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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Dec. 18, 2025, that eases federal marijuana regulations amid support from the cannabis industry but opposition from some Catholic and conservative groups. / Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 18, 2025 / 17:18 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to ease federal marijuana regulations amid support from the cannabis industry but opposition from some Catholic and conservative groups.

Trump’s Dec. 18 executive order directs the attorney general to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug as quickly as federal law allows. This process began under President Joe Biden’s administration and is being continued under Trump.

Schedule I, which includes marijuana, is reserved for drugs that have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Schedule III is a lower classification, which is for drugs “with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence” and less abuse potential than Schedule I.

Rescheduling marijuana does not end a federal ban on both recreational and medical use, which would still be in place. However, it would reduce criminal penalties, open the door for medical research, and potentially be a step toward further deregulation and normalization.

Right now, 40 states have medical marijuana programs and 24 legalize recreational use, in contrast to the federal law.

In a news conference, Trump said rescheduling marijuana will help patients who seek the drug for medical use “live a far better life.” He said the executive order “in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug.”

“Young Americans are especially at risk, so unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just don’t do it,” the president said.

“At the same time, the facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered,” he said. “In some cases, this may include the use as a substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers.”

Kelsey Reinhardt, president and CEO of CatholicVote, criticized the decision. The group had launched a campaign to discourage the president from rescheduling the product. 

“Every argument pushed by the cannabis lobby has now been exposed as false by real-world data and medical science,” Reinhardt said in a statement.

“We were told marijuana was safe, nonaddictive, and would reduce crime — none of that turned out to be true in my home state of Colorado or in other states that are now working to repeal,” she said. “Instead, we’re seeing higher addiction rates, emergency-room spikes, impaired driving, heart risks, mental-health damage, and lasting harm to young people,” Reinhardt said.

Reinhardt called the executive order “disappointing” and said it “repeats the same reckless mistakes we made with Big Tobacco and puts ideology ahead of public health.” She said CatholicVote will work with federal agencies to “minimize the damage” and urged Congress to take action to reverse the executive order. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church does not directly mention marijuana but teaches “the use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life.” It calls drug use a “grave offense” with the exception of drugs used on “strictly therapeutic grounds,” such as medical treatment.

In spite of concerns from some Catholics, some Catholic hospitals have done research into medical marijuana. Some of that research has looked into medical marijuana as potentially a less risky and less addictive alternative to opioids for pain management.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has not taken a position on the matter. Pope Francis said he opposed the partial legalization of so-called “soft drugs,” stating in 2014 that “the problem of drug use is not solved with drugs.” In June, Pope Leo XIV referred to drugs as “an invisible prison” and encouraged law enforcement to focus on drug traffickers instead of addicts. 

null / Credit: Carl DMaster/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 18, 2025 / 16:48 pm (CNA).

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

Advocates push for EPA to include chemicals from abortion drugs on list of drinking water contaminants

Students for Life of America (SFLA) is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to add the abortion drug mifepristone to a list of drinking water contaminants tracked by public utilities. “It’s a problem only the EPA can fully investigate,” SFLA reported.

In two letters over the last several sessions of Congress, legislators have called on the EPA to find out the extent of the damage of abortion drug water pollution. Multiple pro-life and pro-family organizations joined together to ask the EPA to look into the chemicals.

“The EPA has the regulatory authority and humane responsibility to determine the extent of abortion water pollution, caused by the reckless and negligent policies pushed by past administrations through the FDA [Food and Drug Administration],” said Kristan Hawkins, president of SFLA.

“Take the word ‘abortion’ out of it and ask, should chemically tainted blood and placenta tissue, along with human remains, be flushed by the tons into America’s waterways? And since the federal government set that up, shouldn’t we know what’s in our water?” she said.

Ireland votes not to restore bill that would remove three-day waiting period for abortions

The Dáil, the lower house and main chamber of the Irish Parliament, has voted against restoring an abortion bill that would have decriminalized abortion up until birth and removed the three-day waiting period for an abortion. The legislation previously passed the second stage in the Dáil, but Parliament members decided in a 73 to 71 vote to reject it.

The legislation would have allowed abortion on request before “viability” and on grounds of a fatal fetal abnormality that would likely lead to the death of the baby before birth or within a year of birth. 

