Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump’s asylum policies that bishops opposed
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 25 ruled in favor of President Donald Trump’s restrictive asylum policies that faced strong opposition from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and some other Catholic advocacy groups.
One ruling allows the Department of Homeland Security to end “temporary protected status” for Haitians and Syrians, who can now be deported. The other allows the government to turn away asylum seekers at the southern border by limiting the number of claims they will process each day.
Both cases were decided 6-3. All of the justices who sided with the majority were appointed by Republican presidents and each dissenting justice was appointed by Democratic presidents.
Anna Gallagher, the executive director of Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said in a statement to EWTN News that both decisions are “devastating for our clients, and for those of us who accompany vulnerable immigrants through the legal system.”
“As Catholics, we believe in a God who weeps for our suffering, who is concerned for the fall of the sparrow, for the least of these,” she said.
“And so we, too, weep for our clients whose asylum rights are restricted or who fear return to immediate life-threatening conditions because of this court decision.”
“We walk with them as legal advocates, seeing the injustice of our laws play out firsthand. We know that today is a dark day for many people we have come to know and care for — including legal residents of this country, beloved members of our community.”
Protections for Haitians, Syrians gone
The Supreme Court decision in Mullin v. Doe and Trump v. Miot, which were consolidated into one case, ensures that the government’s decision to terminate temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians will be in effect. The ruling strips them of legal protections for work authorization and prevention from deportation.
Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the opinion, said that the law itself generally gives the government broad discretion in determining whether to approve, extend, or terminate protected status for a given country. The ruling found that all non-constitutional claims are not subject to judicial review.
Haitians protected under the protected status argued that the policy terminations discriminated against people based on race. In its ruling the Supreme Court stated that both the protected designations and the terminations come from a racially diverse collection of countries.
“They claim that TPS has not been terminated for any predominantly white nation, and they therefore infer that the reason for the termination of the TPS designation for Haiti was having a predominantly nonwhite population,” the opinion stated.
The plaintiffs’ “definition of a predominantly non-white nation is broad, apparently encompassing major European countries,” the ruling said.
“It may be that only the termination of a TPS designation for a Nordic or Germanic country would be sufficient in their judgment to show that the Secretary’s unbroken record of TPS terminations was race-neutral,” the decision added.
Justice Elena Kagan, in her dissenting opinion, said she believes the court erred in ruling that all non-constitutional claims are barred from judicial review, arguing that the court should be able to determine whether the secretary followed the proper procedures in deciding to terminate protected status.
She also argued that Trump’s comments show that race played a role in the decision to end the Haitian protected status designation.
“The majority briefly replies that [his] remarks are not ‘overtly racial,’ … but it is hard to know what that means,” Kagan wrote. “Haitians are Black. …The references — of filth, disease, and primitiveness — are shot through with racial stereotypes and tropes.”
Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies and a former immigration judge, told “EWTN News Nightly” on June 25 that the ruling essentially solidifies that “no one has the ability to sue when the government decides it’s going to terminate TPS status.”
He said the protected status is meant to provide temporary legal status for someone escaping a danger in their country. He said some protected designations “have been in place … for more than a quarter of a century,” even for “events that occurred decades ago” and are no longer impacting the country.
The U.S. bishops had urged the government to extend protected status, including for Haitians, who are a majority Catholic community.
“We are deeply concerned about the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters living in the United States,” Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chair of the bishops’ committee on migration, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the committee on international justice and peace, said in a joint statement in February.
“There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time,” they said.
Asylum seekers at the border
The decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado dealt with the “metering” policy that started under former President Barack Obama and is being enforced by Trump, which the court ruled is a lawful policy.
Under the policy, the government can limit the number of asylum claims it chooses to process in a day and can turn people away from entry into the country when they approach the southern border.
The case centered on an asylum seeker’s right to apply for asylum when he or she “arrives in the United States.” The ruling, also authored by Alito, states that the right only applies when the person has already entered the country and it does not give legal protections for someone who is seeking entry into the country but has not yet been allowed in.
“We begin by considering what the phrase ‘arrives in the United States’ means when used in everyday speech,” the ruling states. “That meaning is clear. A person arrives in a geographic location only when he enters it.”
