St. Andrew Catholic Church

2025 Bradley Prize recipient Jimmy Lai. / Credit: Courtesy of the Bradley Foundation

CNA Staff, May 30, 2025 / 14:40 pm (CNA).

Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned pro-democracy advocate and Hong Kong entrepreneur, is the honorary recipient of the 2025 Bradley Prize for his unwavering commitment to free speech, democracy, and journalistic integrity. 

His son, Sebastien Lai, accepted the award on his father’s behalf at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The Bradley Prize recognizes Lai’s role as a Catholic human rights activist standing against one of the world’s most oppressive regimes.

Imprisoned for over four years and currently in solitary confinement, Lai, 77, faces potential life imprisonment under Beijing’s 2020 national security law, which has stifled dissent and suppressed free speech in Hong Kong. 

“Jimmy’s extraordinary courage and deeply held beliefs in journalistic integrity, human dignity, and democracy are an inspiration to all who value freedom,” said Rick Graber, president of The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. “His sacrifice serves as a beacon of hope for those fighting against tyranny, and we are proud to award him with an honorary Bradley Prize.”

Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, has become a global symbol of resistance against what Graber described as the “oppressive, authoritarian rule” of the Chinese Communist Party. 

The former stowaway and child factory worker turned billionaire’s entrepreneurial ventures spanned digital media and retail apparel, but it was his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government’s tightening grip on freedom and democracy in Hong Kong that led to his multiple arrests.

Sebastien Lai told EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” on Thursday that he and his family are worried about his father, a diabetic with little to no access to medical care, the sacraments, or natural light in his “more than 1,600 days” in solitary confinement.

“It’s just cruelty what they’re doing to him” in prison, Sebastien said, “and he needs to be released immediately.”

President Donald Trump has said he would include Jimmy Lai’s release as part of ongoing negotiations with China. Sebastien met with members of the Trump administration in March, telling Arroyo he is “hopeful” and is grateful for the president’s “moral clarity” regarding his father’s case.

Though the elder Lai is a British citizen and could have fled, he chose to remain in Hong Kong, advocating for his principles. Sebastien said he has not yet met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer but he is hopeful the British government will help bring about his father’s release.

The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, based in Milwaukee, established the Bradley Prize in 2004 to honor individuals whose work strengthens the principles of American exceptionalism, limited government, free markets, and civil society. Each recipient receives a $250,000 to $300,000 stipend for contributions in areas such as constitutional order, education, and cultural vitality.

Past recipients include economist Thomas Sowell; journalists William Kristol and Charles Krauthammer; Robert P. George; and Mary Ann Glendon, the Harvard Law School professor emeritus who also served as the first woman president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

Sebastien asked EWTN viewers to write to their elected representatives in Washington asking for Jimmy’s release and to “say a little prayer and light a candle” for his freedom. He expressed hope that Pope Leo XIV, who asked for prayers for the people in China this past Sunday, would also call for Jimmy Lai’s release.

“It is such a clear case of a persecuted Christian,” Sebastien said of his father’s imprisonment. The pope’s support of Lai “would give the people in China hope. It would definitely give my father hope.”

He said his father’s faith is his “pillar,” and although he is physically weak, he is “spiritually and intellectually” strong. “He knows he is doing the right thing by God.” 

The Chinese government wants his father to think that “he’s fighting by himself in his little cell,” Lai said. “But he’s not. He’s fighting for everybody’s freedom.”

“A man’s courage to give up everything he has to fight for what is right reverberates through time,” he said.

Cardinal Willem Eijk. / Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNA

Vatican City, May 30, 2025 / 13:38 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Willem Eijk on Friday said the Pontifical Academy for Life should give more attention to the bioethical issues linked to “gender affirming” therapies and “transgender” treatments.

The Dutch cardinal, a physician and member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, opened the third annual conference organized by the platform International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune, taking place in Rome from May 30–31. The theme of this year’s conference is “The Splendor of Truth in Science and Bioethics.”

