Posted on 07/24/2025 21:23 PM (CNA Daily News)
Children’s National Hospital in Washington “paused prescriptions of puberty blockers and hormone therapy” for transgender-identifying youth there in response to a Trump directive. / Credit: Daquella manera/Wikipedia/CC BY 2.0
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 17:23 pm (CNA).
Several children’s hospitals across the country that have performed transgender surgeries on minors are halting the procedures in response to President Donald Trump’s executive actions and his administration’s regulatory changes.
Hospital systems and individual hospitals in California; New York; Washington, D.C.; Colorado; Illinois; Pennsylvania; and other states have announced changes in recent weeks in how they treat children who believe they are the opposite sex. Some transgender clinics are shutting down entirely.
One prominent clinic that performed these operations — the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles — shut down on Tuesday, July 22. The clinic is facing an ongoing lawsuit from a formerly transgender-identifying woman who alleges that doctors fast-tracked her into a hormonal and surgical gender transition beginning when she was only 12 years old.
The clinic’s medical director, Johanna Olson-Kennedy, also faced scrutiny last year for allegedly blocking the publication of a taxpayer-funded study because the results failed to find any mental health benefits for children who are given transgender drugs, according to the New York Times.
“Despite this deeply held commitment to supporting L.A.’s gender-diverse community, the hospital has been left with no viable path forward except to close the Center for Transyouth Health and Development,” the clinic announced ahead of its closure.
In California, Stanford Medicine and Kaiser Permanente also recently announced they would halt all transgender surgeries for minors amid new federal rules.
Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., also announced a shift this week, displaying a message on its Gender Development Program webpage that affirmed it would stop prescribing transgender drugs to minors by Aug. 30 “in light of escalating legal and regulatory risks.”
Last week, University of Chicago Medicine displayed a message on its Trans CARE webpage to announce an immediate end to all transgender surgeries and drugs for children “in response to continued federal actions.” The message called the decision “difficult” and added that “this news will have a significant impact on our patients.”
Other hospitals that announced they would conform to the federal rules include the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, New York University Langone Health, and Denver Health.
Health care systems, including pediatric hospitals, have performed thousands of transgender operations on children across the country in recent years.
These medical interventions range from surgeries to alter the appearances of the minor’s genitals or chest to make them appear more similar to the opposite sex to puberty blocking drugs and hormone treatments that prevent natural bodily developments that occur during puberty.
The medical watchdog group Do No Harm found nearly 14,000 instances of doctors facilitating “gender transitions” in children between 2019 and 2023 based on publicly available insurance claims.
The dataset — which found nearly 5,750 surgeries — is incomplete because it does not account for uninsured patients, which lead the researchers to believe the number is higher.
In January, Trump signed an executive order to prohibit hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements from performing transgender operations or providing transgender drugs to anyone under the age of 19.
The policy changes from health care systems and hospitals come as the federal government has bolstered enforcement action against health care providers that have not yet conformed to these rules. The rules have been subject to lawsuits from LGBT organizations.
Mary Rice Hasson, the director of the Person and Identity Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told CNA that the policy shift among hospitals is “good news.” She urged Congress to put a permanent halt to these programs through legislation.
“Over a dozen hospital-based ‘gender’ programs have closed their harmful sex-rejection ‘services’ for kids and adolescents,” Hasson said. “Kids who would have suffered disabling, disfiguring, and sterilizing ‘gender’ hormones and surgeries will be spared — for now.”
Hasson said, however, that the “bad news” is that “not one of these programs has acknowledged the harm done on their watch.”
“They are shuttering these programs for fear of losing federal funds but have not repudiated the barbaric practices that masquerade as ‘gender care,’” she added. “Most of these hospitals are poised to resume these programs if the political winds shift leftward.”
Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, told CNA that recent practices from these hospitals, such as transgender drugs and surgeries, “violate human dignity by harming and mutilating the lives of those whose health they are supposed to be serving and protecting.”
“Even though individuals who have undergone gender reassignment surgeries will frequently report in the short term that they are happy and that their surgeries improved their sense of well-being, as time passes, a growing number of them begin to realize the high cost of that tenuous peace and seek to ‘detransition,’” he said.
