Highlands El Encinar School in Madrid. / Credit: Courtesy of Highlands School

Madrid, Spain, Mar 13, 2025 / 06:40 am (CNA).

Father Marcelino de Andrés Núñez, a priest of the Legionaries of Christ and former secretary of Marcial Maciel, was arrested in Spain and released subject to restrictions, accused of abusing five underage girls at a school where he served as a primary and secondary school chaplain.

Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, sexually abused at least 60 minors, most between the ages of 11 and 16, according to a report issued by the Legionaries of Christ in December 2019. 

According to several statements released by Highlands El Encinar School in recent days, Spain’s National Police arrested de Andrés on March 6, initially accused of sexually abusing one female student.

Upon learning of the events, the school activated the Safe Environment Protocol for cases of sexual abuse reported against a Legionary of Christ, the last approved version of which dates back to February 2023.

Within hours of informing parents of the arrest, four more complaints were received, and the school sent a new communication to parents responding to the main questions received during that period.

Highlands School explained that the priest arrived at the school in September 2022 to fill a vacancy and that he presented a certificate stating he had no criminal record for sexual offenses.

The school stated that the priest was hired despite his known ties to the founder of Regnum Christi and the Legionaries of Christ, Maciel, “because there was no history of inappropriate behavior against minors that would prevent him from carrying out his work in an educational center.”

De Andrés was released March 8 subject to restrictions by the judge, who imposed several precautionary measures.

He was prohibited from getting within 300 meters (almost 1,000 feet) of the school; from approaching or communicating with the underage girls who complained; from engaging in any activity that involves regular and direct contact with minors; and from leaving the country.

Furthermore, the judge ordered the priest to surrender his passport, and he appointed his sister and a criminal lawyer to defend him.

De Andrés is the author of numerous books in Spanish, including “Joseph of Nazareth, a Man After God's Own Heart,” “What Are You Waiting for to Be Happy?”, “Tales of Hope,” and “Give Him Wings: More than 100 Ways to Love.”

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

Pope Francis at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, Oct. 5, 2016. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

CNA Staff, Mar 13, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

March 13 marks the 12th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 265th successor of St. Peter. Here is a timeline of key events during his papacy:

2013

March 13 — About two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI steps down from the papacy, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is elected pope. He takes the papal name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and proclaims from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another.”

March 14 — The day after he begins his pontificate, Pope Francis returns to his hotel to personally pay his hotel bill and collect his luggage.

July 8 — Pope Francis visits Italy’s island of Lampedusa and meets with a group of 50 migrants, most of whom are young men from Somalia and Eritrea. The island, which is about 200 miles off the coast of Tunisia, is a common entry point for migrants who flee parts of Africa and the Middle East to enter Europe. This is the pope’s first pastoral visit outside of Rome and sets the stage for making reaching out to the peripheries a significant focus.

July 23-28 — Pope Francis visits Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in World Youth Day 2013. More than 3 million people from around the world attend the event.

July 29 — On the return flight from Brazil, Pope Francis gives his first papal news conference and sparks controversy by saying “if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” The phrase is prompted by a reporter asking the pope a question about priests who have homosexual attraction.

Nov. 24 — Pope Francis publishes his first apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). The document illustrates the pope’s vision for how to approach evangelization in the modern world.

2014

Feb. 22 — Pope Francis holds his first papal consistory to appoint 19 new cardinals, including ones from countries in the developing world that have never previously been represented in the College of Cardinals, such as Haiti.

March 22 — Pope Francis creates the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission works to protect the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, such as the victims of sexual abuse.

Oct. 5 — The Synod on the Family begins. The bishops discuss a variety of concerns, including single-parent homes, cohabitation, homosexual adoption of children, and interreligious marriages.

Dec. 6 — After facing some pushback for his efforts to reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis discusses his opinion in an interview with La Nacion, an Argentine news outlet: “Resistance is now evident. And that is a good sign for me, getting the resistance out into the open, no stealthy mumbling when there is disagreement. It’s healthy to get things out into the open, it’s very healthy.”

2015

Jan. 18 — To conclude a trip to Asia, Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manila, Philippines. Approximately 6 million to 7 million people attend the record-setting Mass, despite heavy rain.

March 23 — Pope Francis visits Naples, Italy, to show the Church’s commitment to helping the fight against corruption and organized crime in the city.

May 24 — To emphasize the Church’s mission to combat global warming and care for the environment, Pope Francis publishes the encyclical Laudato Si’, which urges people to take care of the environment and encourages political action to address climate problems.

Sept. 19-22 — Pope Francis visits Cuba and meets with Fidel Castro in the first papal visit to the country since Pope John Paul II in 1998. During his homily, Francis discusses the dignity of the human person: “Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it.”

Sept. 22-27 — After departing from Cuba, Pope Francis makes his first papal visit to the United States. In Washington, D.C., he speaks to a joint session of Congress, in which he urges lawmakers to work toward promoting the common good, and canonizes the Franciscan missionary St. Junípero Serra. He also attends the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which focuses on celebrating the gift of the family.

Oct. 4 — Pope Francis begins the second Synod on the Family to address issues within the modern family, such as single-parent homes, cohabitation, poverty, and abuse.

Oct. 18 — The pope canonizes St. Louis Martin and St. Marie-Azélie “Zelie” Guérin. The married couple were parents to five nuns, including St. Therese of Lisieux. They are the first married couple to be canonized together.

Dec. 8 — Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy begins. The year focuses on God’s mercy and forgiveness and people’s redemption from sin. The pope delegates certain priests in each diocese to be Missionaries of Mercy who have the authority to forgive sins that are usually reserved for the Holy See.

