ZENIT – English https://zenit.org/ The World Seen From Rome Tue, 23 Apr 2024 21:47:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://zenit.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/8049a698-cropped-dc1b6d35-favicon_1.png ZENIT – English https://zenit.org/ 32 32 Israel: Israeli judge orders eviction of more Palestinian families https://zenit.org/2024/04/23/israel-israeli-judge-orders-eviction-of-more-palestinian-families/ Tue, 23 Apr 2024 21:36:26 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214590 In 2022, the Supreme Court had intervened by "freezing" the expropriations in the neighbourhood long at the centre of high tensions in East Jerusalem. A judge ordered the eviction of three families by July. Behind the decision is said to be pressure from Nahalat Shimon, a pro-settlement group. The army ordered the seizure of land north of Hebron, a UN note against settler violence.

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(ZENIT News – Asia News / Jerusalem, 04.23.2024).- The controversial story relating to the disputed properties in Sheikh Jarrah, a suburb of East Jerusalem, is made up of a new chapter after the sentence issued in recent days by an Israeli court, destined to fuel controversy and conflict between the parties.

The judges ordered the forced removal of three Palestinian families from their homes, giving the members – around twenty people in total as reported by the Palestinian agency Wafa – until mid-July to leave their homes and move elsewhere, freeing up the properties.

The decades-long dispute in Sheikh Jarrah, exploded in early May 2021, coinciding with the legal battle over the ownership of some houses, with pro-settler movements trying to evict Palestinian families.

The controversy concerns the Church of the Holy Land and three years ago also triggered violent flash fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. As explained by the former Patriarchal Vicar of Jerusalem of the Latins Msgr. Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, still resident in the holy city today, the issue is the result of “Israel’s plan” to “occupy as much land and houses in East Jerusalem” by strengthening the “expropriation plans”.

In March 2022 the Supreme Court itself intervened, “freezing” the expropriations and placing the entire issue back in the hands of the Israeli Ministry of Justice.

Saleh Diab, a member of one of the groups interested in the eviction, reports that in May last year a hearing was held at the court of first instance in Jerusalem.

Despite the supreme judges’ decision, a magistrate decided to reopen the case under pressure from the Nahalat Shimon group, linked to the settlers; it has been fighting for some time to try to expel the 28 Palestinian families – for a total of around 500 people – from their homes through a legal battle in the courtrooms.

Diab adds that these families have been living in the disputed homes for 56 years and have been fighting eviction attempts since 2009.

According to the tribunal, there was an illegal and untitled occupation of the properties, which were owned by the Jews. In contrast, Palestinian families say they have lived in the homes for decades.

The Sheikh Jarrah complex was built on empty land that, before the 1948 war, was owned by Jewish religious associations. After the conquest of East Jerusalem, the Israeli government approved some laws that allowed the reclaiming of properties stolen from the Jordanian government in 1967. In reality, the law only allows the reclaiming of assets controlled by Amman and attributable to enemy entities.

But in case the Jordanian government has transferred ownership to private individuals, they retain the title and rights. What is certain is that this saga has become one of the symbols of the ongoing struggle between the various souls of the holy city, with inevitable political and confessional mixes.

In 2021 at the time of the protests – which later resulted in the short but large-scale conflict in Gaza – among those who played a key role was the extremist leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, at the time an opposition parliamentarian and now Minister of National Security .

The sentence of recent days comes at a time of great tension in Jerusalem due to the war in Gaza and the ongoing escalation with Iran and due to the repeated episodes of violence in the West Bank, with killings and seizures of land. In these hours the release of an Israeli army provision for the seizure of 64 thousand square meters of land in the al-Bouira area, north of Hebron, the first step towards the creation of a new residential and industrial settlement for the settlers .

The decision would lead to the forced displacement of approximately 8 thousand Palestinians living in the area. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights intervened against the policy of expropriations and forced displacements and, addressing the Israeli security forces, asked them to “immediately put an end to their active participation and support for settler attacks against the Palestinians”.

