St. Mary's Catholic Church

Trump administration Border Czar Tom Homan interviewed on "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo" on Dec. 11, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo"/Screenshot

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 12, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

U.S. border czar Tom Homan said “the Catholic Church should support keeping the community safe” through a secure border and immigration enforcement. 

In an interview on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” on Thursday, Homan discussed President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy and immigration enforcement.   

“As President Trump promised on day one, we’re going to enforce immigration law,” Homan said. “That’s what he was voted into office to do, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re going to keep this promise to the American people.”

“We’re going to prioritize public safety threats and national security threats,” Homan said. “The majority of people we arrest … have a criminal history. But also, like I’ve said from day one, if you’re in the country illegally, you’re not off the table.”

Data on detainees’ criminal history is disputed. A Cato Institute report in November said 5% of people detained by ICE have violent convictions, and 73% had no convictions. Other analyses of deportation data also have shown a lower incidence of people arrested with prior criminal convictions.

“Many people who’ve lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what’s going on right now,” Pope Leo XIV said Nov. 4.

Since President Trump began his second term, there have been about 600,000 deportations, Homan said. He added: The “results have been outstanding.”

Family separation

During the Biden administration, “just about a half a million children were smuggled into the country, separated from their families, put in the hands of criminal cartels,” Homan said. Homan said the administration has located tens of thousands of children during deportation operations.

During the first two years of Trump’s first administration, U.S. authorities separated over 5,000 children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, before ending the practice. In 2021, the Biden administration created a family reunification task force, and a federal judge ruled that border officials cannot use family separation as a deterrence tactic through 2031. 

Under the second Trump administration, enforcement actions have caused family separations through detentions.

Homan told Arroyo: “President Trump promised from day one that we’re going to find these children because the last administration, even though half a million came across, they lost track of 300,000. They couldn’t find them. They weren’t responding to inquiries and their check-ins.”

As of Dec. 5 there were 62,456 children “the Trump administration already found,” Homan reported.  

“Some of these children were safe and with family. They’re just hiding out because they don’t want to be deported. But many of these children, and one is too many, we found were either in forced labor or forced sexual slavery. Some of these children are in really, really bad conditions,” Homan said.

“About half that, 300,000, according to records, have already aged out, which means they’re over 18 already. But … we’re still going to try to locate them … We’re going to do everything we can till the last day of this administration to find these kids. Personally, I’ll do everything I can until I take my last breath on this Earth to find these kids,” Homan said.

Carrying out deportations as a Catholic

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed concern “about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care.” They wrote: “Human dignity and national security are not in conflict.” 

When asked how he reconciles bishops’ comments on immigration enforcement with his faith and duties, Homan said he is “willing to sit down with anybody in the Catholic Church and talk about it.”

When Catholic leaders “talk about why these laws shouldn’t be enforced … they need to understand, if we don’t enforce laws, what message does that send to the world?” Homan said. He says it sends the message: “Cross the border. It’s illegal, but don’t worry about it.”

People need to understand “a border wall saves lives,” Homan said. “I would ask the Catholic leadership, go talk to the hundreds of… moms and dads that have buried their children because their children were killed by someone that wasn’t supposed to be here.”

During Biden’s presidency, Homan said “a record number of Americans died from fentanyl because that border was wide open … Hundreds of thousands of Americans died from a drug that came across an open border.”

He said a “record number of people from terrorist-related countries” entered the country and said there was “historic increase in sex trafficking of women and children because enforcement was removed from the border.”

“Over 4,000 aliens died making that journey, because we sent a message that there’s no consequences here,” Homan said. 

Response to Catholic leadership

The USCCB through remarks and messages has called for humane treatment of migrants. In response, Homan said: “We treat everybody with dignity.” 

Bishops also stated their opposition to “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”

Homan said: “When you come across the border illegally, not only is it a crime, but you’re cheating the system.”

“There are millions of people, millions that are standing in line, taking their test, doing the background investigation, paying their fees to be part of the greatest nation on Earth,” Homan said.

