for 12% of deaths due to HIV,” Formica said in a statement following a U.N. meeting on HIV and AIDS.
“Quality antenatal as well as perinatal and postpartum care protects both mothers and their children. It is vital to ensure early testing and consistent access to treatment for children with HIV in child-friendly formulations,” he said.
Syriac lawmaker says Christians not sufficiently represented
Gabriel Moshe Kourieh, the only Syriac member of Syria’s Parliament and a leading figure in the Assyrian Democratic Organization, told ACI MENA that Christian representation in the new People’s Assembly remains below the community’s aspirations.
Christians currently hold about 3% of the seats, a figure Kourieh said does not properly reflect their historic role in Syrian public life or their place in the country’s national consensus. He argued that a future fair electoral law could allow broader Christian participation from different provinces while stressing that Syria’s transition must be judged by actions: the building of institutions, separation of powers, judicial independence, and equal citizenship.
Kourieh also placed constitutional recognition of the Syriac-Assyrian identity, language, and culture among his top parliamentary priorities while warning that economic hardship, poor services, and fading hope continue to push many Syrians toward emigration.
Catholic Social Services in Australia urges government to address housing crisis
Catholic Social Services Australia (CCSA) has asked the Australian government to conduct an audit of the country’s regulations on buying and building housing.
“Regulation is not inherently negative. It is introduced to address specific problems or market failures,” CSSA chief executive Jerry Nockles said in a Catholic News report on Thursday following the proposed audit. “Without regular reassessment, well-intentioned regulations can inadvertently constrain housing supply, driving up costs and limiting access — experienced most acutely by low-income households.”
Caritas South Korea named official channel for humanitarian aid
The South Korean Caritas will serve as the primary distributor of humanitarian aid from Caritas International for people north of the border, Asia News reported.
"On behalf of the Caritas Internationalis, we discussed the project of development and cooperation with Kim Seong-il, vice chairman of the National Economic Cooperation Committee of North Korea, who accepted our direct commitment. We also exchanged a letter of intent,” Father Lazzaro You Heung-sik, president of the bishops' aid committee, said following a five-day visit to North Korea in May, according to the report.
Under the agreement, Caritas will serve as the “only channel of aid from Catholics from all over the world,” Paul Jeremiah Hwang Yong-yeon, secretary of the South Korean Caritas, also said.
Filipino bishop calls for end to stigma around mental health
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines pledged to walk with members of the faithful struggling with mental illness and work toward breaking societal stigmas around mental health.
“Mental illness is not a sign of weak faith. It is not a punishment from God. Like any illness, it deserves understanding, appropriate care, and compassionate accompaniment. Every person, whatever his or her condition, is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses an inalienable dignity that no illness can ever take away,” the bishops said in a pastoral statement released on Monday.
“As a Church, we commit to building communities of encounter, breaking the stigma, strengthening collaboration, and walking together in hope so that every person is welcomed, accompanied, and freed from stigma,” the bishops added.
Priest arrested for alleged child sexual abuse in Mexico City
The Mexico City attorney generalʼs office announced the arrest of a priest from the Archdiocese of Mexico accused of aggravated child sexual abuse against a 17-year-old girl and stated that a judge has already initiated criminal proceedings against him.
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In a statement issued July 15, the attorney general’s office noted that the complaint was filed June 4 by the teenagerʼs mother, who had discovered “conversations with sexual content with a contact identified as ‘Winnie Poo’” on her daughterʼs mobile phone earlier this year.
According to the attorney general’s office, the teenager reportedly stated that the contact in question was a priest identified as Enrique “N,” who allegedly “forced her to engage in sexual acts on four occasions.”
Following the initial inquiries, a supervisory judge ordered the priest to be held in pretrial detention and set a two-month deadline for the conclusion of the supplementary investigation.
Archdiocese initiates canonical investigation
The Archdiocese of Mexico announced in a statement dated July 15 that archbishop Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes had ordered the initiation of an investigation “in accordance with canon law and the procedures established by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.”