In an exclusive interview with EWTN Vatican News Director Andreas Thonhauser, the cardinal archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands, said that in addition to artificial intelligence, the Church needs to come together to discuss the impact of gender-affirming treatments.    

“They are now very popular and they are now well accepted in many countries,” he said in the interview. 

“I’m glad that now in the United States, this gender discussion is a little bit pushed back and it has also had a positive influence on Western European societies,” he added.

According to Eijk, the Pontifical Academy for Life has more opportunity to talk about the Church’s teachings on the relationship between sex and gender at a time when the appeal of “gender theory” appears to be now “less strong” than it was in the past.  

“So we see that the gender discussion was very strong, you know, a few years ago,” he said. “They were almost pushing gender theory in society, culture, and also educational programs at elementary schools.” 

“Now there is a lot of resistance and you can see that many people are now wondering should we do that with our young people?” he added. “So at least, you know, the question is coming up, is it right to do so?”

Although Eijk expressed dismay that “dualistic philosophies” — which fundamentally divide the mind and body as opposing forces — have more influence on scientific discourse and medical practice, he believes the Church can still speak about the intrinsic value of the human person as God’s creation that should be respected.  

“According to our Catholic view of man, biological sex is an intrinsic part of the dimension of the human being,” he said. “Transmitting the truth with regard to biological sex and relationship between gender and biological sex is an element of creation and it’s something that you’d respect.”

Though the cardinal noted that many people are inclined to view the body as an “exigent object” that you can use to express yourself or adapt to your taste, he said that a Church that is united in teaching can be very helpful for Catholic faithful who want to uphold the dignity of human life.   

“And when we proclaim this truth in an unambiguous way, in a clear way, I think that people will not be confused anymore but can start to rethink about the basic truths of life and especially basic truths concerning Christ and Christian morality,” he shared.

Earlier this week, Pope Leo XIV appointed Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, a bioethicist with a medical degree, as the new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life succeeding Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia. Pegoraro has served as the Vatican academy’s chancellor since September 2011. 

St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. / Credit: Joonas Plaan via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

ACI MENA, May 30, 2025 / 12:02 pm (CNA).

An appeals court in the Egyptian city of Ismailia has ruled that the monks of St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula have the right to use the monastery and surrounding religious heritage sites. However, the court also reaffirmed that these sites remain the property of the state as part of Egypt’s public domain.

The ruling has sparked grave concern within the Greek Orthodox Church, which denounced what it described as “an attempt to alter a system that has been in place for 15 centuries.” 

In contrast, the Egyptian state issued reassurances regarding the monastery’s status. 

His Beatitude Ieronymos II, archbishop of Athens and All Greece, condemned the verdict as a grave violation of human — especially religious — freedoms, stating that the monastery is “undergoing a great trial reminiscent of darker times in history.”

In an official statement, the archbishop warned: “The monastery’s properties are being seized and confiscated. This spiritual beacon of Orthodoxy and Hellenism is now facing a genuine threat to its existence. With deep sorrow and indignation, I call upon the Greek government and international bodies to recognize the magnitude of this danger and to take urgent action to safeguard fundamental religious freedoms at the sacred monastery of Sinai.”

In response, Egypt’s presidential office reaffirmed the country’s full commitment to preserving the unique religious and sacred status of St. Catherine’s Monastery, stressing that this ruling only reinforces its importance. The statement also referenced recent assurances given by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his visit to Athens earlier this month.

A spokesperson for Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied allegations that the monastery or its surrounding lands had been confiscated. Speaking to the Middle East News Agency, the spokesperson clarified that the ruling merely formalizes the legal status of the monastery. 

“According to the court’s decision,” he said, “and in recognition of the monastery’s spiritual and historic significance, the monks will retain full use of the monastery and nearby religious and archaeological sites. Remote and uninhabited natural reserve areas without proven ownership documents will remain under state jurisdiction.”

