U.S.
Kansas Satanists admit under oath they don’t possess consecrated Eucharist
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — A Satanic group planning a “black mass” at the Kansas Statehouse March 28 has sworn in court it is not in possession of a consecrated host and wine the group seeks to desecrate at the event. On March 20, a judge dismissed a case brought by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, against the Satanic Grotto for the return of the consecrated Eucharist the group claimed to have secured. Dismissal of the case was “an unexpected but welcome development” since the defendants admitted under oath they did not have the sacred species, the Kansas Catholic Conference stated shortly after the ex parte hearing. The conference also said Archbishop Naumann is “calling upon the faithful to pray for the spiritual conversion of those promoting and participating in the satanic worship ritual,” whose organizers “have also promised to defile a Bible, a crucifix and other Christian symbols.” Archbishop Naumann advised, “Approach this situation with confidence in God’s ultimate victory over Satan, sin, and death, as stated in Matthew 16:18.” (OSV News)
No eucharistic miracle in Indianapolis, archdiocese confirms after lab tests
INDIANAPOLIS (OSV News) — An investigation by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis into an alleged eucharistic miracle at an Indiana parish has indicated that “natural, not miraculous causes” resulted in a host displaying a red discoloration, the archdiocese said March 24. “A biochemical analysis of a host from St. Anthony Catholic Church in Morris, Ind., that was displaying red discoloration revealed the presence of a common bacteria found on all humans,” the statement said. “No presence of human blood was discovered.” The March 24 statement confirmed that the host had “fallen out of a Mass kit used at the parish, and when it was discovered, red spots were present. Following policy established by the Holy See, the host was submitted for professional, biochemical analysis at a local laboratory,” it said. The Church conducts scientific investigations into alleged miraculous changes to the appearances of the Eucharist. (OSV News)
U.S. lawmakers push anti-discrimination bill to protect pregnancy resource centers
WASHINGTON — The Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act, H.R. 2226, was filed March 18 by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and seeks to protect over 2,700 pregnancy resource centers from federal and state interference. The bill allows states to use the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and other federal funds for pregnancy centers without government interference, and enables centers to sue for perceived federal discrimination. Pregnancy resource centers, often funded by Catholic organizations, do not provide or refer for abortions but offer non-judgmental counseling. The bill responds to a previous proposal from the Biden administration to restrict TANF use for these centers that was withdrawn in January. Pregnancy centers have also faced state discrimination. (OSV News)
Marquette gets multimillion-dollar gift to boost natural family planning institute
MILWAUKEE — Marquette University in Milwaukee received recently a $7.5 million gift to endow its Institute for Natural Family Planning within the College of Nursing. The Jesuit university revealed Feb. 27 the gift came from the Richard L. Boland Love for Life Foundation, Inc., also known as the Betty and Dick Boland Foundation. The institute conducts family planning research and trains health care professionals and couples in the Marquette Method, a fertility awareness-based method of family planning that helps couples achieve or avoid pregnancy by using a fertility monitor to track a woman’s cycle. According to Marquette, the Marquette Method is 98% effective when used correctly, and more than 100 instructors teach the method, both in person and online, worldwide. After testing in the upcoming months, they hope to release a Marquette Method app to help users track their fertility and communicate with their instructor. (OSV News)
WORLD
Myanmar junta allegedly torches Catholic cathedral
BANMAW, Myanmar — The military junta in Myanmar allegedly burned down St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Kachin state on March 16, the eve of the feast day of St. Patrick. This act of destruction is part of a broader pattern of attacks on church buildings and related properties in the region, according to local sources. A priest from the Diocese of Banmaw expressed the deep sorrow and suffering among the faithful, many of whom are turning to prayer and penance in the face of these atrocities, including holding services in forests and mountains. This attack follows the burning of diocesan offices and schools in February and the destruction of Sacred Heart Church in Chin state by airstrikes earlier this year. The junta’s military forces have also been linked to the death of a priest in February. Myanmar’s military, which took control in 2021, continues its violent crackdown on armed groups and civilians, displacing over 2.4 million people across the country. (OSV News)
Kidnappers kill young Nigerian seminarian
AUCHI, Nigeria — A young seminarian, Andrew Peter, is the latest victim of violence in Nigeria, where attacks on Catholic clergy and religious are escalating. On March 3, Andrew Peter, a 21-year-old seminarian, was kidnapped alongside Father Philip Ekweli from the rectory of St. Peter Catholic Church in Iviukhua-Agenebode, Edo state. While Father Ekweli was released on March 13, the gunmen killed the seminarian. This marks another case in the rising wave of kidnappings in Nigeria, which has seen a threefold increase in attacks on clergy in the first quarter of 2025 compared to last year. The Diocese of Auchi expressed deep condolences to the family of the seminarian, urging the government to enhance security in the region, which has become a hotspot for kidnappings. Over the past decade, more than 145 priests and seminarians have been kidnapped in Nigeria, with 11 fatalities, amid growing insecurity fueled by gangs and extremist groups. (OSV News)
Speakers: Church has role in fight against AI-generated exploitation
VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church needs to expand its safeguarding efforts to include the new threats and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence, top organizers of a Vatican conference said. “We are really currently in a war” on two fronts when it comes to protecting children from abuse and mistreatment, Joachim von Braun, president of the Pontifical Academy for Sciences, said at a Vatican news conference March 20. There is the traditional battleground that most safeguarding guidelines and policies address: protecting minors from “one-on-one” exploitation by a perpetrator in their environment at home, school, church, society and online, he said. But the new frontier is where AI and gender-based violence have come together in very sophisticated ways and “at scale” that is, where the crime and its victims are easily and rapidly multiplied, he said. The president of the papal academy and others were presenting a conference organized by the academy with the Institute of Anthropology: Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care in Rome and the World Childhood Foundation, founded by Queen Silvia of Sweden to help prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation. The conference, scheduled for March 20-22 at the Vatican, was to look at the risks and opportunities of AI for children and to come up with a common commitment for safeguarding. (CNS)