The statement expressed its “support for the minor victim, her family, and anyone who may have been a victim of any form of abuse” and reiterated its commitment to the protection of minors and vulnerable persons, “as well as to providing respectful support to those who have suffered any form of violence.”
The archdiocese also noted that while the investigation is ongoing, it “will avoid making premature judgments” and “will refrain from revealing the priest’s identity while the competent authorities carry out the necessary proceedings.”
Finally, the archdiocese urged anyone aware of a possible case of sexual abuse committed by an ordained minister to report it either by phone or email and provided the contact information.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Catholic, Orthodox bishops join in dialogue and prayer at Washington, D.C., conference
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox bishops exchanged dialogue and joined together in prayer at an ecumenical conference in Washington, D.C., this week with a hope that one day the Eastern and Western churches will be reunited.
The conference, held at the retreat house for the St. John Paul II National Shrine on July 13–15, was organized by the Orientale Lumen Foundation. Jack Figel, an Eastern Catholic who founded the group, named it after St. John Paul II’s apostolic letter expressing hope for reunification.
Speakers included the secretary for the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Archbishop Flavio Pace; the primate of the Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Tikhon Mollard; Cardinal Seán Patrick OʼMalley; Greek Orthodox Bishop Anthony Vrame; and Romanian Catholic Bishop John Michael Botean.
“I grew up with — I lived with — the tension between East and West my whole life,” Figel told EWTN News.
A reunification, Figel said, “all depends on the Holy Spirit.” He said: “It is going to be a miracle and it’s going to be on God’s time.”
The conference included speeches by both Catholic and Orthodox bishops and joint panels. Prayer services were held in the Eastern form in which bishops from both traditions participated: a moleben to the Holy Spirit on Monday, daily vespers on Tuesday, and the Akathist to the Mother of God on Wednesday.
Theological hurdles
Recent popes have had friendly relations with Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, and ongoing study by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church is seeking to resolve theological disputes.
In 2024, the commission set up two subcommittees to analyze two major points of contention: one for papal infallibility and the other for the Filioque.
Papal infallibility refers to Vatican I’s teaching that the pope can infallibly define doctrines. The Filioque — Latin for “and the Son” — refers to the West adding the phrase in the Nicene Creed “the Holy Spirit … who proceeds from the Father ‘and the Son.’” Catholics argue this clarifies the Latin translation of the Creed, which was originally in Greek; but many Orthodox see it as changing the understanding of the Trinity.
Vrame told EWTN News these theological issues continue to be a hurdle toward Catholic and Orthodox communion.
The No. 1 issue
Speaking from the Orthodox perspective, he said papal infallibility and supremacy is the No. 1 issue. Although Orthodox acknowledge Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as “first among equals” among patriarchs, “our governance structure allows for each national Church to govern itself,” he said.
Dialogue with Rome, Vrame said, must address questions of “how do we begin to understand any claims of universal jurisdiction of the papacy” and “how do we understand any form of papal infallibility.” He said the Catholic embrace of synodality could improve dialogue on this issue.
He said a major question is what unity would look like and pointed toward Rome’s relationship with Eastern Catholics as a possible example, saying they are “in communion with Rome,” but “Rome allowed them to retain their distinctive rites and practices.” However, he noted historical complications with Rome’s past attempts to Latinize Eastern Catholics and a major question to settle is: “What would unity do?”
Mollard also told EWTN News “the whole question of primacy and synodality” remains a major issue, along with “centuries of separation,” which he said “doesn’t help either.”
Pace told EWTN News that the subcommittee addressing infallibility has to “prepare a very good draft” on the matter that the full committee made up of Catholic and Orthodox leaders “can discuss and approve.”
Steps toward unity
As the hierarchy tries to work out millennium-old theological disputes, Mollard said another step is “trying to get from the theological [dialogue] to the implementation” of a stronger relationship but warned “everyone’s afraid to do anything.”
“We do have to practice these things,” he said in his speech. “Let’s work together and see if we can find our unity in Christ … [and] work on the structures that could bring that about more formally.”
“Prayer and humility are always good,” Mollard said.
