Bishops across USA are welcoming the guidance from Pope Leo XIV 1st encyclical concerning AI

 

Bishops welcome Pope Leo’s encyclical as ‘crystal’ clear guidance for the AI era

written by Gina Christian

Visitors and pilgrims take cellphone phots and videos as Pope Leo XIV greets them from the popemobile while riding around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience May 20, 2026. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

(OSV News) — Catholic bishops are welcoming Pope Leo XIV ‘s first encyclical, dedicated to safeguarding human dignity by invoking Catholic social teaching as a framework for anchoring artificial intelligence.

The document is a “powerful reminder that no technology can replace a child of God, and all technology should be placed at the service of helping humanity thrive,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The archbishop shared his thoughts in a May 25 statement issued minutes after the official release of the pope’s highly anticipated encyclical on AI “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.”

Clarity amid confusion

Pope Leo joined senior Vatican officials, theologians and Christopher Olah, one of the founders of the AI research and safety firm Anthropic, for a press conference at the Vatican at which the encyclical was publicly presented.

“Magnifica Humanitas” invokes the wisdom of the Church’s social teaching — which articulates the means of building a just society and living out holiness in modern life — as a framework for shaping AI amid rapid technological advances, a fractured global order and accelerating threats to human dignity.

“The Holy Father’s teaching on safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence speaks to a critical need and brings clarity to a confusing landscape,” said Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia said in a May 25 statement posted to CatholicPhilly.com, the digital news outlet of that archdiocese.

“Pope Leo emphasizes with crystal clarity that the sanctity of human life must remain paramount as artificial intelligence systems continue to develop and become more closely integrated into nearly every aspect of our lives,” said Archbishop Pérez.

AI’s benefits to healthcare, education and evangelization are accompanied by the technology’s “significant moral and ethical pitfalls that must be navigated and reflected upon,” he said. He encouraged “all people to read it with care and reflect on its vital message.”

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, also exhorted the faithful to read the document, which is available online at the Vatican website.

In his May 25 statement, posted to Arlington Diocese’s website, Bishop Burbidge said he was “grateful” for Pope Leo’s attention to “issues of profound concern to the human person, most especially our innate desire for God and everlasting happiness.”

He said the encyclical is “especially welcome in this time of tremendous social and technological change, especially concerning artificial intelligence and the right use of such tools.”

Help at a historic time

Bishop Michael T. Martin of Charlotte, North Carolina, said Pope Leo’s text was “so helpful at this historic time in our world.”

In a May 25 statement emailed to OSV News, Bishop Martin, a Conventual Franciscan, observed that like the Industrial Revolution — which Pope Leo XIII addressed in his 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum” — AI is “revolutionizing the world as we know it.” The Church “then and now stands ready to offer safeguards that value human dignity above all else,” said Bishop Martin.

He clarified that Pope Leo’s new encyclical “isn’t the Catholic Church lamenting progress,” but it is “our pontiff calling humanity to live into its best expression for the common good while never disregarding the importance of the person.”

In a May 25 post in Spanish on the X social media platform, Mexico’s Catholic bishops said the encyclical “offers a profound and enlightening perspective on our times, demonstrating that emerging technologies can become allies of human dignity when oriented toward the common good.”

“The text combines lucidity with hope: it analyzes real risks, but, above all, points to concrete paths for safeguarding the human element in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI),” said the Mexican bishops. “Its strength lies in its capacity to integrate doctrine, discernment, and social responsibility.”

“It is too early to say how the AI revolution will pan out,” Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of Philadelphia told OSV News, “but the optimism and embrace for human discovery that Pope Leo combines with deep anthropological, cultural, social, moral and spiritual reflection is something that is welcomed — because it is deeply needed.”

Gina Christian is a multimedia 

In this Virginia diocese, a successful Hispanic Diaconate Program

 

Arlington celebrates first ‘harvest’ from its Hispanic diocesan diaconate program

written by Marietha Góngora V. 

Jose Amaya, Marco Orozco, Roberto Silva, Rodrigo Ponce, Miguel Correa and Javier Aguilera, aspirants for the Diocese of Arlington's permanent diaconate program, stand for the calling of aspirants during the Mass of Admission Candidacy for Holy Orders at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Va., Feb. 1, 2026. While other Hispanic men already serve as permanent deacons in the diocese, the new curriculum was created specifically for Hispanics. (OSV News photo/Jim Hale, courtesy Arlington Catholic Herald)

ARLINGTON, Va. (OSV News) — After completing the two-year aspirancy stage of the Diocese of Arlington’s Hispanic Permanent Diaconate Program, the first group formally presented themselves as candidates ready to continue their formation process, which is expected to culminate in four years with their ordination as deacons.