“The most humane thing you can do is enforce the law, secure the border, because it saves lives. The Catholic Church should support keeping the community safe again. But I’m saying this, if you’re in the country legally, it’s not OK. Illegal migration is not a victimless crime. I wish Catholic leadership would go with me. Take a border trip with me,” Homan said.

“Look at some of the investigations I do. Wear my shoes … You may not agree with me 100% in the end, but you will certainly understand the importance of border security,” Homan said.

Pope Leo XIV meets with the committee that chooses recipients of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity at the Vatican on Dec. 11, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 12, 2025 / 06:52 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged concrete acts of charity and solidarity in a world marked by conflict as he met with the committee that chooses recipients of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.

“In a time marked by increased conflict and division, we need authentic testimonies of human kindness and charity to remind us that we are all brothers and sisters. Words are not enough,” the pope told the delegation at the Vatican on Dec. 11.

Leo praised the committee for continuing the legacy of Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in promoting compassion and fraternity, calling their work a “noble service of human fraternity.”

The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, named after the late United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was established following the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity by Pope Francis and Al-Tayyeb during Francis’ 2019 apostolic journey to Abu Dhabi.

“This prize not only embodies the legacy of Sheikh Zayed and these other leaders, it also emphasizes that every human being and every religion is called to promote fraternity,” Leo said.

The pope stressed that ideals must be matched by action, telling the committee that building a society founded on love and respect requires “concrete actions.”

“Remaining in the realm of ideas and theories, while failing to give them expression through frequent and practical acts of charity, will eventually cause even our most cherished hopes and aspirations to weaken and fade away,” he said, quoting his apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te.

Leo encouraged the committee to persevere in its work, expressing confidence that its efforts would “continue to bear fruit for the good of the human family.”

The Zayed Award association has received nominations from individuals and institutions worldwide whose work aims to foster solidarity and human connection across national, ethnic, and religious lines. For its 2026 edition, the award received more than 350 nominations from over 75 countries, with winners to be announced in January.

Award recipients will be honored at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4, coinciding with the anniversary of the Document on Human Fraternity and the U.N. International Day of Human Fraternity. A $1 million prize will be divided among the winners.

Earlier this week, the Zayed Award delegation met with Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in Cairo.

The results demonstrate that just informing Catholic voters about the Church’s position on IVF and the immorality of the procedure is sufficient to cause an immediate 14-point shift against IVF in the public opinion of the Catholic faithful. / Credit: sejianni/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 12, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A new poll reveals that a majority of Catholic voters in the United States support access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) when initially asked about the topic but that some are willing to immediately change their minds when informed about the Church’s teaching on why it is immoral.

The survey, released by EWTN News and RealClear Opinion Research on Dec. 11, polled 1,000 Catholic voters in the United States between Nov. 9 and Nov. 11.

The results demonstrate that just informing Catholic voters about the Church’s position on IVF and the immorality of the procedure is sufficient to cause an immediate 14-point shift against IVF in the public opinion of the Catholic faithful.

When first asked about IVF, 53.5% of Catholics said they supported access to the procedure and just 18.8% said they opposed it. The remaining 27.6% said they neither supported nor opposed access or did not know enough to offer an opinion.

The pollsters then informed the respondents that the Catholic Church opposes IVF because it separates the creation of life from the marital act between the husband and wife and results in the loss of unused embryos.

When asked a second time after receiving this information, support dropped by nine points, with 44.5% of respondents still saying they supported access. Opposition increased by more than five points, with 24.1% now saying they are against the procedure. The amount of people who said they neither supported nor opposed IVF or did not know enough to offer an opinion went up by nearly four points to 31.4%.

IVF is a fertility treatment in which doctors extract eggs from the woman and fertilize the eggs with sperm to create human embryos in a laboratory without a sexual act. Millions of fertilized human embryos that clinics do not implant are destroyed, which ends human lives.