On May 30 the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed deep concern regarding what it referred to as the “seizure of lands surrounding the monastery.” In a public statement, the patriarchate reaffirmed its full ecclesiastical authority and protection over the site. It also praised the official communications from Egyptian authorities, which emphasized respect for the sanctity and safety of the monastery and rejected any notion of encroachment.

St. Catherine’s Monastery is considered one of the most important Christian landmarks in Egypt, not only for its ancient heritage and biblical significance but also for its global spiritual and cultural symbolism. Founded over 1,500 years ago, the monastery remains active to this day and is home to a priceless collection of Byzantine icons and a library of rare and ancient manuscripts.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, May 30, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Peer-reviewed study debunks ‘baseless claim’ that abortion pills are safer than Tylenol

A recent peer-reviewed study challenges the abortion industry’s claim that medication abortion is “safer than Tylenol.”

The Charlotte Lozier Institute last week published its peer-reviewed article in the journal BioTech challenging the “heavily relied upon talking point” for the abortion industry that abortion drugs are safer than Tylenol.

Abortion giant Planned Parenthood on its website claims that medication abortion is safer than Tylenol — the brand name for acetaminophen, which is used for pain relief and to reduce fevers — and other common medicines. But this study found that the claim is not only unsupported and unprovable but also that it ignores “serious adverse events of abortion drugs, such as sepsis and hemorrhage.”

The study noted that the claim cannot be validated because not only does a controlled study not exist comparing the two, but “it would be impossible to do so because these drugs are used for entirely different purposes.” 

The study also notes that “while Tylenol-related deaths often result from misuse in a much larger user base, deaths from abortion drugs occur under prescribed use.”

“This oversimplification led to the creation of a catchy phrase aimed at reducing abortion drug regulations and minimizing concerns from women considering an abortion,” the institute said in a press release on Tuesday. 

Pro-life groups urge government to investigate suspected cover-up of federal abortion violations 

Pro-life leaders are urging the government to investigate the alleged Biden administration cover-up of the “D.C. Five,” a case in which the remains of five babies were discovered in Washington, D.C., in what advocates say indicated a violation of legal protections involving abortion and infants.

In a joint letter on Tuesday, nine organizations urged Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Washington Jeanine Pirro to investigate these “possible violations of the Partial-Birth Abortion Act and the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act” after the remains of the five babies were discovered by pro-life activists in 2022 in the nation’s capital. 

Pirro took office as interim U.S. attorney on Wednesday, replacing Ed Martin, who had been in the role since Trump appointed him in January.  

Signees include top pro-life leaders at Advancing American Freedom, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Students for Life of America, Live Action, and others. 

The letter alleged that “rather than investigate the incident properly, the Biden administration worked to sweep the allegations under the rug and silence the individuals involved by prosecuting them.” 

Additionally, the signees allege that the Department of Justice under former president Joe Biden “ordered” local police to “incinerate the evidence” even though pro-life congressional representatives called for preservation of the evidence.

Missouri Supreme Court temporarily blocks abortion statewide

The Missouri Supreme Court has reinstated pro-life laws protecting unborn children after the laws were earlier blocked due to the state’s recent abortion rights constitutional amendment. 

The Missouri Supreme Court ordered District Judge Jerri Zhang in Kansas City to lift the injunction blocking restrictions on abortion on Tuesday. That means pro-life laws can go into effect there while litigation over the protections plays out in court.

Zhang had earlier ruled that several abortion regulations were unconstitutional, including rules that only doctors can perform abortions and that surgical instruments must be sterilized, as well as regulations regarding informed consent, according to the pro-life group Missouri Right to Life. 

The state passed a pro-abortion constitutional amendment in November 2024. Voters there will vote on a repeal of the amendment next year.

Steve Rupp, president of Missouri Right to Life, welcomed the decision, saying it “will save lives of preborn babies and the health and safety of Missouri women.”

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Vatican City, May 29, 2025 / 17:29 pm (CNA).

More than 60,000 pilgrims from 120 countries will be in Rome this weekend to participate in the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly taking place from Friday, May 30, to Sunday, June 1.

