Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful in Piazza della Libertà in August 2025. / Credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 11, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

More than two-thirds of American Catholic voters have a favorable opinion of Pope Leo XIV during the first year of his pontificate, and only a tiny percentage view him in an unfavorable light, according to a poll conducted by RealClear Opinion Research and EWTN News.

A survey of 1,000 Catholic voters released by both organizations on Dec. 11 found that 70% of people said they have a somewhat or very favorable opinion of the pontiff. Just 4% reported an unfavorable view of Leo, and the remaining 26% said they were neutral.

The survey was conducted between Nov. 9 and Nov. 11, which is about six months after his papacy began. Leo, who was born in Chicago, is the 267th pope and the first born in the United States.

It found that 43.6% of respondents said their view of Leo is very favorable and 26.7% said it was somewhat favorable. Only 1.1% of American Catholic voters said their view is very unfavorable and just 3.1% said it was somewhat unfavorable.

Those who attend Mass regularly were more likely than infrequent Mass attenders to say they hold a favorable view of the pontiff. Those who attend infrequently were more likely than regular Mass attendees to hold a neutral view.

Among those who attend Mass at least once per week, about 75% hold a favorable view, less than 4% have an unfavorable view, and nearly 21% are neutral. For those who attend less than once per week, nearly 66% hold a favorable view, less than 5% have a negative view, and just over 29% said they were neutral.

Leo’s favorability was slightly higher among registered Democrats than it was among registered Republicans and independents, and all three groups overwhelmingly hold a favorable view of the Holy Father.

Among Democrats, over 74% view Leo favorably, less than 5% view him unfavorably, and just over 21% are neutral. For Republicans, over 70% view him favorably, less than 5% said they had an unfavorable view, and more than 25% were neutral. Among independents, just under 63% had a favorable opinion, less than 4% held an unfavorable view, and nearly 34% said they were neutral.

In the past month, Leo has weighed in on U.S. politics a few times, but many comments were made after the poll was taken. The pontiff encouraged Americans to listen to a message by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that opposes “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and more recently said President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine would weaken the U.S. alliance with Europe.

According to Gallup polls, Pope Francis’ favorability rating stayed above 75% for most of his pontificate among Catholics. His lowest favorability number was 71% in July 2015. The number of Catholics with an unfavorable view remained relatively low throughout the pontificate but inched up to 17% by December 2023.

The Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission meets in Washington, D.C., on Monday, June 16, 2025. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA

CNA Staff, Dec 11, 2025 / 11:05 am (CNA).

The White House’s Religious Liberty Commission held its fourth hearing on Dec. 10, focusing on reports of the suppression of the right to religious freedom in the U.S. military.

The commission — on which sit the Rev. Franklin Graham, son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham; Ryan Anderson, head of the Ethics and Public Policy Center; and Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, among others — heard testimony from expert witnesses who served in the various branches of the military, many as chaplains. 

The commission, which met in Dallas, will present its findings from these hearings to President Donald Trump.

Retired Army chaplain and Maj. Gen. Doug Carver spoke to the commission about the importance of the chaplaincy in the U.S. military. He recalled that in 1775, George Washington asked Congress for a religious leader to serve the needs of the military because the president recognized the crucial role religious faith played in the founding of the new nation, and especially to men who were giving their lives to protect it.

Historian and activist David Barton gave a brief timeline of the history of religious freedom in the U.S. military, emphasizing that along with Washington, many presidents have considered it invaluable since the country’s founding. 

He argued that hostility against religious freedom started in earnest in 2009 under the Obama administration and continued under the Biden administration. There was no widespread suppression of religion in the military until this time, he said. 

In 2010, troops were directed to “scratch off and paint over” Bible verses that had been inscribed for decades on scopes and gun sights, he said. The Air Force in California stopped a decades-old practice of teaching just war theory to members in 2011, he said, because it was taught by chaplains and based on biblical principles and the teachings of St. Augustine.

In 2012, the Air Force required the removal of the word “God” from the patch of the Rapid Capabilities office.

Both Democratic administrations tried to outsource military chaplains so they would no longer be embedded with the service members, Barton said. In addition, military chaplains were pushed out of their teaching positions and troops began to be educated in “an ardently secular manner with no tolerance for any religious expression.” 