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a neuroscientist and senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) told CNA that broad support of IVF within the American public is “connected to broader misunderstandings about human sexuality, common among Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”

“IVF is ‘babies without sex’ while contraception is ‘sex without babies,’ and Catholics have largely adopted prevailing societal attitudes in regards to both of these issues,” he said. “Even a basic catechesis on these foundational issues has been lacking for an entire generation of Catholics.”

Pacholczyk said some in the clergy avoid the subject to prevent offending others, but this has left many Catholics “in an ideological vacuum.” He said many form their opinions on subjects like IVF “from social media sites, the ‘Today Show,’ or People magazine” rather than the Church.

“Our task remains one of generously sharing and witnessing to the fullness of Christ’s teachings, which liberate the human heart and transform souls in joy,” he said.

Joseph Meaney, a past president and senior fellow at NCBC, told CNA the Church understands IVF as “intrinsically evil” and added: “It is a tragedy that Catholic teaching on this procedure is not well known.”

“IVF is a moral, medical, and financial disaster,” Meaney said.

“It always makes mothers suffer through painful hormone injections, kills more human embryos than are born, and is frequently ineffective, despite its great cost, for many of the couples who turn to IVF hoping to give birth to a child,” he added.

Meaney said “there is a major need for preaching and other forms of communication about IVF” and more information about ethical alternatives, such as restorative reproductive medicine, “to help couples suffering from infertility.”

Restorative reproductive medicine, such as natural procreative technology, seeks to address the underlying causes of infertility so that a husband and wife can conceive a child naturally. It could include dietary changes, medicine, or surgeries, depending on what the root cause of the couple’s infertility is.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico. / Credit: David Ramos/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 12, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Almost 500 years after the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe — whose feast the Church celebrates Dec. 12 — the image of Our Lady has become the subject of several popular myths and legends, especially in Mexico, where she appeared. 

Father Eduardo Chávez, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mexico, was the postulator for Juan Diego’s canonization and is a renowned expert on the apparitions. He is also director of the Institute for Guadalupan Studies.

Speaking to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, in 2019, Chávez separated fact from fiction.

Is it true the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has the same temperature as a human body?

“It’s logical that marble, stone, wood, and fabric have different temperatures,” he said. The image of the Virgin is formed on “a cloth made out of plant fibers, an agave called ‘ixotl.’ And it doesn’t have a temperature like a human being would have,” he said, dispelling a common rumor about the image.

Was the image painted or fabricated by human hands?

Chávez said the idea that the image was painted by human hands is “simply and plainly impossible,” because among other important details, St. Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak) “doesn’t even have any brushstrokes on it.”

“It’s imprinted on there, it’s a print as such,” he noted.

Chávez also pointed to the miraculous nature of the image, asking: “How is it possible for it to have lasted despite the fact that acid was accidentally spilled on it in 1784? How is it possible that after a bomb was set off underneath it on Nov. 14, 1921, that nothing happened to it?”

Do the Virgin’s eyes move?

The priest said that on social media “people are saying that if you shine a strong light, the eyes dilate and things like that. No such thing. They don’t move, they don’t dilate,” he said.

Chávez explained that “they’re misinterpreting something that an ophthalmologist, Enrique Graue, noted, namely that the eyes seem to be human, in the sense that they look like a photo of a human being, with the depth and reflection of a human eye.”

Does the Virgin of Guadalupe “float” on the mantilla?

Chávez was blunt: “The image doesn’t float”; rather, “it’s imprinted on the tilma.”

“Nor are there two or three images placed one on top of the other,” as some claim, he explained.

Is Our Lady of Guadalupe a Catholic adaptation of an Aztec goddess?

Some scholars have promoted the idea that the Virgin of Guadalupe is a Catholic adaptation of the Aztec goddess Coatlicue Tonantzin, who is a combination of a woman and serpents, and a symbol of fertility.

However, Chávez said that Our Lady of Guadalupe is not an adaptation of a goddess and has nothing to do with idolatry.

“She’s not called Coatlicue, which would be idolatry; she’s called Tonantzin, which isn’t any kind of idolatry but means ‘our venerable mother’ and, as the Indigenous affectionately say, ‘our dearest mother.’ It’s a title; it’s not idolatry.”