Missouri senator launches new pro-life initiative

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and his wife, Erin Hawley, announced they are launching a new effort to advocate for families and the unborn called the Love Life Initiative. The effort is intended to “remind Americans that life is sacred, life is good, and life is worth protecting.”

The Love Life Initiative was “born out of the recognition that pro-life victories in the courtroom is not enough,” according to the initiative’s website. 

At the time of the Dobbs ruling, 49% of Americans identified as pro-choice and 46% as pro-life, Love Life reported. Today, 53% identify as pro-choice and only 39% identify as pro-life. The initiative plans to work to reverse this trend through “thoughtful, far-reaching advertising campaigns that promote the sanctity of life, advance referendums that protect life, and identify and defeat harmful proposals in statehouses across the nation.”

The European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. / Credit: fotogoocom via Wikimedia (CC BY 3.0)

Vilnius, Lithuania, Dec 18, 2025 / 14:04 pm (CNA).

The European Parliament voted Dec. 17 in favor of a resolution supporting the creation of a new European Union fund intended to expand access to abortion services across member states, a move that exposed deep divisions among lawmakers and renewed debate over national sovereignty and abortion legislation in EU policymaking.

Members of the European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg voted 358 in favor, 202 against, with 79 abstentions. The proposal would establish a voluntary, opt-in financial mechanism to assist women who are unable to procure abortions in their home countries and who choose to travel to states with more permissive laws.

The initiative was brought forward under the EU’s European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) framework by the campaign group My Voice, My Choice, which claims to represent a broad grassroots mobilization of European citizens.

Because the Dec. 17 vote concerned a nonbinding resolution rather than a legislative act, it carries no immediate legal effect. Nevertheless, supporters described the outcome as symbolically significant.

A nonbinding vote with an uncertain path forward

Despite parliamentary backing, the resolution does not compel the European Commission to act. Under ECI procedures, the commission is required to formally respond to the initiative within six months of its submission, by March 2026, outlining whether it intends to propose legislative or policy measures.

Even if the commission signals support, past experience suggests that endorsement does not always translate into concrete policy outcomes. Several previous citizen initiatives that met procedural thresholds ultimately stalled or were declined by the commission.

Opposition to the proposal was particularly strong among members from Hungary, where a majority of European Parliament members voted against the resolution. Polish representatives were nearly evenly split, with 23 voting in favor, 24 opposed, and one abstention. Delegations from Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and Lithuania also showed closely divided voting patterns, reflecting the ongoing cultural and political disagreement across Europe on abortion policy.

Critics of the pro-abortion proposal, including family advocacy groups, religious organizations, and lawmakers, argued that health care and medical practice remains a matter of national competence under EU treaties. They warned that creating a centralized funding mechanism for abortion risks circumventing national laws and democratic processes.

The vote came after the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union urged voters in the Parliament to pursue “prudent policies that genuinely protect and support women, while also safeguarding unborn human life.”

“A medical intervention [abortion] of such gravity and with such important ethical implications cannot and must not be normalized,” the bishops said. 

Beyond the vote itself, My Voice, My Choice has drawn criticism for its public advocacy methods. Following a Nov. 13 European Parliament vote to include the campaign within the Gender Equality Strategy 2025, the group used social media to publish images of European Parliament members who voted against the inclusion.

The posts grouped lawmakers by country, displayed their social media handles, and encouraged members of the public to tag and convince them to support the initiative. 

Some observers described the tactic as coercive or distasteful, while others, including some pro-life advocates, argued it inadvertently clarified to the public which politicians value the dignity of human life as they oppose abortion expansionism. 

On Nov. 26, the European Centre for Law and Justice convened a conference in Brussels attended by pro-life members of the European Parliament, civil society leaders, and representatives of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe. Women shared personal testimonies related to abortion, and speakers addressed what they described as increasingly top-down advocacy strategies behind My Voice, My Choice.

During the conference, organizers presented a funding analysis examining the organizations supporting the campaign. According to the report, among the more than 250 organizations listed as supporters, a significant number receive funding from EU institutions and large American philanthropic foundations.

The report identified funding streams from organizations such as the Open Society Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, as well as direct EU funding. Several prominent pro-abortion organizations across Europe were shown to have long-standing financial ties to these donors.

