The White House on Tuesday issued a proclamation praising St. Thomas Becket, an English archbishop who was martyred 850 years ago after conflict with King Henry II over the rights of the Church. “Before the Magna Carta was drafted, before the right to free exercise of religion was enshrined as America’s first freedom in our…Read More
President Trump signed an executive order Monday aimed at expanding school choice options during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing “emergency learning scholarships” for any child without access to in-person learning. The money will be offered through block grants under the Health and Human Services Department to cover tuition and fees for private or parochial schools;…Read More
The federal appeals court in Manhattan on Monday blocked New York state restrictions on the size of religious gatherings put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus. In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, the Orthodox Jewish group Agudath Israel of…Read More
Charlie Baker, the pro-choice Republican governor of Massachusetts, vetoed a bill that would legalize abortions up to birth and lower to 16 the age for girls to get abortions without a parent’s knowledge or consent. The state House and Senate have sent the bill to Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday, December 22nd, rejecting changes he…Read More
President Trump has signed into law a package that combines COVID-19 economic relief measures and federal spending for the next nine months, after threatening to veto it over what he called the puny size of stimulus checks. Trump signed the bill, passed by the House and Senate on Dec. 21, as several provisions aimed at…Read More
Private Catholic schools will be eligible for federal pandemic aid through the COVID-19 relief bill approved by Congress yesterday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops confirmed today. Congress has approved $82 billion for public and private K-12 schools, and the vast majority of those federal dollars will go to a $54.3 billion fund for public…Read More
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a Kentucky Christian school’s plea to reopen for in-person learning, upholding a health order from the governor that barred in-person K-12 education in most areas until January. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s Nov. 18 executive order, which applied to both public and private schools, closed elementary, middle, and high schools…Read More
The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith stated Monday that it is “morally acceptable” to receive COVID-19 vaccines produced using cell lines from aborted fetuses when no alternative is available. In a note issued Dec. 21, the CDF said that in countries where vaccines without ethical problems are unavailable to physicians and patients —…Read More
We acknowledge his coming in history at Christmas when we celebrate Jesus’ birth and the events surrounding his Nativity 2,000 years ago. His coming in majesty will occur at the end of the ages when he returns in glory to judge the living and the dead. His coming in mystery recognizes the many ways he…Read More
After months of delay, the State Board of Education has quietly approved Christian Heritage Academy’s application to serve children who are beneficiaries of a state scholarship program. The approval was part of a consent docket voted on by board members at the group’s regular December meeting and came after an opinion by Oklahoma Attorney General…Read More
After months of delay, the State Board of Education has quietly approved Christian Heritage Academy’s application to serve children who are beneficiaries of a state scholarship program. The approval was part of a consent docket voted on by board members at the group’s regular December meeting and came after an opinion by Oklahoma Attorney General…Read More
The COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Oklahoma on Monday, and a registered nurse in Oklahoma City was the first person vaccinated. Here is some information on how the vaccination process is expected to precede in Oklahoma. The first vaccines are reserved for front-line health care workers helping COVID-19 patients, employees and residents at nursing homes and…Read More
Three Muslims who claim the FBI wrongly pressured them into becoming informants on Muslim communities may seek monetary damages as part of their lawsuit under a federal religious freedom law, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a decision that strengthens legal action on religious freedom problems. “This unanimous decision from the Supreme Court makes…Read More
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard introduced two bills on Thursday aimed at protecting babies who survive abortions and preventing male athletes from competing in women’s sports. Gabbard (D-Hawaii) introduced H.R. 8939, a measure “To amend title 18, United States Code, to protect pain-capable unborn children.” The full text of her measure has not yet been published. The group…Read More
The United States bishops’ conference has said that Catholics can take two of the three available COVID-19 vaccines, even though they were developed with a “remote connection” to “morally compromised” cell lines. In a statement released Monday, the bishops also said it is morally permissible in some circumstances to receive a third vaccine, developed in…Read More
The lower house of Argentina’s legislature has passed a bill that would legalize abortion-on-demand up to 14 weeks in pregnancy, drawing dismay from pro-life groups and Catholics in the country. The bill, passed Dec. 11, would permit abortions up to 14 weeks of gestation for any reason. The bill now proceeds to the upper house,…Read More
The COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Oklahoma on Monday, and a registered nurse in Oklahoma City was the first person vaccinated. Here is some information on how the vaccination process is expected to precede in Oklahoma. The first vaccines are reserved for front-line health care workers helping COVID-19 patients, employees and residents at nursing homes and…Read More
Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday announced new restrictions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. In a news conference at the state Capitol, Stitt detailed new limits on public gatherings and indoor sporting events. Public gatherings, including weddings, funerals and holiday parties at event centers, will be limited to 50% capacity. Churches will be exempt from…Read More
The use of lethal injections will no longer be allowed for executions in the state of Ohio, and an alternative method must be found if capital punishment is to continue in the state, Governor Mike DeWine said this week. In an interview with the AP, DeWine (R) said that there is already an “unofficial moratorium”…Read More
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) applauded a federal judge’s recent decision to restore the full Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, including the resumption of new applicants. Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, praised the decision in a Dec. 8 statement. He emphasized the Church’s…Read More
For the ninth time in six months, the Trump administration is preparing to put a federal prisoner to death. Brandon Bernard, 40, is due to be executed Thursday evening at the U.S. Penitentiary Terre Haute in Indiana, as punishment for the murder of a young couple in Texas in 1999. The Justice Department plans another…Read More
Legislators have sent to the Massachusetts governor a $46.2 billion full-year budget plan that includes provisions to expand access to abortion, additions which have drawn strong pro-life criticism. An amendment to the budget bill would allow 16-year-olds to obtain an abortion without parental consent, a change from the current age of 18 years. Minors under…Read More
Pro-life leaders have warned against Joe Biden’s “aggressively pro-abortion” pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has a long track record in taking legal action against pro-life organizations. Early Monday morning, President-elect Joe Biden announced he would tap Becerra as the next Health Secretary. If confirmed, Becerra…Read More
A GOP state legislator has prefiled legislation to make it harder for initiative petitions to pass at the ballot box. Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, filed legislation for the 2021 session that would require initiative and referendum petitions to get 60% or more of a statewide vote to pass, instead of a simple majority. The…Read More
The House voted on Friday to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, mirroring laws implemented by dozens of states to eliminate or reduce punishment for the use and possession of marijuana. “The bottom line is, this vote is about freedom, freedom of choice for Americans to make decisions for themselves without fear of the government…Read More
An official opinion issued by the office of Attorney General Mike Hunter concludes the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) acted illegally when it imposed new regulations on a state scholarship program for children with special needs. To serve beneficiaries of the Lindsey Nicole Henry (LNH) Scholarships for Students with Disabilities program, the OSDE regulations…Read More
Following the media’s projection of his victory in the 2020 presidential election, former Vice President Joe Biden has made “sweeping promises” to LGBT activists, according to The Associated Press. Biden, a Democrat, plans to “carry out virtually every proposal” that LGBT activists have pushed for in recent years, the AP said. Biden’s agenda includes allowing individuals…Read More
An official opinion issued by the office of Attorney General Mike Hunter concludes the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) acted illegally when it imposed new regulations on a state scholarship program for children with special needs. To serve beneficiaries of the Lindsey Nicole Henry (LNH) Scholarships for Students with Disabilities program, the OSDE regulations…Read More
Many in the media argue that there’s no such thing as late-term abortion. But a new report confirms that thousands of unborn babies – at or past 21 weeks gestation – are destroyed in abortion each year. On November 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published its latest annual Abortion Surveillance report…Read More
With the annual March for Life scheduled to occur in January, how different might it look from previous years due to the ongoing pandemic? The 48th annual March for Life is scheduled to take place on Jan. 29, 2021, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Normally attended by tens of thousands of pro-life demonstrators…Read More
Belgium’s Catholic bishops called Tuesday for dialogue with the government after it decreed that public Masses would remain suspended until Jan. 15, 2021. Following a ministerial decree Nov. 29, the country’s approximately 6.5 million Catholics will be obliged to celebrate Christmas at home. In a Dec. 1 press statement, the bishops acknowledged the need for…Read More
In one of the last results in the 2020 election to be called, another pro-life female candidate won election to the House of Representatives in Iowa’s 2nd district race certified on Monday. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks eked out victory over Democratic candidate Rita Hart by the narrowest of margins in the state’s southeast district, winning by…Read More
A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday unveiled a $908 billion coronavirus relief deal after months of congressional gridlock over another emergency aid package for American workers and businesses still reeling from the pandemic. “It won’t make everyone happy,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said during a press conference on Tuesday. “But there’s been an enormous…Read More