2016

March 19 — Pope Francis publishes the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which discusses a wide variety of issues facing the modern family based on discussions from the two synods on the family. The pope garners significant controversy from within the Church for comments he makes in Chapter 8 about Communion for the divorced and remarried.

April 16 — After visiting refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis allows three Muslim refugee families to join him on his flight back to Rome. He says the move was not a political statement.

July 26-31 — Pope Francis visits Krakow, Poland, as part of the World Youth Day festivities. About 3 million young Catholic pilgrims from around the world attend.

Sept. 4 — The pope canonizes St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is also known as Mother Teresa. The saint, a nun from Albania, dedicated her life to missionary and charity work, primarily in India.

Sept. 30-Oct. 2 — Pope Francis visits Georgia and Azerbaijan on his 16th trip outside of Rome since the start of his papacy. His trip focuses on Catholic relations with Orthodox Christians and Muslims.

Oct. 4 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to Amatrice, Italy, to pray for the victims of an earthquake in central Italy that killed nearly 300 people.

2017

May 12-13 — In another papal trip, Francis travels to Fatima, Portugal, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. May 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Marian apparition to three children in the city.

July 11 — Pope Francis adds another category of Christian life suitable for the consideration of sainthood: “offering of life.” The category is distinct from martyrdom, which only applies to someone who is killed for his or her faith. The new category applies to those who died prematurely through an offering of their life to God and neighbor.

Nov. 19 — On the first-ever World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis eats lunch with 4,000 poor and people in need in Rome.

Nov. 27-Dec. 2 — In another trip to Asia, Pope Francis travels to Myanmar and Bangladesh. He visits landmarks and meets with government officials, Catholic clergy, and Buddhist monks. He also preaches the Gospel and promotes peace in the region.

2018

Jan. 15-21 — The pope takes another trip to Latin America, this time visiting Chile and Peru. The pontiff meets with government officials and members of the clergy while urging the faithful to remain close to the clergy and reject secularism. The Chilean visit leads to controversy over Chilean clergy sex abuse scandals.

Aug. 2 — The Vatican formally revises No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which concerns the death penalty. The previous text suggested the death penalty could be permissible in certain circumstances, but the revision states that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”

Aug. 25 — Archbishop Carlo Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, publishes an 11-page letter calling for the resignation of Pope Francis and accusing him and other Vatican officials of covering up sexual abuse including allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The pope initially does not directly respond to the letter, but nine months after its publication he denies having prior knowledge about McCarrick’s conduct.

Aug. 25-26 — Pope Francis visits Dublin, Ireland, to attend the World Meeting of Families. The theme is “the Gospel of family, joy for the world.”

Oct. 3-28 — The Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment takes place. The synod focuses on best practices to teach the faith to young people and to help them discern God’s will.

2019

Jan. 22-27 — The third World Youth Day during Pope Francis’ pontificate takes place during these six days in Panama City, Panama. Young Catholics from around the world gather for the event, with approximately 3 million people in attendance.

Feb. 4 — Pope Francis signs a joint document in with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, titled the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” The document focuses on people of different faiths uniting together to live peacefully and advance a culture of mutual respect.

Feb. 21-24 — The Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, which is labeled the Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit, takes place. The meeting focuses on sexual abuse scandals in the Church and emphasizes responsibility, accountability, and transparency.

Oct. 6-27 — The Church holds the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, which is also known as the Amazon Synod. The synod is meant to present ways in which the Church can better evangelize the Amazon region but leads to controversy when carved images of a pregnant Amazonian woman, referred to by the pope as Pachamama, are used in several events and displayed in a basilica near the Vatican.

Oct. 13 — St. John Henry Newman, an Anglican convert to Catholicism and a cardinal, is canonized by Pope Francis. Newman’s writings inspired Catholic student associations at nonreligious colleges and universities in the United States and other countries.

2020

March 15 — Pope Francis takes a walking pilgrimage in Rome to the chapel of the crucifix and prays for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crucifix was carried through Rome during the plague of 1522.

March 27 — Pope Francis gives an extraordinary “urbi et orbi” blessing in an empty and rain-covered St. Peter’s Square, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

2021

March 5-8 — In his first papal trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis becomes the first pope to visit Iraq. On his trip, he signs a joint statement with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemning extremism and promoting peace.

July 3 — Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, is indicted in a Vatican court for embezzlement, money laundering, and other crimes. The pope gives approval for the indictment.

July 4 — Pope Francis undergoes colon surgery for diverticulitis, a common condition in older people. The Vatican releases a statement that assures the pope “reacted well” to the surgery. Francis is released from the hospital after 10 days.

July 16 — Pope Francis issues a motu proprio titled Traditionis Custodes. The document imposes heavy restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

Dec. 2-6 — The pope travels to Cyprus and Greece. The trip includes another visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to meet with migrants.

2022

Jan. 11 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to a record store in Rome called StereoSound. The pope, who has an affinity for classical music, blesses the newly renovated store.

March 19 — The pope promulgates Praedicate Evangelium, which reforms the Roman Curia. The reforms emphasize evangelization and establish more opportunities for the laity to be in leadership positions.

May 5 — Pope Francis is seen in a wheelchair for the first time in public and begins to use one more frequently. The pope has been suffering from knee problems for months.

July 24-30 — In his first papal visit to Canada, Pope Francis apologizes for the harsh treatment of the indigenous Canadians, saying many Christians and members of the Catholic Church were complicit.

2023

Jan. 31-Feb. 5 — Pope Francis travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. During his visit, the pope condemns political violence in the countries and promotes peace. He also participates in an ecumenical prayer service with Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields.

March 29-April 1 — Pope Francis is hospitalized for a respiratory infection. During his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, he visits the pediatric cancer ward and baptizes a newborn baby.  