My Voice, My Choice’s principal organizer, Nika Kovač, a Slovenian anthropologist who heads the 8th of March Institute, is linked in the report as having her organization receive funding from the Open Society Foundation and support from the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). 

Additionally, according to the report, IPPF’s European branch has received millions of euros in funding over the past two decades from the European Union and major U.S.-based foundations.

The report does not allege illegality but rather examines the democratic character of the initiative, specifically, whether the ECI mechanism in this case reflects organic citizen mobilization or functions primarily as a vehicle through which well-funded advocacy networks advance preexisting policy goals under the banner of popular participation.

President Donald J. Trump watches as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services Secretary, speaks after being sworn in on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 18, 2025 / 13:31 pm (CNA).

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed regulations today that would seek to end “sex-rejecting procedures” on anyone younger than 18 years old, which includes restrictions on hospitals and retailers.

Under one proposal, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would withhold all funding through Medicare and Medicaid to any hospital that offers surgeries or drugs to minors as a means to make them resemble the opposite sex. The proposed rules would prohibit federal Medicaid funding for “sex-rejecting procedures” on anyone under 18 and prohibit federal Children’s Health Insurance program (CHIP) funding for the procedures on anyone under 19.

This includes surgical operations, such as the removal of healthy genitals to replace them with artificial genitals that resemble the opposite sex and chest procedures that remove the healthy breasts on girls or implant prosthetic breasts on boys.

It also includes hormone treatments that attempt to masculinize girls with testosterone and feminize boys with estrogen and puberty blockers, which delay a child’s natural developments during puberty.

HHS also announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing warning letters to 12 manufacturers and retailers that they accuse of illegally marketing “breast binders” to girls under the age of 18 as a treatment for gender dysphoria. Breast binders compress breasts as a means to flatten them under their clothing.

The news release said breast binders are Class 1 medical devices meant to help recover from cancer-related mastectomies, and the warning letters will “formally notify the companies of their significant regulatory violations and how they should take prompt corrective action.”

Additionally, HHS is working to clarify the definition of a “disability” in civil rights regulations to exclude “gender dysphoria” that does not result from physical impairments. This ensures that discrimination laws are not interpreted in a way that would require “sex-rejecting procedures,” the statement said.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a news conference that “sex-rejecting procedures” on minors are “endangering the very lives that [doctors] are sworn to safeguard.”

“So-called gender-affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people,” he said. “This is not medicine — it is malpractice.” 

The proposals would conform HHS regulations to President Donald Trump’s Jan. 28 executive order to prohibit the “chemical and surgical mutilation” of children. The order instructed HHS to propose regulations to prevent these procedures on minors.

In a news release, HHS repeatedly referred to the medical interventions as “sex-rejecting procedures” and warned they “cause irreversible damage, including infertility, impaired sexual function, diminished bone density, altered brain development, and other irreversible physiological effects.”

HHS cited its own report from May, which found “deep uncertainty about the purported benefits of these interventions” for treating a minor with gender dysphoria. The report found that “these interventions carry risk of significant harms,” which can include infertility, sexual dysfunction, underdeveloped bone mass, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, psychiatric disorders, and adverse cognitive impacts, among other complications.

Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm, a medical advocacy group, said in a statement that the proposed regulation on hospitals is “another critical step to protect children from harmful gender ideology” and said he supports rules that ensure “American taxpayer dollars do not fund sex-change operations on minors.”

“Many so-called gender clinics have already begun to close as the truth about the risks and long-term harms about these drugs and surgeries on minors have been exposed,” he said. “Now, hospitals that receive taxpayer funds from these federal programs must follow suit.”

Mary Rice Hasson, director of the Person and Identity Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), said she sees the proposed restriction on hospitals as “excellent.”

“This proposed rule sends a powerful message to states and health care providers: It’s time to stop these unethical and dangerous procedures,” Hasson said. “Puberty is not a disease to be medicated away. All children have the right to grow and develop normally.”

“Sex-rejecting procedures promise the impossible: that a child can escape the reality of being male or female,” she added. “In reality, these sex-rejecting procedures provide only the illusion of ‘changing sex’ by disabling healthy functions and altering the child’s healthy body through drugs and surgery that will cause lifelong harm.”