The ruling states that if Congress wanted to extend that right to anyone who approaches the border or seeks entry into the country, it would have written the law to clearly state that.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the dissent, arguing that the ruling allows the executive branch to “circumvent … mandatory procedures by having U. S. immigration officers stand at the border and physically block noncitizens from setting a foot onto U. S. soil.”
“Words … must be read in context and with attention to how they fit into the statute as a whole,” Sotomayor wrote.
“The majority ignores the statutory context and history, not to mention the longstanding position of the Executive Branch, all of which show that any noncitizen arriving at our doorstep and seeking admission must be inspected and allowed to apply for asylum, regardless of whether her foot has crossed the threshold,” she said.
Arthur told “EWTN News Nightly” that the decision essentially “narrows the ability of people who havenʼt actually entered the country … to apply for asylum.”
“You’re not subject to United States law … until you’ve actually crossed into this country,” he said.
The U.S. bishops petitioned the Supreme Court to rule against the policy and require the government to process all asylum claims.
“The turnback policy is not just a flawed piece of statutory interpretation but an historical aberration — one that, during the period it was enforced, left vulnerable asylum seekers stranded in encampments on the border while lawfully trying to seek asylum at a port of entry,” the bishops wrote.
The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the most significant immigration case before it, Trump v. Barbara, which will decide the extent of birthright citizenship in the United States.
This story was updated at 1:50 p.m. ET on June 25, 2026 with further analysis and expert comment.
Franciscan University professors urge SSPX to desist from schism
More than 20 professors at the Franciscan University of Steubenville are calling on the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) to not proceed with its planned consecration of bishops on July 1.
“We write not as adversaries, but as fellow Christians who love the Church, which is built on Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and who, like you, long for the salvation of souls,” the professors wrote in an open letter to the SSPX, noting that if the group moves forward with the illicit consecrations, “it would cement and deepen the already existing separation between the Society and the See of Peter.”
“Whatever legitimate questions or grievances may exist, they are no excuse to create a schism,” the letter’s signatories assert. The letter is signed by 26 faculty and staff, with university professors of theology constituting the majority of the signatories.
“The treasures of Catholic Tradition do not belong outside communion with Peter; they belong at the heart of the Church,” the letter continues. “A new episcopal ordination outside the ecclesial hierarchy without the Apostolic mandate would create a new wound in the Body of Christ and place the gifts that God has entrusted to the Society, which belong to the Church and are ordered towards unity with her (Lumen Gentium 8), outside of her maternal embrace.”
“Please don’t do this,” the letter said. “Please don’t create this wound! Please, re-enter into dialogue with the Holy See and into full communion with the Church.”
The letter comes after the SSPX announced it plans to consecrate four new bishops at its seminary in Écône, Switzerland, prompting Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican to warn that doing do without a papal mandate would constitute “a schismatic act” and carry the penalty of excommunication.
“We have invited them, and I am still considering making another appeal, to say: ‘Do not do this. Let us try to live communion in the Church.’ But it is their choice. They must understand what it means for them and for the Church,” the pope said, responding to journalists’ questions outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on June 16.
Courage International priest says Pride Month events ‘inappropriate’ at Catholic colleges
Courage International Associate Director Father Colin Blatchford has spoken out against Catholic colleges holding Pride Month events.
In an interview with the Cardinal Newman Society, Blatchford said “it causes scandal” when a Catholic college encourages students to participate in events celebrating Pride Month in June.
Courage International is a Catholic apostolate that ministers to individuals experiencing same-sex attraction and gender confusion.
“When a Catholic college picks and chooses the theological or philosophical teachings of the Church that it will abide, it undermines that process,” Blatchford said. “Indeed, it hollows it out and provides merely an empty emotional shell where there should be a full abiding relationship with God.”
“The anthropological underpinnings of ‘Pride Month’ include a dualistic view of the person and radical autonomy,” he said. “Each of the last four popes has spoken about the necessity of recognizing the dignity of the human person and that no one thing here on this earth can sufficiently define who we are, beyond ‘beloved child of God.’”
Blatchford encouraged Catholic colleges to remember three things when encountering individuals with same-sex attraction: “First, communicate that they are loved. Second, let them know that even if it does not seem so now, God has a unique plan for their life. And finally, ask if they would be willing to share their story.”