This is inked to the escalation of attacks against villages and cities, triggered by the death of a 14-year-old Israeli boy and which led to the killing of seven Palestinians and the wounding of 75 other people.

In addition to deaths and injuries, the attacks caused hundreds of homes and other buildings, as well as cars, to burn. “Israel, as an occupying power, must take all measures in its power – concludes the UN note – to restore and guarantee, as far as possible, public order and security” in the West Bank.

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Belgian health care boss says euthanasia is the solution to an ageing population https://zenit.org/2024/04/23/belgian-health-care-boss-says-euthanasia-is-the-solution-to-an-ageing-population/ Tue, 23 Apr 2024 21:33:27 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214587 A number of politicians supported Van Gorp’s call to make “a completed life” a justification for euthanasia.

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Michael Cook

(ZENIT News – BioEdge / Brussels, 04.23.2024).- The president of Belgium’s biggest health care fund, Christian Mutualities (CM), has called for a radical solution to the problem of an ageing population. Luc Van Gorp told Belgian media this week that people who are tired of life should be allowed to end it.

Like all other European countries and, indeed, the rest of the world apart from sub-Saharan Africa, Belgium faces a huge increase in its elderly. Over-80s will double by 2050, from around 640,000 today to 1.2 million. Financial pressure on healthcare, medication and nursing homes will increase.

More money is not the solution, says Van Gorp. “No matter how much you end up investing, it will still not be enough. There are simply not enough health workers to do the job,” he said. “Do we really need all those extra residential care centres? Just building up rooms without doing anything about the staff shortage is not a sustainable model. I miss the why- question in elderly care. Why do we do business the way we do them now? There is often no answer to this.”

He is in favour of “a radically different approach” – not asking “how long can I live?”, but “how long can I live a quality life?”. He proposes euthanasia for people who believe that their lives are complete. “Suicide is too negative a term,” says Van Gorp. “I would rather call it: giving life back. I know it is sensitive, but we really have to dare to have that debate.”

In an interview with Nieuwsblad, Van Gorp declared:

“Everyone wants their parents and grandparents to stay as long as possible, right? But do those people want that themselves? And what do they need for that? These questions are asked too little. Some people over 80 will not need anything at all to age well. They will even be able to support others, for example by keeping them company. Others need a lot of care, and – just to be clear – we must continue to provide it.

“But what about the category of elderly people who receive maximum care, but who still do not have the quality of life they desire? That question is asked far too little.”

A number of politicians supported Van Gorp’s call to make “a completed life” a justification for euthanasia. However, Christian democrat leader Sammy Mahdi criticised the comments. “This makes me angry,” he wrote on X. “If someone is tired of life and feels they are in the way or don’t get visitors anymore, aren’t we just failing as a society?”

Van Gorp doubled down on the sentiments expressed in his interview with Nieuwsblad. In an op-ed for the Belgian newspaper De Morgen, he wrote: “The demand for care will only increase in the coming years. If we just keep doing the way we are doing today, we’re going for an outright care crash. We can only prevent this if we choose a radically different approach, from a healthy society that puts quality of life first instead of quantity.”

There simply are not enough carers or space for the elderly to live, he says: “Numerous healthcare providers have long indicated that it is not possible to continue in this way. There are simply not enough professional hands left to provide all the care. And as a society, we create too little space to take care of those who are most dear to us ourselves.”

Van Gorp calls for an urgent national debate about the issue: “As delicate as it is, we must dare to enter into the debate about quality of life, including at the end of life. Better today than tomorrow.”