“Fear and timidity” among the chaplains has become the norm as a result of the hostility against religion, according to Barton, who called for educational reform for service members that emphasizes the constitutionality of religious freedom and the important role religion has played since the nation’s founding.

Carver, who served as a chaplain for more than three decades, criticized the state of faith in the military and in the culture at large. When he entered the army in 1973, he said, chaplains taught character guidance classes and even gave soldiers “a duty day with God,” where one day a month they could spend a day in spiritual reflection. 

Those practices have long since ended, he said. Now, chaplains are called spiritual readiness coaches, values facilitators, and morale officers, Carver said.

“There is nothing wrong with chaplains taking on other duties,” he said, noting they are trained in handling crisis and trauma situations and serve as support for those struggling in family life. “But their primary role is as religious leaders, first and foremost.” 

“The role of chaplain has been diminished,” he said. 

“We are losing ground in the area of religious liberty. There’s a degradation of the Supreme Being having any input into our lives,” he said. “I am not sure how we can change direction without serious repentance.”

Marine veteran Mike Berry, now the executive director of external affairs and senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, a religious freedom law firm, also testified at the hearing.

Berry, like thousands of others, refused a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine on religious freedom grounds. He was placed on inactive status without being informed by his superiors, he said, and only found out when his family was told they were no longer eligible for Tricare, the military’s health insurance program.

He said during the hearing that religious liberty “isn’t merely an esoteric concept or a punchline. It’s a matter of national security.”

Since the military made the vaccine mandatory, more than 19,000 troops have either resigned or were pushed out, Berry said.

“Religious conviction is the source of America’s moral strength,” he said. “Highly religious young Americans are way more likely to join the military than nonreligious people.”

He warned that if religious freedom is not respected, young Americans will not enlist and the military “will become soft and weak.”

Berry made three recommendations that he hopes the commission will present to the president.

First, echoing Barton, Berry said that education and training must improve. Berry told the commission he received only one hour of training on the constitutional foundations of religious liberty as a new Marine. He also called for the elimination of “misguided” educational materials. 

“America is not evil, racist, imperialist, or fascist. Anything implying that, and any content hostile to religious liberty” should be removed, he said. 

Finally, Berry said religious liberty should be reaffirmed in national security strategy. Such liberty is a “first freedom” and should be a strategic priority.

Kelly Shackelford, First Liberty Institute CEO and chief counsel, who also sits on the commission, said in a press release after the hearing: “The testimonies at today’s meeting highlight the importance of ensuring that the religious liberty of our service members, chaplains, and veterans are upheld both now and into the future.”

“These men and women are risking their very lives for our freedoms. To stand for theirs is the very least we can do.” 

Trump established the Religious Liberty Commission, which is housed under the Department of Justice, through executive order on May 1 and appointed Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as chairman and Dr. Ben Carson, former secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as vice chair.

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone serves on the commission’s advisory board, along with Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, and Father Thomas Ferguson. 

Tom Vander Woude with baby Joseph “Josie” Vander Woude. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Tom Vander Woude Guild

CNA Staff, Dec 11, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

When Virginia father Tom Vander Woude’s 19-year-old son, a boy with Down syndrome, fell into a toxic sewage tank, Tom jumped into the tank with him, pushing him to the surface even as the toxic fumes filled his own lungs.

The father of seven, whose sainthood cause is now under investigation, will be posthumously awarded this year’s Walk for Life St. Gianna Molla Award for Pro-Life Heroism on Jan. 24, 2026, at the West Coast Walk for Life in San Francisco. 

“When we heard Tom’s story years ago, we were touched by the love of a father for his child,” Dolores Meehan, co-chair of the West Coast Walk for Life, told CNA. “The fact that his son has Down syndrome made it all the more important to share his story of love and sacrifice and joy.”

Unborn children with Down syndrome often become victims of abortion.

The award named for St. Gianna Molla — an Italian doctor who chose to carry her child to term ultimately at the cost of her own life after doctors found a uterine tumor — honors those who show “heroic virtue in the defense of the unborn and their mothers and fathers, usually to the extent of profound sacrifice,” according to Meehan.