“We don’t have to agree on everything or approve of every action, but we walk together towards God. We are a group of imperfect people striving to grow closer to God, by means of His grace,” he said.
Owensboro Bishop ends only Traditional Latin Mass in western Kentucky
The only weekly celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in western Kentucky will come to an end this weekend, following an order from Diocese of Owensboro Bishop William Medley, who says he is enforcing Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes.
Immaculate Conception Parish in Earlington — the oldest Catholic church in Hopkins County, established in 1886 — has offered the TLM for nearly a decade, and will have its final Mass in the extraordinary form at 12:30 p.m. CT on June 28.
It is the only parish offering the TLM in the diocese, which covers the 32 westernmost counties in Kentucky. The closest options available will be east in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky; north in the Diocese of Evansville, Indiana; and south in the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee.
Penny Giardinella, administrative assistant for the small parish, told EWTN News the church is “pretty full” during the TLM, as it is during all Sunday Masses. She said a large portion of TLM worshipers travel from outside parish lines to attend.
On May 18, the bishop sent a letter to the parish priest, Father David Kennedy, instructing him to halt all celebrations of the TLM after June 30. Although he initially secured a dispensation for the parish to continue its weekly celebration amid the 2021 Vatican restrictions, Medley did not seek an extension into the latter half of 2026.
The issue, Medley said in his letter, is that he lacked standing to seek an extension because the parish did not submit a report to the bishop, which the Holy See required for an extension to be granted. The bishop said this requirement was based on his 2023 correspondence with the Holy See.
The report, he wrote, needed to provide the TLM attendance and explain what steps were taken to lead the faithful toward the Novus Ordo Mass — the ordinary form of the liturgy adopted in 1969 by the Catholic Church in reforms following the Second Vatican Council.
“As I am unable to demonstrate that this condition has been met, I have no standing to request an extension of the Holy See,” Medley wrote.
Medley said the parish can instead celebrate the novus ordo Mass in accordance with the 1969 reforms in the Latin language and ad orientem, with the priest facing toward the tabernacle and away from the people.
“I know in some dioceses, the faithful who have shown a preference for the Mass celebrated in Latin have accepted the Novus Ordo Mass celebrated in the Latin language,” Medley said.
The bishop added that he postponed halting the Mass upon the death of Francis to see whether Pope Leo XIV would alter the restrictions. Because Leo has not — and because the January Consistory of the College of Cardinals explicitly opted not to review Traditionis Custodes — the bishop said he “felt obligated to act in accord with the direction of the Holy See.”
“For the faithful who may object to this directive, you may certainly refer them to me, but please make clear that I am acting in accord with my promise to the pope, the Bishop of Rome,” Medley said. “I am grateful for your ministry to this small and unique community. And I assure you of my prayers for them and for you and I kindly ask that you all pray for me.”
Rachel Hall, director of communications for the diocese, told EWTN News that “the parish will transition to the scheduled details in the correspondence” after June 30.
“As the parish navigates this transition with their faithful pastor Father Kennedy, the diocese asks for prayers to the Holy Spirit in guidance, with unity and peace,” she said.
Leo has not taken any official steps to amend Francis’s TLM restrictions, but has offered a conciliatory tone toward those attached to the older form of the liturgy.
In March, Leo described liturgical divisions as a “painful wound” in a communication with French bishops, and encouraged solutions that allow “the generous inclusion” of Catholics who choose to worship at the TLM “in respect for the directions desired by the Second Vatican Council in matters of liturgy.”
Last year, Leo approved Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke’s celebration of the TLM at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
Five years of euthanasia in Spain: The toll and path forward to overturn
It hasbeen five years since the Euthanasia Law came into effect in Spain — a law that, since its approval, has claimed the lives of 1,668 people, according to official data published by the Spanish Ministry of Health.
Since its inception, the number of euthanasia procedures carried out in the country has risen steadily; from 75 in the second half of 2021 to 288 in 2022, followed by 334 in 2023, some 426 in 2024 and 565 in 2025.
The Madrid-based Professionals for Ethics Association has issued a report that points out that the progression of euthanasia over the past five years shows that “once approved, euthanasia becomes a slippery slope” with destructive effects.