In January, Bishop Robert Barron, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, welcomed Trump’s executive action on these procedures, warning that they are “based on a false understanding of human nature, attempt to change a child’s sex.”

“So many young people who have been victims of this ideological crusade have profound regrets over its life-altering consequences, such as infertility and lifelong dependence on costly hormone therapies that have significant side effects,” Barron said. “It is unacceptable that our children are encouraged to undergo destructive medical interventions instead of receiving access to authentic and bodily-unitive care.”

The Michigan capitol building in Lansing. / Credit: John McLenaghan/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Dec 18, 2025 / 12:36 pm (CNA).

Counselors and therapists in Michigan will be allowed to treat children who believe themselves to be the opposite sex, striking down a Michigan law that outlawed such counseling by claiming it constitutes “conversion therapy.”

The Dec. 17 ruling at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit blocked the Michigan law by stating that it “discriminates based on viewpoint” by forbidding therapists from counseling children that they are their own biological sex rather than the opposite sex.

The court noted that the law “expressly” allows therapists to help children commit to a so-called “transition” to the opposite sex. The rule is a “near-certain violation” of the First Amendment, the order said.

The Michigan law was passed on the grounds that steering children away from a transgender identity constitutes “conversion” similar to counseling that seeks to mitigate same-sex attraction. LGBT advocates claim that such “conversion therapy” has been discredited and constitutes a danger to therapy patients.

The lawsuit was first brought to court in July 2024 after the law passed in February of that year. A lower court had earlier ruled against the therapists’ claims that their counseling constitutes protected First Amendment speech.

The appeals court held in its ruling that the Michigan law is discriminatory insofar as it “permits speech on a particular topic only if the speech expresses a viewpoint that the government itself approves.”

“The default … is that the First Amendment protects all speech,” the court held. The Michigan government “[did] not even attempt to identify” that the government has regularly controlled the speech of therapists as the law moves to do.

The plaintiffs in the case — which include a Catholic Charities group and a Catholic therapist — have been represented by the religious liberty law firm Becket. Lead attorney Luke Goodrich said in a Dec. 17 press release that the decision represented “a victory for children nationwide.”

“Michigan’s law was pushing children toward irreversible medical procedures that cause lasting harms,” he said.

“This ruling ensures that children who want it can receive compassionate, evidence-based counseling that alleviates their distress and helps them embrace their bodies without resorting to irreversible, life-altering medical interventions.”

The Michigan government may appeal the decision.

LGBT advocates have argued in recent years that children who claim to be the opposite sex should be facilitated in “transitioning” to a facsimile of the opposite sex, including through cross-sex hormones and procedures such as castrations and irreversible mastectomies.

The Trump administration since January has moved to aggressively limit the ability of doctors and institutions to carry out such procedures, including an executive order restricting so-called transgender surgeries and drugs for youth.

Multiple hospitals around the country have ended child transgender surgeries and programs under pressure from the White House, including the prominent Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

President Donald Trump in August also directed states to remove gender ideology materials from their curriculums or else face the loss of federal funding.

Pope Leo XIV passes through the Holy Door carrying the jubilee cross as he leads the pilgrimage of the Holy See on June 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 18, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Just a few weeks remain until the closing of the holy year, which was inaugurated by Pope Francis on Dec. 24, 2024. On Jan. 6, 2026, Pope Leo XIV will be the one to close the enormous bronze door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, through which nearly 30 million pilgrims have passed during the last 12 months seeking a plenary indulgence. 

This Holy Door is slated to be reopened in 2033, when the Church celebrates the Extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption.

The schedule for closing rites of the Holy Doors of the main papal basilicas in Rome is as follows:

The first Holy Door to be closed — and which will remain walled up until the next jubilee — is that of St. Mary Major Basilica. The rite will take place on Dec. 25, as reported by the Holy See Press Office. The ceremony will be begin at 6 p.m. local time, followed by Mass celebrated by the cardinal archpriest of the basilica, Rolandas Makrickas.

Two days later, on Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. local time, the closing ceremony at St. John Lateran Basilica will be presided over by the cardinal vicar of Rome, Baldassare Reina, who will celebrate the Eucharist, and will feature the participation of the diocesan choir, directed by Monsignor Marco Frisina.

On Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. local time, the Holy Door of St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica will be closed. The solemn event will be presided over by Cardinal Archpriest James Michael Harvey.

Finally, on Jan. 6, 2026, the solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to close the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica before celebrating the Mass that will mark the concluding act of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. On that occasion, the pontiff will invite pilgrims to return to Rome in 2033 for the Extraordinary Holy Year of Redemption.

The Holy Doors, as is tradition, have been solely those of the four papal basilicas of Rome: St. Peter’s in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. However, on Dec. 26, two days after officially inaugurating the holy year, Pope Francis made an exception by traveling to the Rebibbia prison in Rome to repeat this gesture at another door as a symbol of hope.

The late pope wanted to extend this gesture of grace to prisoners by opening the door of this correctional facility in the Italian capital.

The date on which the closing ceremony for this fifth Holy Door will take place has yet to be announced.

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

New York Archbishop-elect Ronald Hicks and Cardinal Timothy Dolan hold a press conference at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Dec. 18, 2025, in New York City. / Credit: Adam Gray/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Dec 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The newly announced leader of the Catholic Church in New York expressed “heartfelt gratitude” on Dec. 18 for having been appointed to the post by Pope Leo XIV.

Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks, who will head the Archdiocese of New York after leading the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, said at a Thursday press conference that he accepted the Holy Father’s appointment “with great humility” and “an open heart.” 

Hicks addressed media at St. Patrick’s Cathedral alongside outgoing Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who turned 75 earlier this year, the customary age at which a prelate submits his resignation to the Holy See. 

The new archbishop-designate reflected on his formation under past Church leaders in his hometown of Chicago, including Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Cardinal Francis George, and Chicago’s current archbishop, Cardinal Blase Cupich. “For all of them, I’m deeply grateful,” he said. 

Makes first ‘controversial statement’

At the press conference Hicks jokingly announced what he anticipated would be his “first controversial statement” by admitting his unending devotion to his hometown Chicago Cubs baseball team and his love of the Windy City’s iconic deep dish pizza. 

“I want you to know that I am going to remain a loyal Cubs fan,” he said. “However, I am going to start rooting for the New York sports teams. And I already love your pizza. I love it a lot.”

The prelate admitted he would miss the Joliet Diocese, at which he has served for the last five years. “I have felt happy, grateful, and blessed to be their bishop,” he said. “Together, we have worked with some missionary zeal to catechize, to evangelize, and to put our faith into action as disciples who make disciples.”

Describing New York City as “rich in energy, languages, cultures, and people,” he said he was excited to get to know the city, though he acknowledged that the archdiocese is facing “complex and challenging days” including issues of life, faith, and “healing.” 

Hicks specifically said he was committed to learning about the archdiocese’s efforts to compensate survivors of sexual abuse. The archdiocese is currently pursuing a settlement for victims that is expected to top $300 million.

“As a Church, we can never rest in our efforts to prevent abuse, to protect children, and to care for survivors,” he said. 

The prelate said he looks forward to “working closely and collaboratively with the priests, the deacons, the religious, the lay leaders of [the] archdiocese” as well as working with the “great variety and diversity of faith leaders and civic leaders” that populate New York City. 

Addressing the archdiocese’s Spanish-speaking faithful, the archbishop-designate spoke in Spanish of his past ministry in Mexico and Central America, including five years in El Salvador. 

Saying he has “an enormous heart for Latino culture and Hispanic people,” he mentioned he has two Colombian nephews, Puerto Rican godparents, many Dominican friends, and that he intends “to walk with all of you, together, as brothers and sisters.”

Responding to speculation in the media and on the internet as to who he is as a bishop, Hicks said: “If you want to know the core of who I am and what I stand for, you should know this: I love Jesus with my mind, heart, and soul, and I strive to love my neighbor as myself.”

“My desire is to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and to do the will of God, serving with a shepherd’s heart,” he emphasized.

This story was updated at 11:57 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2025.