“Sadly, in many of these situations permanent and irreversible bodily damage may have already been done.”
Amid the policy shifts, Pacholczyk said hospitals can now “address the real needs of these individuals with compassion by directing them toward supportive psychotherapy that seeks to explore and address any underlying psychiatric issues that may be prompting their desire to gender-transition.”
“Our sex is a given determinant of our innermost being from God, not a personally-negotiable or otherwise ‘reassignable’ [quality], even if we may face significant struggles to accept and fully integrate this remarkable gift,” he said.
Posted on 07/24/2025 19:35 PM (CNA Daily News)
Pope Leo XIV delivers the Angelus address on July 13, 2025, from Liberty Square in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, where he is spending a two-week summer break. / Credit: Vatican Media
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 24, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV in a letter this week encouraged the prior provincials of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) to “listen attentively to the Holy Spirit, who continues to guide the Church in the fullness of truth.”
The pope expressed his hopes and prayers for the Dominicans in the letter addressed to Father Gerard Francis Timoner III, OP, master of the Order of Preachers, on the occasion of the general chapter of prior provincials taking place in Krakow, Poland, July 17 to Aug. 8.
The Dominicans emphasized on their website that the meeting, held at Most Holy Trinity Convent, is “the most important assembly” for the order.
“The deliberations will be very intensive,” the Dominicans stated, explaining that “the friars will work in commissions and plenary sessions, considering hundreds of proposals submitted from around the world — from individual friars, convents, and provinces. Each of these voices expresses a desire to build unity, faithfulness to the charism of St. Dominic, and an even deeper listening to what the Spirit is saying to the Church today.”
Furthermore, they noted that the meetings held within the framework of the general chapter will bring together diverse perspectives — cultural, linguistic, and spiritual — from friars in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
“This makes prayer all the more necessary, to open the hearts of the capitulars to the Holy Spirit and help them discover God’s will for the order in these times. We desire that every decision, every word, and every entry in the acts of the chapter be born from prayer, from listening to the Word, and from deep concern for the Church and the world,” they noted.
In his letter, the pope said: “As you gather during this jubilee year, I trust that these grace-filled days will prove to be an opportunity for renewal, rooted in the hope which never disappoints and in the knowledge that the Lord has called you as preachers to proclaim the good news in the midst of today’s unique challenges.”
“Your chosen theme to address in a more dedicated way your varied forms of preaching to “four publics” — those who do not yet know Jesus, the Christian faithful, those who have fallen away from the Church, and the young people found in these situations — is particularly timely,” he added.
“I pray that your deliberations will enable you to listen attentively to the Holy Spirit, who continues to guide the Church in the fullness of truth,” the pope continued.
Leo XIV also expressed his hope that “this time together will strengthen your commitment to serve the body of Christ in the form of evangelical life chosen by St. Dominic. May your shared experience of fraternity and prayer enhance the bonds of communion that unite you as Dominicans and inspire you to live out your vocation ever more fully as contemplative preachers.”
“In this way, faithful to the charism and the spirituality of your founder, you will surely continue to carry out your mission in the heart of the Church,” he added.
The Holy Father concluded his letter by entrusting the general chapter to Our Lady of the Rosary, who, according to tradition, appeared to St. Dominic de Guzmán — founder of the Order of Preachers — and gave him the rosary, taught him how to pray it, and encouraged him to promote the Marian prayer.
In March of this year, in his Relatio — a report on the current situation of the Order of Preachers, in view of this general chapter — Timoner emphasized that “the form of evangelical life chosen by Dominic is not an adjunct of our apostolic mission; on the contrary, it is an indispensable foundation.”
The report shows a downward trend in the number of professed Dominican brothers, who currently number 5,145 worldwide. A graph shows that after a significant increase between the 1920s and 1960s, when they reached almost 10,000 professed brothers worldwide, a steady decline has been observed in subsequent years.
