St. James the Less Catholic Parish

Cardinals celebrate the sixth Novendiales Mass for Pope Francis on May 1, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 7, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

As online gambling continues to grow in the United States, mostly on sports and casino games, bookmakers have also opened betting markets for a variety of other contests, including the current papal conclave.

The College of Cardinals is now in the midst of a papal conclave to select the next earthly head of the Catholic Church in a solemn closed-door process. This conclave has attracted global interest from Catholics and non-Catholics alike, along with tens of millions of dollars’ worth of bets on the outcome.

Polymarket, a popular cryptocurrency-based betting platform, is overseeing more than $18 million worth of bets on the papal conclave. Another platform, Kalshi, is managing nearly $6.7 million.

The oddsmakers on Polymarket list Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin as the favorite to be selected with 27% odds and rank Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle at second with a 22% chance. The cardinals just below them include Matteo Zuppi at 11%, Pierbattista Pizzaballa at 10%, and Peter Erdo at 7%.

Bettors can “buy” a potential winner, which means they are betting on that person to be selected as the pope, or they can “sell,” which is a bet that the cardinal will not be chosen. The specific payouts for every bet depend on the odds set on the platform.

On Polymarket, more than $1.3 million has been placed on Tagle’s candidacy, and another $1.3 million has been bet on Dutch Cardinal Willem “Wim” Eijk, whom the oddsmakers give 1% odds. More than $1 million has also been placed on Parolin, Cardinal Peter Turkson, and Cardinal Robert Sarah each.

The uncertainty of papal conclaves

The limited knowledge of bookmakers and the general public, along with the secretiveness of the papal conclave process and the lack of public campaigning, contributes to uncertainties surrounding the real odds, or chances, that a specific person will emerge as pope.

Tom Nash, a contributing apologist for Catholic Answers, told CNA that it’s clear who “the most well-known cardinals are heading into the conclave,” but that does not necessarily show “how they stack up as papabili in the eyes of their fellow cardinal electors.”

“I think some cardinals who are faring well among the oddsmakers and media, including because of the prominent role they had under Pope Francis, may actually have less of a chance than some others who are considered long shots,” he said.

Nash noted that ahead of the 2003 papal conclave, Cardinal Angelo Scola was “a man whom many thought would continue the gains of Pope St. John Paul II … and Benedict XVI,” yet he “couldn’t muster the needed two-thirds majority.” The cardinals ultimately chose then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who took the papal name Francis.

Cardinals have already met in more than a week’s worth of pre-conclave congregations, but as Nash pointed out, those are not open to the public.

“The more public the process, the more likely cardinals can be negatively influenced by various means of coercion, including from political leaders,” he said. “And various parties have tried to influence the papal election process over the centuries.”

Nash noted that the 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis asks cardinals to refrain from receiving or sending messages outside of Vatican City during the election process and prohibits conclave participants from receiving newspapers, listening to the radio, or watching television.

The same document prohibits any “pact, agreement, promise, or other commitment of any kind” to vote for a specific person but does not prohibit the exchange of views before the election or discussions during the conclave that help arrive at a consensus.

“The pre-conclave congregations give the cardinal electors ample opportunity to gain needed information from their fellow electors,” Nash said. “And those who sought to publicly campaign for themselves or others can be sure they would undermine their own credibility and candidacy.”

Is it moral to bet on a papal conclave?

Some Catholics have called into question the morality of betting on the papal conclave.

Gambling on a papal conclave used to be expressly forbidden by the Vatican, but that rule is no longer in effect. Pope Gregory XIV forbade “under the pain of excommunication” any bets on the selection of a pope or the creation of cardinals through the papal bull Cogit Nos in 1591. A 1918 revision of canon law, however, did not formally carry over this ban and no new prohibition has been put into place.

Yet Nash still expressed reservations about gambling on a conclave.

“I think Catholics should prayerfully consider how we can best give witness regarding this 2025 conclave, including because of the solemnity of the event and the possible corruption, God forbid, betting could introduce into the conclave,” Nash said.

