St. James the Less Catholic Parish

Daniel Kuebler, a professor of biology at Franciscan University, speaks at the 2025 Society of Catholic Scientists conference on June 7, 2025. / Credit: Rui Barros Photography

Washington D.C., Jun 11, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

About 150 scientists gathered at the eighth annual Society of Catholic Scientists conference this past weekend for talks that touched on the Thomistic notion of free will, the intersection of mathematics and theology, near-death experiences, and the origin of the human species.

Three scholars — Kenneth Kemp, a professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota; Daniel Kuebler, a professor of biology at Franciscan University; and Chris Baglow, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame — gave talks on the compatibility of evolution and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The conference ran from June 6–8 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Although the teaching of evolution in high schools has led to objections from some Christian groups over the past century, the Catholic Church does not condemn the belief that humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor.

In 1950 — nearly a century after Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” — Pope Pius XII addressed the subject in the encyclical Humani Generis. The pontiff did not rule out bodily evolution but made clear that the human soul is directly created by God and all humans are descendants of the first two people: Adam and Eve.

The Holy Father stated that the Church does not oppose inquiries into “the origin of the human body as coming from preexistent and living matter” but noted the faith “obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God.”

When addressing the teaching that every person is descendent from Adam and Eve, Pius XII rejected any opinion that “maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents.”

‘Biological’ and ‘theological’ humans

Most evolutionary biologists assert that biological humans did not evolve from only two humans but rather as a group of humans. Although on its face this may seem to conflict with the Catholic understanding of Genesis, the conference speakers argued that no contention exists and suggested there is a distinction between a “biological” human and a “philosophical” and “theological” human.

Kemp, the first to speak on the subject, said a “biological” human would be any human that possessed human DNA, while a “philosophical” human is a human that also possessed conceptual thought and free will, and a “theological” human is one that has the ability to form a relationship with God.

According to Kemp, someone who was “fully human” in the early development of man (what Pius XII would refer to as “true men”), was one who possessed a “philosophical-theological humanity” from which he believes all of modern-day humanity descends. Such a person was an ensouled creature with rationality who had the capability to develop logic, language, and culture.

“Fully human beings were capable of interbreeding with the merely biological human beings despite the fact that they are distinct both behaviorally (being rational) and structurally (having the created souls that make that rationality possible),” Kemp said.

“If God created rational souls into two members of a merely biologically human population, and then into all or most of their descendants, including the descendants of mixed parentage, but into no one else, and some fully human beings interbred with the merely biologically human beings, then even a low level of interbreeding could be expected to produce a species all of which would be descendant from the single original fully human couple,” Kemp argued.

This position, according to Kemp, is both “scientifically possible and theologically orthodox.”

The beginnings of humanity

Kuebler, a biologist who spoke after Kemp, expressed a similar distinction. A biological human would be any human who fit into the species of “Homo sapiens” and a theological human is a person made in the “imago Dei,” or the image of God. He similarly said that it is possible that some of the early humans could have possessed merely biological humanity before all of the species possessed theological humanity.

The exact moments when biological humanity came into existence, when the first two theological humans Adam and Eve were ensouled, and when all of biological humanity possessed theological humanity, cannot be easily determined, according to Kuebler.

However, he noted there are signs that can point to rational thought. He points to the use of composite tools and art about 200,000 years ago and to the use of ochre (a type of clay) for decoration, which began around 500,000 to 300,000 years ago and became widespread about 150,000 years ago.

Yet, Kuebler said the signs become more clear around 50,000 to 100,000 years ago with more ritualistic art and the creation of jewelry, which he said “are things that are made by people with rational and conceptual thought.” 

“The best signs of it are about 100,000 years ago,” he added.

Baglow addressed the question of where Neanderthals fall in these classifications, saying he is “not sure whether Neanderthals were theological humans” but remains open to the possibility. Neanderthals went extinct about 40,000 years ago but also interbred with early modern humans. Most people outside of Africa have some Neanderthal DNA.

He referenced the early cave art of Neanderthals as being similar to early modern humans but said “images [are] not necessarily symbols,” and rationality in art is “when an image begins to stand for something else.”