The event, which is part of the celebrations for the Jubilee 2025, will bring together three generations — parents, children, and grandparents — in one of the major events of the holy year. It will include pilgrimages and moments of prayer in a fun atmosphere under the theme of family unity.

According to the organizers, the largest delegations will come from Italy, Spain, the United States, Poland, and Portugal. Numerous participants are also expected from Latin America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Philippines, and several African countries. 

The presence of ecclesial movements will also loom large, and among them will be the Catholic Grandparents Association, an international organization founded in Ireland by Catherine Wiley in 2001 dedicated to supporting, promoting, and encouraging the spiritual and pastoral role of grandparents within the Catholic Church. 

Also participating will be the Neocatechumenal Way, founded in Madrid in 1964 by Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández.

3 days of faith and celebration in the streets of Rome

The program will get underway on Friday, May 30, with many families making the pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of four major basilicas in Rome: St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls.

One of the highlights of this jubilee event will take place on Saturday afternoon with a “Family Festival” in St. John Lateran Square from 6:30 to 8 p.m. local time, which will combine a musical concert with moments of prayer.

The event will be hosted by renowned Italian journalist Lorena Bianchetti. Since 1999 Bianchetti has hosted, on Italian public television, a program produced in collaboration with the Italian Bishops’ Conference that addresses current affairs from a Christian perspective. The event will also feature performances by Christian music groups The Sun and Gen Verde, and will conclude with the rosary.

Mass with Pope Leo XIV 

The Jubilee for Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly will conclude on Sunday, June 1, with a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square at 10:30 a.m. local time. 

During the ceremony, 10,000 copies of the new edition of the “Children’s Bible” will be distributed. This version, adapted and designed to introduce children to the holy Scriptures in an accessible and engaging way, will be offered by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need.

Since launching this edition of the “Children’s Bible” in 1979, the organization has distributed more than 51 million copies worldwide, and it has been translated into more than 190 languages ​​and local dialects.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

President Trump’s administration sent a letter probing hospitals that provide transgender treatments to minors, seeking information on HHS rule compliance on May 28, 2025. / Credit: JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 29, 2025 / 16:59 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump’s administration launched an inquiry into hospitals that have provided transgender drugs and performed transgender surgeries on minors, seeking information on the processes and outcomes — particularly “adverse events” — that result from the controversial medical interventions.

Mehmet Oz, the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), sent a letter this week to the select hospitals inquiring about whether and how the hospitals have changed their protocols and procedures in response to new rules and guidelines issued by Trump and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 29 that instructed HHS to end Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements for transgender interventions on minors. On May 1, HHS issued a report detailing the lack of evidence to support such medical treatments.

CMS is giving the hospitals 30 days to respond to the letter and stated in a press release that it has “urgent concerns” related to procedures it described as “harmful.”

In the letter, Oz asked the hospitals what “changes to clinical practice guidelines and protocols” are being enacted in response to the HHS report, particularly surrounding “the adequacy of informed consent protocols for children with gender dysphoria,” such as “how children are deemed capable of making these potentially life-changing decisions.” 

The letter also asked hospitals to report “any adverse events related to these procedures,” especially regarding “children who later look to detransition.” It noted that CMS must “ensure baseline quality standards” at institutions that participate in Medicare and Medicaid.

Some of the medical interventions about which CMS is concerned include surgeries that remove sexual organs or “attempt to transform an individual’s physical appearance to align with an identity that differs from his or her sex” as well as prescriptions for cross-sex hormones and drugs that “delay the onset or progression of normally-timed puberty.”

“These are irreversible, high-risk procedures being conducted on vulnerable children, often at taxpayer expense,” Oz said in a statement. “Hospitals accepting federal funds are expected to meet rigorous quality standards and uphold the highest level of stewardship when it comes to public resources — we will not turn a blind eye to procedures that lack a solid foundation of evidence and may result in lifelong harm.”