“The missionaries of the 16th century would never have made up a costume for a pagan goddess. That’s completely false,” he underscored.

Is there music hidden in the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe?

Based on mathematical analysis, Mexican accountant Fernando Ojeda discovered music embedded in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chávez explained.

Viewing the flowers and stars in the image of the Virgin as if they were musical notes, Ojeda outlined and found a melody.

Chávez said that analysts repeated the experiment with copies of paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries, “where stars and flowers are placed at the painter’s discretion,” but the only thing they produced was “noise, not harmony.”

“Only with the original does a perfect harmony emerge, with a symphonic arrangement. It is true — music comes forth from the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe,” he affirmed.

Was there a light miraculously projected on the womb of the Virgin of Guadalupe?

For Chávez, “it’s hard to know if it was a miracle at that time because we don’t know if it was a ray of light that happened to hit upon one of the nearby metal objects, projecting a light on her womb.” 

“What we do know is that she is the defender of life,” he said, pointing to “the simple fact that she has a dark ribbon over the womb, which means she’s pregnant and that therefore Jesus Christ Our Lord is in her immaculate womb.”

Can words be seen on the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe?

Responding to those who say they can see the word “peace” on the image, Chávez said: “I don’t see that anywhere.”

“She communicates with glyphs as the Indigenous did. And when it was by words she spoke in Náhuatl through Juan Diego who later translated,” he said. 

Did Bishop Juan de Zumárraga mistreat Juan Diego?

“The key, everything, turns on the bishop,” Chávez said, since “although the Virgin of Guadalupe chose a layman, spoke to a layman, expressed her message to a layman,” the shrine she asked for “was not going to be done without the authority of the bishop.”

Chávez said it was instead the servants who treated St. Juan Diego badly when he went to see Bishop Juan de Zumárraga. “It was the servants who left him outside,” he said.

The Franciscan bishop “never treated him badly, on the contrary; he treated him with affection,” as well as with “a lot of respect and much dignity,” Chávez said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, and published on CNA on Dec. 12, 2019. It has been updated.

Pope Leo XIV receives members of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology on Dec. 11, 2025, in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 11, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Dec. 11 emphasized the academic, cultural, and ecclesial value of archaeology and called for the promotion of “cultural diplomacy” to overcome borders and prejudices.

Receiving members of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology in an audience, the pope emphasized that its literary and monumental sources constitute an essential part of the “roots” of European society and nations.

“Take part through your studies in that cultural diplomacy that the world so desperately needs in our day,” the pope urged, addressing the faculty, students, and staff of the center.

To introduce his reflection, he referenced the motu proprio I Primitivi Cemeteri (“The Primitive Cemeteries”), published exactly a century ago by Pius XI, in which he emphasized the Church’s responsibility for protecting its sacred heritage.

Pius XI then decided to add a new body to the work of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology and the Pontifical Roman Academy of Archaeology: the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology, created to “guide willing young people from all countries and nations toward the study and scientific research of the monuments of Christian antiquity.”

A century later, Leo XIV affirmed, this mission remains fully relevant.

The scientific dignity of Christian archaeology

The pope took the opportunity to present to those present his new apostolic letter, in which he emphasizes the importance of Christian archaeology. He pointed out that this field, focused on the monuments of the first centuries of Christianity, possesses its own “epistemological status,” with specific “chronological, historical, and thematic coordinates.”

However, he lamented that in some circles it continues to be included without distinction within medieval archaeology.

“In this regard, I suggest that they become upholders of the specificity of their discipline, in which the adjective ‘Christian’ is not intended to be an expression of a confessional perspective but rather a qualifier of the discipline itself with scientific and professional dignity,” he urged.

A bridge to ecumenism

Leo XIV emphasized the ecumenical nature of Christian archaeology, alluding to its capacity to recall a time when the Church remained united. Its study, he affirmed, is “a valuable instrument for ecumenism,” as it allows the various Christian traditions to recognize a common heritage.