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Burkina Faso: Catholic catechist kidnapped and subsequently murdered https://zenit.org/2024/04/23/burkina-faso-catholic-catechist-kidnapped-and-subsequently-murdered/ Tue, 23 Apr 2024 21:18:16 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214584 The lifeless body of Edouard Yougbare was discovered at the Saatenga parish on the morning of Friday, April 19th, according to local reports received by the Catholic organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

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(ZENIT News / Fada N’gourma, 04.23.2024).- A catechist was kidnapped and killed by suspected terrorists on the night of Thursday, April 18th, in Fada N’gourma, eastern Burkina Faso.

The lifeless body of Edouard Yougbare was discovered at the Saatenga parish on the morning of Friday, April 19th, according to local reports received by the Catholic organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

John Pontifex, ACN (UK) Head of Press and Public Affairs, said: “Edouard gave his life on the front line of persecution. He is a martyr who offered his life for God and in service of his community.

“At a time when Burkina Faso has become one of the world’s worst hotspots of persecution, where nobody can feel truly safe, we at Aid to the Church in Need stand in solidarity with all those suffering.”

Mr Pontifex asked for prayers for the victims’ families and all the people of Saatenga.

Two months ago another catechist was killed in Dori Diocese while leading a Sunday morning celebration in a chapel.

The security situation in Burkina Faso has deteriorated drastically over the past few years, with Christians particularly targeted by militant extremists.

Jihadist insurgent groups control around 40 percent of the country’s territory, and more than two million people – about 10 percent of the population – have been displaced because of the ongoing armed conflict.

ACN has provided emergency aid – including food – to hundreds of people driven out of their homes by terrorists.

In 2023, ACN supported 56 projects in Burkina Faso with more than one million euros in funding.

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Call to beatify 171 Sri Lankan martyrs on anniversary of church bombing https://zenit.org/2024/04/23/call-to-beatify-171-sri-lankan-martyrs-on-anniversary-of-church-bombing/ Tue, 23 Apr 2024 20:39:02 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214581 On Easter Sunday 2019, nine suicide bombers murdered a total of 264 people and injured more than 500 at six different locations – three churches and three luxury hotels.

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(ZENIT News / Colombo, 04.23.2024).- Thousand of people have signed a petition calling for the beatification of 171 Catholics slain during the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo 21st April received the appeal from Catholics in his diocese calling for the slaughtered Christians to be beatified – a step along the way to being declared saints.

Father Gregory Vajira Silva of St Sebastian’s Church, Katuwapitiya, said his parishioners are martyrs because they died for choosing to come to Mass on Easter to proclaim their faith in the risen Christ.

Father Silva lost 115 parishioners – including 27 children.

On Easter Sunday 2019, nine suicide bombers murdered a total of 264 people and injured more than 500 at six different locations – three churches and three luxury hotels.

Katuwapitiya, where the worst massacre took place, is nicknamed “Little Rome” because of its large Catholic population and numerous religious monuments.

Father Silva told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): “I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were bodies everywhere.

“Everything happened so quickly, unexpectedly, and brutally.”

The priest added that “the owner of the local cemetery donated a plot of land” because his parish did not have enough space to bury all the dead.

He said: “The man who did this to us lived here for three months, like just another villager…

“People believed and trusted in him – they treated him like a brother.

“But he simply betrayed the love they had shown him.”

He added that the terrorist act exposed “an ideology” threatening the very fabric of Sri Lankan society. The jihadist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Easter bombings.

He explained that the churches in Katywapitiya were closed for security reasons after the attack, but the faithful kept calling and asking about Mass times.

Father Silva said that he and other priests celebrated Mass in people’s homes: “We realised that we have no life without the Eucharist.”

He underlined that the atrocity left the community deeply traumatised – “many people lost family members…

“We need a great miracle of healing. Everyone was affected.”

Father Silva explained that priests were assigned groups of families to offer emotional and practical support in the aftermath of the massacre.

He concluded: “We didn’t preach at that time – we were simply there for them, and they could feel it.

“We helped them, listened to them, cried with them, shared what they were experiencing at that time.”