Timoner emphasized in the Relatio that “Dominican life has various constitutive elements or aspects: religious consecration, common fraternal life, intellectual life, apostolic life, etc.,” noting his surprise that “we sometimes feel the need to ‘balance’ or ‘harmonize’ life and mission, as if there could be a ‘Dominican mission’ that is not rooted and nourished by the ‘Dominican life’ with all its integral elements.”
The Dominicans have invited the faithful throughout the world to “spiritually accompany the chapter,” saying: “Pray for the friars participating in the chapter, that they may be instruments of God’s peace and light.”
They also encouraged people to offer “fasting or the difficulty of daily duties” for this intention, and to ask for “the light of the Holy Spirit for all those who will discern and make decisions.”
“May common prayer ensure that the fruits of the chapter are a blessing for the entire order and the Church,” the Dominicans encouraged.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 07/24/2025 19:05 PM (CNA Daily News)
Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri. / Credit: eurobanks/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Jul 24, 2025 / 15:05 pm (CNA).
Missouri filed a lawsuit this week against the national Planned Parenthood organization, alleging that the abortion giant has “systematically misled” women about the risks associated with chemical abortion pills.
On Wednesday, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office had filed a lawsuit in state circuit court against Planned Parenthood Federation of America, alleging that the corporation “systematically misled women about the dangers of chemical abortions in order to cut costs and drive up revenue at the risk of women’s health and safety.”
Bailey said the abortion provider promulgates “dangerous claims” about the drug, including claiming that it is safer than common household drugs such as Tylenol.
This is “despite FDA labeling and peer-reviewed studies” showing severe adverse events associated with the pill rising in some cases to the double digits.
Concerns about the safety of chemical abortion pills have been heightened in recent months after a bombshell study in April found that more than 10% of women who take an abortion pill will suffer “serious adverse events,” including hemorrhaging, infections, and other health crises.
U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary said in June that his agency will conduct a review of the abortion drug mifepristone following that study and several other investigations into the safety of the pills.
The lawsuit alleges that Planned Parenthood violated the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, a state-level consumer protection law.
Bailey’s office said the state is seeking nearly $2 million in civil penalties as well as “up to $1,000 in damages or restitution for every Missouri woman Planned Parenthood provided abortion pills to in the past five years.” The suit is also demanding paybacks into the state Medicaid system.
“The lies must stop. We’re holding the national Planned Parenthood entity accountable for the lies it tells women in Missouri and across the nation,” Bailey said in the release, adding: “No one is above the law, not even Planned Parenthood.”
Though the government has moved in recent months to investigate the safety of abortion pills, President Donald Trump said prior to his inauguration in January that it was his “commitment” to ensure that abortion pills remain available in the U.S.
Chemical abortions account for about half of the abortions in the United States every year.
Abortion advocates have increasingly turned to chemical abortions in the wake of the 2022 repeal of Roe v. Wade. Numerous states have instituted abortion bans after that repeal, though abortion pills have remained widely available.
Posted on 07/24/2025 19:02 PM (Detroit Catholic)
Posted on 07/24/2025 18:35 PM (CNA Daily News)
Pope Leo XIV meets with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on July 24, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).
Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the Vatican, where they discussed the state of the Catholic Church in Algeria and emphasized the importance of interfaith dialogue and cultural cooperation for global peace, reported ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner.
Tebboune also met with top Vatican diplomats, including Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The visit coincided with an Algerian-Italian business forum in Rome aimed at strengthening economic ties through 30 new trade agreements. Tebboune and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced efforts to register sites linked to St. Augustine on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, noting the shared heritage between the two Mediterranean nations.
Bishop Jean-Marie Shamie of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Egypt is leading 58 young Egyptian pilgrims to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, part of the Vatican’s holy year celebrations, according to ACI MENA.
He described the trip as a profound spiritual journey where youth can deepen their faith, experience the richness of the universal Church, and embrace their missionary role in a secularized world. Set to begin July 28, the Jubilee of Youth is expected to draw half a million young people to Rome. The Egyptian group will walk through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, visit important pilgrimage sites like Assisi and San Giovanni Rotondo, and pray with Pope Leo XIV in a candlelight vigil and final Mass.