He added: “Our actions and related chatter could contribute to an occasion of sin for others, who might have more nefarious designs on the conclave and/or perhaps might bet more than they can afford.”

“While I understand that betting on a conclave is a tempting prospect, we don’t want to reduce this important event to the level of a mere sports competition — even more so because many American Christians and others worldwide are increasingly more religious in their devotion to their favorite sports than in living as committed disciples of Jesus Christ,” he added.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, gambling is not inherently “contrary to justice.” Yet, it becomes “morally unacceptable when [gambling deprives] someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others [or] the passion for gambling risks [becomes] an enslavement.”

Lt. Matt Owens of the Arlington County Police Department plays the bugle in honor of fallen service members, at the annual Blue Mass on Tuesday May 6, 2025, at St. Patrick Cathlolic Church in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

Washington D.C., May 6, 2025 / 18:41 pm (CNA).

On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of first responders filled St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., to attend the 31st annual Blue Mass, a tradition that honors the sacrifice of those serving in law enforcement and public safety.

Organized by the Archdiocese of Washington, Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell celebrated the May 6 Mass, as Cardinal Robert McElroy is currently in Rome for the papal conclave. 

Several prominent members of law enforcement participated in the Mass, including Chief John Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police and Deputy Director Michele Ward Leo of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who both served as lectors. 

“Today, we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, as well as gathering to celebrate all of you, our first responders, our police officers, our firefighters, our ENTs, all who push into situations … most of us are doing our best to get away from,” said Monsignor Salvatore A. Criscuolo, retired pastor of St. Patrick’s and a police chaplain, who gave the homily. 

“You wear uniforms that the world recognizes. But underneath that uniform, whether it be a uniform or a suit, there’s a human soul, a human being, a beloved child of God,” he continued, emphasizing the crucial need for first responders to be dependent on Christ. 

“Because only Christ can truly feed the deep hunger and all of you,” Criscuolo said, “the hunger for peace after the chaos of death, the hunger for justice after everything is so unjust, the hunger for hope when everything feels hopeless.”

Christ, he said, does not make himself distant from suffering and tragedy but rather is “in the mix” of it all.

“So when you answer that 911 call, you bring presence, peace, and safety,” he continued. “When you rescue someone who is trapped or injured, you bring mercy. When you come to someone who is frightened by the world here, you become an instrument of the hands of God. That is your vocation.”

Criscuolo has served as a chaplain to law enforcement for 37 years. Previously, he served as pastor at St. Patrick Church for 16 years.

“I’ve been on the streets when there have been some real difficulties,” he told CNA after the Mass, reflecting on his years of experience as a chaplain. Recalling the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he said: “9/11 was the first time ever I had seen fear on police officers’ faces.” 

Serving as a chaplain to first responders, he said, is “a rewarding ministry, and they give back to me more than I could ever give to them. They’re always very supportive … They’re all family people: men and women, husbands and wives … and they come here every day, and they don’t know what they’re going to be facing.” 

After the Presentation of the Colors, the names of 13 fallen service members from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area as well as 15 officers from previous years stretching back as far as 1885 were read in a solemn tribute as representatives of their divisions or family members stood in recognition.

 While the tradition of holding a Blue Mass at St. Patrick’s began just over 30 years ago, Criscuolo said the tradition of having special Masses for police officers goes back to the 1930s.

“There was a Catholic police society and a Protestant society, and the [Catholic] police officers would have their Mass here every Mother’s Day, and all the Protestant officers would work,” he said. “Then in June, the Protestants had their service, and all the Catholics would work the streets for them.”

The tradition stopped for several years, he said, until “about 31 years ago, I decided we needed to bring this back again. And we did,” he concluded, smiling. “It gets bigger and bigger each year, which is so nice to see.”

null / Credit: pim pic/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, May 6, 2025 / 18:11 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday urged a federal judge in Texas to dismiss an ongoing lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its removal of safety restrictions on abortion drugs.  

In its filing on Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) argued in federal court that Idaho, Kansas, and Missouri did not have standing to sue, following the Biden administration’s legal course. 

The three Republican-led states sued the FDA last year, maintaining that the loosening restrictions on the drug mifepristone have led to abortion pills flooding their states, endangering women and undermining pro-life laws. 