These six men were recognized in a joyful Mass for the Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders, celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington Feb. 1. The Mass at St. Thomas More Cathedral was attended by hundreds of parishioners, including family and friends of the candidates for the permanent diaconate.

‘Mind and heart for faithful service’

“Know of my prayerful support and confidence in you. I trust your sincerity and your intentions as you come forward today and resolve to form your mind and heart for faithful service to the Lord and his Church,” said the homily written by Bishop Burbidge, which was read in Spanish by Father Joel D. Jaffe, who leads the diocese’s Hispanic diaconate program.

“May God who has begun this good work in you, bring it to fulfillment,” wrote Bishop Burbidge.

During Mass, the six candidates affirmed before the bishop their intention to complete their formation to be made “ready to undertake ministry in the Church” as permanent deacons in due course.

Growth of Spanish-speaking community

Father Jaffe, who also serves as pastor of Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling, Virginia, told OSV News that this program was designed to respond to the growth of the Spanish-speaking community in Arlington.

Members of this program follow a curriculum designed for Hispanic men, with courses in Spanish and the support of bilingual priests who assist in their formation.

“It is a joy for me to see six men listening to God’s call to serve at another level and to sacrifice a lot for the community, for the Church and for the mission of our diocese. I am very happy about that,” Father Jaffe said.

After the Spanish-language Mass, Bishop Burbidge told OSV News that the candidates — Javier Aguilera, José Amaya, Miguel Correa, Marco Orozco, Rodrigo Ponce and Roberto Silva — are “very dedicated, and they’re working hard.”

Growing in knowledge of the faith

“They are taking very seriously their formation, which is intellectual formation because they have to grow in their knowledge of the faith,” he said. “They have to learn the tools on how to teach it and preach it.”

Javier Aguilera, who was accompanied by his wife, Norma, and other members of his family, originally from El Salvador, described the Feb. 1 Mass as “unforgettable.”

“All Masses are beautiful, but this one has been very special for me, it has touched my heart deeply,” said Aguilera, who had double reason to celebrate, as it coincided with his 58th birthday.

For her part, Norma said that faith has been strengthened within her home. “I feel that I have learned a lot from what he is doing, and I am doing other things that I didn’t do before, such as Lauds and Vespers,” she told OSV News.

Success of formation process

For Bishop Burbidge, the spiritual life of these men is undoubtedly a fundamental part of the success of their formation process.

“We just don’t need deacons. We need holy deacons. And so a big part of the formation is helping them to become disciples and help them in their prayer and in their relationship with the Lord, because they can only give what they have,” he told OSV News.

As the bishop stated in his homily, amid their studies and obligations, the candidates’ “highest priority must always be their spiritual life and their growth in holiness,” underscoring their commitment to the call to the permanent diaconate.

More than following Ten Commandments

Referring to the Sunday Gospel, in which Jesus “conveys to all of us how to grow in all holiness as he teaches us the Beatitudes,” the bishop warned that holiness is “more than simply following the Ten Commandments.”

“You are promising to form your mind and heart for faithful service. You are to be a dedicated learner so you may be formed in the truth and the faith you are preparing to teach, proclaim and preach,” the bishop said in his homily, read by Father Jaffe.

Bishop Burbidge, who urged the candidates to trust fully in the Lord, in his grace and mercy, without forgetting to seek the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, affirmed that by giving us the Beatitudes, Jesus “radically turns upside down worldly values and standards and teaches us the virtues and spiritual practices that serve as the perfect guide for how best to be disciples of the Lord, to follow his ways, to grow in holiness, and to be counted among the ‘blest.'”

Support of family, parishioners, formators

In his homily, the bishop also expressed his gratitude “for the support and encouragement they receive from their spouses, children, family members, fellow parishioners and formators,” referring to Father Paul D. Scalia, episcopal vicar for clergy and director of the Formation Program for Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Arlington, and Father Jaffe.

Father Jaffe, who has worked with the Hispanic community throughout his priesthood, told the Arlington Catholic Herald, the newspaper of the Diocese of Arlington, that “being able to help the bishop create and lead this program, and then help all these men feel inspired to serve as deacons, is a joy.”

After Mass, in an interview with OSV News, Bishop Burbidge highlighted the Hispanic community’s willingness to serve in his diocese.

‘Vibrant growth’ of Hispanic communities

“We are so blessed in the Diocese of Arlington in the vibrant growth of our Hispanic communities — and their spiritual and pastoral needs must continue to be met. But as we grow, we need assistance. And deacons from the Hispanic community would provide wonderful ministry to an ever-growing community,” he said.