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Congolese bishops: ‘Our country is not for sale’ https://zenit.org/2024/04/23/congolese-bishops-our-country-is-not-for-sale/ Tue, 23 Apr 2024 20:35:51 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214578 The statement also called on the international community to “understand once and for all that the DR Congo is neither for sale nor to be lawlessly exploited” – referencing Pope Francis’s message in early 2023 telling multinational companies to take their “hands off” the DRC and Africa.

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(ZENIT News / Bukavu, 04.23.2024).- Congolese bishops have painted a harrowing picture of the severe challenges facing the population because of internal armed conflict and international exploitation.

In a statement, a copy of which was sent to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the six bishops of Bukavu ecclesiastical province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) asked the nation’s leaders to serve their people and “stop running the country as if it was your private domain”.

The bishops criticised the Congolese government for abandoning the population and the international community for “plundering” the country.

About 120 militias have been fighting over territory and natural resources in the DRC’s eastern regions since 1996, killing six million people and causing more than another six million to be displaced, according to the UN.

North Kivu and Ituri provinces have been under martial law for three years, granting the Congolese army extra powers to administer the territories while fighting armed groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – affiliated with Daesh (ISIS) – and the March 23 Movement (M23).

In their statement, dated 14th April, the bishops of Bukavu, Butembo-Beni, Goma, Kasongo, Kindu and Uvira denounced the “insecurity that has become endemic with its trail of murders carried out in broad daylight, massacres and kidnappings of peaceful Congolese citizens in our towns and villages”.

They went on to condemn “the encirclement of the city of Goma by the M23 supported by Rwanda”, “the paralysis of the economy through a strategy of isolation and asphyxiation of large and small urban communities” and the “parallel administrations in areas under the control of armed groups”.

They added that conflicts over land are often exacerbated by a “breach of trust between the civil population and the military” and by “unjust court decisions, including those concerning churches and schools”.

The bishops explained that some parishes have had to close down due to the insecurity and said the people have been abandoned by their leaders.

They wrote: “When we hear our people speaking of the source of our interminable suffering, we conclude that all of this is happening because the Congolese state is dead – that we, the governed, have been left to our sad fate, and that there is no indication that the current leaders have any concern for the welfare of those they govern.”

The statement also called on the international community to “understand once and for all that the DR Congo is neither for sale nor to be lawlessly exploited” – referencing Pope Francis’s message in early 2023 telling multinational companies to take their “hands off” the DRC and Africa.

The bishops highlighted the heroism of priests and religious who carry out their mission in territories controlled by militias – adding that most of the population sees the Catholic Church “as an institution that tirelessly defends the people’s interests”.

They stressed that the Church continues to carry out its mission of charity and aid “among the displaced, which in the Dioceses of Butembo-Beni and Goma alone exceed two million”.

They concluded: “May we be able to rebuild our beautiful country through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, mother of the resurrected one, and queen of peace.”

Father Henri Chiza Balumisa, Vicar-General of Goma, east DRC, told ACN: “We are grateful to our brother priests who live in difficult situations, risking their lives, and afflicted by fear…

“They are here to share in the suffering of the people. It is in these moments of suffering that the Church wants to be the salt of the earth.”

Father Balumisa said that the Christians in his diocese feel abandoned by the rest of the world but not by ACN benefactors.

He added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank ACN, which stands out for its support, for its presence and effort in supporting our pastoral work through Mass stipends to improve the quality of life of the priests, and which accompanies the priests of our diocese in their apostolate.”

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Israel continues to violate human rights of Christians just because they are Palestinians https://zenit.org/2024/04/22/israel-continues-to-violate-human-rights-of-christians-just-because-they-are-palestinians/ Mon, 22 Apr 2024 23:24:34 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214566 Layan Nasir, a 23-year-old native of Birzeit, is the only Christian woman under "administrative detention". She was taken, blindfolded and handcuffed, overnight by a military patrol without an arrest warrant or charges against her. The Bethlehem Lutheran leader: Israel enjoys "impunity" and “feels entitled to destroy the lives of millions of people.”