Chris Vander Woude, who is traveling the U.S. and promoting his father’s cause, told CNA that “Dad was deeply committed to honoring and safeguarding the sanctity of human life.”     

“He lived by these values right up to his last breath when he saved my brother Joseph’s life,” Vander Woude said. “Following St. Gianna’s example, Dad selflessly gave his life out of love for his child.” 

“In a world that often devalues people with Down syndrome, Dad’s final act of love for my brother serves as a powerful testament to the sanctity and dignity of every human life,” Vander Woude continued. 

Openness to life 

“I don’t think Dad ever missed a March for Life,” Vander Woude said. “It didn’t matter if it was snowing or super cold, Dad would take as many family members as possible because he understood the importance of standing up for innocent unborn babies and their right to life.” 

Tom, who worked as a farmer and a commercial pilot, made time for his family, faith, and pro-life beliefs. 

Held in late January, the March for Life is the pro-life movement’s annual march in Washington, D.C., to oppose abortion and defend human life.  

Tom and his wife also frequently prayed the rosary outside of an abortion clinic that has since closed and is now a life-affirming medical clinic that serves women in need, according to Vander Woude.

Tom and his wife also taught natural family planning (NFP), a life-affirming fertility awareness method of family planning, to young couples.  

“He and Mom were always open to life in their marriage,” Vander Woude said. “Dad believed in the age-old saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ and he was quick to do his part in ‘the village’ to help.”

“They had many reasons not to have a large family, but they chose the courageous path of faith, hope, and openness to God’s will,” Vander Woude said. 

When a woman tracks her cycle using an NFP method, NFP works with her fertility rather than against it. Because various NFP methods don’t obstruct conception like contraception does, the Catholic Church accepts it as a form of family planning that is open to life. 

Bob and Karen Fioramonti still remember going to NFP classes with the Vander Woudes in the early 1990s as a young married couple. 

“We learned about NFP, but we learned even more about what it looked like to be a faithful couple who had been open to life,” Karen Fioramonti told CNA. 

“At that point, neither of us knew any big families and the Vander Woudes were a joyful couple raising seven sons encouraging us to trust God’s plan for our family,” Karen Fioramonti said. “They shared what a blessing each child is and that a parent’s mission is to raise saints. In short, they shared their faith.”

“Years later, we have raised our own seven sons and two daughters, and we are so grateful for that message shared many years ago,” Bob Fioramonti said.  

A pro-life hero 

As Vander Woude has been sharing the story of his father’s self-sacrifice with parishes around the U.S., he has seen how his father’s story moves people of all ages.

“I’ve seen the story move people to tears and motivate them to follow Dad’s sacrificial example,” Vander Woude said.

Meehan said she hopes Tom Vander Woude’s story will inspire men to take up the pro-life mantle.

“Men are so in need of heroes,” Meehan said. “Our hope is that the men who hear his story will be encouraged, inspired, and motivated to emulate not just his final act of sacrifice, but his life of sacrifice and the joy he derived from his pro-life heart.”

“Men need to hear that they, too, can be the pro-life hero to their family — to step up and be present day in and day out,” Meehan said.

Former archbishop's palace in Mexico City. / Credit: Government of Mexico City

Puebla, Mexico, Dec 11, 2025 / 07:10 am (CNA).

Although millions of faithful recognize Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City as the site of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, not many know that the miracle of the imprinting of her image did not occur there, but in a place that is now practically forgotten.

According to tradition, in December 1531, the Virgin appeared to an indigenous man named Juan Diego and asked him to request that the first bishop of Mexico, Friar Juan de Zumárraga, build a "sacred little house," a chapel at the foot of Tepeyac.

As a sign for the bishop, the Virgin Mary caused roses to bloom in the middle of winter on the arid hill and asked Juan Diego to carry them in his cloak. When he arrived at the bishop's residence to show the bishop the roses, he unfolded his cloak, and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously imprinted on it.

After the miracle, the cloak was placed under the care of Friar de Zumárraga in this house, while a small chapel was ordered to be built at Tepeyac, which would be the first shrine for Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The old archbishop's palace

Father José de Jesús Aguilar, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mexico and a researcher of the Guadalupe event, posted a video in which he pointed out that "many people know that the Virgin appeared at Tepeyac, but they don't know where the miracle of the imprinting of the image occurred."