He also recounted that during his recent apostolic journey to İznik — ancient Nicaea — in Turkey, where he commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council with representatives of other churches, he was able to personally witness this reality: “The presence of the remains of ancient Christian buildings was moving and motivating for all of us.”

The pope also welcomed the fact that the institute had dedicated a day of study to the topic, in collaboration with the Dicastery for Evangelization.

The power of ‘cultural diplomacy’

For the pope, rigorous study and historical research constitute a privileged way of building bridges: “Through culture, the human spirit transcends the boundaries of nations and overcomes the barriers of prejudice to place itself at the service of the common good. You too can contribute to building bridges, fostering encounters, and nurturing harmony.”

He also noted that the institute is symbolically situated between two major jubilee themes: peace, the central theme of the holy year of 1925, and hope, the focus of the current jubilee. “And, in fact, you are bearers of peace and hope wherever you operate with your excavations and research, so that, recognizing your white and red banner with the image of the Good Shepherd, doors may be opened wide to you not only as bearers of knowledge and science but also as heralds of peace.”

Christianity, the root of Europe

Finally, Leo XIV recalled the words of St. John Paul II on the Christian roots of Europe, remembering his affirmation that the continent “needs Christ and the Gospel, because here lie the roots of all its peoples.”

“Among the roots of European society and nations is undoubtedly Christianity, with its literary and monumental sources; and the work of archaeologists is a response to the call I have just evoked,” he stated.

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

Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

Vatican City, Dec 11, 2025 / 16:54 pm (CNA).

“Do not let your heart be troubled. Am I not here, I who am your mother?” With this consolation — with which Our Lady of Guadalupe of Mexico addressed St. Juan Diego in December 1531 — a devotion was kindled that, almost five centuries later, continues to shape the spiritual identity of Mexico and all of the Americas.

That same message, simple and profoundly consoling, still has a singular power today, especially “in the context of war and difficulties in the world we live in today,” said Father Stefano Cecchin, OFM, president of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. 

Cecchin will participate on Dec. 12 in an unprecedented gathering organized by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America at the Vatican, a day that will bring together Latin American priests, women religious, and seminarians and will place the figure of Mary — particularly under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe — at the center of evangelizing reflection.

Guadalupe, a message of closeness and liberation

Cecchin emphasized that Mary manifested herself with accessible, approachable, and protective language, capable of spreading the Christian message without obscuring the Indigenous identity of the visionary. In fact, he emphasized, “in Guadalupe we encounter the inculturation of God.”

For him, the spiritual core of the Guadalupe event is profoundly liberating: “Mary appears not to frighten, even though it occurs at the end of the Aztec calendar year, but she appears to bring peace and serenity. The message of Guadalupe is that whoever is with Mary should not be afraid.”

Understanding this historical and theological dimension, he added, allows us to perceive its universal impact. “We are trying to raise awareness throughout the world, beyond the countries of Latin America, the Philippines, and Spain. We want everyone to embrace it,” he stated. Cecchin summarized its importance with a powerful image: “For us, Guadalupe is the Sinai of the Americas.”

The comparison is not metaphorical: The people of Israel were born on the Sinai Peninsula, and in Guadalupe, Cecchin continued, “the Christian people of the Americas were born.”

Conference in light of new doctrinal document 

The day at the Vatican is directed toward Latin American priests, women religious, and seminarians studying in Rome. After greetings from Archbishop Filippo Iannone, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, will speak, offering a keynote address titled “Mary: Star of Evangelization and the Mission for Latin America Today.”

“This expression has been used many times in Latin America, but we want to reconsider it in light of the teaching of the new doctrinal note on the Virgin Mary that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has given us,” Rodrigo Guerra, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, told ACI Prensa.

Fernández’s presence will be directly linked to the recent publication of the doctrinal note Mater Populi Fidelis, a document that has sparked considerable debate in some quarters by proposing a rereading of popular Mariology and by nuancing traditional devotional titles.