Although Baglow said it is possible that Neanderthals were theological humans, he said it may be the case that they simply had “a very special form of pre-rationality,” which was “preparatory toward personhood” for when they interbred with early modern humans.

Even though Catholic doctrine shows that evolution does not conflict with the faith, the Church does not require that Catholics believe in it.

According to a 2024 Gallup survey, about 62% of Catholics say they believe humans developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life and about 32% said they believe God created humans in their current form within the last 10,000 years, illustrating that Catholics are slightly more likely than the average American to believe in human evolution.

null / Credit: Tati9/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 10, 2025 / 15:51 pm (CNA).

A U.S.-based biotech company has announced the launch of Nucleus Embryo, a company that screens human embryos for desired genetic profiles, a practice the Catholic Church teaches violates human dignity and contributes to a eugenic mentality. 

People undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) will be able to screen up to 20 embryos for over 900 conditions and traits, including health risks, intelligence, and physical characteristics like height and eye color, in order to “optimize” their embryos, according to Kian Sadeghi, founder of Nucleus Genomics, parent company of Nucleus Embryo.

“I see a world where sequencing, analyzing, and editing DNA merge seamlessly to create a truly preventative health care system,” the 25-year-old Sadeghi said on the company’s website, adding: “Every parent wants to give their children more than they had. For the first time in human history, Nucleus adds a new tool to that commitment.”

Embryos that meet parental desires will be eligible for implanting, and undesirable ones will be discarded.

While the Catholic Church teaches that IVF is morally illicit because it completely separates procreation from the marital act and violates the dignity of the child, the Church also condemns preimplantation diagnosis as “shameful and utterly reprehensible,” an “expression of a eugenic mentality” that leads to the destruction of innocent human life.

Published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the 2008 document Dignitatis Personae affirms that the human embryo cannot be treated as “mere laboratory material” because this violates its dignity, which “belongs equally to every single human being, irrespective of his parents’ desires, his social condition, educational formation, or level of physical development.”

The document explicitly condemns preimplantation diagnosis and resulting genetic enhancements because they can result in the killing of human embryos “affected by various types of anomalies,” and they “presume to measure the value of a human life only within the parameters of ‘normality’ and physical well-being, thus opening the way to legitimizing infanticide and euthanasia.”

Such procedures could also marginalize individuals, widen societal divides, and “harm peaceful coexistence among individuals,” the dicastery stated.  

The document questioned who would establish which gene edits were worthwhile and which were not, and what limits, if any, should be placed on genetic enhancements “since it would be materially impossible to fulfill the wishes of every single person.”

In the end, the common good will be harmed by “favoring the will of some over the freedom of others.”

National Catholic Bioethics Center senior ethicist Father Tad Pacholczyk told CNA that “couples will now be tempted to impose quality control and eugenics onto their vulnerable and voiceless children.”

Nucleus Embryo’s website emphasizes genetic manipulation of embryos before implantation and states: “The best time to prevent disease is pre-pregnancy. Knowing what you could pass on to your kids lets you plan with clarity and avoid future surprises.”

This is a “‘command and control’ mentality over procreation,” Pacholczyk said, which allows people to treat their “own offspring like raw material … It’s tragic when our children become a mere abstraction, pawns to be played in the end game of seeking what we want.”

“Society’s demand for physical perfection places untold pressure on couples today to ‘conform to the norm’ by aborting or otherwise eliminating any less-than-perfect children,” he continued.

“Human embryos, among the most vulnerable of God’s creatures, have been entrusted to us to be received unconditionally and lovingly by all parents, without demanding that they run any gauntlet of prenatal screening. Every child, exactly as he or she arrives into our families, is precious, good, and beautiful.”

Pacholczyk said not every use of prenatal diagnostic information is morally unacceptable, however. 

Diagnostic information that “assists in the treatment of an in-utero patient represents a morally praiseworthy use of this powerful technology.”

For example, a life-threatening disease known as Krabbe’s leukodystrophy can be treated through a bone marrow transplant immediately following a child’s birth. If the disease is diagnosed prenatally, the parents can look for matching bone marrow before the child is born. Certain other diseases, such as spina bifida, can also be surgically treated prenatally.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, the archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, asked President Donald Trump for aid to Africa an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, June 8, 2025. / Credit: François-Régis Salefran CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 10, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo is asking U.S. President Donald Trump to reinstate foreign aid to Africa. 