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Darío Salvi

(ZENIT News – Asia News / Jerusalem, 04.22.2024).- Layan Nasir, a young Palestinian Christian woman, was arrested last week. “There are no reasons and no basis [for her arrest] other than the fact that we live under a colonial-settler occupation that has enjoyed impunity for so long and feels entitled to destroy the lives of millions,” said Rev Munther Isaac speaking to AsiaNews.

For the clergyman, who serves as pastor at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bethlehem, “Layan has been placed under ‘administrative detention’, just like close to 4000 other Palestinians. This is the term the Israelis use to justify detention of people” when they “have no charges against them.”

At night on 6 April in Birzeit, a Palestinian town, a patrol of about 15 Israeli soldiers showed up at her family’s home looking for the 23-year-old woman, without an arrest warrant or charge against her.

As the family told The Guardian newspaper, which reported the arrest, Israeli soldiers forced their way into the family home and pointed guns at Layan’s mother, Lulu Aranki, and her father, Sami, a Catholic-Anglican couple.

After searching for several minutes, the soldiers took Layan, not before blindfolding and handcuffing her, placing her under administrative detention, the only Christian woman in this situation.

For Rev Isaac, “Layan’s detention serves as a reminder of our life as Christians under Israeli occupation. Palestinian Christians are not just an integral part of the Palestinian people but have suffered just as the rest of the people.”

The young woman was arrested as a “preventive” measure but her family has not been notified why.

Her story, which risked going unnoticed like many others involving Palestinians, became front-page news after the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, expressed deep concern about her fate and called for her release on X (formerly Twitter).

“We should put all the pressure possible,” said the Lutheran clergyman, “not just to free her, but to free all our people from the occupation jails, to end the occupation and to achieve justice for everyone.”

Rev Isaac serves as pastor at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He teaches at Bethlehem Bible College and is the director of the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference.

Now in its seventh year, the conference this year will be held between 21 and 26 May, centred on “Do Justice, Love Mercy: Christian Witness in Contexts of Oppression.”

“Our situation as Christians in Palestine is critical as we are at the lowest of our points since 1948, but we are not losing hope and most importantly. We believe in the justice of our cause.

“We see how our lands are stolen and our people attacked. Israel enjoys impunity and the western world seems not to care much about us. But we also know that our cause is just.

“This is the key. We will continue to exist and to spread our message not just because it is a duty as Palestinians but also because it is our duty as Christians.

Administrative detention allows Israel to hold a suspect for long periods without charges or trial. This measure, once enforced only to Palestinians, now applies to Israelis as well, although critics are sceptical about how it is applied.

A source of controversy and protests because it violates human rights, the measure is usually used when the authorities have information linking a suspect to a crime, but do not have enough evidence to support their claim in a court of law.

Detentions can be unilaterally renewed by a military court every six months and prisoners can remain in prison for years.

While some Palestinians have been detained without known charges, the most common reasons for administrative detention range from the promotion of violence online to (alleged) terrorist activities.

Layan is one of thousands of Palestinians held without charge, at least 85 are women, but she is the only one who is Christian.

Critics, activists, and human rights NGOs note that the law is part of the apartheid system enforced by the Jewish state against Palestinians.

“Israel routinely uses administrative detention,” says Btselem, an Israeli human rights NGO, “and has, over the years, placed thousands of Palestinians behind bars for periods ranging from several months to several years, without charging them, without telling them what they are accused of, and without disclosing the alleged evidence to them or to their lawyers.”

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Vatican v. France on religious freedom could go to Strasbourg court https://zenit.org/2024/04/22/vatican-v-france-on-religious-freedom-could-go-to-strasbourg-court/ Mon, 22 Apr 2024 23:21:07 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214563 The Holy See reminded France that when civil courts second-guess the decision of expelling a nun from her religious order, freedom of religion is “gravely violated.”