He told EWTN News that some steps could be jointly “caring for the poor” or “feeding the hungry,” which is “the most direct way that collaboration can take place” at this time. In his speech, O’Malley called for joint prayer and study sessions, joint pastoral letters and statements, and joint works of mercy.
Figel suggested Catholic and Orthodox parishes should “pray once a month for unity for at least 10 or 15 minutes.”
Ultimately, Vrame said full unity and communion would be expressed “in the Eucharist” if all issues are resolved.
“We don’t share the Eucharist,” he said. “That would be the culminating moment.”
Dialogue and the laity
Many bishops said dialogue and bonds should take place among laity too, with Botean saying in his speech that ecumenism cannot just be “at the level of academics.”
“Without the face-to-face stuff, … we’re going to get nowhere,” he said. “And if our competition is the internet, we have more driving us apart than together.”
Botean warned against hostile and uncharitable exchanges, many of which occur on social media, saying: “When we become unloving because of our faith, we’re on the wrong track.”
Lizbeth Moncada, a senior at Florida Atlantic University who attended the conference, told EWTN News that she has “a lot of friends who are Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox” but agreed that online dialogue can often be “polarizing.”
She said exchanges online can be “very disheartening” and she has “wanted to stop engaging in these conversations” at times. Yet, she said discussions like what occurred at the conference are “encouraging.”
Andrew Likoudis of the ecumenical Likoudis Legacy Foundation, told EWTN News: “I try not to even engage in online discourse because of how toxic it is.” Yet, he said “the discourse here is much healthier” and allows Catholics and Orthodox Christians to “cross theological boundaries and retain the integrity of our own traditions without compromise.”
Vrame, commenting on dialogue, said “beating up on somebody else is not very Christian … no matter what you think of their position.” He said people can have “respectful disagreements … without having to beat up on somebody,” saying that’s “no way to show love for your neighbor.”
He said it’s good that people are passionate about their faith but posed the question: “Are we passionate in a way that reflects Christ and Christianity?”
Andy Burnham’s Catholic identity in spotlight as he prepares to take over as UK prime minister
LONDON — Andy Burnham was officially named the leader of Britain’s governing Labour Party on July 17, paving the way for him to become the United Kingdom’s first prime minister to enter office publicly identifying identifying as a Catholic.
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer on June 22, Burnham became the main contender to replace him.
Previous prime ministers have had connections to the Catholic faith, although none have begun their terms in office as practicing Catholics. Tony Blair, prime minister from 1997 to 2007, converted to Catholicism after leaving office. Boris Johnson, prime minister from 2019 to 2022, though baptized a Catholic as an infant, entered Downing Street as an Anglican.
Burnham, who was sworn in on a Bible as a new member of Parliament on June 22, has described his Catholic faith as “unshowy,” telling The Guardian in 2009: “Three things are important in my life apart from family: Everton [Football Club], the Labour Party, and the Catholic Church — in that order.”
The appointment could also raise a constitutional question concerning his role in episcopal appointments.
At play is a landmark U.K. law known as the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 (also called the Catholic Emancipation Act). It grants Roman Catholics the right to sit in Parliament and hold most public offices but does not allow them to advise the crown on Church of England episcopal appointments. How this provision may operate in modern constitutional practice remains contested.
Jon Tonge, a politics professor at the University of Liverpool, told EWTN News: “Legally, Burnham would be prohibited from advising the monarch on [Church of England] bishops. The law has not been repealed. The lord chancellor will provide the advice.”
An ‘a la carte’ Catholicism
Tonge continued: “Even though heʼs not a regular at Mass, [Burnham] sent his children to Catholic schools … It is an ‘a la carte’ Catholicism, which ignores the social conservatism (opposition to same-sex marriage or to abortion, as examples) and attempts to apply Catholic social teaching principles to policy. Equality, fairness, justice, and help for those with least are at its heart — hence Burnhamʼs commitment to tackle homelessness in Greater Manchester and donate some of his salary to the issue.”