According to the bishop, considering the rigor of the formation program for deacons, they thought “it would be best to have a cohort where they could support each other, learn in their language, and pursue the coursework that would be most meaningful to the ministry that they’ll be doing, God willing, one day as deacons.”

Bishop Burbidge said he was pleased to have a strong group of deacons, although he anticipates that they will need more and more Hispanic deacons. “We thought this program could be inviting for other men to consider, but we started small because this is new for us, and God willing, it will continue to grow,” he added.

‘A historic moment’ for diocese

Joel De Loera, director of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Diocese of Arlington, said that this “is a historic moment” for the diocese “because it is the first time this program is being offered in Spanish, and it is in response to the great need in our Hispanic community and demonstrates Bishop Burbidge’s great pastoral care for the Hispanic community.”

“They have the opportunity to fulfill their calling, their vocation to the diaconate, and it is a great blessing that our bishop has responded to this impulse, which I think is from the Holy Spirit, especially in these times when we are experiencing so much difficulty and anxiety in our Hispanic community,” De Loera said. “It is a prophetic sign of hope for our times and for our diocese.”

Marietha Góngora V. is a correspondent for OSV News.

A great vocations story from Diocese of Arlington

 12 Priests Ordained at one time for the Diocese of Arlington Virginians its largest class of Catholic priests in decades

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — They are a day away from becoming Catholic priests, rehearsing for their ordination Mass under the gothic cathedral’s arches.

It’s a balmy Friday afternoon in June, and they are practicing where to stand, when to kneel. The weekend’s rituals will be the culmination of six years of seminary and a lifetime of discernment.

There are so many of them — more than their diocese has ordained at one time in nearly 30 years — that it’s a challenge to fit the whole group in front of the altar.

Their bishop likes to call them “the 12.” Like the 12 apostles of Jesus, their number has become a mantra and a prayer. It offers hope there can still be joy and renewal in a church riven by division, crises and abuse.

Among the group there are engineers, a tech company founder and two future military chaplains. They range in age from 28 to 56. Most are U.S.-born, but some trace their roots to faraway countries with a strong Catholic presence: Cameroon, Mexico, Peru, Haiti.

They are entering the priesthood at an exciting time, just as the first U.S.-born pope begins his papacy. Yet, there remains an acute shortage of clergy like them. In the U.S., the number of priests has declined by more than 40% since 1970, according to CARA, a research center affiliated with Georgetown University.

During their final year of seminary, these 12 men have served as transitional deacons, offering baptisms, homilies and promising to live in obedience and celibacy. “We’ve already made the promises that are, I guess, ‘the scariest,’” said the Rev. Ricky Malebranche, one of the ordinands.

Soon they will be entrusted with more sacraments. As ordained priests, they will work at parishes around northern Virginia, with the ability to consecrate the Eucharist, hear confessions and anoint the sick.

For now, they shuffle side to side until they can fit in a row. Carefully they lie down to practice the act of prostration — arguably the most dramatic moment during an ordination ceremony. Elbows bent, hands cradling their heads, the men press their faces to the cold, marble floor.

It’s a position of vulnerability that signals absolute surrender.

“We’re laying before the Lord,” the Rev. Mike Sampson, an ordinand, explained before the rehearsal. “We’re laying our lives down.”

Searching for something more

While neighboring dioceses have shuttered parishes and face dire budget shortfalls, the Diocese of Arlington is opening new churches. Its finances are solid.

This year’s class of new priests is the second largest in the diocese’s 50-year history. The reasons behind that success “are a little bit mysterious,” said the Rev. Michael Isenberg, the diocese’s outgoing vocations director.

He points to one factor helping the recruiting pool: vibrant parishes, full of young professionals drawn to jobs around Washington, D.C.

Sampson, 42, was a government lawyer and raised a Protestant before he was baptized as a Catholic in 2013. Six years later, he enrolled in seminary to become a priest.

The Rev. Tim Banach, 31, worked as a consultant in the same office complex as Sampson. “I enjoyed the work I was doing, but there was something more that I desired.”

“I had the dream job,” said the Rev. Alfredo Tuesta, 40, who earned a doctorate in engineering and was working at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory when he felt called to the priesthood.

“I had the job that I had trained many years to achieve — and it wasn’t enough.”

The Rev. Alfredo Tuesta, a newly ordained priest.

At a Sunday family dinner two weeks before ordination, Malebranche’s father, Jacques, talked up these “12 great guys.”

“This kid already had two master’s degrees,” he said, pointing to his son Ricky, 37, who worked as a counselor and coach at a Catholic high school before seminary.