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Massimo Introvigne

(ZENIT News – Bitter Winter / Rome, 04.22.2024).- If some believe that the attack against religious liberty in France only targets “cults” and Islam, they are wrong. On April 13, a religious organization in an official statement lamented that it is a victim in France of “a serious violation of the fundamental rights to religious freedom and freedom of association.” The name of this religious organization is the Roman Catholic Church, and the statement came from the Holy See Press Office.

In short, a religious order called the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Spirit asked the Vatican to investigate the behavior of one of its nuns, Sabine de la Valette, who had taken the religious name of Sister Marie Ferréol. As usual in these cases, the Vatican ordered an apostolic visitation of the convent, under the authority of Cardinal Marc Ouellet. Following the visitation’s report, the Vatican decided in 2020 that Sister Marie should be dismissed from the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Spirit.

Unhappy with the decision, Sister Marie sued and asked the Tribunal of Lorient to declare that she had been wrongfully dismissed from her order. On April 3, the Tribunal found in favor of the ex-nun and ordered the religious order, Cardinal Ouellet, and the two Vatican envoys who conducted the apostolic visitation to pay more than Euro 200,000 to her as damages. According to media reports, the Tribunal found the visitation biased as Cardinal Ouellet was “friendly” with another nun known as an opponent of Sister Marie.

On April 13, the Vatican stated that it had learned of the case only from the media, Cardinal Ouellet “never received any summons from the Lorient Tribunal,” and neither the Cardinal nor the Holy See have been served with a copy of the verdict.

Assuming that what the media reported about the decision is true, the Vatican stated that what it still calls an “alleged” ruling (since it has not seen an official copy of it) “could raise not only significant issues concerning immunity, but if it ruled on internal discipline and membership in a religious institute, it might have constituted a serious violation of the fundamental rights to religious freedom and freedom of association of Catholic faithful.”

The Vatican is, of course, right. The decision has been appealed and may well go to Strasbourg to be examined by the European Court of Human Rights. The latter, as did courts in the United States and Canada, has constantly ruled that the decisions of expelling members from a religious body are based on theological and not only on legal reasons, on which secular courts cannot interfere without seriously violating religious liberty—just as the Vatican said. But it seeems that violating religious liberty is now a daily occurrence in France.

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2 billion in money for killing babies: Planned Parenthood’s financial results released https://zenit.org/2024/04/22/2-billion-in-money-for-killing-babies-planned-parenthoods-financial-results-released/ Mon, 22 Apr 2024 23:18:23 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214561 The sobering reality is that Planned Parenthood is swimming in cash and aborting more unborn children than ever before.

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Melanie Israel

(ZENIT News – The Daily Signal / Washington, 04.22.2024).- Planned Parenthood’s 2022-2023 annual report is out. Unlike last year’s annual report, now we’re finally able to see how the 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade is affecting Planned Parenthood’s abortion numbers and bottom line.

Spoiler alert: Abortions and government funding are at all-time highs. Actual health care for things such as cancer screening and preventive care continues to decline. More affiliates than ever are providing “transgender services.”

Here are the key takeaways:

In the medical data section, Planned Parenthood reported:

  • 392,715 abortions, an all-time high, and up from last year’s 374,155 abortions.
  • 410,272 breast cancer screenings and Pap tests, down from 470,419 the previous year.
  • 129,216 preventive care visits, down from 187,234 the previous year.
  • 1,721 adoption referrals, down from 1,803 the previous year and less than half of the 4,279 reported just four years ago.
  • 2,250,913 million contraceptive services, down from 2,348,275 the previous year.
  • 2.05 million unique patients, down from 2.13 million the previous year.

Planned Parenthood performed 228 abortions for every one adoption referral.