“Targeted humanitarian aid for Africa is urgently needed, morally good, and of great strategic value to the U.S,” Ambongo, the archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, wrote in a June 8 op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal. 

“​​President Trump has made clear that he will put the needs of his country and its citizens first before attending to the needs of the world. No leader of a nation as great as the U.S. could do otherwise,” the cardinal stated. “It would be a mistake, however, for Mr. Trump to forget about Africa.”

Ambongo highlighted Africa’s rich natural resources and “bright entrepreneurial and eager young people” as important assets to the U.S., emphasizing the utility of a relationship between Africa and the United States. 

American generosity toward Africa through USAID has “transformed millions of lives for the better” in the region, Ambongo said, pointing out that American aid has helped enhance African society and avert further political and economic crises threatening the continent’s development. In the process, he noted, American economic influence in the region has been strengthened.

With the freezing of critical aid to African countries, the cardinal described Africa as “a magnet for conflicts and fights over the natural resources so important to modern technology.” 

He also noted pervasive famine and poverty plaguing many parts of the region. 

While Ambongo acknowledged the need for the U.S. to be concerned about the use of its limited resources, he noted that international adversaries will replace the U.S. if it completely withdraws all aid to Africa.

“International politics won’t tolerate a vacuum,” he predicted. “Should the U.S. abandon Africa, its place will be taken by its adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea.”

The cardinal stressed that “it isn’t too late to turn the tide” and reach a mutually beneficial solution that does not exploit U.S. resources for ideological causes that run counter to African values by providing aid that supports abortion services and contraception in the region. 

“It’s unhelpful to tie aid to ideology — to abortion or ‘population control’ — that defies the values of many African cultures,” he said. “I believe that respect for African culture can coexist with humanitarian aid. Cultural colonization needn’t be the price exacted for a moral, strategic, and humanitarian partnership.” 

Ambongo’s remarks on the politicization of humanitarian aid come after the U.S. State Department announced its plans to destroy a reserve of artificial contraceptives that was previously set aside for distribution in developing countries through foreign aid programs. 

Pleading on behalf of bishops, priests, and laypeople in Africa, Ambongo urged Trump and his administration “to reconsider aid to his friends in Africa, who have been and will continue to be important partners of the U.S.” 

“We are eager to work closely with Washington to ensure that all such aid is used well, free of the fraud and mismanagement that has occurred in the past,” he concluded. “There is too much at stake — for Africans, for Americans, and for the world.”

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

CNA Staff, Jun 10, 2025 / 11:34 am (CNA).

The Catholic bishops in New York state are warning of a looming “nightmare” there after the state Legislature passed a measure authorizing doctors to participate in assisted suicide.

Democrats in the state Senate voted Monday to pass the “Medical Aid in Dying Act,” a measure that will allow doctors to prescribe medication to terminally ill individuals that the patients may “self-administer to bring about death.” 

The measure limits the suicide option to those 18 years or older with “an incurable and irreversible illness or condition that has been medically confirmed.” The legislation is expected to be signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

‘A dark day for New York state’

New York joins 11 other states — California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington — as well as the District of Columbia in allowing patients to take their own lives via a doctor’s prescription. 

The New York State Catholic Conference on Monday warned that the measure would bring about an “assisted suicide nightmare” similar to the suicide regime in Canada, which has expanded its own suicide program to include those who cannot consent to the procedure at the time and where violations of the law are allegedly going unreported. Euthanasia accounts for roughly 1 in 20 deaths there.

Dennis Poust, the executive director of the state Catholic conference, said on Monday that the bill’s passage marked “a dark day for New York state.”

Poust urged the governor to recognize that the law “would be catastrophic for medically underserved communities, including communities of color, as well as for people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.”

He noted that Hochul has worked to address suicide in the state but that the assisted suicide measure “undermines those priorities.” 

“The legislation passed in the Senate and Assembly contains no requirement for a psychological screening for depression or other mental illness, and not even so much as a brief waiting period for people who might be in despair following a terminal diagnosis,” he noted. 

Poust said the Catholic conference called on the government to “expand palliative and hospice care, mental health services, and family caregiver support” rather than allow legalized doctor-assisted suicide. 