He explained that in 1529, Friar de Zumárraga acquired the so-called Casa de Medel, located in what is now known as the Old Archbishop's Palace, next to the metropolitan cathedral of Mexico City, which was under construction at the time.

He established his residence at that site in 1530, and it was there that he received Juan Diego. However, he noted that "it is necessary to understand that, although the location is the same, we won’t see the building as it [appeared] in Juan Diego's time because it has undergone changes."

In 1629, the edifice was damaged by a flood that affected Mexico City. Almost a century later, in 1720, it was expanded by Archbishop José Pérez de Lanciego Eguiluz y Mirafuentes. Between 1730 and 1747, the building was completely rebuilt by Archbishop and Viceroy Juan Antonio Vizarrón y Eguiarreta.

Currently, the building where 33 archbishops once resided retains its red façade, and on either side of the main entrance, it features Latin inscriptions from the Book of Revelation. On the left, it reads, "He who sat on the throne said," and on the right, "I am making all things new."

Restoration efforts

According to Aguilar, this building served as the residence of the archbishops until the Reform Laws, in the mid-19th century, forced the Church to vacate it. In 1867, it housed the offices of the Chief Accounting Office, and later the Treasury Archives, the Pension Payment Office, and a printing press.

Currently, the building functions as the Museum of the Secretariat of Finance.

Aguilar recounted that an effort was made to recognize the religious value of the site, for which a sculpture of Juan Diego and Friar Juan de Zumárraga was commissioned. He said that it was blessed by St. John Paul II and "was made with the intention of placing it somewhere in the former archbishop's palace, or even on the street in front of it, to commemorate that it was the site of the miracle."

“Unfortunately, the civil authorities did not allow it,” said the priest, who was the deputy director of radio and television for the Archdiocese of Mexico at the time. The artwork was finally installed on the side of the metropolitan cathedral, a location that, in his opinion, “loses its meaning.”

“But with or without the sculpture, with or without a plaque, let's hope that little by little, the news that the image was imprinted on the tilma in this place will lead more and more people to learn about this fact,” he added.

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

Congress is set to vote on two plans regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits that are scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2025.  / Credit: usarmyband, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 11, 2025 / 06:30 am (CNA).

Congress is set to vote on two plans regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits that are scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2025. 

The Senate is expected to vote Dec. 11 on a Democratic proposal to extend existing ACA tax credits for three years, as 24 million Americans use ACA marketplaces for health insurance. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, told reporters Tuesday after a Senate Republican meeting that lawmakers also will vote on a Republican alternative measure. 

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who leads the Finance panel, announced the legislation on Monday. 

The measure (S. 3386) would set requirements for Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions and direct that the money cannot be used for abortion or “gender transitions.” It would require states to verify citizenship and immigration status before coverage.

Catholic bishops weigh in

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have said they favor extending the taxpayer subsidies that lower health insurance costs under the ACA, but said lawmakers must ensure that the tax credits are not used for abortions or other procedures that violate Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life. 

The enhanced premium tax credits “should be extended but must not continue to fund plans that cover the destruction of human life, which is antithetical to authentic health care,”  the bishops wrote in an Oct. 10 letter to members of Congress. 

There needs to be a policy that serves “all vulnerable people – born and preborn” and applies full Hyde Amendment protections to them, ensuring not only that government funding does not directly pay for the procuring of an abortion, but also that plans offered by health insurance companies on ACA exchanges cannot cover elective abortion,” they wrote. 

The Hyde Amendment, passed by Congress in 1977, prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk.

Activists respond

A coalition of more than 300 faith leaders including NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Church Of God In Christ Social Justice Ministry, Faith in Action Network, and  Franciscan Action Network, delivered a joint letter to Congress Dec. 8 urging legislators to pass a bipartisan bill that protects and expands the ACA premium tax credits.

“Each life is sacred, therefore, there is a moral imperative to provide care for the sick and alleviate suffering particularly for those who lack resources to pay,” the letter wrote. There must be action to ensure everyone has “the health care they need to live and thrive, as people are currently making choices about coverage for 2026.”