CMS further requested information on financial data related to such interventions, including bills for transgender drugs and surgeries for minors that were funded with federal tax money and documents showing the revenue generated from the procedures and their profit margins.

Mary Rice Hasson, the director of the Person and Identity Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told CNA that CMS is essentially trying to find out: “What medical interventions have you performed on confused kids, how much money are you making from it, and how are those kids faring?” 

Hasson said “the gender industry” has falsely claimed to follow “evidence-based medicine” when providing these interventions and have “minimized concerns that these hormones and surgeries result in impaired fertility and sterility, sometimes before these kids are old enough to purchase alcohol.”

“Numerous substantive evidence reviews, plus the recent HHS umbrella evidence review, have found the opposite — that there’s very little evidence of benefit, most evidence is poor quality, and children are suffering permanent harm, including infertility/sterilization, cardiovascular risks, weakened bones, and likely changes to the brain,” she said.

Hasson expressed skepticism that many of the hospitals will be able to fully comply, stating that they have “done a terrible job following up on how kids are faring” and that the informed consent protocols “exaggerate the supposed benefits and minimize the harm.” She also contended that the hospitals likely “do not want to reveal how much money they are making, because it exposes their mercenary motives.”

“These hospitals are likely to enlist cadres of expensive lawyers to help them avoid being held accountable, but I don’t think this administration will back down,” Hasson added.

Cardinal Robert Sarah and Pope Leo XIV. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Lima Newsroom, May 29, 2025 / 15:12 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Robert Sarah as his special envoy for the celebrations taking place in France commemorating the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of St. Anne to the Breton peasant Yvon Nicolazic.

The Vatican stated that, as the papal special envoy, the prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments will preside over “the liturgical celebrations to be held July 25-26 at the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-d’Auray, Diocese of Vannes (France), on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of St. Anne to the Breton peasant Yvon Nicolazic.”

In the early 1620s, Nicolazic experienced a vision of a radiant lady, later identified as St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She reportedly instructed him to rebuild a long-lost chapel dedicated to her on his land.

On its website, the Sainte-Anne-d’Auray Shrine states that this happened on July 25, 1624, the eve of the feast of St. Anne.

“The next 7th of March, following St. Anne’s call, Yvon Nicolazic discovered a statue of St. Anne in the ruins of a chapel in his field at Bocenno. It was the sign giving proof of the truth of the apparitions,” the website adds.

The shrine notes that “from that day forward, pilgrims came in droves to this place then called “Keranna,” or “the village of Anne,” proving that St. Anne was honored in this place even before the apparitions, a fact borne out by the presence of the old chapel stones among which the statue was found.”

The shrine notes that after four centuries, the pilgrimages “retain their vitality.” St. John Paul II visited the Shrine of Sainte-Anne d’Auray on Sept. 20, 1996.

As part of the fourth centenary of the apparitions, the shrine is also celebrating its jubilee year, holding a series of devotional and academic activities.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, May 29, 2025 / 14:42 pm (CNA).

A lawsuit filed in Wisconsin alleges that an employee of a Catholic Charities affiliate there stole millions of dollars as part of a yearslong scheme involving credit card fraud and fake invoices. 

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee said in the lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Wisconsin circuit court, that former employee Brandi Ellis “abused her authority and misappropriated millions of dollars” when serving in a variety of financial roles within the organization. 

Ellis allegedly worked as an accountant, an accounting manager, and eventually as a finance manager at the charity, with her employment taking place from February 2014 to May 2024. 

The suit alleges that Ellis paid “false invoices ostensibly reflecting work and/or services completed or provided by vendors” but which actually funneled money to vendors with “personal or professional connections” to Ellis. 

The accountant also allegedly used corporate credit cards to make personal purchases. 

The schemes each totaled “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” the suit alleges. 

In addition to suing its ex-accountant, the charity is also suing the Madison, Wisconsin-based financial services firm Baker Tilly over allegedly failing to identify the fraudulent activity as part of auditing services it provided to the Catholic organization. 