Church leaders in the state have repeatedly spoken out against assisted suicide during the Legislature’s consideration of the measure. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, last month called the proposal “a disaster waiting to happen” and a “terrible idea” that “turns everything society knows and believes about medicine on its head.”

The state Catholic conference urged voters last year to voice their opposition to the measure, calling the proposal “another assault on human life here” and “dangerous for patients, caregivers, and vulnerable populations.”

Delaware is the most recent state to legalize assisted suicide. Last month state Gov. Matt Meyer signed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live.

Earlier this month, on the other hand, a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Illinois was not called for a vote in the Senate before the Legislature adjourned on June 1, effectively halting its progress for the session amid ardent opposition from leading Catholic voices in the state.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 10, 2025 / 09:20 am (CNA).

Since last year, there has been a 32% decline in U.S. child abuse allegations against Catholic clergy, according to the 2024 annual report of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection.  

Overall, “902 allegations were reported by 855 victims-survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy,” the report said, compared with 1,308 allegations by 1,254 survivors last year. 

Covering July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, the annual report is based on a survey of 195 U.S. Catholic dioceses and eparchies, drawn from data collected by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University as well as an audit by StoneBridge Business Partners. 

The annual reporting stems from the U.S. bishops’ 2002 creation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which established a framework and protocols related to allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

A total of 717 clerics were accused within the most recent audit period, with the majority of those accused (54%) being already deceased.

StoneBridge also pointed out several cases of noncompliance by jurisdictions and entities that are in violation of the articles established in the 2018 revision of the youth protection charter.

The Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Church in the USA, for example, was noncompliant due to the absence of a safe environment training program and for not completing background checks on volunteers.

The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Pennsylvania, meanwhile, was cited by not having a functional review board during the audit period.

“Measuring charter compliance allows each diocese/eparchy to assess strengths and weaknesses and identify programmatic areas requiring improvement, which are critical in our mission of protecting our children,” the report said.

The report restated the Catholic Church’s commitment “to work to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults by performing background checks on clergy, employees, and volunteers, and providing training on how to identify and report abuse signs.”

“For the U.S. Church and as articulated in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, this commitment translates into a zero-tolerance policy toward abuse,” the USCCB report reads.

Abuse allegations have shown a steady decline since 2020, averaging a 30% decrease annually, according to data accumulated over the past five years.

Harvard University professor of mathematics and biology Martin Nowak speaks at the annual conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists on June 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA

Washington D.C., Jun 10, 2025 / 08:50 am (CNA).

Harvard professor of mathematics and biology Martin Nowak focused on math as a path to God during a presentation at the 2025 annual conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists in Washington, D.C.

During a June 8 lecture titled “Does Mathematics Lead Us to God?” Nowak said that among other things, math can be viewed as “an argument for the existence of God.”

Referencing St. Augustine, Nowak said math is like “an intelligible object.”

“We judge mathematics in truth by a criterion that is within us. That is, of course, the doctrine of divine illumination. So Augustine says, ‘This is possible because God is the teacher of the soul.’”

“Mathematics is not in meta,” Nowak said. He explained that math is “timeless” and “atemporal.”

“If you accept this … you have made a step toward God.” Because “you are no longer a materialist, you are no longer a naturalist in the sense you’re no longer an atheist.” 

Math provides meaning and understanding, according to Nowak. “We walk through life and the world as meaning,” he said. “You need intelligent objects, you need mathematics.”

“It is mathematics that gives meaning … We experience mathematics as we experience love. Mathematics tells us who we are, who the other is. Mathematics tells us what stuff we are made of. Mathematics enables us to see God.”

Nowak’s discussion of math was a hot topic at the conference, especially given recent attention to Pope Leo XIV having earned a degree in mathematics from Villanova University.

“Mathematics is beautiful,” Nowak noted. “If you ask mathematicians what’s the most beautiful thing they have seen in their lives, it’s some mathematical equation.”

“Why is mathematics beautiful?” Nowak asked. He explained it’s beautiful because “God is beautiful.”

“Mathematics is the set of all correct statements,” he continued. “Mathematics is about truth with a capital T.”

“We will never be done with mathematics … because it takes forever to get to know an infinite being, God.”