Burnham has said he was raised with a "live and let live" approach, something that has shaped his stance on policy. He supports abortion and same-sex marriage and is in favor of assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, positions that are not in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, told EWTN News: “I canʼt actually see anything thatʼs obviously Christian in his [Burnham’s] policies. A person that professes and confesses faith will always uphold marriage between one man and one woman, will not champion trans ideology into law and into policy … Heʼs pro-assisted suicide, heʼs pro-liberalization of abortion. So that doesnʼt actually match with his faith.”
In 2023, Burnham delighted Pope Francis at the Vatican when he gifted the pontiff a shirt signed by fellow Argentinian Lisandro Martinez, a player for Manchester United. Following Francis’ death, Burnham described the meeting as the “most moving” experience of his life — despite having previously pressured the pope to bring the Catholic Church “into the 21st century” on issues including LGBT rights.
Growing up in the 1980s in Warrington, Burnham attended St. Aelredʼs Catholic High School and was raised in his Irish mother Eileen’s Catholic faith. She said in a 2015 interview: “You should have seen the fights he and his brothers had on Sundays. They were all altar boys, but Andy had to be the one at the front holding the Communion plate.”
Burnham married Marie-France van Heel in 2000 after meeting at Cambridge Universityʼs Fitzwilliam College in 1989, and they have three grown children.
This story was updated at 2:45 p.m. ET on July 17, 2026, with a change in the headline and first paragraph to reflect Burnham’s election as leader of the Labour Party.
Catholic Charities distributes thousands of masks in Twin Cities amid widespread wildfire smoke
Catholic Charities workers in Minnesota distributed thousands of masks to vulnerable residents this week amid widespread smoke from raging wildfires both in Minnesota and in Canada.
Data from the Canadian government shows more than 120 “out of control” fires burning in the country, with a large portion concentrated north of Minnesota in the Ontario province.
The Minnesota government, meanwhile, issued an emergency declaration this week as wildfires spread across the northern part of the state. State Gov. Tim Walz said the fires “are posing an increasing threat to lives, property, and our wilderness.”
On its Facebook page, Catholic Charities Twin Cities — which serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul region — said it was distributing N95 face masks at its Saint Paul Opportunity Center. The center was also offering water, meals, showers, and refuge from the ongoing heat wave.
In a video shared by the charity, one Twin Cities resident said the smoke in the region was “very hazy,” making it “really hard to breathe.”
Catholic Charities is “really helping us,” said the man, who was wearing an N95 mask. The Saint Paul shelter “gives us a place to come inside [where] we’re away from this.”
Elizabeth Heger, the vice president of emergency services at the charity, told local outlet MPR News that the organization “went into high gear” after the air quality rapidly deteriorated.
“Our goal is to always make sure that folks are safe and that they have all the resources they need, especially in times like this when the air quality is really bad,” she told MPR.
A spokesperson for Catholic Charities Southeast Michigan, meanwhile, told EWTN News on July 17 that the organization had urged workers to work from home if possible to avoid the poor air quality.
The spokesperson said the charity was also shifting some of its caseload to house calls so that vulnerable residents would not have to venture out into the smoke.
As of July 17 there were more than 800 wildfires total burning across Canada. Numerous cities in the northeastern U.S., as well as cities further into the midwest region of the country, were under widespread air quality alerts.
Cities including Boston; New York; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore all saw poor air quality accompanied by alerts mid-week, along with other cities including Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Pervasive smoke was expected to continue into the weekend, though shifting wind patterns projected for next week were expected to give much of the U.S. a reprieve from the haze and poor air quality.
One U.S. lawmaker, meanwhile, has proposed sanctioning Canada over the wildfire crisis.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said on July 16 that he would introduce legislation to sanction the country for allegedly “fail[ing] to invest in wildfire prevention methods” such as “forest thinning, fuel reduction, prescribed burns, and stronger enforcement against arson.”
Cardinal demands action by Nigeria government against kidnappings, says ‘no excuse’ for silence
ABUJA, Nigeria — Cardinal John Onaiyekan has challenged Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration to intensify efforts to end kidnapping and other violent crimes in Nigeria, insisting that the government has “no excuse” for failing to tackle the countryʼs worsening insecurity.
In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on the sidelines of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria, Onaiyekan said the recent rescue of abducted schoolchildren should serve as renewed motivation for authorities to dismantle kidnapping networks.