The FDA should prohibit telehealth prescriptions for mifepristone, require in-office visits, and restrict the gestational age at which chemical abortions can occur, the states argued, saying that “women should have the in-person care of a doctor when taking high-risk drugs.” 

The three states picked up the lawsuit after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously dismissed it in June 2023, saying that the group of pro-life doctors and organizations that filed the original case lacked standing as they could not show they had been harmed by the abortion drug’s widespread availability. 

In 2021, the FDA lifted restrictions on mifepristone, authorizing doctors to prescribe the drugs online and mail the pills, allowing women to perform early abortions — up to 10 weeks of gestation — without leaving their homes. 

Department of Justice attorneys asked the federal judge in Texas to throw out the lawsuit. 

“Regardless of the merits of the states’ claims, the states cannot proceed in this court,” read the May 5 memorandum issued by the DOJ. 

A pro-life group is urging the Trump administration to reinstate medical safeguards around abortion pills.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, told CNA that the motion “is about who has the right to sue, not whether abortion drugs are safe.” 

During the recent presidential campaign, pro-life advocates criticized Trump for his position that abortion law should be left for the states to decide. In 2024, Trump committed to not restricting abortion pill access and said that abortion is no longer a federal issue.

Dannenfelser urged the Trump administration “to reinstate basic measures that require real medical oversight” in regard to the abortion pill. 

“Women and girls deserve better than high-risk drugs with no in-person doctor, no follow up, and no accountability,” Dannenfelser said. “This isn’t health care, it’s harm.”

A recent study found that more than 1 in 10 women who take the abortion pill mifepristone to complete a chemical abortion will suffer a serious health complication during the process.

Dannenfelser called abortion drugs “dangerous.”

“A growing body of evidence shows the serious harm these drugs pose to women as well as their babies,” Dannenfelser continued. 

“At a minimum, the Trump administration should reverse the Biden FDA’s reckless nationwide mail-order abortion drug policy,” Dannenfelser said.

Washington state’s governor signed a law on May 1, 2025, that threatens priests with up to one year in jail if they fail to report child abuse they learn about during the sacrament of confession. / Credit: Romana Klee via Flickr

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 6, 2025 / 16:11 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating an “anti-Catholic law” in Washington state that threatens priests with up to one year in jail if they fail to report child abuse they learn about during the sacrament of confession.

The new law, signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson last week, adds members of the clergy to the list of mandatory reporters for child abuse. It specifically states that clergy must report abuse, even if it is learned of during “privileged communication.” All other mandatory reporters, such as nurses and therapists, are exempt from the reporting requirements when the information is obtained during “privileged communication.”

A priest who refuses to report information learned during confession could be sent to jail for up to 364 days and receive a fine of up to $5,000.

In a press release, the DOJ expressed that one of its primary concerns is that the law seems to single out priests and confession. The law exempts most privileged communication from the mandatory reporting law but denies that right to priests by including the phrase “except for members of the clergy.”

“The law appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals,” the DOJ wrote. “We take this matter very seriously and look forward to Washington state’s cooperation with our investigation.”

Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, sent a letter to the governor and called the mandate a “legislative attack on the Catholic Church and its sacrament of confession, a religious practice ordained by the Catholic Church dating back to the Church’s origins.”

“Not only does this new law put state authorities in direct conflict with the free exercise of a well-established religion, but your law demands that priests disobey one of the Catholic Church’s first authorities related to confession,” she wrote. “This state command runs afoul of the First Amendment.”

Dhillon cited Catholic canon law, which states that “it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in manner and for any reason.”

Bishops: ‘Confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential’

The Washington State Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s Catholic bishops, put out a statement to assure Catholics that “their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential, and protected by the law of the Church.”

“Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession — or they will be excommunicated from the Church,” the statement, signed by Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, added.

The bishop noted that Church policy requires priests to report knowledge of child abuse to the police but “not if this information is obtained during confession.” He wrote that the bishops are committed to working with civil authorities in ways that do not impugn the seal of confession.