Father Winfried Abel, a priest of the Diocese of Fulda in Germany, is denouncing his home diocese for participating in LGBT activism, stating in an open letter in German: “I no longer want to be a priest in this diocese!” according to a report from CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, on Monday.
Abel stated in the letter that in view of the diocese’s position on LGBT issues, he would no longer call himself a priest of the diocese but a “priest of the Roman Catholic Church.” He continued: “I am really deeply shocked that ‘my’ Catholic Church in this country, which I have served for 61 years, has become so unbalanced that even our bishops no longer know the difference between sexual, erotic, friendly, and divine love … but indiscriminately approve and bless everything that comes under the term ‘love’!”
Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, apostolic nuncio to Nigeria, in an interview on Thursday with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, expressed concern about the growing trend of “commercializing the Eucharist” among Catholic priests in the West African country.
“The increasing commercialization of the liturgy, where sacramental celebrations, weddings, funerals, and baptism are seen as opportunities for making money, is never to be tolerated in the Catholic Church,” Crotty told ACI Africa. “We call it the holy sacrifice of the Mass. A priest should be holy, and anything that distracts from that needs to be avoided.”
A month has passed since the bombing of St. Elias Church in Damascus, Syria, yet the Christian community still feels abandoned, ACI MENA reported. Beyond increased security presence, no concrete measures have been taken to protect Christians, who have already been reeling from targeted killings, desecration of religious sites, and sectarian violence across Syria.
The March massacres in the coastal Alawite region and recent unrest in Sweida, where Christians and even an American citizen were killed, have only added to fears and heightened the desire among many to flee the country. Despite these grim realities, the Orthodox Church in Sweida has opened its doors to displaced families of all faiths, offering shelter and aid.
Bishop Antonios Saad, who led the relief efforts, emphasized that the Church must serve all humans with unconditional love, seeing the image of Christ in each person. However, state inaction, media incitement, and societal pressures continue to erode hope and deepen divisions, leaving Syria’s Christian presence hanging by a thread.
A 60-year-old Catholic man, Amir Joseph Paul, has been arrested in Pakistan over claims that he made offensive comments about the Muslim prophet Muhammad, according to an Agenzia Fides report on Tuesday.
The accusations were made by Munawar Ali, a shop owner in Lahore, who, according to Fides, “mobilized local religious leaders within minutes to claim that Amir had made blasphemous statements, which were denied by the accused and the other witnesses present.” Fides noted that local residents testified that the accusation was made due to a “personal grudge related to a sewage dispute between Amir’s home and the complainant’s shop.”
Bishop Jesús Ruiz Molina of the Central African Republic Diocese of Mbaïki is fighting back against accusations of silence and complicity in an anonymous allegation of sexual abuse involving a diocesan priest, ACI Africa reported on Tuesday.
In a July 18 statement, Molina described the accusations as false, insisting: “I declare that both I and the Catholic Church are firmly opposed to all forms of sexual abuse and that we have always denounced such acts with clarity and rigor.”
He added: “The truth will set you free and peace will be possible if everyone does their part.” Molina further noted that the anonymously accused priest has been removed from his assigned parish and that further steps are being taken to provide support to the alleged victim.
Posted on 07/24/2025 18:21 PM (Detroit Catholic)
Posted on 07/24/2025 18:05 PM (CNA Daily News)
Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia (pictured at his installation Mass in 2020) issued a pastoral letter in support of immigrants on July 23, 2025. / Credit: Sarah Webb/Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 14:05 pm (CNA).
Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia has expressed “sorrow” for and “prayerful solidarity” with the immigrant community as arrests continue to take place across the United States.
“You are not alone,” Perez wrote to U.S. immigrants in a July 23 pastoral letter. “The Church is a community of faith, and the divine person of Christ, who was forced to flee his homeland as a child, holds you in his compassionate arms.”
Perez called for the support of immigrants as many “came to the United States seeking new opportunities far away from oppressive regimes,” adding that their “presence and contributions to society through hard work and upright living are a blessing to our country and to our Church.”