“We can be saying ‘thank God,’ we thank our president, and so on, but the kidnapping should not have happened in the first place if the government was serious about fighting insecurity. [It] has no excuse not to end kidnapping in Nigeria,” the 82-year-old cardinal said during the July 14 interview.
While expressing gratitude for the childrenʼs safe return after nearly two months in captivity, Onaiyekan, the archbishop emeritus of Abuja, emphasized that the release does not erase the trauma the children endured or the suffering of their families.
“We are all grateful to God. But the release has not cancelled the pain of having so many children taken away in captivity for almost two months,” the cardinal said.
He said the successful rescue does not provide evidence that Nigeriaʼs security crisis has been overcome, noting that many other victims remain in the hands of kidnappers and terrorist groups.
“I am praying and hoping that the government will not believe that we have done well now that these children have been released. We should not forget that there are others, maybe hundreds, out there that are still in the hands of terrorists asking for all kinds of ransom,” he said.
The cardinal questioned why kidnappers continue to operate camps where abducted persons are held for extended periods without being dismantled by security agencies.
“From the way I saw the children on the video, they were not sleeping in the bush all these 60 days,” he observed.
Onaiyekan added: “Very often, the kidnappers have their own arrangements. They sometimes run their own villages, and ordinary men and women are there taking care of those they have captured until they are ready to be released after negotiations and ransom paid.”
“If that is so, we still cannot understand that our government says they cannot deal with these criminal elements,” he said.
According to the Church leader, genuine progress against insecurity will only be achieved when Nigerians can move freely without fear.
“Until we can move around freely and safely in Nigeria, we cannot congratulate ourselves,” he said.
Expressing gratitude once again for the rescue of the children, Onaiyekan appealed to the Nigerian government to provide comprehensive rehabilitation for the rescued children, warning that the trauma of captivity could have lasting psychological and spiritual consequences.
“We hope that the government will realize that after 60 days under such circumstances, these children need special attention in terms of psycho-social and psycho-spiritual therapy to help them overcome the trauma they have been exposed to; some of them are as young as 2 years, which, if not properly addressed, will affect their future,” he said.
Reflecting on the silver jubilee of the Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria, Onaiyekan recalled helping to establish the organization 25 years ago.
“I was the person who brought them together in the Pope John Paul II Centre 25 years ago,” he said, explaining that the organization was founded after witnessing the success of the Catholic Women Organization (CWO) in mobilizing women to actively participate in the Church.
“The CWO was moving and doing wonderful things, appearing very well and mobilizing women. Somehow, the idea came that you have to do something for the men. Otherwise, they continue to just come to church and go back home, and you cannot count on them for any serious Church organization,” Onaiyekan said.
He called on Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria members to embrace their vocation as fathers by making their families true domestic churches rooted in faith and Christian values.
“The strength of the Church and society begins with the family; Catholic men are to lead by example through love, prayer, integrity, and service. Be good fathers in your families. Let your homes become domestic churches where Christ is truly present,” he said.
The cardinal emphasized that fatherhood extends beyond meeting material needs, urging Catholic men to nurture their families' spiritual lives.
“A father should not only provide food for the family but should also lead them to God through prayer, good example, and faithful living,” he said.
He further encouraged members of the organization to remain committed to evangelization by witnessing to the Gospel in their homes, workplaces, and communities.
Onaiyekan urged Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria members to continue supporting the Churchʼs mission through active participation, charity, and moral leadership, saying their faithful witness would help build stronger families, a stronger Church, and a better society.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Canadian surrogacy lawsuit exposes deeper ethical tensions, Catholic bioethicist says
A Canadian same-sex coupleʼs lawsuit against the surrogate mother who refused their request to abort their unborn child is drawing attention not only to abortion but also to deeper questions about surrogacy itself, Canadian bioethicist Moira McQueen said.
Contracting a surrogate mother to carry an implanted embryo separates what the Church calls the unitive and procreative dimensions of marriage, McQueen said. “If you start interfering with that, there will be problems.”