April 5 — The pope appears in the Disney documentary “The Pope: Answers,” which is in Spanish, answering six “hot-button” issues from members of Gen Z from various backgrounds. The group discusses immigration, depression, abortion, clergy sexual and psychological abuse, transgenderism, pornography, and loss of faith.

April 28-30 — Pope Francis visits Hungary to meet with government officials, civil society members, bishops, priests, seminarians, Jesuits, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers. He celebrates Mass on the final day of the trip in Kossuth Lajos Square.

June 7 — The Vatican announces that Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery that afternoon under general anesthesia due to a hernia that is causing painful, recurring, and worsening symptoms. In his general audience that morning before the surgery, Francis says he intends to publish an apostolic letter on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “patroness of the missions,” to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth.

June 15 — After successful surgery and a week of recovery, Pope Francis is released from Gemelli Hospital.

Aug. 2-6 — Pope Francis travels to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day 2023, taking place from Aug. 1-6. He meets with Church and civil leaders ahead of presiding at the welcoming Mass and Stations of the Cross. He also hears the confessions of several pilgrims. On Aug. 5, he visits the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, where he prays the rosary with young people with disabilities. That evening he presides over the vigil and on Sunday, Aug. 6, he celebrates the closing Mass, where he urges the 1.5 million young people present to “be not afraid,” echoing the words of the founder of World Youth Days, St. John Paul II.

Aug. 31-Sept. 4 — Pope Francis travels to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. The trip makes Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile border with China, its most significant economic partner. Mongolia has a population of about 1,300 Catholics in a country of more than 3 million people.

Sept. 22-23 — On a two-day trip to Marseille, France, Pope Francis meets with local civil and religious leaders and participates in the Mediterranean Encounter, a gathering of some 120 young people of various creeds with bishops from 30 countries.

Oct. 4-29 — The Vatican hosts the first of two monthlong global assemblies of the Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021 to enhance the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of the synod at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29. The second and final global assembly will take place at the Vatican in October 2024.

Nov. 25 — Pope Francis visits the hospital briefly for precautionary testing after coming down with the flu earlier in the day. Although he still participates in scheduled activities, other officials read his prepared remarks. The Vatican on Nov. 28 cancels the pope’s planned Dec. 1–3 trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech, due to his illness.

Dec. 18 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which authorizes nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples and couples in “irregular situations.” Various bishops from around the world voice both support for and criticism of the document.

2024

Jan. 14 — Pope Francis for the first time responds publicly to questions about Fiducia Supplicans in an interview on an Italian television show. The pope underlines that “the Lord blesses everyone” and that a blessing is an invitation to enter into a conversation “to see what the road is that the Lord proposes to them.”

Feb. 11 — In a ceremony attended by Argentine president Javier Milei, Pope Francis canonizes María Antonia of St. Joseph — known affectionately in the pope’s home country as “Mama Antula” — in a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The president and the former archbishop of Buenos Aires embrace after the ceremony. Pope Francis, who has not returned to his homeland since becoming pope in 2013, has said he wants to visit Argentina in the second half of this year.

March 13 — Pope Francis celebrates 11 years as supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

April 8 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith releases Dignitas Infinita (“Infinite Dignity”), a document that reaffirms the Church’s perennial opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and gender ideology. 

May 19 — Pope Francis appears on CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview with Norah O’Donnell, where he states categorically that women’s ordination to the priesthood and the diaconate is off the table.

June 14 — Pope Francis becomes the first pope to address the G7 Summit in the southern Italian region of Puglia. In his remarks, he stresses that human dignity requires that the decisions of artificial intelligence (AI) be under the control of human beings. During the three-day event, the pope also meets with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Sept. 2-13 — Pope Francis embarks on a 12-day trip of more than 20,000 miles over seven flights through Asia and Oceania. The trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore is his most ambitious international trip yet and the longest of his 11-year pontificate. In East Timor, 600,000 Catholics attend Mass with the Holy Father.

Oct. 2-27 — The three-year Synod on Synodality concludes with the final session in Rome and the adoption of the final report, which in a surprise move Pope Francis signs immediately, stating he will not issue a separate postsynodal document.

Dec. 7 — Pope Francis holds a consistory at the Vatican in which he creates 21 new cardinals, including Archbishop Frank Leo of Toronto; Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu of Tehran-Isfahan, Iran; and Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, reflecting the pope’s emphasis on the Church’s global mission.

Dec. 24 — On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica to officially launch the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

2025

Jan. 14 — “Hope,” Pope Francis’ autobiography, is released. The book marks the first time a pope has provided a first-person narration of the episodes that have marked his entire life, in this case from his childhood in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants to becoming the successor of St. Peter.

Feb. 14 — Pope Francis is hospitalized with bronchitis and later develops double pneumonia.

March 13 — While still in Gemelli Hosptial in Rome for treatment for respiratory illnesses, Pope Francis celebrates the 12th anniversay of his election to the papacy.

This story was last updated on March 11, 2025.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on March 12, 2025, that said she has “limited authority” to cancel a scheduled “black mass,” instead decreeing that the event must take place outside and not inside the capitol building itself. / Credit: Nils Huenerfuerst/Wikipedia/CC BY 4.0

CNA Staff, Mar 12, 2025 / 18:55 pm (CNA).

Amid outcry from Catholics over a “black mass” slated to take place at the Kansas state capitol building on March 28, Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday said she has “limited authority” to cancel the event, instead decreeing that the event must take place outside and not inside the building itself. 

The Satanic Grotto, the Kansas group purportedly organizing the March 28 “black mass,” says the event is intended to “dedicate the grounds and our legislature to the glory of Satan.” The group will be “performing rites” and “indulging in sacrilegious blaspheme [sic].”