Statement from USCCB President on anniversary of the evil Roe v Wade decision of 1973

 

‘Thoroughly Surround Mothers in Need with Loving Support,’ says Bishop Burbidge, Marking Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

WASHINGTON – Human life remains gravely threatened by legalized abortion in most states and it continues to be aggressively promoted at the federal level, said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Our prayers, sacrifices, and efforts to protect human life have never been more essential as we mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

The Court overturned the Roe decision in 2022, marking a critical new phase in protecting human life. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to work for the legal protection of every human life from conception to natural death. This is a responsibility that we all must share – especially now when this very protection is being undermined,” said Bishop Burbidge, referencing the proposed laws and ballot initiatives at the state level to enshrine abortion-on-demand.

“Each of us is called to radical solidarity with women facing an unexpected or challenging pregnancy,” he said, and reminded all that the most immediate way to protect babies and mothers from abortion is to thoroughly surround mothers in need with loving support, ‘walking with’ them in their journey of motherhood.

March for Life Prayer Vigil draws large crowd at the national Basilica

 

2024 March for Life prayer vigil: ‘We must bring light to the darkest corners’

By Joe Bukuras

Washington D.C., Jan 18, 2024 / 21:55 pm

At this year’s March for Life vigil Mass in Washington, D.C., Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge called on those gathered in the packed Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to “bring light to the darkest corners.”

The evening vigil and Mass took place almost two years after the fall of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationwide. Since then, the battle over the unborn has been largely focused on state initiatives, and the pro-life movement has suffered several defeats at the ballot box.

Burbidge, who serves as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Pro-Life Committee, said that while it is necessary to be “strategic” in states “where there are victories to be won,” “we must not lose hope” in states where abortion rights have been enshrined into law.

“Like Jesus, it is not enough to reserve our message for those who will readily receive it and to pursue victories only in those places where we are likely to win. We must persist in those places where our message is rejected. We must bring light to the darkest corners,” he said.

The upper church, which holds 6,000 people, was standing room only as pro-lifers from across the nation filled several of the side chapels on a frigid January night. 

People of all ages and walks of life — young children, high schoolers, the elderly, dozens of nuns, priests, seminarians, bishops, and cardinals — filled the basilica’s pews the night before the 51st National March for Life. 

In his homily, Burbidge, the principal celebrant of the Mass, noted Jesus’ words to his disciples in the Gospel reading from Matthew: “Behold I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).

He said that Jesus spoke those words after he was resurrected and the work of redemption was completed. 

“It seems, for a moment, that the story is over. But it’s not. The work of spreading the Gospel, of sharing the gift of redemption, has only just begun,” he said.

“The perfection we so long for, Jesus subtly reminds his followers, will not be ours until the end of the age,” he said. “Even as we work to bring God’s goodness and justice here and now, we will be frustrated. Our best-laid plans will sometimes fail. The good works we accomplish will not always last.” 

“Our victories here on earth are fragile,” he said.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade, he said, was just such a fragile victory. He said it was “a moment of relief, a moment of new life, an exodus from the oppression under which we lived for 50 years.”

“If the past year and a half has taught us anything, it is this: Dobbs is not the end. It is a victory — a tremendous victory — but not a decisive one,” he said.

Burbidge added that the unborn are still in danger; mothers are still being harmed; and couples, children, and families are still in need of “resources, support, and love.”

He said that the pro-life movement “suffered a particularly difficult loss for unborn life” after the Dobbs decision when several states enshrined abortion rights with “radical amendments” to their constitutions.

Burbidge also pointed to “Catholic politicians and intellectuals” who “tragically continue to publicly endorse abortion as though it is a right and advocate for pro-abortion policies.”

He then took aim at the Biden administration’s pro-abortion policies.

“The current administration has removed safety protocols on the distribution of abortion pills, endangering women’s health and making vulnerable women more susceptible to coercion and abuse,” he said.

Burbidge said that money is “flooding” in to help abortion activists “tell falsehoods, to deceive people, and to portray anyone who stands up for life as irrational, radical, and intolerant,” adding that they are “supported by the media and public relations strategists.”

Burbidge said that “we must find new ways” of communicating the truth without compromise. The truth must be communicated even in the “darkest places, through service and always with Christ at the center,” he said.

“All of human life is sacred. The right to life is absolutely fundamental. No one has a right to directly take the life of another. No one has a right to devalue another,” he said.

“More than anything,” Burbidge said, “we must continue to serve, as the theme for the 2024 March for Life reminds us: With every mother, for every child.”

Burbidge pointed to the work of pregnancy resource centers as being “at the center of our mission.”