Precisely for this reason, the event on Dec. 12 seeks to offer keys for a serene reception of the document from the perspective of evangelization.

In this regard, Guerra will present a reflection on the doctrinal reception of the figure of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Rome: “I will explain the pleasant surprise we all felt upon discovering that in the recent doctrinal note from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the topic of Our Lady of Guadalupe is addressed in two paragraphs in order to show in a very eloquent way how popular Marian devotion in Latin America today can offer us some lessons in the face of the challenges of evangelization in Latin America.”

Connection between Mary and synodality

Following the prefect’s lecture, a discussion with the participants will take place, followed by an academic panel with three brief presentations. The first will be given by Cecchin, who will address Our Lady of Guadalupe’s contribution to a balanced Mariology.

Afterward, Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, will speak to explore deeper the connection between Mary and synodality: a theme that the universal synodal process has highlighted in recent years. He explained to ACI Prensa that when we recognize Mary’s role in ecclesial life and in the devotion of the faithful, “the real need arises to delve deeper into the Marian mystery in order to better understand the synodal and missionary Church.”

He also pointed out that the figure of Mary is “fundamental” in the recovery of women’s identity and their value in the Church. “In her we find the perfect example of a Christian, a disciple. Always prophetically engaged with reality,” the Spanish prelate explained.

The day will conclude with a presentation by Guerra, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

The date — Dec. 12 — is not accidental: It coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the anniversary of the episcopal ordination of Pope Leo XIV. “That is why we thought this day was a good occasion for us to meet with all the students and friends from Latin America… to take a look at how Mary challenges us and offers us new reasons to rethink evangelization and mission in Latin America today,” Guerra said.

Following the conference, Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe will take place at 4 p.m. local time in St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated by Pope Leo XIV. It will be one of the first significant gestures of the new pope toward the Latin American community residing in Rome.

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

The plenary assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops gets underway on Nov. 11, 2025, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. First row, left to right: Father Michael J.K. Fuller, general secretary; Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president, and Archbishop William E. Lori, vice president. / Credit: Jack Haskins/EWTN News

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 11, 2025 / 16:03 pm (CNA).

U.S. Catholic bishops and prominent Catholic nonprofits are calling on the Department of Homeland Security to rescind a recent rule change they say will “disproportionately harm immigrants and their families.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), along with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) and Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), are calling for the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to rescind a policy change halting automatic extension of employment authorization documents for immigrants in the U.S.

The Dec. 1 statement comes after USCIS announced an interim final rule (IFR), titled “Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents,” on Oct. 30.

“Given our organizations’ ministries to immigrants and refugees around the country, we are deeply concerned that the changes in the IFR will disproportionately harm immigrants and their families,” read the statement, co-signed by CLINIC and CCUSA.

“The IFR will guarantee widespread employment-authorization gaps; destabilize fragile households; generate severe backlogs and administrative burdens for affiliates; impede the functioning of state agencies, such as Departments of Motor Vehicles; and impose substantial costs on U.S. employers and local economies,” the groups said. “Most importantly, the IFR will produce these harms without any demonstrated countervailing benefit.”

The U.S. bishops and Catholic nonprofits further described the IFR as “arbitrary and capricious,” stating that USCIS opted to depart from prior policy without explanation or with the establishment of good cause. “The IFR, as proposed, conflicts with fundamental humanitarian and economic principles embodied in U.S. immigration law,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the IFR “removes the only mechanism that has prevented widespread work-authorization lapses” amid ongoing adjudication delays at USCIS. Even with 180-day and 540-day automatic extensions used in the past, the statement said, “clients of CLINIC affiliates were at risk of suspension or termination because renewal adjudications had not kept pace,” leading to loss of wages and health care tied to employment.

The groups said the IFR increases demand for charitable services, including legal and social services such as those provided by Catholic Charities.

“Even temporary extensions were barely sufficient to stabilize families living on the economic margin,” the statement said. “By removing the only buffer against its own delays, the agency converts an administrative backlog into a nationwide work-authorization crisis that will destabilize workers, families, and employers across the country.”

