Articles by Madalaine Elhabbal
Bishop Barron to attend Trump address to Congress as guest of Catholic lawmaker
Mar 3, 2025 / 16:15 pmThe speech will mark Trump’s first address to Congress since taking office for his second term.
German archdiocese criticizes carnival float associating Jesus with sex abuse crisis
Feb 28, 2025 / 17:15 pmHere are some of the major stories of the Catholic Church around the world that you might have missed this past week.
Catholic Charities agencies across U.S. continue to be affected by funding freeze
Feb 27, 2025 / 06:00 amCatholic Charities in Florida, Texas, and Kansas spoke out this week about how the funding freeze has impacted both program-specific and agency-wide efforts.
Here are the states where assisted suicide legislation is moving forward in 2025
Feb 26, 2025 / 06:00 amLegislation on assisted suicide has been introduced in several states this year, with some bills gaining traction in efforts to legalize the practice and expand its availability.
Ukrainian patriarch in Washington: Putin wants to ‘erase’ Ukraine
Feb 22, 2025 / 07:00 amArchbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk’s visit came as the Trump administration begins to open diplomatic channels to Russia in an attempt to end the Ukraine war.
Catholic Charities agencies across country cut funding, lay off staff amid funding freeze
Feb 19, 2025 / 17:40 pmUpon taking office last month, President Donald Trump issued directives that, among other measures, paused grants to organizations that aid migrants and refugees.
New York Encounter panel: Marriage matters ‘more than ever’ amid falling birth rates
Feb 16, 2025 / 13:40 pmForecasts that 1 in 3 young adults in the U.S. today will never marry signify a closing of the “American heart,” a leading marriage researcher said Saturday.
Catholics hopeful on abortion, health policy after Kennedy’s confirmation as HHS secretary
Feb 16, 2025 / 07:30 amKennedy, himself a professed Catholic, has faced intense scrutiny from both sides of the aisle for his controversial views on vaccines, abortion, and public health policy.
Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump ban on transgender surgeries for minors
Feb 13, 2025 / 17:35 pmThe move comes after a group of seven families with transgender-identifying children filed a lawsuit challenging the executive order earlier this month.
Marc Fogel’s family: Rosary and faith sustained them through his detainment in Russia
Feb 12, 2025 / 16:00 pm“At 9:30 at night we always prayed the rosary simultaneously, and I think it helped all of us, and I think particularly Marc,” Fogel’s 95-year-old mother said.
Jesuit Refugee Service says Trump funding freeze will impact more than 100,000 refugees
Feb 11, 2025 / 15:50 pmIn 2024, JRS received $24,049,039 in government funding and $9,224,422 in private donations, according to its financial statements from last year.
Rubio says State Department will exempt select USAID programs from freeze
Feb 6, 2025 / 17:55 pmThe secretary of state also said the State Department has reached out to USAID officials to help determine these exemptions.
Trump at National Prayer Breakfast announces task force to end anti-Christian bias
Feb 6, 2025 / 15:20 pmDuring remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning, Trump said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi would head the task force.
‘Real sanctions, real consequences’ are needed for countries on religious freedom watchlist
Feb 5, 2025 / 17:30 pmUSCIRF Chairman Stephen Schneck said: “The CPC [Country of Particular Concern] designation really only works as an instrument for naming and shaming.”
Catholics back new pro-family agenda on technology and human flourishing
Feb 4, 2025 / 11:10 amRyan T. Anderson, Patrick Deneen, and Robert P. George are among the 28 signatories of “A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right.”
Survey reveals common threads behind final vows of 2024’s professed religious
Feb 3, 2025 / 15:40 pmThe survey report released on Monday polled a total of 140 religious who professed perpetual vows in 2024, including 73 sisters and nuns and 67 brothers and priests.
Pentagon ends Biden policy that funded travel for abortions
Jan 31, 2025 / 15:55 pmOfficials at the Defense Travel Management Office announced the move to “Remove Travel for Non-Covered Reproductive Health Care Services” in a memo Wednesday.
Bishop Conley on Catholic Schools Week: educating the whole person
Jan 31, 2025 / 12:50 pmHaving spent the past week paying visits to Catholic schools across his diocese, Bishop James Conley issued a reflection on the value of faith-based education.
Bishop Barron applauds Trump’s order banning sex-change surgeries for minors
Jan 30, 2025 / 17:05 pm“So many young people who have been victims of this ideological crusade have profound regrets over its life altering consequences,” Bishop Robert Barron said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledges to carry out Trump’s policies on abortion, conscience rights
Jan 29, 2025 / 17:05 pmRepublican and Democrat senators on the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday pressed Kennedy on his views on abortion and “reproductive health.”