“I think mathematics helps us to remember that we are eternal objects, that we are not only in time and in space,” Nowak said. 

Since God transcends everything, Nowak added, God “cannot be captured or described by mathematics.” Math, he said, has more to do with the “thoughts of God.”

Grandly co-founder and director Pili Abouchaar (right) discusses the apostolate’s work with grandparents on “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” on June 4, 2025. / Credit: “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly”/Screenshot

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 10, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

“What if the most important thing that God wants you to do is still in front of you, and that is passing on the faith to your grandchildren?” That’s the proposition Pili Abouchaar focuses on as co-founder and director of Grandly, an apostolate dedicated to helping grandparents do just that.

In an interview on “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly,” Abouchaar acknowledged that grandparents often feel helpless and hopeless in regard to this mission, but Grandly can make a difference in their approach and outlook. 

“The main thing that we try to tackle in our mission in Grandly is to try to give grandparents hope to help them bridge that generational gap between how they were raised and how youth culture is moving right now.”

The apostolate, which celebrates its 10th anniversary next year, is especially relevant now, within the context of the jubilee year and the upcoming July 27 World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, with this year’s theme being “Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Lost Hope.” 

Abouchaar said among Grandly’s offerings is “a seminar called the ‘Do It Grandly’ seminar, which grandparents can take by themselves. They can find the seminar on our website. We are also helping parishes across the United States and in other countries to host seminars for their grandparents locally.”

“Do It Grandly,” a five-session online seminar, helps grandparents embrace their unique role in fostering the faith of their grandchildren. The sessions include topics on a bold vision, renewing hope, grandparenting and youth work, the strategic grandparent, and faith to move grandchildren.

The series’ free, opening 30-minute session, titled “A Bold Vision,” covers how youth see our culture and how God is in their lives, and offers interviews and discussions with grandparents. Grandly also features on its website a variety of helpful testimonies, stories, and discussion groups.

So far, Abouchaar said Grandly has reached some 20,000 grandparents and, through them, approximately 100,000 grandchildren.  

The full segment about Grandly on “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” can be viewed below.

Pew’s latest research released June 5, 2025, found that while Christianity still remains the world’s largest religion, Islam’s growth outpaced every religion over the course of a decade. / Credit: Arthimedes/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 9, 2025 / 18:08 pm (CNA).

While Christianity remained the largest global religion from 2010 to 2020, the latest Pew Research study found that followers of Islam outpaced every world religion in population over the course of the decade.

The recently released report, “How the Global Religious Landscape Changed from 2010 to 2020,” includes data from over 2,700 sources, including national census, demographic surveys, and population registers. Some of the estimates made in the report originate from data about 2020 that was not made available till 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed census data in at least 65 countries.

The report covered 201 countries, focusing on seven religious categories: Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, people who belong to other lesser-known religions, and religiously unaffiliated.

According to the report, the total number of Christians rose by 122 million from 2010 to 2020, while the total number of Muslims rose by 327 million — “more than all other religions combined.” The global Christian population rested at 2.3 billion in 2020, while the global Muslim population came to 2 billion.

Apart from Muslims, the only other group that grew as a percentage of the global population were those who identify as having no religion, known as “nones.” 

The report described this phenomenon as “striking” because religiously unaffiliated people are typically older and have lower fertility rates, putting them at a “disadvantage” for population growth.  

By the end of 2020, however, “nones” made up 24.2% of the global population, making it the third-largest group in the study, following Christians and Muslims. 

According to the report, “people shedding their religious identity after having been raised as Christians” is the primary reason why religiously unaffiliated people outpaced religiously affiliated people across the decade. After Christianity, Buddhism lost the second-largest number of followers due to religious switching.

The U.S. was among many countries where a large percentage of its Christian population became unaffiliated from 2010 to 2020. However, Pew noted findings since 2020 have indicated that the decline appears to have leveled off. As of 2020, the U.S. had the second-largest population of religiously unaffiliated individuals globally, following China.

In terms of regional distribution, sub-Saharan Africa is now home to the majority of the world’s Christians, with 30.7% living in the region as of 2020. This is a change from 2010, when 24.8% lived in sub-Saharan Africa and 25.8%, the majority of the world’s Christians, lived in Europe. 