“Satanist” groups intending to stage so-called “black masses” — a direct mockery of the Catholic Mass — have on at least one occasion boasted of possessing a stolen consecrated host with an intent to desecrate the Eucharist in an unspecified but profane ritual.

A petition launched by a Catholic group asking Kelly to shut down the event claims to have attracted nearly 34,600 signatures as of Wednesday.

In a March 12 statement, Kelly said she shares many of the concerns Catholics have raised about the “black mass,” noting there are “more constructive ways to protest and express disagreements without insulting or denigrating sacred religious symbols.”

“However, as governor, I also have a duty to protect protesters’ constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression, regardless of how offensive or distasteful I might find the content to be. Since these rights are constitutionally protected, the governor’s office has limited authority to respond to such actions,” Kelly continued. 

In the interest of keeping the capitol “open and accessible to the public while ensuring all necessary health and safety regulations are enforced,” however, Kelly said the “black mass” event will need to take place outside on the capitol grounds rather than inside the capitol building itself. 

“[N]o protests will be allowed inside the statehouse on March 28,” Kelly concluded. 

Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, was unimpressed with Kelly’s response, telling CNA in a statement that her March 12 message “reeks of condescension and a willful ignorance about what is scheduled to happen.”

“Make no mistake: A vile and despicable Satanic worship ritual has been approved to take place on the grounds of the Kansas state Capitol, ‘The People’s House.’ Moving it from the living room to the front porch changes nothing,” Weber said. 

“Where is the condemnation of this provocative expression of hatred and anti-Catholic bigotry?” he said.

Weber also informed CNA that the organizer of the group planning the “black mass” has been telephoning the Catholic Conference for the purpose of “taunting me and the bishops,” even texting Weber personally to harass him and boast of his intention to “kill Jesus.” The group has engaged in anti-Catholic political protests in the past, including recently at the Kansas March for Life. 

For their part, the Catholic bishops of the state are urging the faithful to counter the planned event through prayer, good works such as seeking out volunteer opportunities with Catholic Charities, and by contacting their lawmakers to ask them to shut the event down. 

“If true, this explicit demonstration of anti-Catholic bigotry will be an insult to not only Catholics but all people of goodwill. Spiritual and legal responses are being explored,” the bishops said in a joint statement shared with CNA on March 6. 

“The Catholic bishops of Kansas ask that first and foremost, we pray for the conversion of those taking part in this event, as well as each person’s own conversion of heart during this sacred season of Lent. The Kansas Catholic Conference will continue to update the faithful as the situation unfolds.”

Nearby Benedictine College announced March 10 that students and staff will be dedicating the month’s weekly Holy Hours, rosaries, and Memorare prayers to the intention of the conversion of those involved in the sacrilegious event and to the intention that faith will grow in Kansas.

Catholic opposition to “black mass” events has a history of success in recent years. 

Last October, Catholics in Atlanta were outraged and called to prayer when a “black mass” event was announced by the Satanic Temple, a provocative Salem, Massachusetts-based political organization that denies belief in the supernatural and is known for protesting religious symbolism in public spaces.

After legal action by the Atlanta Archdiocese, the Satanic Temple admitted it did not have a consecrated host and did not intend to use one in its “mass.”

In 2014, a planned “black mass” at Harvard University sparked considerable outcry from Catholics, as did another one later that year in Oklahoma City. The latter led to a successful lawsuit from the Oklahoma City Archdiocese against an occult group that claimed to have obtained a consecrated host, leading to the host’s safe return. 

Jay Bhattacharya testifies during a U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on his nomination to be director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 5, 2025. / Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Mar 12, 2025 / 18:20 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said in his confirmation hearing last week that he was “absolutely committed” to finding alternatives to vaccines developed using aborted fetal cell lines.

When asked whether he would prohibit the use of aborted fetal tissue in NIH-funded research, Stanford University medical school professor and health economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said he would follow the lead of Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the issue.

Bhattacharya then said he would seek ethical alternatives to using medical research based on cell lines taken from fetal tissue harvested from aborted babies decades ago, earning him praise from Catholic bioethicists. 

Trump’s pick for NIH director said the issue came up during the development of the COVID-19 vaccines when many pro-life advocates were concerned that abortion-derived cell lines were being used in developing the vaccines.

“In public health, we need to make sure the products of science are ethically acceptable to everybody,” Bhattacharya said. “And so having alternatives that are not ethically conflicted with fetal cell lines is not just an ethical issue, but it’s a public health issue. We need to make sure that everyone is willing to take the kinds of progress we make, and so I’m absolutely committed to that.”

Many research labs use preestablished cell lines that were made from aborted fetal tissue. The original cell lines were designed to replicate themselves, meaning that cell lines are no longer made up of fetal tissue. Because aborted fetal tissue was used to create them, bioethicists and Catholic leaders have voiced ethical concerns about fetal cell lines. 

COVID-19 vaccines were made using these preestablished cell lines. While scientists didn’t directly use aborted fetal tissue, they used a cell line created from it. 

The U.S. bishops and the Vatican at the time encouraged alternatives that were not related to abortion, where possible, while noting that if no other options were available, it could be morally justified to receive a vaccine made by the preestablished fetal cell lines. 

The first Trump administration: a mixed record

In 2019, the Trump-Pence administration effectively banned federally-funded research conducted on aborted fetal tissue — a move that the Biden administration quickly undid. 

The first Trump administration also established an NIH Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board that was lauded by the U.S. bishops in 2020 after the board recommended against federal funding of 13 research proposals using fetal tissue.

Father Tad Pacholczyk, a Catholic priest, neuroscientist, and senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, shared his hopes that the current Trump administration would resume and strengthen its previous efforts to eliminate the use of aborted fetal tissue.