The firm should have recognized “goods and services that could not reasonably be in support of the plaintiff’s charitable mission,” the suit argues, including “Amazon Prime video rentals, Uber rides, Ticketmaster purchases, [and] casino purchases from MGM Grand.”

The accounting group “failed to recognize clearly fraudulent purchasing activity,” the suit alleges, and further relied on “internal documents generated by … Brandi Ellis” rather than independently verified third-party data. 

The suit seeks damages from both Ellis and the accounting firm.

Father Mike Schmitz and Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker at the Courage Under Fire Gala held in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 23, 2025. / Credit: EWTN Screenshot/Francesca Fenton/CNA

Nashville, Tenn., May 29, 2025 / 14:12 pm (CNA).

Catholic home schooling families from across the country joined popular Catholic speakers in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 23 for an evening of camaraderie supporting Regina Caeli Academy, an accredited pre-K–12 classical home school hybrid academy founded in 2003. 

The Courage Under Fire Gala featured popular priest and podcaster Father Mike Schmitz, Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker, political commentators and media hosts Matt Walsh and Michael Knowles, actor Kirk Cameron, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.  

Regina Caeli Academy now has 28 centers in 17 states and offers home-schooled students the ability to attend in-person classes two days a week. The academy prides itself on its classical curriculum.

Butker joined the academy’s board of directors two years ago and said that before joining he was unaware of the program but now calls it “a beautiful model.”

“I didn’t know there was a hybrid model that home-schoolers could be a part of and they can have a community and be able to grow in the Catholic faith,” he told CNA in an interview on the red carpet at the gala.

“It’s just a beautiful model and I really do believe that if more children are made aware of Regina Caeli and more parents are empowered to be the primary educators so much so that they become the actual main educators and do that through home schooling — I think we will see a big change in our society for the better,” he added. 

Catholic couple Dina and Tony Heller have four children who attend the Regina Caeli Academy and will be entering their third year in the program this fall. The Hellers told CNA that they value the ability for their children to still have the “school experience” by attending class twice a week; however, they remain their primary educators at home. 

“The community, the support, the people … it really makes it such a special experience for our kids,” Tony Heller said. “It’s just so unique and so different compared to just traditional home schooling or traditional primary education.”

The couple added that the traditional Catholic values of the program greatly impacted their decision to enroll their children in the program as well as the realization that they are “a major driver in [their children’s] education,” he said. 

At the gala, Butker addressed the attendees on the topic of parents as the primary educators for their children. He encouraged parents to “make sure that they are taking ownership of laying that foundation for their child.”

“I think education starts in the home — whether you send them to a parochial school or traditional school, a public school or home school — regardless the schooling of the child begins in the home,” he said, adding: “I think we can shape society by shaping our children, one child at a time, one family at a time.”

Schmitz, who was also a featured speaker at the event, also offered parents advice to consider when thinking about their children’s education. The popular Catholic priest and podcaster gave the example of his own college experience. He shared that while it was a good school with good people, and it was Catholic, he thought that he could take in whatever they were teaching “in an unguarded way,” he told CNA.

“I didn’t realize that no, you have to be on your guard in some ways in some places,” he explained. “I think public schools are very similar. I think sometimes Catholic schools can be very similar as well where you can’t necessarily just assume the goodwill — not that people [have] evil intent — but also the fact that we don’t all have the same perspective or all the same way of looking at the world.”

He added: “I think that when parents are aware that we have well-intentioned people in a lot of different environments who aren’t necessarily advocates of truth as we understand it, objective truth, then a lot of bad ideas can get in and infect our minds and hearts. And so even to be aware of that goes a long way.”

In 2024, a report from the Johns Hopkins School of Education Homeschool Research Lab found an increasing number of students being home-schooled in the United States. Butker and Schmitz offered their perspectives as to why they believe society is seeing this trend. 

“I think really from COVID, I think people started to ask questions about all of the things that they are told,” Butker said. “And I think people are questioning like, ‘Yes, I’m told this. I’m told to do that. But do I feel comfortable doing that? Does that pass the gut test?’”