McQueen said the Ontario dispute illustrates how separating conception, pregnancy, and parenthood among different people can create conflicts that no contract can fully prevent.
In this case, the problems read like a checklist of all that can go wrong in surrogate parenting. A same-sex couple allege that the Ontario woman who carried their son to birth breached their surrogacy agreement during the pregnancy and after his birth.
The lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court alleges the surrogate failed to keep the couple informed about the babyʼs health, disregarded medical advice, excluded them from decisions about the pregnancy, and failed to follow their directions regarding the babyʼs medical care. It also accuses her of interfering with legal steps to establish parentage, disclosing confidential information, defaming the couple on social media, and improperly seeking reimbursement for expenses.
The statement of claim doesn’t mention the coupleʼs reported request that the surrogate have an abortion after a prenatal diagnosis.
The National Post, which interviewed the woman, reported that an ultrasound indicated the baby had a cleft lip and other possible conditions. She received a letter from the couple asking that “the pregnancy be terminated,” which “devastated” her, according to the newspaper. When doctors later determined the baby was otherwise healthy, the parents agreed the pregnancy should continue.
The lawsuit doesn’t specify a dollar amount, but the surrogate told the newspaper the couple were seeking approximately $600,000.
That exploitation has global dimensions through the growth of “reproductive tourism” because it’s cheaper to pay a woman in a third-world country, McQueen said. “People have gone to other countries but then not carried out their part of the contract when something [unplanned] happens.”
The contractual nature of the relationship has “nothing to do with love,” she said. McQueen questioned where the child fits into an arrangement driven by contracts and negotiations rather than a loving family relationship.
Even if the arrangement works out, “itʼs what theyʼve done to that person in the other country. It’s using people. Itʼs exploiting them.”
Pope Leo XIV has raised concerns with surrogate parenthood in recent remarks. He told the Vatican diplomatic corps in January that surrogacy turns “gestation into a negotiable service,” violating the dignity of the child and mother, “exploiting her body and the generative process.”
Surrogacy advocate Sally Rhoads-Heinrich, whose organization worked with the parties, rejected the suggestion that the case exposed flaws in surrogacy itself.
“This arrangement soured terribly because sometimes parties (even with the best interests and contracts) can change their minds,” she told Canadian Catholic News. “Everyone went through intense screening, counseling, legal contracts, and had support.”
Although the abortion element is catching attention, she said abortion is “incredibly rare” for a surrogate pregnancy in Canada.
“We’ve only had two cases in our 26-year history,” she said. One was for a baby with hydrocephalus who she said would have died at birth and the other was when parents asked their surrogate to abort one of three triplets in utero in a high-risk triplet pregnancy.
McQueen pointed to the 1987 Vatican instruction Donum Vitae, issued under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI. It says children have the right “to be conceived, carried in the womb, brought into the world, and brought up by his own parents.”
Surrogate arrangements set up “to the detriment of families, a division between the physical, psychological, and moral elements which constitute those families,” Ratzinger said. "Such damage to the personal relationships within the family has repercussions on civil society: What threatens the unity and stability of the family is a source of dissension, disorder, and injustice in the whole of social life.”
Benedict made clear that no matter how children enter the world, they must be accepted as a living gift of Godʼs goodness and brought up with love.
McQueen said that because surrogacy is “a contract more than a loving relationship,” a surrogate whose pregnancy no longer meets the intended parents' expectations can come to be viewed as having “broken the contract.” She pointed to cases in which intended parents have abandoned surrogate mothers after pregnancies did not unfold as planned.
Similar questions arose in California in 2015 when gestational surrogate Melissa Cook refused a request by the intended father to abort one of the triplets she was carrying. The dispute prompted a Minnesota legislative study of surrogacy.
Testifying before the Minnesota Legislative Commission on Surrogacy in 2016, University of St. Thomas law professor Teresa Collett argued surrogacy contracts tend to prioritize the expectations of intended parents while leaving surrogate mothers and children more vulnerable when conflicts arise.
Canadian law prohibits paying a woman to act as a surrogate, while allowing reimbursement of pregnancy-related expenses. Rhoads-Heinrich argues Canada should instead permit surrogate mothers to receive compensation.