Pacholczyk, who served on the NIH’s Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board during the first Trump administration in 2020, recalled that members of the board offered “almost unanimous recommendations to decline funding for research proposals that relied on cell lines and tissues derived from abortions.” 

“Most of the grant proposals that sought to use fetal tissues from abortions were not approved by the committee,” Pacholczyk noted, largely because of ethical concerns, informed-consent procedures, and the availability of ethical alternatives. 

“As far as I am aware, no prior administration has ever taken such intentional steps to restrict the use of fetal cells derived from direct abortions in research,” Pacholczyk said. “These important efforts to eliminate their use in research need to continue, and it is my hope that the returning administration will strengthen these efforts.”

However, Pacholczyk also expressed his concern about the Trump administration’s handling of COVID-19, noting that taxpayer dollars went into the development of COVID-19 vaccines “that relied upon abortion-derived cells for their production or testing, without employing its own ethics advisory board.”

The use of fetal cell lines was controversial, with the U.S. bishops clarifying that it could be morally acceptable to use a vaccine with a connection to aborted fetal tissue if there were no alternatives.

“Clearly, the tax dollars of American citizens should not be used to encourage unethical biomedical research because this can result in a form of coercion of the taxpayer whereby they unwittingly become cooperators in evil,” Pacholczyk said.

Bioethicist David Prentice — a stem cell research expert and former vice president and research director for the Charlotte Lozier Institute — welcomed Bhattacharya’s comments. 

“I’m heartened by Dr. Bhattacharya’s pledge to halt fetal tissue and abortion-derived fetal cell use,” Prentice told CNA. “The effect of a prohibition on fetal tissue research would actually be positive, steering scientists away from unproductive, antiquated research into practices that have already shown effectiveness at bringing treatments to patients.” 

He noted that the Biden administration’s reversal “set back ethical, productive science.” 

“The Biden administration abolished ethical review of the science and opened the door to further funding of unethical research,” Prentice noted. “The Biden reversal of the first Trump administration’s efforts to steer away from unethical fetal tissue research actually set back ethical, productive science.”  

This decision has a ripple effect on public health, Prentice observed.

“As Dr. Bhattacharya noted, this has significant public health implications, because the public is concerned about ethical production of medicines and treatments,” Prentice noted. 

Research alternatives

Bioethicists have noted that the use of aborted fetuses is not only unethical — it is often unnecessary.

Franciscan University’s Dean of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences Dan Kuebler, a biologist and Catholic speaker, noted that there are viable ethical alternatives out there.   

Aborted fetal tissue is typically obtained from elective abortions because it is fresher, Kuebler explained. Additionally, fetal cells are less immunogenic, meaning they are easier to transplant, but Kuebler noted that other non-immunogenic stem cells are available. 

Prentice noted that both fetal tissue and fetal cell lines “are derived from elective abortion, are obtained by the willful destruction of a young human life, and exist due to that unethical act.”

“These young individuals did not die due to natural causes but rather their lives were intentionally terminated with the deliberate goal of the intervention being their death,” Prentice continued. 

But ethical alternatives exist, including in pluripotent stem cells, CRISPR technology, and adult stem cells.

“Switching to ethical sources is not going to slow down scientific advancement in the way that people often say,” Kuebler noted. “It’s going to make us change how we do it and the cell types we use, but it’s not going to inhibit the ability to develop cells for transplantation, cells for vaccine development, and so forth.”

“With our ability to use and manipulate adult stem cells and human-induced pluripotent stem cells, the need for fetal tissue for research is becoming obsolete,” Kuebler said. “Our ability to develop organoids from adult tissue as well is also making that obsolete.”

Pope Francis with Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako in 2020. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2025 / 17:55 pm (CNA).

The Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, said with emotion that most of the Iraqi population has been distressed by Pope Francis’ extended hospitalization and that even “Muslims are praying for his recovery.”

Sako revealed that both the current Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudan, and Mustafa Abdellatif Mshatat, a politician who was in office when the pope traveled to the country in March 2021, have personally called him to inquire about the Holy Father’s health.

“They were very concerned and asked me to convey their closeness to him; I did so through the secretariat of state,” the cardinal explained in a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Sako said with emotion that all the Chaldean churches and convents pray for Pope Francis every day. “He is also our father, not only of the Latin Church, and every day we await the medical report,” he explained.

The cardinal emphasized that Muslims, too, have wanted to show their closeness to him.

“Many Muslims contact me every day to find out how he is,” he continued, adding that they hold dear the memory of the Holy Father’s visit to this country four years ago, in March 2021.

“No one forgets it. Those were three days when we were like in paradise, without attacks, bombs, or deaths from war,” he recalled.

The prelate also noted that Al-Kadhimi went all out for Pope Francis’ visit, having “the streets decorated and music played to create a festive atmosphere.”

“Everywhere there were pictures of the Holy Father and the Vatican flag,” he added.

Sako was on a pilgrimage last week to Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, the common father of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This town in southern Iraq is considered one of the most important sacred sites for Christianity in ancient Mesopotamia.

“We made the Stations of the Cross for Pope Francis, all the priests from Baghdad together with about 20 nuns, and there were also some Muslims with us. It was truly a beautiful moment,” he related.

South Sudan is also praying for the Holy Father

South Sudan is another country that fondly remembers Pope Francis’ visit in early 2023 and continues to pray for him during these difficult times.

The bishop of the Diocese of Bentiu, Christian Carlassare, who was in charge of some of the preparations and organized a 250-mile pilgrimage with the country’s youth to prepare for the pope’s arrival, assured that the South Sudanese “love him very much.”