“The letter notes that renewing the tax credits will keep healthcare premiums under the ACA from spiking by an average of 114 percent in 2026,” NETWORK reported. “This would cause an estimated 4.8 million people to lose their health coverage because they cannot afford it. Subsequently, some 50,000 people could lose their lives without their health coverage.”

Other pro-life organizations have warned against expanding the subsidies. 

“As Congress continues to face pressure to extend Obamacare’s abortion-funding premium subsidies, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA) is making the facts clear on how Obamacare does not include the Hyde amendment and forces Americans to pay for abortions,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement.

“The enactment of Obamacare ruptured the bipartisan legacy of the Hyde amendment and resulted in the largest expansion of abortion funding since the 1970s,” she said. “Obama and the Democratic leadership at the time intentionally drafted the program to avoid annual appropriations bills, bypassing the Hyde amendment.”

“Instead of stopping funding for health insurance plans that cover elective abortion, Section 1303 of Obamacare expressly permits subsidies for Obamacare plans that cover abortion using elaborate accounting requirements and an abortion surcharge to justify the funding,” she said.

SBA and more than 100 other pro-life organizations are demanding that any extensions to Obamacare include a complete application of the Hyde policy. The groups sent a September letter and an October letter to lawmakers calling on Congress to ensure pro-life provisions. 

“Preventing taxpayer funding of abortion is a minimum requirement for any new Obamacare spending advanced by a Republican Congress and Administration,” Dannenfelser said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christian archaeology seeks to see, hear and touch the Word made flesh, Pope Leo XIV said, inviting the world's bishops and others to encourage young people, lay people and priests to study archaeology.

Ancient relics, catacombs, artifacts and ruins from the early Christian communities help the faithful "rediscover the roots of their faith," and they speak "to those who are distant, to nonbelievers and to those who question the meaning of life, because they find an echo of eternity in the silence of the tombs and in the beauty of the early Christian basilicas," the pope wrote in a new document.

"Moreover, archaeology speaks to young people, who often seek authenticity and significance; to scholars, who view faith as a historically documented reality rather than an abstraction; to pilgrims, who find in the catacombs and shrines a sense of purpose and an invitation to pray for the Church," he wrote.

The Vatican released Pope Leo's apostolic letter "on the importance of archaeology," Dec. 11, "on the occasion of the centenary of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology," which was founded by Pope Pius XI in 1925. The pope also met with members of the institute in an audience at the Vatican the same day.

The institute is a graduate-level research and teaching institution that offers degrees in Christian archaeology and has trained hundreds of archaeologists who specialize in ancient Christianity.

In the six-page letter, Pope Leo reaffirmed "the essential role of archaeology in understanding Christianity and, consequently, its application within catechetical and theological formation."

"This is not about reducing ecclesial life to a cult of the past," he wrote. True Christian archaeology is about making "the past speak to the present" and recognizing "the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding history."

"In today's fast-paced world, there is a tendency to forget and to consume images and words without reflecting on their meaning," Pope Leo wrote. "The Church, on the other hand, is called to educate people in memory, and Christian archaeology is one of its most noble tools for doing so."

Archaeology is "a ministry of hope, for it shows that faith has already survived difficult times and resisted persecution, crises and changes," he wrote. "Those who study the origins of Christianity discover that the Gospel has always had a generative force, that the Church is always reborn," and that the faith "has been renewed and regenerated, taking root in new peoples and flourishing in new forms."

"We live in an age in which misuse and overconsumption have taken precedence over preservation and respect," he wrote. "Archaeology, on the other hand, teaches us that even the smallest piece of evidence deserves attention, that every detail has value and that nothing can be discarded."

Archaeologists, he wrote, "do not destroy, but decipher," identifying "the spirit of an era, the meaning of faith and the silence of prayer on a piece of pottery, a corroded coin or a faded engraving." This kind of attitude and approach of respect "can teach us a great deal about pastoral care and catechesis today."

"Christian communities safeguarded not only Jesus' words, but also the places, objects and signs of his presence," he wrote. "The empty tomb, Peter's house in Capernaum, the tombs of the martyrs and the Roman catacombs all testify that God has truly entered history, and that faith is not a mere philosophy, but a tangible path within the reality of the world."