In a nod to the reality that women in pro-life states are still traveling out of state to get abortions, Planned Parenthood reports that demand in pro-abortion states rose up to 700%. Some 33,000 people have gotten travel and financial assistance.

In the long term, the trend of more abortions and fewer health services is even more stark. Pro-life scholar Michael New points out that “in the past 10 years, the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood has increased by 20%. Meanwhile, cancer screenings fell by more than 58%, and prenatal services declined by more than 67%.”

After going all-in on “gender-affirming hormone therapy” starting in the 2015-2016 reporting year, Planned Parenthood reports an all-time high of 45 clinics offering such services. Planned Parenthood buries the specific number of services in an “other” category in the medical data tables. We can reasonably infer that gender services drove a noticeable spike in the category. It went from 8,153 in 2015 to 177,237 in this year’s report.

Now take a look at the financial side of things. Planned Parenthood reported:

  • $2.5 billion in net assets, up from $2.3 billion the previous year.
  • $699 million in government funding, up from $670 million the previous year.
  • $2 billion in total revenue, up from $1.9 billion the previous year.
  • $178.6 million in excess revenue (calculated by subtracting total expenses from total revenues), a decrease from $204.7 million the previous year.
  • $977.5 million in private contributions and bequests, including from 576,000 active individual contributors. Last year in those categories, Planned Parenthood reported $694.9 million and 727,000, respectively. That means that fewer people are contributing, but the ones who are writing checks are writing very, very big ones.

The sobering reality is that Planned Parenthood is swimming in cash and aborting more unborn children than ever before.

That’s despite more than a dozen states protecting unborn children with beating hearts, despite abortion clinics in pro-life states closing up shop or moving to abortion-friendly states, and despite Planned Parenthood laying off roughly 100 employees in the national office.

The pro-life movement has racked up lifesaving wins since Dobbs. But Planned Parenthood’s cold, hard data shows that the pro-life movement still has a lot of work to do to build a culture of life.

Take Planned Parenthood’s government funding, for example. Why such a dramatic increase? One culprit is the federal Title X family-planning program.

The Trump administration issued a regulation that required, among other things, that participants physically and financially separate any abortion activity from Title X activity. Rather than comply with the rule, Planned Parenthood clinics sided with abortion and pulled out of the program. But the Biden administration changed the regulation, and starting in 2022, Title X funding flowed to abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, once again.

Government funding isn’t the only place executive action is having an impact. Why are Planned Parenthood’s abortion numbers continuing to rise despite nearly two dozen states passing robust pro-life laws after the Dobbs decision? Planned Parenthood can thank the Food and Drug Administration.

In the spring of 2021, under the cover of containing COVID-19, the FDA stopped requiring that chemical abortion drugs be dispensed in person in limited health care settings, opening the door to telemedicine abortion and abortion pills being shipped by mail.

Then, in December 2021, the FDA announced it would make that policy permanent and create a process for retail pharmacies to dispense these pills without a doctor’s visit. In January 2023, the FDA officially updated the regulations for the abortion pill.

What does this mean in practice for an organization like Planned Parenthood?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest abortion numbers, abortion pills are now used in at least 56% of all abortions. And thanks to President Joe Biden and the FDA, it’s never been easier for Planned Parenthood to get dangerous do-it-yourself abortion pills into the hands of women and girls across the country.

These executive policy choices should not go unanswered. Congress’ federal role over the power of the purse provides a path forward. Congress can and should defund Planned Parenthood and redirect funding to real women’s health care.

It should restore the Trump-era pro-life Title X rule. It should prohibit the FDA’s reckless disregard for women’s health and safety that opened the door to dangerous DIY abortion pills.

All of this could be accomplished through the appropriations process through policy riders. In fact, each of these solutions was proposed for fiscal 2024 appropriations, but didn’t make it across the finish line. For the sake of women, girls, and unborn children everywhere, let’s hope pro-life policymakers in Congress hold the line as Congress begins considering fiscal 2025 appropriations.