“They didn’t just warmly embrace him when he visited them two years ago. They know that the pope’s heart is in South Sudan and all the peripheries of the world,” he noted.

Likewise, no one will forget the gesture of peace Pope Francis made in April 2019 when he organized a spiritual retreat at the Vatican with the then-president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and his opponent, Riek Machar.

During his trip to the country, the second stop on his journey to Central Africa after spending three days in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the pope vehemently criticized the violence, which has been seared into that society’s conscience.

“These are years of wars and conflicts that seem to have no end. Violent clashes have even recently been recorded, while reconciliation processes and promises of peace remain unfulfilled,” Pope Francis said upon landing in Juba.

All the parishes in the country are praying for his recovery. “All the churches are praying the rosary, remembering the Holy Father especially in this time of fatigue and illness,” he said.

Carlassare said the people feel the pope’s “strong presence despite the weakness of his body.”

“It is the light of a person who is spontaneous, who is present, who loves Christ and loves his Church,” he concluded.

Indonesia: interfaith prayers for pope’s health

In addition, young Indonesians of different faiths have also wanted to join the prayers arriving from around the world to the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where the pontiff remains hospitalized with double pneumonia.

“In a gesture of unity and hope, young people and leaders of different religions gathered at Hati Indonesia, the geodesic dome of the Scholas Occurrentes center created by young people from the movement, to offer interfaith prayers for the health of Pope Francis,” the movement said in a statement.

This space, inaugurated by the Holy Father in September 2024 during his apostolic visit to Indonesia, has become a symbol of the encounter between cultures and religions.

On this occasion, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists gathered to pray together for the Holy Father’s “speedy recovery.”

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

null / Credit: sergign/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 12, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

A federal judge has ordered the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to make foreign aid payments to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for completed work but gave administration officials some limited authority in deciding how money will be spent moving forward.

Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office to halt spending for most foreign aid programs established through Congress. Several Catholic NGOs that do humanitarian work overseas — including Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Service — immediately lost access to funds and subsequently laid off thousands of workers.

Although NGOs must be paid for work they have already completed, the court order does not guarantee that any of those specific organizations will receive additional funds moving forward.

U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, ordered the administration to pay about $2 billion for work that was finished before Feb. 13. He ordered the government to make 1,200 payments over a four-day period, which is about 300 payments per day.

However, Ali wrote in his order that the court intends to avoid “dictating operational decisions” and will not prevent the executive branch from reviewing or terminating individual contracts. He wrote that the court “is mindful of limitations on its own authority” and will not grant any requests from NGOs that “would unnecessarily entangle the court in supervision of discrete or ongoing executive decisions.”

“The court must be careful that any relief it grants does not itself intrude on the prerogative of [the executive] branch,” Ali ruled.

Although Ali granted the executive branch discretion on how foreign aid money appropriated by Congress will be spent, the order put significant restrictions on Trump’s plan to completely end spending on 83% of programs run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Courts have the authority to resolve “disputes between Congress and the president over foreign policy power,” the order states, and adds the Constitution “explicitly vests in Congress the power to spend” and the administration has not cited “any precedent or history allowing the president to dictate whether to spend foreign aid for the statutory purposes here.”

“The executive not only claims his constitutional authority to determine how to spend appropriated funds but usurps Congress’ exclusive authority to dictate whether the funds should be spent in the first place,” Ali wrote.

“The constitutional power over whether to spend foreign aid is not the president’s own — and it is Congress’ own,” he added.

For this reason, Ali found that Trump likely exceeded his executive authority in violation of the separation of powers because “the appropriations laws reflect an exercise of Congress’ own, core constitutional power to determine whether and how much money is spent.”

The order states that the administration must stop “unlawfully impounding congressionally appropriated foreign aid funds.” It adds that the administration must spend the foreign aid money in a way consistent with the rules set by Congress.

Apart from the broad mandate that the administration must act according to Congress’ intent, the order does not provide any specific mandates on what entities should receive the funds, where the money should go, or when the government must spend it.

Catholic NGOs that had contracts terminated or suspended might not receive any more foreign aid funds from the United States during Trump’s term unless the president changes course and revives the old contracts or decides to enter into new partnerships with those organizations.

Both sides have the opportunity to appeal the court order.

Sebastian Lai speaks to “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Tracy Sabol about his father’s imprisonment on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 12, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

Sebastian Lai, son of Hong Kong Catholic democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, said this week his father is “still fighting for his beliefs” while he remains imprisoned in “inhumane” conditions and his national security trial drags on. 

Jimmy Lai, the founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and a human rights activist, has been on trial since December 2023 for allegations of colluding with foreign forces under a national security law put in effect by the communist-controlled Chinese government. 

He was originally arrested in 2020 and has been convicted on several other charges over the course of his detainment. 

The 77-year-old has been in solitary confinement in Hong Kong for more than four years, where “he doesn’t get to see anybody. He doesn’t get natural light, and he’s denied the Eucharist as well,” Sebastian Lai said at a press conference on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. 

Trial subject to ‘disgraceful’ monthslong delay

Sebastian Lai explained that the trial just finished cross-examinations. In the courtroom, Jimmy Lai was reported to be “skinnier” but “still very sharp.”

The trial was supposed to last 18 days, Sebastian said, but has now run for well over 100. “He’s not going to get sentenced until either end of this year or the start of next year,” he said. 

The lead of Jimmy Lai’s international team, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, further explained the trial timeline and the anticipated outcome.

“We’re waiting for the closing submissions, and disgracefully, there’s a very, very long delay until early August before the closing submissions,” Gallagher said. “That’s a gap of almost five months in the middle of a trial when you’re dealing with an elderly man who’s diabetic, who’s already been in prison and in solitary confinement for over four years.”