"In an era when culture often loses sight of its roots, archaeology becomes a valuable instrument" for evangelization, he said in the new document.

Christian archaeology does not simply look at the past, he wrote, but it also speaks to all people in the present day: the faithful, those who are distant, nonbelievers, young people and even scholars.

"It is still the mission of Christian archaeology to help the Church remember its origins, preserve the memory of its beginnings and recount the history of salvation not only through words, but also through images, forms and spaces," he wrote. 

Christian archaeology "seeks to touch, see and hear the Word made flesh," he wrote. "By concentrating on the physical traces of faith, archeology educates us in a theology of the senses: a theology that knows how to see, touch, smell and listen."

"Do we too believe in the power of study, formation and memory? Are we willing to invest in culture despite today's crises, to promote knowledge despite indifference and to defend beauty even when it seems irrelevant?" Pope Leo asked.

He invited "bishops, as well as leaders and guides in the areas of culture and education, to encourage young people, lay people and priests to study archaeology."

"Christian archaeology is a service, a vocation and a form of love for the Church and for humanity," he wrote, encouraging the pontifical institute to "continue your excavations. Continue to study, teach and recount history" to others as well as to "make visible the Word of life, bearing witness that God became flesh, that salvation has left its mark, and that this Mystery has become a historical narrative."

The Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology was founded to complement the work of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, which oversees the protection, conservation and administration of Christian catacombs and other sacred archaeological sites in Italy; the Pontifical Roman Academy of Archaeology, which promotes scholarly lectures and study on archaeology spanning from ancient Roman to Medieval times; and the Pontifical Academy "Cultorum Martyrum," which promotes the veneration, historical study and liturgical memory of Christian martyrs.

Pope Leo urged the different bodies to cooperate, communicate and mutually support one another.

Christian archaeology is "a resource for everyone," he wrote, by promoting culture and inspiring "respect for diversity."

Empty beds in a student dormitory at St Mary's Catholic School in the Kontagora Diocese.on Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna

ACI Africa, Dec 10, 2025 / 19:10 pm (CNA).

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a UK-based human rights organization, has welcomed the release of 100 schoolchildren, who were among 303 children abducted on Nov. 21 from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri community in Nigeria’s Niger State served by the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora.

In a press release shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner, on Dec. 9, officials with the Christian group called on the Nigerian government to ensure that the children receive help after their trauma.

Nigerian authorities reportedly secured the release of the children on Dec. 7, although details of how this was achieved remain unclear.

Confirming the release to Catholic pontifical and charity foundation Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of the Kontagora Diocese said: “It is true. So far, 100 children have been released. We thank God for everything.”

In the press release emailed to ACI Africa on Dec. 9, Christian Solidarity Worldwide CEO Scot Bower expressed solidarity with the freed children and those close to them, saying: “We wish these students and their families a swift and full recovery from this traumatic ordeal, and urge the Nigerian authorities to do all they can to assist with this.”

He added, “Nigerian citizens have been terrorized by multiple armed non-state actors for far too long and require urgent, effective protection.”

Bower challenged the Nigerian government to “spare no effort” in securing the release of every citizen who is currently in captivity, including the remaining students and staff members from the Catholic schools.

He also appealed to authorities in Nigeria to address the country’s unprecedented security crisis decisively, sourcing international assistance “wherever possible and whenever necessary.”

A total of 153 students and 12 staff members remained in captivity as of Dec. 7.

Armed gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Niger State, abducting 239 nursery and primary school children, 14 secondary school children, and 12 staff members from the private boarding school.

The subsequent deaths of two parents — Anthony Musa, the father of three young abductees, and a mother of other children known only as Esther — have been attributed to trauma caused by the abductions. 

In a post on X, U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, who has introduced a resolution addressing the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and recently visited the nation, commended the Dec. 7 rescue, which he described as "a positive demonstration of the government’s increasing response to the security situation."

Moore added that he had discussed “concrete steps and actions” which he said “if fully executed … will enhance security across the country for all Nigerians, disrupt and destroy terrorist organizations in the North-East and stop the killing of Christians … particularly in the Middle Belt of the country.” 