“The Catholic Church agrees with the goal of protecting children and preventing child abuse,” the statement added. “The Archdiocese of Seattle remains committed to reporting child sexual abuse, working with victim survivors towards healing, and protecting all minors and vulnerable people.”

However, Etienne wrote: “While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse, priests cannot comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the sacrament of reconciliation.”

The bishop recalled the first reading from this past Sunday’s Mass, in which apostles were arrested and thrown in jail for preaching Christianity, and cites St. Peter’s remark to the Sanhedrin: “We must obey God rather than men.”

“This is our stance now in the face of this new law,” he wrote.

Eric Kniffin, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), told CNA that the new law “discriminates against religion on its face, which is really unusual.”

Kniffin told CNA that over the last three years, he has “warned the Washington Legislature that a law that invades the clergy-penitent privilege would be challenged and found unconstitutional.”

“I am confident that there will be litigation over this and that the law will be struck down,” he said.

He noted that the DOJ investigation “does not commit the government to a particular course of action,” but added: “I am encouraged that the DOJ is concerned about this law, and I believe the United States will look for opportunities to come alongside the religious plaintiffs in litigation.”

Kniffin praised Washington state’s bishops for publicly committing to safeguard the seal of confession but also warned that “it’s hard for bishops to reassure Catholics when the law is asserting the right to force priests to break their vows.”

“It is reasonable for the bishops to fear that the law could affect whether someone goes to confession or what they say in confession,” he said.

“This law casts a cloud of doubt over the confessional,” he continued, “and that fear of government discourages people from exercising their First Amendment rights.”

New York state capitol in Albany. / Credit: Nina Alizada/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 6, 2025 / 15:41 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Timothy Dolan this week called New York legislation aiming to legalize medical assisted suicide “a disaster waiting to happen” after the state Assembly advanced the measure last week.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Dolan — the archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York — said: “For people of faith who believe in the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, the very idea of having a doctor give you a prescription to end your life prematurely is contrary to everything we cherish.”

“But one need not be religious to see that assisted suicide is a terrible idea. It is a classic Pandora’s box; once opened, its consequences cannot be contained.”

The New York State Assembly passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act in New York on April 29 in an 81–67 vote. If passed into law, the legislation will allow terminally ill adults to request medication to end their own lives.

Dolan on Tuesday reflected on the last weeks of Pope Francis’ life and how he was “not afraid to let us watch him die, much like his beloved predecessor, Pope St. John Paul II.” 

“Both men knew that our worth is based on who we are as children of God, not on what we can do,” the archbishop wrote.

Dolan highlighted that the New York bill lacks safety guidelines, arguing that the medication can be prescribed by any kind of doctor and the meeting to request the medication is not required to be held in person. 

Patients also do not have to be asked if they have ever contemplated suicide or been treated for any mental health conditions.

“How is this compassion?” Dolan said on Tuesday, arguing that the measure forces doctors “to lie on death certificates by claiming the cause of death was the person’s underlying illness and not what actually killed him or her — the lethal combination of drugs.”

He explained the bill follows successful work by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to bring suicide rates in New York down. Hochul spearheaded initiatives to help schools, hospitals, first responders, and veterans and a hotline during a “mental health crisis.”

Dolan said he commended her “highly successful suicide prevention efforts.” 

“But,” he continued, “a new law that sanctions suicide while the state simultaneously pursues a policy of suicide prevention amounts to cutting holes into one side of a boat while bailing water from the other.”

Dolan pointed to the Catholic Church’s “long and proud history in health care.”

“We opened America’s first hospitals. We’ve cared for the casualties of war, measles, homelessness, illness, violence, AIDS, and all diseases and ailments known to man. We’ve also cared for our fellow humans’ emotional, psychological, and spiritual ailments.”

“State-sanctioned suicide turns everything society knows and believes about medicine on its head,” Dolan said. “Doctors go from healers to killers.”

Meanwhile, “what is proposed as compassion for the suffering terminally ill” becomes “a duty, as the elderly, the disabled, and the sick feel pressured to end their lives and stop being an inconvenience to others.”