In addition to accelerated year-to-year growth in the number of euthanasia cases, the ethics professionals cite the progressive expansion of the grounds for the procedure under the catch-all category of “severe suffering.”
Euthanasia procedures have been streamlined “even at the cost of reducing or eliminating safeguards,” according to the report.
Euthanasia is being promoted “as an altruistic choice, based on arguments regarding organ donation and bequests to pro-euthanasia associations.”
The report denounces the “imposition of the so-called ‘right to die’ and personal autonomy over good medical practice.”
The practice of euthanasia results in the “abandonment of clinical effort” in situations where it appears to be an “easier and less costly” option. The report also underscores that euthanasia “harms the relationship of trust” between patient and physician, as well as between the patient and their family members.
The "normalization of euthanasia" in society and among healthcare professionals has led to the "loss of the meaning of vulnerable life, of aging, and of the value of caring for and accompanying” such patients, the report finds.
Other destructive effects include “social pressure on dependent individuals based on ‘quality of life’ criteria and the perception of being a burden to others” and, finally, the fostering of individualism and “society’s indifference toward suffering.”
Recommendations
Beyond pointing out dangers and contradictions inherent in the advance of euthanasia in Spain, the Professionals for Ethics Association proposes five measures “to reverse the slippery slope of euthanasia upon which we have already embarked.”
The first recommended measure is to develop “the plan, organization, and resources necessary to provide nationwide palliative care coverage," which must include "home-based teams and specialized pediatric units."
The ethics professionals also recommend boosting support “for vulnerable individuals and their families,” specifically those facing dependency, mental illness, and unwanted loneliness. This requires both the allocation of resources to address these challenges and facilitating “family support through programs that balance work and family life in order to provide care” for the patient.
A third recommendation is to monitor official information regarding the euthanasia procedures performed in order to “ensure rigor in the processes for requesting and approving euthanasia,” as well as preventing lax interpretations of the law that make “euthanasia the easiest, most accessible, and quickest ‘solution’.”
Fourth, the association holds that “it is vital to preserve the mission and objectives of healthcare aimed at preventing, curing, and caring for health as well as professional ethics and practice.”
In this regard, the group emphasizes that “euthanasia runs counter to the essence of medicine, caring for human life, and should never be considered a medical act.” Thus, the association also advocates the right of healthcare workers to conscientiously object to participating in euthanasia procedures.
Finally, the association calls for halting the promotion of euthanasia, as its rise “is neither a social good nor a sign of progress in human rights, nor is it even a neutral matter.”
“The fact that an increasing number of people in Spain desire a lethal injection should be a cause for concern, not celebration,” the group emphasizes; and therefore advocates for “a euthanasia prevention plan” similar to those for suicide and, ultimately, the repeal of the euthanasia law and the enactment of legislation “that facilitates the care of human life until the very end.”
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.
Trump administration cuts $67 million in funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is set to cut tens of millions of teenage pregnancy prevention grants that don’t align with the administration’s goals.
The department’s Office of Population Affairs, which designates grants for teenage pregnancy prevention, will divert $67 million to open new grants for prevention programs, a source confirmed to EWTN News.
The department will terminate 53 of 67 of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants following a department review, according to a Daily Signal report. The department reportedly described the current grants as “age-inappropriate,” “sexually explicit," and in violation of the program’s founding statute.
Some of the current teenage pregnancy programs teach teens how to access abortion, while others promote transgender ideology or sexually explicit material.
“Under programming favored by the Biden Administration, we saw too much emphasis on abortion and too little on protecting kids,” said Kristi Hamrick, a spokeswoman for Students for Life.
Hamrick referred to various instances of programming that instruct high schoolers with sexually explicit content.
“The kind of programming that tries to separate sexual activity from marriage or from babies, who are an important reality, misses the point,” Hamrick told EWTN News. “Pretending in programming that the presence or absence of a baby is the only thing to discuss, or that contraception comes with magical guarantees, doesnʼt begin to educate teenagers.”
“Young girls being groomed by older men; sexually transmitted diseases or broken hearts are all part of this reality, which makes pushing abortion as a ‘solution’ seriously off base,” Hamrick continued.