Nigeria is in the midst of an unprecedented and multifaceted security crisis, Christian Solidarity Worldwide has reported, adding that while the violence occurring in central areas — including Benue, southern Kaduna, Kwara, Niger, Plateau and Taraba — bears a distinct religious nature, in northwestern areas such as Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara and the northern part of Kaduna State, the violence generally unfolds along ethnic lines.

This article was originally published by ACI Africa, CNA's African news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

Pro-life advocates are calling for action as top federal health officials deny reports that they are delaying a promised safety review of the abortion pill.  / Credit: Yta23/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Dec 10, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

Pro-life advocates are calling for action as top federal health officials deny reports that they are delaying a promised safety review of the abortion pill. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “has delayed a promised review of safety data” until after midterm elections at Commissioner Marty Makary’s request, a Tuesday report by Bloomberg Law claimed, citing unnamed sources.  

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has denied the claim, saying it is “baseless.” 

“Assertions that the FDA is slow walking this review for political purposes are baseless,” an HHS spokesperson told CNA. 

“FDA takes the time necessary to conduct comprehensive scientific reviews, and that is what Dr. Makary is ensuring as part of the Department's commitment to gold-standard science and evidence-based reviews,” the statement continued. 

In response, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri — an outspoken advocate for reviewing abortion pill safety regulations — called the FDA’s actions "unacceptable." 

In a letter addressed to Makary, Hawley urged the FDA to conduct a safety review and reinstate safety regulations that were removed during the pandemic  under the Biden administration.

“It is unclear whether you are conducting an independent safety review at all,” Hawley said in the Dec. 10 letter. “I cannot emphasize enough the danger of playing politics with women's health.” 

In June of this year, Makary told Hawley that he would conduct a review of the abortion drug. In May, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also said the FDA would do a review of the drug. 

Since then, the FDA has not completed a safety review, but has approved a generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone. 

“There are more abortions in America now than when Roe was still law,” Hawley said in the letter.

Pro-life advocates are demanding action from the FDA, saying the issue is urgent because of the lives that are at risk given the danger of mail-order prescriptions of the drug.    

Two recent, peer-reviewed studies found that one in 10 women experience serious adverse reactions after having a chemical abortion. 

FDA regulations allow abortion pills to be shipped to patients without a telehealth visit. Multiple cases have been reported where the father of the unborn child has allegedly coerced or poisoned the mother with the abortion drug. 

“The FDA must act NOW to protect children and their mothers,” said Lila Rose, founder of Live Action.  

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser has called for Makary to be fired, saying he is “undermining President Trump and Vice President Vance’s pro-life credentials and their position that states should have the right to enact and enforce pro-life protections.”

“The FDA is doing nothing while every single day abortion drugs take the lives of children, put women and girls at serious risk, empower abusers and trample state pro-life laws,” Dannenfelser said in a Dec. 9 statement shared with CNA. 

Dr. Christina Francis, head of the American Association of Pro Life OBGYNs (AAPLOG) called on the FDA to review the drug immediately and to reinstate safeguards around the drug. 

“We are tired of empty promises,” Francis said in a statement. “Women’s health matters more than political elections.”

null / Credit: Rohane Hamilton/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 10, 2025 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

The House passed a defense authorization bill Dec. 10 without a provision to allow health care coverage of in vitro fertilization for active-duty military. 

Pro-life groups cheered the provision’s removal from the bill. The original bill would have required Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “ensure that fertility-related care for a member of the uniformed services on active duty (or a dependent of such a member) shall be covered under TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select.” Tricare does not cover IVF.

The House passed the bill (S. 1071) by a vote of 312-112, and Senate consideration is next.

Like last year, the IVF provision was eliminated from the defense authorization bill shortly before its consideration. President Donald Trump had made a campaign promise to make IVF free.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNA in a statement that “President Trump and Congressional Republicans have been working to lower costs and expand access to IVF.”

“The Speaker has clearly and repeatedly stated he is supportive of access to IVF when sufficient pro-life protections are in place, and he will continue to be supportive when it is done responsibly and ethically,” the spokesperson said. 

Live Action President Lila Rose praised Johnson for “ensuring TRICARE was not used to subsidize this destruction of life.”