“All stages of life provide lessons — to ourselves and others — but perhaps none more so than life’s end, as Pope Francis so eloquently taught,” the cardinal said.

Dolan noted that Pope Francis called assisted suicide the “discarding of the patient” and “false compassion.” 

“New York and all our states can do better than this,” Dolan said. 

“Let us instead focus our formidable efforts on strengthening care for people at the end of life. They are finishing the race. Let them go with their hands held high, the way God and nature intended,” the prelate said.

Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron speaks to EWTN News Vatican Correspondent Colm Flynn in Rome on Monday, May 5, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News

CNA Staff, May 6, 2025 / 10:27 am (CNA).

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, this week said the next pope should be a disciple of Christ first and foremost, one who places “the declaration of Jesus” at the center of his papacy. 

Barron spoke to EWTN News Vatican Correspondent Colm Flynn on May 5 in Rome. The U.S. prelate noted that the Church is on “pins and needles” during the interregnum before the election of the next pope, though he admitted it’s “an exciting time.”

Asked by Flynn about the commentary that has proliferated around the papacy since Pope Francis’ death on April 21, Barron said the “politicization” of the papal selection process reflects a “lack of proper prioritization.” 

The bishop pointed to Australian priest and theologian Father Gerald Glynn O’Collins, SJ, who when  asked what he was looking for in the next pope after John Paul II’s death, responded, as Barron put it: “I want someone who declares the resurrection of Jesus in a compelling way.”

“Because that was Peter’s job,” Barron said, “and this is the successor of Peter. I think to put the stress on the spiritual, on the evangelical, on the declaration of Jesus — that’s what matters.” 

The prelate admitted that there are “further implications” to a pope’s job. He told Flynn that there are “political strategies” that help advance the “moral principles” espoused by the Church.

“[T]he preoccupation with — oh, is he left-wing? Is he right-wing? Climate change, immigration — OK, we can get to all that,” Barron said. 

“But the first thing I’d look for is a disciple, a believer in Jesus, and who has the capacity to proclaim the Resurrection in a compelling way,” he said. “That’s the pope’s job, [and] to be a source of unity for the Church.”

The politicization of the papacy is “seeing [the role] through a relentlessly secular political lens,” Barron said. “And you know, again, I get it. But I’m annoyed at the way it gets the priorities off.” 

Asked about the cardinals who are considered top contenders for the papal election this week, Barron pointed out that, during the last conclave, “nobody” suspected then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio would become Pope Francis. 

“I always put that forward as a caution whenever we’re talking about candidates,” the bishop said. “There is certainly a good chance it won’t be any of these people.”

A woman pays tribute to victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks at a cemetery in Negombo, Sri Lanka, on April 21, 2022, marking three years since the tragic attacks. / Credit: Ruwan Walpola/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 6, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The archbishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka, announced this week that the 167 Catholics killed in the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 will be included on the list of “Witnesses of Faith” established by Pope Francis.

Inspired by an apostolic letter by Pope John Paul II, who wanted to ensure the legacy of the “unknown soldiers of God’s great cause” was not lost, Pope Francis created the Commission of the New Martyrs - Witnesses of the Faith in 2023. Francis sought to acknowledge Catholics who have lost their lives while professing their faith in the first quarter of the 21st century. Compiled by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year, the list is an ongoing catalogue of Christian martyrs who, the Holy Father said, “are witnesses of the hope that comes from faith in Christ.”

On April 21, 2019, terrorists bombed two Catholic churches, St. Sebastian’s and St. Anthony’s; an evangelical church; three hotels; and a private residence in Sri Lanka, killing more than 260 people.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, who has been the archbishop of Colombo since 2009, said that Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, has included the names of the 167 Catholics who died on the Witnesses of the Faith list, “considering the context of their heroism.”

Ranjith said they are being included to “honor their sacrifice.” 

This past weekend, St. Anthony Church in Colombo held a vigil to honor the lives lost during the fatal bombings. Hundreds of people, including Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic religious leaders, attended the gathering.

Following his attendance at the vigil, Ranjith traveled to the Vatican to take part in the conclave.