The administration is opening up new grants for pregnancy prevention programming more aligned with its goals, promoting two new funding streams according to two notices the department listed on Tuesday, totaling $71.1 million in grants. Applications close July 26.
Andrea Trudden, spokeswoman for Heartbeat International, an organization of pregnancy help centers, noted that many pregnancy centers provide education that reduces the risk of unplanned pregnancies.
"Pregnancy help organizations serve as an important resource for young women when an unexpected pregnancy occurs, offering practical support, compassionate care, and information about the resources available to help them continue their pregnancies,” she told EWTN News.
“Many of these organizations also provide sexual risk avoidance education that encourages healthy relationships, responsible decision-making, and behaviors that reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy,” Trudden continued.
"When a teen pregnancy does occur, the goal should be to ensure that no young woman feels she has to choose between her future and her child,” said Trudden.
“Pregnancy help organizations have decades of experience walking alongside teens before, during, and after pregnancy, helping them build healthy futures,” said Trudden.
“With the right support, education, parenting resources, and community assistance, teens can pursue their goals while welcoming the life of their baby,” Trudden said.
“There are so many out there ready to help, at churches, at pregnancy care centers, and in the community,” Hamrick added.
Hamrick noted that Students for Life lists resources at their webpage, Standing With You.
“A baby represents hope and a future, and for a family, whether by birth or adoption, and we need to help teenagers understand that they are not alone, that many will help, and that this is the beginning of another personʼs story,” Hamrick said.
Anti-death penalty Catholic group applauds Ohio governor for sparing condemned man
A prominent Catholic anti-death penalty group is praising Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for his decision to commute the death sentence of a prisoner suffering from intellectual disabilities.
In May, DeWine quietly commuted the sentence of Gregory Lott, who killed a man in East Cleveland in 1986 by setting him on fire during a burglary.
DeWine did not publicly announce the commutation, which he issued several weeks before openly calling for an end to the death penalty in the state.
A former supporter of the death penalty, DeWine said during a June 16 press conference that the “moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists.”
DeWine did not directly say during that press event if he would commute any death sentences, though reporters questioned him on the subject. The order to commute Lott’s sentence had been filed in the state court system several days earlier.
The order cited a parole board recommendation that Lott’s sentence be commuted, as well as findings that Lott is “intellectually disabled to a degree that would prohibit the imposition of the death penalty under current law.”
The family members of Lott’s victim, meanwhile, said they were “opposed to the implementation of the death penalty,” according to the order.
A ‘pro-life decision’
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network, said in a June 25 statement that “no matter the harm one has caused or suffered, every person deserves the possibility of redemption.”
Responding to DeWine’s decision by exclaiming “Praise God!” Murphy said the commutation “underscores the governor’s concern for those who are marginalized in our society.”
She urged DeWine to “take further steps before leaving office toward commuting the death sentences of the more than 100 individuals who are currently on Ohio’s death row.”
Lott’s efforts to avoid the death penalty took a winding path through both the state courts and the state executive system.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2002 ruled in Atkins v. Virginia that executing condemned criminals who are intellectually disabled is unconstitutional.
Lott’s attorneys appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court under that ruling, though the state court denied that claim, establishing what in judicial circles came to be known as “Lott’s Test” for determining the threshold of intellectual disability.
Yet he was spared from being executed after Ohio’s 2014 execution of Dennis McGuire, whom witnesses said visibly suffered while dying from the lethal injection that ultimately killed him. Then-Gov. John Kasich issued a moratorium on executions there that lasted for more than three years.
Stephen Ferrell, one of Lott’s public defenders during his legal battles, told the Marshall Project that Lott “would have been executed a month [after McGuire]” without the moratorium in place.
“To me, that epitomizes the arbitrariness of this system,” the lawyer said.
Netherlands records first euthanasia death of child under 12 after law expansion
The Netherlands has recorded its first reported life-ending procedure involving a child under the age of 12 since expanding its euthanasia regulations in 2024, a development that has renewed ethical concerns among Catholic and pro-life advocates about the growing reach of assisted-dying laws.
