none
U.S.
Catholics decry IVF order, but a global strategy to oppose IVF remains elusive
WASHINGTON — In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order supporting in vitro fertilization, aiming to reduce costs and increase access to the procedure for couples struggling with infertility. However, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Medical Association and other Catholic groups opposed the order, citing ethical concerns surrounding IVF. They argue that alternative treatments, like Restorative Reproductive Medicine, or RRM, offer more effective and morally ethical solutions. RRM approaches, including NaPro Technology and FEMM (Fertility Education and Medical Management), focus on addressing the root causes of infertility, leading to higher success rates and lower financial and health risks compared to IVF. Despite these concerns, Catholics have made limited progress in convincing the administration to support RRM. “It all starts with the public’s attention and promotion of RRM,” said Dr. Tim Millea, a retired surgeon and the chairman of the CMA health care policy committee. “If there’s no voice calling for it, nobody’s going to listen.” The Catholic Church has long opposed assisted reproductive technology, in part because “the act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another” and because IVF frequently leads to discarding embryos. (OSV News)
St. Joseph novena guides those ‘on the path to adoption’
WASHINGTON — The faithful are invited to pray for those whose lives are touched by adoption, seeking the intercession of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has announced its annual March 10-18 “Novena to St. Joseph For Those on the Path to Adoption,” ahead of the saint’s March 19 feast day. The novena prayers, available online in both English and Spanish, have in recent years become an annual initiative of the USCCB’s Respect Life project, part of the conference’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. Each day of the novena features a Scripture passage for silent reflection, as well as prayers and a petition to St. Joseph for a specific intention related to the adoption experience. To learn more about the novena and to download the novena prayers in English and Spanish, visit respectlife.org/adoption-novena. The novena is posted on the USCCB’s Respect Life Facebook and X accounts. (OSV News)
WORLD
Church leaders condemn killings, urge prayers amid violence in Syria
AMMAN, Jordan — Syria’s top Christian leaders have condemned recent violence that has left hundreds of Alawite civilians dead or wounded. The killings began on March 6, primarily in the northwest coastal regions of Tartus, Banias, Jabla and Latakia, areas tied to former President Bashar Assad’s regime. The violence, which escalated after an Alawite insurgency, has targeted civilians, including women and children, and has sparked widespread destruction. In a joint statement, senior Christian leaders, including Archbishop Youssef Absi, Melkite Greek Catholic patriarch of Antioch and All the East, condemned the massacres and called for an end to the brutality. Pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need issued an urgent appeal for prayers. According to reports, over 600 people, including members of the Alawite and Christian communities, have died. “Once again, the Syrians are on the brink of a civil war, so we are really worried,” Franciscan Father Bahjat Karakach, parish priest at the St. Francis of Assisi Church in Aleppo, said in a letter on the situation, published by the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions’ AsiaNews March 8. (OSV News)
Pastoral center in northern Myanmar bombed by military junta
NAN HLAING, Myanmar — A Catholic pastoral center in northern Myanmar was recently bombed by the country’s military junta. Located on the grounds of St. Michael’s Church in Nan Hlaing, in the Diocese of Banmaw, the center was hit by two aerial bombs, Fides Church agency reported March 5. Jesuit Father Wilbert Mireh, the parish priest, reported no injuries but emphasized the destruction of essential services in the area, including electricity and communication, which have been cut off since July 2024. Despite the hardships of ongoing civil war and violence from the military, including attacks on Christian sites such as Sacred Heart Church and the death of Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, the local community remains resilient. Father Mireh saidMasses are now celebrated outdoors due to safety concerns, but the faithful continue to pray for protection and strength. (OSV News)