Six years after the attacks, Ranjith and the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka are still demanding further investigations into the bomings to examine potential involvement of state officials.

A member of the Papal Foundation greets Pope Francis with a personalized New Orleans Saints jersey, Friday, April 12, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 5, 2025 / 20:11 pm (CNA).

Following the death of Pope Francis last month, the Papal Foundation’s annual distribution of humanitarian aid will be in memory of the Holy Father’s legacy, the organization said in a press release. 

This year, the Papal Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to serving the Holy Father’s wishes through donations to charitable initiatives of his choosing around the world — will channel $14 million in funding toward 116 projects across more than 60 countries. Projects include developing access to clean drinking water and housing, providing educational resources, restoring churches and seminaries, and constructing health care facilities in war-torn and impoverished areas. 

Customarily, representatives for the organization travel to Rome on the Friday after Divine Mercy Sunday to deliver the funding via check to the Holy Father, the president of the foundation’s board of trustees, Ward Fitzgerald, told CNA. This year, because their meeting was set to take place exactly one week after Pope Francis’ passing, they attended his funeral instead.

Fitzgerald said this year felt especially significant. “With [Pope Francis’] passing, we have a chance to be a voice for the poor — something he so powerfully embodied,” he said.

The average grant, according to Fitzgerald, is somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000. 

“We give them to schools, we give them to hospitals, we give them also to programs to help child trafficking issues or drug smuggling using children and abandoned children. We also are doing humanitarian aid relative to refugee situations and war situations in some of the poorest countries with some of the poorest people,” he said, noting that a portion of the grants often also go to clergy or religious communities whose buildings are in need of repair.

“It is well documented that [Francis] was a very loving, caring … sensitive Holy Father, and he had a heart for the poor,” Fitzgerald reflected. “He implored the laity to try to grow in their hearts to be more Christ-like, and specifically in their show of care for the poor. I think that that’s a big part of his papacy.”

“As we are all in anticipation of the next Holy Father,” he continued, “we don’t get to be Peter, but we can all be Paul … and hopefully, we are spreading the Gospel as well as spreading charity and caring for the poor around the globe as the early apostles and disciples did.” 

Grants have grown in steady increments for the past 20 years, Fitzgerald said. Since its inception in 1988, the Papal Foundation has distributed more than $250 million to over 2,800 projects designated by Pope Francis, Benedict XVI, and St. John Paul II. 

The foundation also announced this week its election of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, as chairman, and Edward Fitzgerald III, CEO and founder of the Catholic private equity firm ExCorde Capital, as president of its board of trustees. 

“The Gospel of Matthew teaches us: ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,’” Dolan stated in a press release on Monday. “In a world where the distance between wealth and need continues to widen, the Stewards of St. Peter of the Papal Foundation take seriously their responsibility to serve the poor and vulnerable with compassion and faith.”

President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 5, 2025. / Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 5, 2025 / 14:57 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump dismissed the criticism he faced after sharing an AI-generated image of himself as the pope on social media, asserting that the controversy was drummed up by the news media.

“You mean they can’t take a joke?” Trump rhetorically asked a reporter after he was questioned about backlash to the image. “You don’t mean the Catholics; you mean the fake news media.”

Trump said “the Catholics loved it” and noted that his wife, Melania, who is Catholic, “thought it was cute” before commenting that — if he were the pope — “I would not be able to be married though.”

“To the best of my knowledge, popes aren’t big on getting married, are they?” he said. “Not that we know of.”

Trump, who shared the image on Truth Social, said he “had nothing to do with” the picture, adding: “Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the pope and they put it out on the internet.”

“That’s not me who did it,” the president continued. “I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI, but I know nothing about it. I just saw it last evening.”

Trump, who frequently shares memes of himself on social media, posted the image to Truth Social on Friday after joking that he would like to be chosen as the next pope. The White House subsequently posted the photo on its official X account.

The social media posts came just days after the president said he would “like to be pope” when a reporter asked him who he hopes is selected in the upcoming papal conclave.  As part of his response to that same question, he went on to say he actually had “no preference” while also touting Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York as a “very good” candidate.