The groups further emphasized the IFR increases the vulnerability of migrant workers, pointing out migrants facing an employment lapse “may find themselves in precarious situations where unscrupulous or predatory persons might exploit their desperate need to support themselves and their families.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

null / Credit: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Wikipedia CC 2.0

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 11, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

A majority of Catholic voters in the United States support the death penalty for convicted murderers in spite of the Catechism of the Catholic Church calling capital punishment “inadmissible,” according to a poll published by EWTN News and RealClear Opinion Research.

The survey of 1,000 Catholic voters between Nov. 9 and Nov. 11 found that 55% support the death penalty “for a person convicted of murder.” Only 20% said they oppose the death penalty in such situations, and another 25% are unsure.

Based on the poll, Catholics who attend Mass regularly are much more likely to say they oppose the death penalty than Catholics whose attendance is less frequent.

Among Catholics who attend Mass at least once per week, 52% say they support the death penalty for convicted murderers, 26% say they oppose it, and 22% are unsure. For Catholics who attend less than once per week, 57% say they support the death penalty, just 16% oppose it, and 27% are unsure.

Although many Catholics still support the death penalty, a 2024 analysis of the Association of Religion Data Archives’ General Social Survey shows a decline in Catholic support for the death penalty in recent decades, especially among those who attend weekly Mass.

The catechism, per the 2018 revision, states: “The Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,’ and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.”

Prior to the Francis pontificate revising the language, the text stated that the Church “does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.”

Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, who serves on the advisory board for the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty, told CNA that many Catholics remain “pro-life for innocent life,” such as the lives taken through abortion, but when a person is guilty of a serious crime, “people readily say ‘yeah, they should die.’”

The revision to the catechism, she said, recognizes that taking life “is against human dignity” and “the Gospel of Jesus calls us to give that dignity — not just to innocent people — but even to the guilty.”

Prejean said when people are asked whether they support the death penalty for serious crimes, “most of the time, people say yes.” Yet, she said when polls give an alternative for life in prison, the support drops significantly. She noted that juries have been less likely to impose the death penalty recently because “most people really want to have a chance to give people life.”

With 1 in 4 Catholics saying that they are “unsure” whether they would support the death penalty in certain situations, Prejean said “that’s where the seed can grow.”

“There’s a part of their soul that hasn’t said ‘yes’ to this and they’re thinking about it,” she said.

Prejean, whose vocation was depicted in the 1995 movie “Dead Man Walking,” said she became active in opposition to the death penalty after communicating with a person who was on death row and attending his execution. Prior to that experience, she said she often did not think about the subject, but “we grow in moral issues by experiences of the faithful.”

“Once you have a personal connection with somebody, they’re not a category anymore,” she said. “They’re a person.”

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, told CNA that “defending the sacred dignity of life, while core to our beliefs, is not always easy.”

“But even when it’s hard to understand, our Church gives us good guidance and has definitively said that capital punishment has no place in our society,” said Murphy, whose organization works closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to oppose the death penalty.

“Given its firm commitment to human dignity and the sacred value of life, it is clear that the Catholic Church is not backing down from its pro-life position on the death penalty,” she added. “More formation and catechesis are needed to increase awareness and deepen understanding of the Church’s teaching on capital punishment so it can be applied in a meaningful way in the lives of Catholics.”

Murphy noted that St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and now Pope Leo XIV all hold a pro-life view on capital punishment. American Church leadership, including the newly elected USCCB president, Archbishop Paul Coakley, have called for the abolition of the death penalty. 

“Any disconnect between Church doctrine and polling is a reminder that more education and formation on the life issue of ending the death penalty remains worthy,” she said. “After all, human lives hang in the balance.”

With Speaker of the House Mike Johnson by his side, President Donald Trump speaks to the press following a House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 11, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

A majority of Catholic voters in the United States have a favorable opinion of President Donald Trump and support the broad-scale deportation of immigrants who are in the country illegally, according to a poll published by EWTN News and RealClear Opinion Research on Dec. 11.