Catholic faithful gather on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral in Dublin to celebrate two milestones: a decree from Pope Leo XIV formally designating St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Dublin and the cathedral’s bicentenary. / Credit: John McElroy/Dublin Archdiocese

Dublin, Ireland, Dec 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Dublin has dispelled concerns about its financial position, pointing to its healthy reserves, strong financial position, and the strict regulatory framework within which it operates as a charity.

Following a report in one of Ireland’s most prominent mainstream media publications, the Irish Times, the Archdiocese of Dublin has moved to clarify questions raised about its financial security over the next 15 years.

The archdiocese explained to CNA the context of its 2024 financial statements, which were the subject of a recent Irish Times report that has raised concern among the faithful in Ireland’s largest diocese. 

In the story titled “Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese Faces Financial Woes as Priests Age and Mass Numbers Decline,” the Dublin-based newspaper stated that the archdiocese’s cash reserves will be exhausted by 2041. It also pointed to a worrying decline in vocations, with actuarial predictions of 70% fewer priests within 20 years. The archdiocese had no ordination in 2024 and just two since 2020.

Both statements reflect what is stated in the report but neglect to include the archdiocese’s contextual notes in its financial statements on the subject of its reserves, including the funds generated by the sale of Clonliffe College in north Dublin. 

Ide Finnegan, the archdiocese finance administrator and head of operations, explained in response to CNA’s questions that its finances are governed by strict legislation relating to its charitable status. 

“In the financial statements, context and measures planned to address these factors are also outlined. For example, every effort is being made to sustain and indeed increase income and manage costs. The diocese is investing in new staff rather than planning staff reductions,” Finnegan said.

The Irish Times article reported the total income from the archdiocese’s 188 parishes, which in 2024 came to 31 million euros ($36.5 million), compared with 31.1 million euros ($36.4 million) the previous year. Total expenditure in 2024 was 34.2 million euros ($40.2 million), the same as in 2023.

The first collections held at weekend Masses, which support priests, totaled 14.1 million euros ($16.6 million) in 2024, a decrease of 200,000 euros ($235,000) from 14.3 million euros ($16.8 million) in 2023. Share collections in support of parishes raised 5.7 million euros ($6.7 million) in 2024, 100,000 euros ($117,500) less than the 5.6 million euros ($6.6 million) in 2023. 

The Irish Times report did not mention the fact noted in the financial statements that international fundraising firm CCS Consulting has been retained to advise and support fundraising strategies for the archdiocese.

Finnegan, referring to CCS, told CNA: “There is hope that the initiative will help with parish reserves. The diocesan balance sheet is very healthy, but it is important that this is protected by generating enough income to meet expenditure. The financial statements reflect all the steps being taken around financial sustainability, and we are currently implementing a strategic plan around this.”

Since COVID-19, there has been a shift in the number of Mass attendees and the amount donated in Sunday collections. It is also clear that the archdiocese is taking proactive steps to manage its financial position. 

Parishes in the Dublin Archdiocese are responsible for their own financial management. Parish employees are directly employed by parishes, and any decisions on staffing levels are made locally.  

Finnegan told CNA: “Parishes are encouraged to generate income, but as the accounts state, there are parishes that are running a financial deficit, and this will need to be monitored into the future. The Share fund provides financial support to disadvantaged parishes where local contributions can be lower.”

The archdiocese has begun implementing a new strategy, titled Building Hope, which includes priorities such as management, ministry, the role of laypersons, and finance. 

The archdiocese is structured into five pastoral areas, within which are 15 deaneries nurturing 53 partnerships of parishes. 

Altogether, the Catholic population recorded in the 2022 census was 996,000 out of a total population of approximately 1.6 million.

In offering reassurance and confidence in the archdiocese’s position, Finnegan highlighted one key section of the financial statements that provides essential context for any concerns about the potential depletion of reserves by 2041.

“While it is unlikely that all the identified risks will materialize simultaneously, the trustees must ensure adequate reserves are available to address potential challenges. The primary risk lies in the charity’s ability to successfully navigate these issues, which vary in severity and impact. The trustees are committed to maintaining a present level of unrestricted and designated preserves, enabling the charity to remain resilient in the face of both anticipated and unforeseen challenges.”

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (at right) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (at left) and then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz (at center). / Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 20:05 pm (CNA).

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that he has issued a directive aimed at reforming the military’s Chaplain Corps, beginning with the elimination of the U.S. Army’s current Spiritual Fitness Guide.