Responses from Catholic bishops

Trump’s latest joke about the matter received pushback from some Catholic leaders, including Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, and the entire New York Catholic Conference. As of the time of publication, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) had not issued a statement nor responded to a request for comment from CNA.

Dolan, the archbishop of New York City and an appointee to Trump’s recently created Religious Liberty Commission, told a reporter in Rome that he hopes the president “had nothing to do with that” and said “it wasn’t good.”

Speaking in Italian, Dolan called the stunt “brutta figura,” essentially meaning that it was in bad form.

Barron, the bishop of Winona–Rochester, Minnesota, who was also appointed to the Religious Liberty Commission, told EWTN News that he thinks it was “a bad joke” and a “sophomoric attempt at humor.” 

“I don’t think at all it represents some disdain for the Catholic Church or some attack on the Catholic Church,” he said. “President Trump has signaled in all sorts of ways his support for and affection for the Catholic Church. I think it was a bad joke that obviously landed very poorly and was seen as offensive by a lot of Catholics and I wish he hadn’t done it.”

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the conclave is “a very serious time” for the Catholic Church and expressed displeasure that “we’ve lost great respect for moments like this.”

Some Catholic leaders who criticized the president took stronger offense to the image.

The New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops, posted on X that “there is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President.”

“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter,” the post added. “Do not mock us.”

Paprocki, who is the bishop of Springfield, Illinois, said on X that the photo “mocks God, the Catholic Church, and the papacy.”

“This is deeply offensive to Catholics especially during this sacred time that we are still mourning the death of Pope Francis and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the election of our new pope,” Paprocki wrote. “He owes an apology.”

Other Catholic figures did not take such offense, however.

Vice President JD Vance, who is a convert to Catholicism, responded to criticisms of the image from commentator and writer Bill Kristol, who is not Catholic.

“As a general rule,” wrote Vance, “I’m fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen,” referring to Kristol’s role in support of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

In a news release, Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League, called the image “dumb, but not bigoted.”

“What Trump did was silly, but it was hardly an expression of bigotry,” Donohue said. “We deal with real cases of anti-Catholicism at the Catholic League, not junior-league pranks.”

CatholicVote’s vice president Joshua Mercer — whose organization ran advertisements for Trump in the last election — said in a statement that the image is “obviously intended to be humorous.”

“There is no need to imagine that he believes he could be pope, or that he intended to mock the papacy,” Mercer said. “Memes depicting famous people as the new pope have been playfully circulating on social media everywhere for the past week.”

Brian Burch, the president of CatholicVote and Trump’s nominee as the ambassador to the Holy See, declined to comment. 

This story was updated May 5, 2025, at 5:14 p.m. ET with Trump’s comments on the image.

null / Credit: BAUER Alexandre/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, May 4, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Dr. Christopher Stroud was a Catholic OB-GYN who prescribed birth control and gave referrals for in vitro fertilization (IVF) until a priest admonished him in the sacrament of reconciliation. Now Stroud runs a life-affirming fertility clinic that uses Natural Procreative Technology — a treatment model that embraces life-affirming Catholic ethics.

“It changed my life,” Stroud said of the confession. “Probably for all eternity, it changed my life.”

Stroud said he still “get[s] emotional” just talking about the impact of the clinic. Couples send him photos of their babies — it has grown into a wall of photos now.

Since his change of heart in 2012, his practice has “just exploded.” The clinic has grown so popular that there’s a six-month wait period.

“We are blessed with a busy, busy practice,” he told CNA.

While Stroud’s clinic is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he received his training in Nebraska at St. Paul VI Institute — an organization founded in 1985 that trains doctors in “NaProTechnology.”

And the demand for NaProTechnology? It’s “unlimited,” Stroud said.

What makes NaPro different? 

NaProTechnology is “a problem-based approach to fertility challenges,” Stroud explained.

The model is “a recognition, more than anything, that infertility is a symptom — it’s not a diagnosis,” Stroud explained.

Rather than jumping to IVF — which is often expensive, arduous, and carries ethical issues with the creation of unused embryos — NaProTechnology applies basic principals of contemporary medicine to fertility treatment.