“After that, there’ll be a pause, we don’t know how long before the judges give their verdict. But we think that’s only going one way,” she said. “We think it’s going to be a guilty finding, because he’s being tried under a law which essentially criminalizes dissent.”

“Really, what we’ve seen playing out is a trial for conspiracy to commit journalism, a conspiracy to raise concerns about democratic values.”

“We’re really here to sound the alarm bell,” Gallagher added. “We think this is an absolutely key moment.”

Lai facing ‘heightened risk to life’

Sebastian Lai said there is “a real fear that [my father] might pass away at any time, especially given that we have summer coming up.” 

Hong Kong will experience 100-degree temperatures, he said, and his father is “in a little concrete box with everything blocked off.”

“We’re very, very worried about Sebastian’s father,” Gallagher said. “He’s 77, he's diabetic. There is a very strong evidence base that when people spend an extended period of time in solitary confinement, there is a heightened risk to life.”

“Prolonged solitary confinement is when you spend 15 days in solitary confinement, and he spent over 1,500 days,” she said.

Gallagher bluntly said: “We are worried that we will see Jimmy Lai die in prison unless urgent action is taken.”

International support for Lai’s release

Sebastian Lai and the legal team met with the State Department in Washington this week and plan to meet with the National Security Council and a number of senators. 

Gallagher and Sebastian highlighted that right now there is increased support for Jimmy’s release. “There’s a real sense, both in America and internationally, that my father needs to be released,” Sebastian said.

He explained that the U.S. was the first to call for Lai’s release and now his father’s case has received support from the U.K., Canada, and Australia. With this attention, he said, “the time is now” to get his father released. 

He said the new U.S. administration makes him “a lot more hopeful.” 

“President Trump was the first president in the United States that mentioned my father by name,” he said. 

“We’re acutely conscious that President Trump has shown such leadership on bringing people out from captivity who shouldn’t be there, and we’re very grateful for that,” Gallager said. 

With that said, Gallagher explained, “there is no legal avenue to get him out of prison.” 

The team’s hope is that Jimmy Lai is let out of prison for clemency or a compassionate release due to his failing health.

Lai’s faith as a ‘pillar’

After the press conference, in an exclusive interview with “EWTN News Nightly,” Sebastian Lai discussed how his father’s Catholic faith has been “a real pillar” in getting him through his time in prison. 

Sebastian said that when the national security law was placed Jimmy Lai had the opportunity to leave Hong Kong, but, he said, “that’s not the man he is. He knew that by leaving, he would be abandoning his beliefs and his people. And so he stayed and risked his life to protect his people.”

“It’s a tremendous story … of how faith has given such strength and direction in a man’s life," he told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Tracy Sabol. “I think faith is why even after having gone through so much with the Hong Kong government trying to break him, he’s still strong.”

Sebastian concluded the interview by sharing a story from the trial. “In one of the heated exchanges with the national security law judges … my father said, ‘[At] the end of the day, the truth will come out in the kingdom of heaven, in the kingdom of God, and that’s good enough for me.’”

“Tell this truth and pray for him because I think in his little cell in a standing maximum security prison, it gives him a lot of strength, and it makes him know that he’s not alone,” Sebastian said. 

Hundreds of people gather to pray the rosary for Pope Francis’ health on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2025 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, reflected Tuesday on the great challenge of illness and suffering for Pope Francis as he approaches a month’s hospital stay amid a series of health crises.

Before leading Tuesday evening’s recitation of rosary, held inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, Koch drew parallels in the lives of Pope Francis and St. Peter.

“Truly, truly, I say to you when you were young, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go,” Koch said, citing John 21:18.   

Commenting on the Gospel account when the resurrected Jesus asked Peter, the first pope, to follow him until the end, Koch asked: “How can we not recognize in these words, in fact, what our Holy Father — the successor of Peter — is also experiencing and struggling with?”

“Of course the situations are different, but also the suffering of a serious illness is a great challenge,” he said before starting Tuesday’s contemplation of the rosary’s sorrowful mysteries.  

Since Feb. 24, a cardinal has presided over the daily recitation of the rosary for the pope’s health. Hundreds of local Catholic faithful and jubilee pilgrims from around the world have come to St. Peter’s Square to join the evening prayers open to the public.

“We ask for the intercession of Mary, the mother of hope, for the health of Pope Francis,” Koch prayed.

The 88-year-old pontiff has undergone various medical therapies to treat bronchitis and bilateral pneumonia as well as mild kidney problems since being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital almost one month ago on Feb. 14.

Over the weeks, several Catholic faithful from Rome and abroad have also gathered outside Gemelli Hospital to pray for the Holy Father and have left behind written notes with well wishes, candles, and flowers before the St. John Paul II statue outside the facility.

Wednesday evening’s rosary at the Vatican was held at 6 p.m. local time and led by Cardinal ​​George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

Family members of Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli hostages gather in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, March 11, 2025. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

Washington D.C., Mar 12, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Over a dozen family members of Israeli hostages shared the stories of their loved ones in Hamas captivity and asked for continued prayers during an emotional gathering that included several Christian groups in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. 

An intimate group of about 20 people attended the panel, including several representatives of the Philos Project, an ecumenical Christian nonprofit organization that advocates for pluralism and Israel’s peaceful existence in the Middle East. 

Organized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Defense Forces, the panel included family members of Oct. 7, 2023, hostages Matan Angrest, 24, Manny Godard, 73, Guy Ilouz, 26, Tamir Nimarodi, 20, Evyatar David, 24, Idan Shvtivi, 28, Rom Brasvlavski, 21, and Omri Miran, 47. 