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Vatican Places Out Patient Clinic in Saint Peter’s Square to Detect Breast Cancer https://zenit.org/2024/04/22/vatican-places-out-patient-clinic-in-saint-peters-square-to-detect-breast-cancer/ Mon, 22 Apr 2024 20:26:15 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214575 On the first day, 40 women were attended by the Clinic and Saint Martha’s Dispensary. They underwent diagnostic tests to detect breast cancer. If any of the women were to have a problem, they would be given additional examinations and all the necessary treatment.

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(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 22.04.2024).- To find a place to have a medical check-up is something that probably doesn’t cross the mind of the majority of people living on the street. Their lives are a daily struggle to find food, safe shelter and basic hygiene facilities.

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has been conscious of this need and responded through Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Papal Almoner, creating shower facilities under Saint Peter’s Colonnade, lodgings such as the “Gift of Mercy” on Via dei Penitenzieri and the “Mother of Mercy” Clinic under the Colonnade.

Established on Thursday, April 18 in the Vatican’s Square was the Prevention Caravan, resulting from the collaboration between the Dicastery for the Service of Charity and KOMEN- Italy. The association is dedicated to the prevention and fight against breast cancer, in collaboration the IRCCS Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation and Gemelli Isola.

Un lazo rosa, símbolo de la prevención y la lucha contra el cáncer de mama, a la entrada del ambulatorio "Madre de la Misericordia"

The Caravan will be at the Vatican every two months. A pink ribbon, symbol of the prevention and research on the most widespread cancer among women, has been placed outside the “Mother of Mercy” Clinic.

On the first day, 40 women were attended by the Clinic and Saint Martha’s Dispensary. They underwent diagnostic tests to detect breast cancer. If any of the women were to have a problem, they would be given additional examinations and all the necessary treatments.

This initiative is just one of the many carried out by the “Mother of Mercy” Clinic. A clinic, desired by the Holy Father, has become a functional reality.

Since January 1, 2024, 4,429 health services have been provided, including 2,054 general medical consultations, 1,901 specialized consultations, 115 dental visits, 359 laboratory tests have been carried out and 4,199 boxes of medicines have been delivered.

The Clinic is able to function thanks to the support of 80 doctors, nurses, paramedics and technicians who volunteer their time and professionalism to attend to the most vulnerable.

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One of the Most Wanted New York Criminals Is Arrested Around the Vatican https://zenit.org/2024/04/22/one-of-the-most-wanted-new-york-criminals-is-arrested-around-the-vatican/ Mon, 22 Apr 2024 20:22:25 +0000 https://zenit.org/?p=214572 On Wednesday, April 10, while hundreds of faithful gathered for the Pope’s General Audience, the Italian Police arrested Moisés Tejada, who was armed with several twenty-centimeter knives. This incident, which took place in such an emblematic and crowded place, has raised the alarm about security in Vatican City.

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(ZENIT News / Rome, 22.04.2024).- The arrest of American Moisés Tejada in the vicinity of Saint Peter’s Square on Wednesday, April 10, has  sparked shock and worry, given that the individual is sought by the New York Authorities for his alleged participation in a series of violent crimes.

According to reports furnished by the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica,” Tejada was arrested while carrying several pocket knives just on the day (April 10) that the Holy Father was holding the General Audience in the Square, in the presence of hundreds of faithful.

During the interrogation after his arrest, Tejada said he arrived in Italy from Kiev’s front, although the investigators confirmed that he had travelled from Moldavia. He faces serious accusations in the United States for abducting real estate agents, whom he took to visit luxury properties and then attacked and stripped them of their belonging, leaving them abandoned in their underwear inside houses. He is one of the most wanted criminals in New York.

Tejada left the United States in February 2022 for Ukraine, but then he decided suddenly to go to Rome. At present, he is waiting for the American Authorities to request his extradition to face the charges against him.

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