“Altruistic surrogacy is not ideal as surrogates should be properly compensated for their time, effort, and risk,” she said. Without compensation, she argued, there is a shortage of surrogate mothers, leaving “thousands of embryos frozen in clinics in Canada that will never get the chance at life because of the lack of surrogates available.”
McQueen said frozen embryos raise a separate ethical dilemma. While the Church clearly opposes creating and freezing embryos in the first place, it has not given a definitive answer on whether Catholics should adopt frozen embryos because competing moral considerations are involved.
“Itʼs a terrible problem,” she said. “Itʼs a very sad situation” for infertile couples who long for children, she added, but their suffering does not change the Churchʼs moral concerns about the technologies used to create and freeze embryos.
Swiss churches warn end of clergy military exemption will hurt pastoral care
Christians in Switzerland have protested a new military law that ends the long-standing exemption from compulsory military service for clergy, accusing the federal government of revising the legislation without consulting the country’s religious communities as is customary before legislative changes.
The revised Federal Act on the Armed Forces, which took effect June 1, repealed Article 18, ending the automatic exemption that priests, monks, and other clergy had traditionally received because of their pastoral role in civilian society.
Clergy deemed fit for service are now required to complete the same compulsory military service as other Swiss men: an initial 18 weeks of basic training followed by refresher courses over nine years, amounting to a total of 245 days of service. Military service remains compulsory only for men.
Church response
In a July 8 letter to the Swiss Federal Council, four of the country’s largest Christian bodies criticized the government’s handling of the reform. The signatories included the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, the Evangelical Reformed Church of Switzerland, the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland (Old Catholic), and the umbrella organization Freikirchen.ch, which represents Switzerland’s free churches.
Christian leaders said they had not been invited to participate in the consultation process that normally accompanies significant legislative changes in Switzerland, despite the fact that the reform directly affects the ministry of clergy during times of national crisis.
“We regret this procedural flaw,” said Peter Schneeberger, president of Freikirchen.ch, in a statement. “From our standpoint, this does not correspond to a proper legislative process.”
According to the organizations, they only became aware of the change indirectly after the legislation had already been adopted.
While acknowledging that the reform itself can be debated politically, Schneeberger argued that the deeper issue is what the decision says about the state’s understanding of religion.
By abolishing the exemption, he wrote, the government is abandoning the long-held assumption that pastoral care during wars, disasters, and other emergencies is a public service worthy of special protection. He described the move as a form of “state self-secularization” — not hostility toward religion but a reassessment of the churches’ role in society without any broader public discussion.
Government response
The Federal Council defended the reform by arguing that the exemption had become obsolete. It said the provision was originally intended to ensure civilians would continue receiving spiritual care during wars and national emergencies.
In its reasoning, the government stated that “the increasing secularization of society means that fewer and fewer people feel connected to the Church’s offerings,” concluding that pastoral ministry can no longer be regarded as “an activity essential to maintaining social life.”
Swiss military authorities similarly argued that the exemption no longer reflects the religious realities of modern Swiss society.
The government’s decision comes amid a marked shift in Switzerland’s religious landscape. According to official statistics, Catholics accounted for 42.3% of the population in 2000 but had fallen to 30% by 2024. Over the same period, the proportion of people with no religious affiliation more than tripled, rising from 11.4% to 36.8%, reflecting the country’s accelerating secularization.
Questioning the army’s response
Auxiliary Bishop Alain de Raemy of Lausanne, Geneva, and Fribourg, who previously served as chaplain to the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Vatican, called the government’s decision “a lack of respect for society.”
Pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, de Raemy argued that moments of crisis often increase, rather than diminish, the demand for spiritual care.
“As we saw during COVID, or during the Crans-Montana disaster, there was a need for people available on a spiritual level as well. So how will we manage in times of war and future crises, if priests must serve in the army? What is the Federal Council’s plan?” he asked.
Collectively, the churches have appealed to the Federal Council to clarify how clergy will be able to continue providing pastoral care if they are called to military service and have urged the government to introduce flexible arrangements that preserve their ministry during future national emergencies.