The shift was due to both natural population increase in sub-Saharan Africa and “widespread Christian disaffiliation in Western Europe,” the report found, noting: “This is a major geographic change since the early 1900s, when Christians in sub-Saharan Africa made up 1% of the global Christian population and two-thirds of Christians lived in Europe.” 

In fact, Christians experienced substantial change in more countries than any other religious group, shrinking as a share in the population in all but one country — Mozambique, where the share of Christians rose by 5 percentage points.  

Regional concentrations of Jews also changed, the report noted, with 45.9% living in the Middle East-North Africa region and 41% living in North America. In 2010, the largest number of Jews lived in North America. The shift was largely due to the growth of Israel’s population from 5.8 million to 6.8 million through migration and natural increase over the course of the decade. 

Few countries experienced substantial change in percentage of Muslims in their populations, the report noted, despite having the largest global population growth overall. This is because the growth occurred in countries where Muslims were already the dominant religious group. Islamic population growth was largely attributed to high fertility rates.

Hindus were the fourth-largest religious group as of 2020, growing about 12% from 2010 to 2020, with the most notable growth in the Middle East-North Africa region, where they rose to 3.2 million — up 62%. Nonetheless, the majority of Hindus are still in India, and the religion remained at a stable 14.9% of the global population over the course of the decade.

Of all religions represented in the report, Buddhists were the only group to experience worldwide decline between 2010 and 2020, with the number of Buddhists around the world shrinking by 5% from 343 million in 2010 to 324 million in 2020. 

“This was due both to religious disaffiliation among Buddhists in East Asia and to a relatively low birth rate among Buddhists, who tend to live in countries with older populations,” the report explained. 

Pew also examined growth in people who adhere to “other religions,” including Baha’is, Jains, Shintoists, Sikhs, Daoists, Wiccans, Zoroastrians, and others. Pew estimated that the number of people belonging to this category rose by 12%, from 154 million to 172 million from 2010 to 2020. However, the world’s population grew at the approximately the same rate, leaving the percentage of adherents to “other religions” at a stable percentage of around 2% of the global population. 

Waymo cars are set on fire and vandalized during a protest against immigration raids on June 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. / Credit: Nick Ut/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jun 9, 2025 / 17:38 pm (CNA).

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest Catholic community, issued a statement calling for “restraint and calm” as tensions in Los Angeles escalated over the weekend after protests sparked by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of unauthorized immigrants turned violent.

“I am troubled by today’s immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles, and I am praying for our community,” Gomez said in a statement issued June 6.

“We all agree that we don’t want undocumented immigrants who are known terrorists or violent criminals in our communities. But there is no need for the government to carry out enforcement actions in a way that provokes fear and anxiety among ordinary, hardworking immigrants and their families.”

In his statement, Gomez called on Congress to fix the country’s “broken” immigration system.

The unrest, which began on June 6 in response to ICE raids at multiple work sites, escalated after the arrest of David Huerta, president of the California chapter of the Service Employees International Union, who allegedly blocked the path of ICE vehicles. 

Videos showed crowds surrounding vans, chanting, and growing in number as the protests extended into the night. Demonstrations intensified on Saturday, with protesters gathering outside the detention facility where Huerta was being held after his release from the hospital, where he was treated for injuries sustained during his demonstration and subsequent arrest.

On Sunday, the situation worsened as California Highway Patrol used flash-bang grenades to clear Highway 101 after protesters blocked the roadway, throwing debris, including tree branches and fireworks, at police vehicles below.

Sunday night saw further chaos, with protesters setting multiple Waymo driverless taxis on fire, throwing rocks at officers, and defacing neighborhoods with anti-ICE graffiti. 

A candlelight interfaith prayer vigil scheduled for Sunday evening at Los Angeles City Hall, organized by the archdiocese’s Immigration Task Force and groups like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Central American Resource Center, and LA Voice, was postponed out of caution due to the escalating violence. 

The groups issued a statement reaffirming their call for nonviolence and pledged to reschedule the vigil when conditions stabilize.

President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard on Saturday night, citing local leaders’ failure to control the situation. Gov. Gavin Newsom fiercely opposed the move, calling it a breach of state sovereignty. On Monday, California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging its decision to federalize the California National Guard.