According to the Dutch governmentʼs 2025 annual report on late-term pregnancy termination and life-ending procedures, authorities received a report in late 2025 involving a child between the ages of 1 and 12. The case is the first known report since the Netherlands broadened its regulations to permit euthanasia for children in that age group under limited circumstances.
Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans confirmed in a June 22 letter to the Dutch House of Representatives, “At the end of 2025, the committee received its first report of life termination of a child between the ages of 1 and 12 years.”
Few details about the childʼs age, illness, or circumstances have been released. Under Dutch law, all such cases are reviewed by an independent committee to determine whether legal requirements were followed.
A medical-legal committee reviewed the death, evaluated it, and forwarded an advisory opinion to prosecutors who must independently decide next steps, Hermans’ letter said. The committee is expected to publish its opinion on its website.
Expansion of Dutch euthanasia policy
The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia for adults in 2002. Before the 2024 expansion, euthanasia was already permitted for infants under one year old in exceptional circumstances and for minors aged 12 and older, subject to parental consent requirements.
Dutch officials said the regulations were designed to address a small number of cases involving terminally ill children experiencing what authorities describe as “hopeless and unbearable suffering.”
Under the rules, euthanasia for children ages 1 to 12 may be permitted when a child is terminally ill, suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement, and when no reasonable treatment or palliative care alternative exists.
The 2025 report recorded three late-term pregnancy terminations, no reported life-ending procedures involving newborns, and one reported life-ending procedure involving a child between the ages of 1 and 12.
Catholic bioethicists raise concerns
The reported case of the child under 12 has drawn criticism from Catholic and pro-life advocates, who argue that societyʼs response to suffering should be compassionate care and effective pain management rather than intentionally ending a human life.
“This is clearly a grave ethical violation,” said Joseph Meaney, senior fellow and director of international coordination at the National Catholic Bioethics Center. “The Church teaches that euthanasia and assisted suicide are intrinsically evil and so can never be morally justified actions. The case of euthanizing children is graver still since a child cannot give informed consent.”
Meaney said that while euthanasia may appear compassionate in cases of severe suffering, “it is a grave mistake,” emphasizing that “human persons have a special dignity” and that modern medicine offers ethical means of pain management and care for the seriously ill and dying.
He also warned that the Netherlands has often served as a bellwether for euthanasia policy worldwide.
“Expanding the limits of what is allowed by the law in terms of medicalized killing usually happens first in the Netherlands and then spreads to other countries,” Meaney said.
International implications
The case comes amid ongoing debates over assisted dying in several Western nations.
Meaney warned that jurisdictions often begin by legalizing euthanasia in limited circumstances before gradually broadening eligibility.
“After a few years of legalization, advocates push for limitations to be removed or the categories of persons with permission to be killed or kill themselves to be enlarged,” he said.
Matt Vallière, executive director of the Patient Rights Action Fund, expressed similar concerns.
“The further that they push the envelope, the more other countries will consider it, especially in the Euro-American West,” Vallière said. “Currently, bills are pending in France, the UK, and Scotland.”
He also pointed to developments in the United States.
“You see some of this going back and forth from here to the states, too. There are 12 states plus D.C. that have officially legalized assisted suicide,” he said.
The report comes as euthanasia continues to rise in the Netherlands. More than 10,000 euthanasia deaths were reported in the Netherlands in 2025, accounting for a growing share of annual deaths in the country.
The Netherlands remains one of only a handful of countries that permit euthanasia for minors. Belgium removed age restrictions on euthanasia in 2014, while assisted-dying proposals continue to be debated in several Western nations.
Catholic bishop of Northampton charged with child rape
The diocese of Northampton, England, confirmed that a Catholic bishop in England has been charged with child rape.
Bishop David James Oakley of Northampton was charged with two counts of rape against a female under the age of 16.
The diocese of Northampton confirmed that the bishop “has been charged after an investigation into non-recent safeguarding allegations.”
The diocese could not provide further comment.
“We understand that this will be very distressing for all concerned but cannot comment further on an active legal process,” the diocese said in its statement.
The statement provided direction to safeguarding resources.
“If you have any safeguarding concerns please contact either the diocesan safeguarding team or the police directly,” the diocese said.