“Recent news reports detailing the arrest of immigrants throughout the country, including the Philadelphia region, have produced a great deal of fear and unleashed a broad range of other emotions,” Perez wrote. “As the son of immigrants, I have found recent events particularly heartbreaking.”
“I am witnessing your sorrow with great sadness and concern as are people of goodwill from all walks of life,” he wrote.
“As Catholics, we believe our eternal homeland is heaven and that as citizens of earth, the dignity of every person means everyone should have a safe place to live, with the opportunity to work for a just wage,” Perez continued. “No one should be forced to live in fear of unjust persecution.”
The letter acknowledged the need for law enforcement while simultaneously calling for policies that uphold the dignity and respect of the American immigrant community.
“We recognize that our country is rightly safeguarded by law enforcement officials. They uphold the common good by protecting all of us from human trafficking, the exploitation of children, and any other criminal offense against human dignity,” he wrote.
Perez added: “At the same time, we strongly advocate for immigration policies that guarantee the protection of life, liberty, and property of all those who call the United States of America home, natural born citizens and those working toward citizenship alike.”
Since “there is no instant solution to the challenges pervading immigration policy,” Perez said, he urged that parish communities “unite through prayer and social unity with the immigrant faithful under the leadership of parish pastors.”
Perez asked for the intercession of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph that “Our Lord bless our country with peace and inspire comprehensive immigration reform that respects the law and provides meaningful opportunities for all those who wish to call the United States of America their home.”
Posted on 07/24/2025 17:35 PM (CNA Daily News)
null / Credit: Sergi Lopez Roig/Shutterstock
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).
The U.S. Catholic bishops’ 2024 Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa has awarded $2.6 million to support 96 pastoral projects across 32 African countries and multinational regions.
In a July 22 statement, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said the “boundless growth of the Catholic faith” throughout Africa “can challenge the Church as much as material poverty does.”
The “gifts of American Catholics to the USCCB’s Solidarity Fund” help preserve a “spirit of unity” within the universal Church, the bishops said.
Compared with the 2023 effort, funding has increased by $500,000, expanding grant projects by 28%.
“The Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa makes it possible for African Catholics to carry out vital spiritual and social ministries,” said Dubuque, Iowa, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula, chairman of the bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Africa.
“The African Church gives generously to the U.S. Church as thousands of African priests serve in parishes of the United States,” Zinkula pointed out.
The Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa was created “as a concrete way for Catholics in the United States to express a spirit of unity with their brothers and sisters in Africa,” the USCCB says.
The U.S. bishops “created the national collections so that, by combining resources, we can more effectively carry out our mission as Catholics.”
The Solidarity Fund last year supported nearly 100 bishop-backed grants, funding projects such as peacebuilding in South Sudan, catechetical training in Zambia, and church administration workshops in Togo.
Also funded was intergenerational teaching in Malawi as well as climate advocacy in Eastern Africa, where parishes are becoming hubs for practical environmental action.
Supported by dioceses across the country, the faithful can contribute year-round through the #iGiveCatholicTogether collection program or participate in their parish’s collection on a date scheduled by the local diocese.
Posted on 07/24/2025 17:05 PM (CNA Daily News)
Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles greets perpetual pilgrims of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles in Los Angeles, California, on June 22, 2025. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/EWTN
CNA Staff, Jul 24, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).
Archbishop José H. Gómez has announced a new initiative of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to support parishes in providing essential services to immigrant families affected by recent immigration enforcement policies.
The archdiocese will partner with area businesses and philanthropists to administer the Family Assistance Program, which will ensure that “every dollar” will provide direct aid such as groceries, meals, and prescription deliveries to those in crisis.
“Many of our friends and family, our neighbors and fellow parishioners, are afraid and anxious,” said Gómez, who unveiled the new program at a press conference at St. Patrick Church in South Los Angeles on July 23. “These are good, hardworking men and women, people of faith, people who have been in this country for a long time and are making important contributions to our economy who are now afraid to go to work or be seen in public for fear that they will get arrested and be deported.”