“We are living for more than 16 months with a big hole in our heart,” said Ilan Dalal, whose son Guy Gilboa-Dilal was taken from the Nova Music Festival by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and is believed to be among the 24 remaining live hostages. 

Thirty-five hostages in Gaza are presumed dead. “We are going from place to place, and I am trying to talk to everybody that’s willing to listen and trying to achieve the goal that all the hostages will be free, and until then, we will not rest,” Dalal said.

“Everything [has become] an issue of interest, a political interest, in this world,” said Michel Ilouz, whose son Guy Ilouz is now known to have died in the tunnels under Gaza from injuries he sustained on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants shot and abducted him at the Nova festival. 

“When I educated my oldest son, I always tried ... to educate him, to be in the right place, and to have the right values, and always try to stand behind the truth about what is right and what is wrong,” Ilouz said, adding: “This is wrong.” 

During his testimony, Ilouz played a recording of the last phone call he had with his son on Oct. 7, which featured the sounds of machine gun bullets and his son repeating the phrase “Father, I love you,” in Hebrew. 

“I remember I told him, ‘Guy don’t dare you, don’t dare you try to separate from us, please,’” Ilouz said. “And then everything finished.” 

Reports of Guy’s death did not surface until January. Ilouz told the small gathering on Tuesday that he does not care if his son’s body comes back last, so long as a negotiation for the release of all hostages is achieved somehow. 

During his testimony, Eli Shvtivi stood from his seat on the panel and walked in front of the table as he spoke in a mixture of English and Hebrew of his son, Idam Shtivi, who he said had gone to the Nova Music Festival “for peace and love.” 

Shvtivi explained that his son did not have a gun and was “a good person.” He then held up his phone with a video depicting his son being shot in the head four times and killed by Hamas before he was dragged into the Gaza Strip. 

“I don’t know what to do now,” Shvtivi said, sitting back down.  

Naama Miran recounted the story of her brother Omri Miran’s abduction from Nahal Oz, a kibbutz at the southern Israeli border, which took place in front of his wife and two young daughters. She said Omri’s wife, Ishael, managed to tell him three things before he was taken away: “I love you, I’ll take care of the girls, and don’t be a hero.” 

“Every time that I fly with this group of families, I feel how strongly this family is connected,” Naama said, describing the other family members as a “support group.” 

“But I can see also the suffering and the pain and how it gets harder each time, and every day,” she added. 

Each family member urged those in attendance to utilize any connections with elected officials or the Trump administration to advocate for their loved ones. 

At the end of the panel, Philos Catholic Director Simone Rizkallah addressed each of the family members assuring them of prayers and support from the Catholic community.

Rizkallah, who is behind the launch of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism, hosts the “Beyond Rome” podcast and is of Armenian-Egyptian descent. 

“There’s so much love and support for you from our community, and I wanted you to know that we’re doing everything we can to educate so many Catholics who have no idea of our history, but they’re open to learning and educating and spreading awareness,” she said.

She noted the thousands of Catholics who signed up to pray novenas for Israel through the Avila Foundation and on the Hallow app.

“This is what we’re praying for,” she said, adding: “There’s more people who are supporting you than you even are aware of, and certainly in the Catholic community.”

A Planned Parenthood facility in Indianapolis. / Credit: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

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

Two Republican senators sent a letter to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to demand answers about why the Planned Parenthood Federation of America received more than $100 million in COVID-19 relief funds, which the lawmakers allege was “unlawful.”

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who chairs the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, sent a letter to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler to request documents and records related to Planned Parenthood’s receipt of funding through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

According to the letter, Planned Parenthood affiliates received about $120 million in PPP loans in 2020 and 2021.

Lawmakers have inquired about the funding for the past few years, though they reportedly did not receive the information from the previous administration. 

“The Biden administration obstructed our investigation of potentially illegal applications of PPP loans to Planned Parenthood entities, and we are confident the Trump administration will provide the transparency the American people deserve,” Paul said in a statement provided to CNA.

Ernst said in a statement to CNA that the PPP loans were “designed to help Americans struggling during the pandemic, not to go to ineligible recipients fueling abortion on demand.” 

“The Biden administration stonewalled my oversight efforts at every turn and prevented the American people from learning how Planned Parenthood cashed in on COVID,” she added. 

“Now that Administrator Loeffler has ushered in a new era of transparency at the SBA, I look forward to working with her to uncover the truth and stop the flow of these funds.”

The senators are requesting all records related to Planned Parenthood facilities requesting PPP funds, along with any communications with affiliates. They also asked for information about efforts to recover funds that were improperly given to Planned Parenthood and an explanation for why funding was approved. 

According to the letter, the SBA under the first Trump administration told Planned Parenthood affiliates that they had wrongfully applied for 38 PPP loans totaling $80 million and informed them they needed to return the money. 

However, in 2021 under the Biden administration, the SBA approved $40 million in additional funding and allowed at least 44 affiliates to have their loans forgiven. 

“Borrowers who made incorrect or false eligibility certifications on their PPP application are subject to severe penalties,” the senators’ letter states. 

The senators asked the SBA to investigate whether any Planned Parenthood affiliates “made a knowingly false certification on their applications” and to “pursue all appropriate penalties for any unlawful participation in the program.”

Katie Glenn Daniel, the director of legal affairs and policy council at Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, alleged in a statement provided to CNA that the Biden administration “illegally” gave Planned Parenthood forgivable loans for which they were not eligible, calling it “one of many lawless pro-abortion overreaches the Trump-Vance administration is now dismantling.” 

“We commend Sens. Ernst and Paul for demanding accountability, and we are optimistic that under this new administration of transparency and common sense, the American people will get the answers Biden refused to give, and hopefully, our money back,” Daniel said.

Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request for comment.