“Students for Life has opposed IVF as practiced, as it's a business model that by design, destroys far more lives than are allowed to live and thrive,” Students for Life Vice President Kristy Hamrick told CNA in a statement responding to Speaker Mike Johnson’s move to strip the bill of IVF provisions. “The move to pull the funding for IVF will free up resources to seek better answers,” she said. 

“Unquestioning financial support props up an industry known to prey on people's hopes for a child while ending many lives. We need to seek better answers for the question of how to help people have families than to assume that IVF is the solution,” she said. “We can do better.” 

The Advancing American Freedom Foundation, which is led by former Vice President Mike Pence, posted a memo on X stating “many pro-life Americans are opposed to IVF because the standard process destroys human embryos.” 

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council reacted to news that IVF would be cut from the bill by praising Johnson, and said in a post on X: “The Speaker is right to put the pause on IVF funding in the Defense spending bill.”

“The IVF industry operates with little, if any, oversight, which has led to the creation and destruction of tens of thousands of so-called ‘excess’ embryos,” he said. “There are other pro-life options. Taxpayers' dollars should fund fertility methods that respect human dignity, treat the underlying causes of infertility, AND are successful—like Restorative Reproductive Medicine.”

Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras. / Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Caracas, Venezuela, Dec 10, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

On Dec. 10 Venezuelan immigration police confiscated and invalidated the passport of Cardinal Baltazar Porras, the archbishop emeritus of Caracas, as he was preparing to travel to Bogotá, Colombia, from Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía.

According to the Grand Priory of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem in Venezuela, on Wednesday morning the cardinal "was subjected to humiliating treatment" by airport authorities under the government of Nicolas Maduro.

From Bogotá, Porras was scheduled to take a flight to Madrid and then travel to Toledo, where he was going to participate in the solemn ceremony that would invest him as Spiritual Protector of the Order of St. Lazarus in Venezuela. Accompanying the cardinal were Grand Prior José Antonio Rodríguez and his wife, who were allowed to board the plane.

“Immigration police officers unjustly detained His Eminence Cardinal Porras [along with] the Grand Prior with his wife. The cardinal's Venezuelan passport was confiscated and invalidated, preventing him from boarding his scheduled flight to Bogotá, with a connection to Madrid,” the order explained in a statement.

“Even though His Eminence presented his Vatican City State passport, issued by virtue of his dignity as a cardinal and with the diplomatic prerogatives that correspond to him as a prince of the Catholic Church, he was denied boarding. The cardinal was subjected to humiliating treatment, including a search of his personal belongings and clothing, with the use of drug-sniffing dogs, while his luggage was removed from the plane,” the statement added.

The Order of St. Lazarus in Venezuela emphasized that what happened constituted a “flagrant violation” of international law, especially the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Consequently, “with feelings of profound indignation and in defense of the dignity of our order, its authorities, and the Holy Church,” a complaint has been filed with the Vatican Secretariat of State, requesting that it convey a “formal protest to the Venezuelan authorities for the violation of the diplomatic prerogatives of His Eminence Cardinal Baltazar Porras.”

The Order of St. Lazarus in Venezuela also requested that the Holy See demand “the immediate return of the confiscated documents and a guarantee of unimpeded international travel for His Eminence, in accordance with current international norms.”

‘Strength lies in the weakness of the manger’

In a statement addressed to the bishops of Venezuela, Cardinal Porras recounted what happened at Simón Bolívar Airport, noting that “the most common experience in this last quarter of a century is to suffer almost constantly, with few exceptions.”

Upon reviewing his passport, immigration police told him that he appeared as deceased in the identification system. The cardinal also reported that he was followed even into the restroom by the soldiers who prevented him from traveling.

“We are in the Christmas season. Strength lies in the weakness of the manger, in the fragility of the truth that is built in peace, without violence and without abuse. Hope comes through continuous work for the good of all, especially the excluded,” the archbishop emeritus of Caracas stated.

In recent weeks, Porras has been the target of numerous attacks and abuses from prominent figures in the socialist government, mainly by President Nicolás Maduro and Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace Diosdado Cabello. 

In the days leading up to and following the canonization of Venezuela's first saints on Oct. 19, the cardinal denounced the precarious situation in the country from Rome, specifically calling for an end to political persecution and the release of the thousands of people detained for ideological reasons.

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