“Everywhere else in contemporary medicine, we use symptoms to point to a disease state, and then we treat the disease state; then we ask, did the symptom go away?” Stroud said.

But with the advent of IVF in the late 1970s, doctors were taught to promptly refer clients for IVF, Stroud explained.

NaProTechnology is highly effective, Stroud has found. Fertility specialists can address the underlying health issues preventing conception “more times than not,” he said.

Teresa Hilgers, an OB-GYN at the St. Paul VI Institute, added that NaProTechnology often brings a couple’s fertility “back to life.” She said she has seen “so many” couples who, with the help of NaProTechnology, “no longer need medical support to achieve future pregnancies.”

Talking about IVF 

Stroud emphasized that while IVF is against Church teaching, IVF is a challenging issue to talk about. It’s important to acknowledge that the children created through IVF are created in God’s image, Stroud said.

“Any time we have a chance to say [it], we must say that the children created by IVF are children of God — created in his image and likeness,” Stroud said.

“We’ve got to remember that as Catholics, we’re not condemning, we’re educating,” Stroud continued. “And the people that we’re talking to often are very, very wounded and vulnerable.”

When discussing IVF, Stroud noted that “we’ve got to remember the vulnerable, horrible pain that couples are experiencing.”

“I can’t think of another marital stress that could ever hold a candle to infertility because it forces couples to question what it means to be man and woman, what it means to be married, what it means to be intimate,” Stroud said.

“But children are a gift. They’re not a right,” Stroud said. “If they were a right, they’d be property, which is part of the problem with IVF — they do become property.”

The Catholic perspective

IVF is contrary to the Catholic Church’s teaching. But why?

There are several layers to understanding the Church’s teaching on IVF. Most obviously, there’s the high cost of life in IVF.

“IVF is very destructive,” Hilgers said. “Many babies are lost to create one new life.”

The remaining human embryos conceived via IVF often remain in frozen storage for an indeterminate amount of time — often never to grow up.

“[Couples] may have finished their fertility journey, but they do not know what to do with their remaining frozen embryos,” Hilgers said.

IVF also contradicts the Church’s understanding of the purpose of sexual intercourse within the union of marriage.

“The Church teaches that the act of sexual intercourse has two aspects: procreative and unitive. These are inseparable,” Hilgers said. “IVF separates the procreative and unitive acts of intercourse between a married couple.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 2377) states that IVF is “morally unacceptable” because it separates the marriage act from procreation and establishes “the domination of technology” over human life.

But there’s also a biological and medical argument against IVF, both Hilgers and Stroud noted.

“Many do not realize that IVF is not good medicine,” Hilgers said.

“The success rates are lower than most think,” she said. “A lot of couples go through IVF and fail.”

IVF can bring with it additional risks, including higher complication rates with pregnancy, higher preterm labor, and even higher risk for birth defects, Hilgers added. 

When Stroud meets with patients who are considering IVF, he begins by asking them: “Why?” 

“The thing that I say to the couple is: Wouldn’t you like to know why you’re not getting pregnant — even if it means you’re never going to be pregnant — wouldn’t you like to know?” he said. “I’ve never had a couple say, ‘Actually, no, we don’t care.’” 

For couples with infertility

Both Hilgers and Stroud emphasized that IVF is far from the only option for couples struggling with infertility.

When asked what he would say to couples struggling with infertility, Stroud said: “Don’t settle.” 

“You don’t have to settle as a couple, and you don’t have to choose between the tenets of your faith and your fertility,” Stroud said. “Unexplained infertility is, more times than not, uninvestigated infertility.”

“Many couples who undergo IVF are never given a diagnosis for why they have infertility,” Hilgers added. “They are often told that their infertility is ‘unexplained.’”

But “their infertility is unexplained because a proper evaluation was never done,” Hilgers said.

When asked about the impact of NaProTechnology on families, Hilgers said that by respecting Church teaching on love and life, the human dignity of all involved is also respected.

“When these teachings are respected, then the dignity of everyone involved, the woman, her husband, and children are respected,” she said.