Bishop William Byrne of the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, gives the keynote address at the 2024 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., Feb. 8, 2024. / Credit: EWTN

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 9, 2025 / 17:08 pm (CNA).

As lawmakers consider rules related to the development of artificial intelligence (AI), the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging them to prioritize “the life and dignity of the human person and the common good.”

“Artificial intelligence is rapidly shaping the future of our society,” Bishop William D. Byrne, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Communications, said in a statement.

“As pastors entrusted with the care of human life and dignity, we urge lawmakers to heed the call of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, to help ensure that AI is developed with responsibility and discernment so that it may truly benefit every person,” Byrne said.

Although Congress is not currently debating comprehensive AI regulations, the House-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” could have a major impact on the technology moving forward. One provision in the bill would restrict states from regulating AI for 10 years, essentially federalizing the issue.

That bill is now in the Senate, where it’s expected to face some adjustments. If the pending Senate version passes, it will be sent back to the House.

The bishops, while acknowledging in their letter to congressional leaders that they are “not technical experts,” wrote that they are speaking as pastors and laid out ethical principles and policy considerations on which they hope lawmakers will reflect.

“Please be assured of our prayers and readiness to assist you in this important and timely work,” the bishops wrote.

Ethical principles

One of the primary ethical concerns the bishops noted is “the inherent dignity of every human person,” which they wrote “must always be at the center of technological development.”

“AI is a tool that, when informed by sound moral principles, can help overcome many of life’s obstacles and improve the human condition,” the bishops wrote. “But this technology should supplement what human beings do, not replace them or their moral judgments. We also must avoid temptations toward transhumanism or equating AI itself with human life.”

The bishops also expressed concern for people facing economic hardships, noting that “AI will only serve all when it works to assist our poorest and most vulnerable sisters and brothers and when they can equitably participate in and benefit from its development and use.”

A third ethical principle highlighted by the bishops was “respect for the truth,” stating that “AI is being used by some to undermine the dignity of persons and respect for the truth” with a misuse of news and political information and deepfakes, adding: “AI systems must have human oversight and well-defined accountability in order to promote transparency and fair democratic processes.”

Policy considerations

On matters of policy, the bishops argued that AI can provide benefits to society when used in moral ways but that it can be detrimental to society if it is used unethically or lacks necessary safeguards.

For example, when it comes to family issues, they note AI “can contribute to the efficiency of certain daily tasks and aid in communication” but that “the isolating effect of technology needs to be counteracted.” They said AI should also “work to strengthen and support family life” and ensure it is not used to “promote or enhance morally offensive uses of reproductive technologies and genetic manipulation.”

On economics, the bishops also echoed a very popular concern of “job displacement, inequality, and exploitation” from AI, stating that “policies and regulations should ensure protections for workers, promote education and job training, require public accountability for government use of AI, and require human oversight in AI-driven employment decisions.”

“To encourage the artistic and creative spirit, we also call for the protection of data and intellectual property rights,” the bishops wrote.

The bishops wrote positively that AI “has the potential to improve many aspects of life and society” on matters such as the need for food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and social services. They noted AI “has led to the development of new medicines and technologies to improve health” and “it can support new tools for learning and transform how we communicate and participate in society.” 

Alternatively, they warned that if not regulated properly, “it has even greater possibilities of further polarizing society and worsening inequalities,” highlighting concerns about how it has been used for automated decision-making, such as with employment screening, health care, public benefit screening, and immigration processing.

“[It] can reinforce existing biases or introduce a utilitarian approach devoid of necessary human considerations, with potentially devastating consequences,” the bishops wrote.

They also noted positives and negatives on energy and the environment, stating that AI can be used “in finding solutions to the current crises of energy and the environment,” but wrote that they are concerned about expenditures of energy, the consumption of resources, and electronic waste containing mercury and lead.

On matters of war, the bishops expressed further concern about “the development and use of lethal autonomous weapons,” adding that “policies should make clear that human control over any weapon system is essential to mitigate the horrors of warfare and the undermining of fundamental human rights.”

The USCCB wrote in the letter that these principles and guidelines “are not intended to be exhaustive” but are rather “a modest initial reflection for your consideration as you deliberate on options for federal policy and regulatory action.”