In a video post, Hegseth described a “real problem” facing the nation’s military forces: “the weakening of our Chaplain Corps,” which has “been going on for far too long.”

“In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers,” he said. “Faith and virtue were traded for self help and self care.”

Hegseth said that “chaplains are intended to be the spiritual and moral backbone of our nation’s forces,” recalling that at the outset of the American Revolution, Gen. George Washington, in one of his first acts as commander of the Continental Army, established the Chaplain Corps because he saw the need for “the blessing and protection of heaven … especially in times of public distress and danger.”

“For about 200 years, the Chaplain Corps continued its role as the spiritual leader of our service members, serving our men and women in times of hardship and ministering to their souls,” he said.

In what he described as an “ongoing war on warriors” in recent years, Hegseth said the role of chaplains “has been degraded.”

He cited the current Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, which he said mentions God only once and has “zero” references to virtue, relying instead “on New Age notions, saying that the soldier’s spirit consists of consciousness, creativity, and connection.”

According to the guide, Hegseth said, about “82% of the military are religious, yet, ironically, [the guide] alienates our war fighters of faith by pushing secular humanism. In short, it’s unacceptable and unserious. So we’re tossing it.”

“Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers,” he said.

According to Hegseth, the reforms will be “a top-down cultural shift, putting spiritual well-being on the same footing as mental and physical health.”

He said initial reforms will result in the removal of training materials that “have no place in the War Department” as well as the streamlining of religious affiliation coding practices, with more changes in the coming weeks and months.

“We’re going to restore the esteemed position of chaplains as moral anchors for our fighting force,” Hegseth said.

Quoting the 1956 army chaplain’s manual, Hegseth said: “‘The chaplain is the pastor and the shepherd of the souls entrusted to his care.’”

“This is a high and sacred calling,” he continued, “but this only works if our shepherds are actually given the freedom to boldly guide and care for their flock.”

This image is preserved in the Church of San Vital, built in 386, in Rome. / Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

Rome Newsroom, Dec 17, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

The Church of St. Vitale, built in 386, is the oldest Christian church still standing in the center of Rome. It is the “only place of worship from the fourth century that has remained intact throughout the centuries,” emphasized its parish priest, Father Elio Lops.

This early Christian church, discreet and given little attention on typical tourist routes, safeguards an artistic and devotional treasure that is practically unknown: the first image of Our Lady of Guadalupe painted in the Italian capital.

“It has never been given the importance it deserves,” Lops told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, referring to a representation of the Virgin Mary that immediately brings to mind the image imprinted on St. Juan Diego’s tilma in 1531.

The similarities are striking. “There is no doubt about its identity,” the parish priest pointed out.

Although the position of the hands shows a slight variation and the rays that usually surround the figure are missing, “the gaze is the same,” he explained. The painting also retains “the same belt that symbolizes Our Lady’s maternity and the large crescent moon beneath her feet,” Lops noted, citing the essential iconographic elements of the Guadalupe narrative.

The image was painted “around the year 1550” by the Jesuit Giovanni Battista Fiammeri, an artist active in Rome who, on the occasion of the Jubilee of 1600, decorated the entire church of St. Vitale.

A compelling hypothesis about the painting’s origin

Although there are no documents that conclusively certify it, the parish priest supports a compelling hypothesis: The Jesuit Fiammeri painted the picture based on a sketch of the miracle made by Spanish missionaries upon their return to Rome, after learning about the events that occurred on Tepeyac Hill two decades earlier.

One detail reinforces this interpretation. At the bottom of the painting, “below the Virgin, there is a small caravel depicting the ship on which they traveled to Mexico,” the priest explained. This is an unusual element in later iconography of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but it was commonly used in the context of the first contacts between the New World and the Holy See.

Whatever the precise origin of the model used by Fiammeri, it is certain that this image predates by several decades the other representations of the Virgin of Guadalupe preserved in Rome, which date from the mid-17th century, almost a hundred years after the apparitions, the 500th anniversary of which will be celebrated in 2031.

This fact confers on the painting in St. Vitale a singular value as a testament to the early European reception of a devotion that, over time, would become one of the pillars of the Americas’ religious identity.

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