The poll surveyed 1,000 self-identified Catholics from Nov. 9 through Nov. 11, nearly 10 months after Trump assumed office. Trump won the Catholic vote in the 2024 election last year, and one of his campaign promises was mass deportations — a policy strongly opposed by the country’s Catholic bishops.

With Trump administration deportation efforts underway, the poll revealed some tension between the public stance of the country’s Catholic bishops and the views held by the faithful. Among Catholics, support for large-scale deportations is even higher than their overall support for Trump.

About 54% of Catholic voters said they support “the detention and deportation of unauthorized immigrants on a broad scale.” Only 30% said they oppose this policy, and 17% neither support nor oppose it.

Among white Catholics, 60% support broad-scale deportations and only 26% oppose it. Among Latino Catholics, 41% support it and 39% oppose it.

For Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly, 58% support broad-scale deportations and only 23% are against it. For those who attend Mass less frequently, 50% support the deportations and 36% oppose it.

Catholics who attend Mass regularly were more likely to have a favorable opinion of Trump and more likely to support deportations. White Catholics were also more likely than Latino Catholics to support Trump and the deportations.

According to the poll, about 52% of Catholic voters say they have a favorable opinion of Trump, compared with 37% who say they have an unfavorable opinion and 11% who say they are neutral.

Among white Catholics, 58% have a favorable opinion of Trump and 34.5% have an unfavorable view of him. Latino Catholics were nearly evenly split, with 41% holding a favorable opinion and 40% holding an unfavorable opinion.

More than 60% of Catholics who attend Mass at least once per week said they have a favorable opinion of the president, compared with 30% who had an unfavorable opinion. 

Among Catholics who attend Mass less frequently, about 45% have a favorable view of Trump and 42% have an unfavorable view.

Reacting to the results, White House Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers told CNA that Trump “won in a landslide victory with historic support from patriotic Catholics across the country because he promised to fight for people of faith, and he has delivered in record time.”

“President Trump launched a task force to eliminate anti-Christian bias, pardoned Christian and pro-life activists, enforced the Hyde Amendment, defunded Planned Parenthood, stopped the chemical mutilation of our nation’s children, and stopped men from competing in women’s sports and invading their private spaces,” she said.

Other administration officials had positive favorability numbers. About 50% of Catholic voters have a favorable view of Vice President JD Vance, compared with 31% who have an unfavorable view. About 42% of Catholic voters have a favorable view of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, compared with 25% who have an unfavorable view.

Support for deportations at odds with bishops

Just last month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a unified message to oppose “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” It received approval from more than 95% of the voting bishops. The following week, Pope Leo XIV encouraged “all people in the United States to listen to [the bishops]” on the matter.

The USCCB did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNA.

Chad Pecknold, a theology professor at The Catholic University of America who teaches theological politics and other subjects, told CNA the numbers “track with the general public support for deportation.”

“The bishops have operated on very well-worked-out presuppositions of liberalism, and Popperian ideas about an ‘Open Society,’ that are now badly outdated,” he said. “They would be wise to reexamine their priors on prudential matters as they are losing credibility through imprudent statements on prudential matters pertaining to national security and the common good.”

Julia Young, a historian and professor at The Catholic University of America, sees the issue differently, telling CNA that U.S. Catholic bishops have historically supported immigrants and that the Church has grown from European immigration in the mid-late 19th century and from Latin American immigration in the 20th century.

“The growth of the Catholic Church over the last several decades has been largely due to immigration,” she said. “So it does make sense that the Catholic bishops are concerned about immigrants and the immigrant population because that is their laity.”

Young said much of American Catholic history has been an “immigrant group coming in and being the target of nativism.” She noted that the historical “anti-Catholic nativism” faced by those immigrant groups was the notion that Catholics were “not going to be able to become proper loyal American citizens because their loyalty was going to be to the pope.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that prosperous nations have an obligation, “to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner.” The immigrant has an obligation “to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.”

“Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions,” it adds.

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.