Oakley was ordained in 1980 as a priest and became bishop of Northampton in 2020. In October of last year, he took a leave of absence for “personal reasons.” Oakley was an episcopal advisor for Catholic Charismatic Renewal in England and Wales and was rector of St. Maryʼs College, Oscott, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, from 2013 to 2020.
English news outlets reported that the bishop was a strong contender for bishop of Westminster in recent years.
Oakley will appear in court for an initial hearing August 14.
U.S. sends emergency response teams to Venezuela after massive earthquakes
The Trump administration is deploying U.S. emergency response teams to Venezuela in the wake of two high-magnitude earthquakes as local Catholic leaders mobilizes the Church’s support network.
“Weʼre already deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County [Virginia] and Los Angeles,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters June 25.
“There will be some others weʼll add,” Rubio said. “Thatʼs their most immediate need right now, is search-and-rescue efforts: They have [many] collapsed buildings. And so theyʼll need a lot of help in terms of digging through that.”
The earthquakes took place on June 24, with the first 7.2-magnitude earthquake recorded at 6:04 p.m. local time, and the second 7.5-magnitude earthquake occurring just 39 seconds later, according to the United States Geological Survey.
“Weʼve already stood up our disaster response teams at the Department of State and our humanitarian efforts,” Rubio said. “Itʼs something we did very well in Jamaica, after that storm, and itʼs something weʼre really prepared to do now.”
The update came after Rubio issued a statement earlier in the morning pledging to carry out U.S. President Donald Trump’s directive for “all agencies of [the U.S.] government” to “get ready to move quickly.”
“The United States extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes,” Rubio said. “Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath.”
Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace called on the international community to “mobilize in support of the Venezuelan people, and to send the necessary humanitarian assistance to alleviate their suffering.”
Pope Leo XIV has sent an initial 100,000 euro donation to Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquakes through the Apostolic Almonerʼs Office. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) said it is “working through Caritas Venezuela and the local Church to quickly deliver emergency shelter, food, safe water, medical care and other critical relief to those affected.”
Aid to the Church in Need reported significant damages to numerous churches, parish houses, and Church institutions, but noted no casualties among priests, deacons, seminarians, or religious sisters.
Archbishop Raúl Biord Castillo of Caracas told the aid group after touring affected parishes to assess the situation that “many of them have serious structural damage,” with the Cathedral of Caracas among the most affected.
Bishop Pablo Modesto González Pérez of the Diocese of La Guaira described the impact of the earthquakes on the local seminary, telling Aid to the Church in Need: “We are without electricity and we have all been affected. In the seminary, many walls collapsed.”
The bishop expressed gratitude that no priests were seriously harmed and noted the mobilization of the local Church in response to the disaster: “Many parishes have received people to spend the night in their facilities. We have already activated a solidarity network through the parish Caritas.”
“From tomorrow, inspections will be carried out to determine which temples can be reopened,” he said. “May God help us and grant us the necessary consolation to accompany our people in these difficult times.”
This story was updated at 2:40 p.m. ET on June 25, 2026 to include comments from Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, Catholic Relief Services, and information about Pope Leo XIV’s donation through the Apostolic Almonerʼs Office.
Pope Leo XIV: Sport is an opportunity for spiritual growth
Pope Leo XIV this week emphasized that sports are important for spiritual growth and human development.
In a private audience with members of the Italian Swimming Federation on June 25, the pontiff highlighted the value of competitive sport as a means of instilling important values and fostering the growth of the body and mind.
“Sport, when practiced well, is medicine for both body and spirit,” Leo said in his remarks. “It integrates the different dimensions of the human person and directs them toward very important values such as commitment, solidarity, and honesty.”
To the swimmers present in the audience, the pope also highlighted the environmental and theological significance of water.
“[Swimming] symbolically recalls an aspect that has been part of us since our motherʼs womb: to live means learning to move in harmony with others and with the environment around us. For us Christians, moreover, water is a symbol of Baptism and of new life in Christ,” Leo said.
Leo has frequently emphasized the value of sport since the beginning of his pontificate.
On the eve of the Milano-Cortona Winter Olympic Games in February, the pope published the letter Life in Abundance on the importance of sports in personal formation.
He also declared his prayer intention for the month of June to be for the value of sports and for sports to promote peace.