At the press conference, the archbishop said he is working with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to “find a practical, peaceful solution to the situation with the federal authorities.”
Residents of the city have been on edge after weeks of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids by heavily armed agents at area businesses. A federal judge in Los Angeles temporarily blocked ICE’s actions on July 11 after local business leaders and civil and immigrants’ rights groups sued the Trump administration on July 2.
The Catholic Association for Latino Leadership (CALL) and Parishioners Federal Credit Union have donated funds to the archdiocesan initiative, along with Vallarta Supermarkets, a chain of grocery stores that specializes in Mexican food, which has pledged to donate grocery gift cards to the program.
“Never in my life did I think that I would see the day where Catholics are afraid to go to church, afraid to send their children to school,” said Michael Molina, chair of CALL’s board of directors, who announced the organization of local business leaders will make a $10,000 donation to the program. He also said the group will encourage its members to make individual donations.
“As Catholics, we are called to share God’s mercy with those in need,” Molina said. “We reiterate our commitment to live the teachings of the Gospels of love and compassion for our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate and businessman Rick Caruso donated $50,000 to the initiative and committed to matching additional donations up to $50,000 made through the archdiocese’s website.
“I am proud to help support these families who work hard, pay taxes, and contribute to our economy,” Caruso, a parishioner of St. Monica’s Church in Santa Monica, said. “America is a nation of immigrants, which is why I am teaming up with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to provide direct support for families that are struggling financially.”
The CEO of the Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company, David Socha, made a financial contribution and donated toys to comfort children affected by the Trump administration’s enforcement actions.
“We can’t forget the human aspect of these issues,” Socha said. “No matter what side of this issue you are on, the children are some of the worst affected … We are glad to be able to bring them, and their loved ones, comfort and support.”
Across Southern California, Catholic parishes have witnessed the impact of family separations, with parents detained and households left without income. Many immigrants fear leaving their homes, getting arrested, and being separated from their families.
The bishop of San Bernardino, California, Alberto Rojas, recently granted a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday for those with such fears.
Posted on 07/24/2025 16:35 PM (CNA Daily News)
Pope Leo XIV waves as the popemobile passes by a crowd of American pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the pope’s general audience on June 18, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
CNA Staff, Jul 24, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).
A new bill before Congress would “safeguard” the domestic citizenship of any American who is elected pope of the Catholic Church, including exempting him from paying taxes to the IRS.
Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Colorado, proposed the bill, saying it “ensures that any American who answers the call to lead more than a billion Catholics worldwide can do so without risking his citizenship or facing unnecessary tax burdens.”
While the text of the bill is not yet available, Hurd said in a statement on his congressional website the bill is meant “to protect the citizenship of, and provide tax-exempt status to, any American elected as the supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.”
“This legislation recognizes the extraordinary nature of the papacy — a role at the intersection of faith, leadership, and global responsibility,” the Colorado representative said.
The measure would “[exempt] the individual from U.S. tax obligations while serving as pope,” Hurd’s website states.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means on July 17.
The current pope, Leo XIV is thus far the only U.S.-born pope in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history.
Since Leo’s election on May 8, speculation has centered on what his role as pope means for his U.S. citizenship.
The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the bill on Thursday.
According to the IRS, U.S. citizens are “subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where they live or where they earn their income.” Citizens living abroad also have the same filing requirements as those living in the U.S. itself.
Paul Hunker, an American immigration attorney and a Catholic, told CNA in May that U.S. federal law spells out the conditions under which a U.S. citizen can lose his or her citizenship.
Such conditions include committing an act of treason, obtaining naturalization in a foreign state, and accepting a position as a foreign head of state, though those actions must be done by a person voluntarily and with the intention of relinquishing his or her U.S. nationality.
The U.S. State Department says it generally presumes that U.S. citizens, even if they accept a foreign government post, want to keep their citizenship unless “clearly and credibly” established otherwise.
Vatican law dictates that the Holy Father maintains “the fullness of the power of government, which includes the legislative, executive, and judicial powers” of the Vatican City State and the Holy See, the latter of which is the central governing authority of the Church.