“I think a lot of people have looked at home schooling in the past and thought, ‘Wow, that’s weird. That’s different. I would never do that,’” he added. “But when you start thinking about parents as the primary educators and being able to really pour into your children and lay that foundation for them, it really becomes this attractive model that I think more people are looking into and they’re taking ownership of laying that foundation for their children.”

“I think it’s a beautiful thing and if we can get more parents that are taking pride in forming their children, educating them, I think we’re going to have a better society, we’re going to have better children, and ideally more virtuous and stronger soldiers for Christ.”

Schmitz pointed out that what was once a “nice alternative” has become “almost a necessity.”

“If I’m actually going to keep my child in a place rooted in truth and rooted in Christ then in some ways — and I don’t want to be overdramatic about this — but in some ways, I can be kind of feeding them to the wolves if I send them out in a way that’s unguarded,” Schmitz said.  

“Now, again, there’s plenty of well-intentioned and good people in public education as well, but at the same time I can’t count on everyone being in that place. So I think parents are more aware than ever that this alternative option is going to be more than just an option but maybe even essential.”

Through the fundraising done at the Courage Under Fire Gala, Regina Caeli Academy is able to expand its mission and bring its curriculum to more students across the country. Its centers can currently be found in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Tennessee, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

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CNA Staff, May 29, 2025 / 13:42 pm (CNA).

The Catholic bishops of Washington state filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a new law that requires priests to report child abuse learned during the sacrament of confession or face jail time and fines. 

The suit, filed by the Archdiocese of Seattle and the dioceses of Spokane and Yakima, argues that the law violates the free exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment by infringing on the sacred seal of confession. The suit also claims the law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment as well as the Washington Constitution.

Signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 2, the law goes into effect July 27 and adds clergy to Washington’s list of mandatory reporters for child abuse but explicitly denies them the “privileged communication” exemption granted to other professionals, such as nurses and therapists. 

Priests who fail to report abuse learned in confession could face up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Ferguson, a Catholic, defended the measure earlier this month, saying he is “very familiar” with confession but deemed the law “important legislation” to protect children.

In the lawsuit, filed in federal district court, the bishops emphasize the Catholic Church’s commitment to child protection while defending the inviolability of the confessional seal. 

“Consistent with the Roman Catholic Church’s efforts to eradicate the societal scourge of child abuse, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and the dioceses of Yakima and Spokane have each adopted and implemented within their respective dioceses policies that go further in the protection of children than the current requirements of Washington law on reporting child abuse and neglect,” the lawsuit states. 

It notes that these policies mandate reporting suspected abuse by Church personnel, including clergy, except when information is learned solely in confession, which is protected by “more than 2,000 years of Church doctrine.”

Spokane Bishop Thomas Daly in a statement earlier this month vowed that clergy would not break the seal of confession, even if it meant jail time. “I want to assure you that your shepherds, bishops and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession — even to the point of going to jail,” Daly said in his message to the faithful. “The sacrament of penance is sacred and will remain that way in the Diocese of Spokane.”

Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne echoed this stance, citing canon law, which forbids priests from betraying a penitent’s confession under penalty of excommunication. Etienne referenced St. Peter’s words in Acts 5:29 — “We must obey God rather than men” — to underscore the Church’s position.

The Washington State Catholic Conference affirmed its commitment to child safety while defending the sanctity of confession, urging Catholics to trust that “their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential, and protected by the law of the Church.”

The U.S. Department of Justice, under President Donald Trump, launched an investigation into the law on May 6, calling it an “anti-Catholic” measure. U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon described it as a “legislative attack on the Catholic Church and its sacrament of confession,” arguing it singles out clergy by denying them privileges afforded to other professionals.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the nonprofit First Liberty Institute, and the WilmerHale law firm are representing the Washington bishops.

As of the time of publication Ferguson’s office had not responded to CNA’s request for comment.