“We must fortify those efforts and ensure that those who choose life have a home, an income, food, clothing, and provisions for their children. We must help mothers and fathers through the challenges of pregnancy and welcoming a new life,” he said.

Sean McKeown and Thiago Mesquita, two seminarians who traveled by train from Boston on Thursday morning, told CNA they were inspired by Burbidge’s homily and the size of the crowd. 

“It’s definitely motivating for tomorrow to go out into the streets and march. Seeing all the people here today definitely felt like we have a lot of people that are supporting this cause,” McKeown said.

“It’s just once a year, so for me, it’s like everybody is working throughout the year to prepare for this powerful and big moment for the Church in the U.S. And I just felt like that’s my place, that I can rest and think of life, think of the importance of each person,” Mesquita said.

Two students from nearby Catholic University of America, sophomore Millie Bamsy and senior Mary Grace Raddell, told CNA that they appreciated Burbidge’s call to action.

“I love that people are here because I think that it brings us all together and it helps to remind us of our mission and that we’re all in it together,” Raddell said. 

Bamsy said that she plans to live in Washington, D.C., after graduation and wants to do what she can to help support families and struggling mothers with unexpected pregnancies. 

Another young person who traveled a long way for the march was 15-year-old James Hays from Dallas.

Hays, who came with ​​Cistercian Preparatory School outside of Dallas, said that the March for Life is “just a great experience to come and meet with other people who share the same values that I do.”

“I really look forward to that,” he said.

Before the Mass, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Cardinal Christophe Pierre, shared a message from Pope Francis to attendees of the March for Life. 

The message, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said that Pope Francis “extends warm greetings and the assurance of his prayers to the many thousands of people from throughout the United States gathered for the annual March for Life.”

“In expressing heartfelt gratitude for this eloquent witness to the inviolable right to life of every person, he trusts that almighty God will strengthen the commitment of all, especially the young, to build a culture in which each member of the human family, in particular the most innocent and vulnerable, is welcomed as a brother or sister,” the statement said.

“In this regard, His Holiness encourages everyone to persevere in efforts to safeguard our heavenly father’s gift of life through adequate legal measures enacted at the local, national, and international levels,” Pierre read.

“For when the dignity and sanctity of human life is valued and protected, society as a whole is strengthened in fraternal solidarity, mutual respect, and social charity. To all participating in the March for Life and to those who support them for their prayers and sacrifices,” the message said.

The battle against the evil of abortion is far from over as evidenced in recent elections

 

US Catholic leadership foresees challenges after repeated election defeats for abortion opponents

BY DAVID CRARY

Updated 7:03 AM CST, December 20, 2023

Repeatedly in recent years, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has stipulated that “the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority.” In the face of recent election setbacks for abortion opponents, leading bishops and their lay allies are reassessing how to move forward with that stance.

The latest rebuff came Nov. 7 in Ohio, when voters decisively approved a constitutional amendment that ensures access to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care. It was the seventh consecutive state where voters decided to protect abortion access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the nationwide constitutional right to abortion in June 2022.

The Ohio result was particularly stinging for abortion opponents, coming in a state where tough anti-abortion measures had been approved by the Republican-controlled legislature.

“Today is a tragic day for women, children, and families in Ohio,” the state’s Catholic bishops said in a joint statement as the outcome became clear.

“We must look ahead,” the bishops added. “Despite the obstacles this amendment presents, the Catholic Church in Ohio will continue to work for policies that defend the most vulnerable, strengthen the child-parent relationship, and support women in need.”

Brian Hickey, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio, noted that support for the abortion-rights amendment was particularly strong among younger voters, signaling that it could take many years to build an anti-abortion majority in the state’s electorate. Exit polls suggested that more than 75% of voters aged 18 to 29 backed the amendment.

“How do we reach this next generation of Ohioans?” Hickey asked during an interview with The Associated Press. “We know there is a lot of work to do.”

The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-life Activities, Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, recalled how he and his colleagues celebrated 18 months ago after the Supreme Court — in its so-called Dobbs decision — struck down the much-debated Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973. The result was to end the nationwide right to abortion, and leave it to individual states to decide whether to ban it or allow it.

“There was a moment to celebrate, but we also knew it was only a brief moment, because rightfully this issue is back in the states,” Burbidge said. “These ballot-measure results are very unsettling.”

Burbidge said the Catholic leadership needed to convey more clearly that it is “pro-women” -- even as it supports state legislation aimed at limiting their options regarding unwanted pregnancies.

“Not even our parishioners are aware of all of the support the Catholic Church will give to single moms in need — counseling, financial assistance, housing — so mothers know they are being accompanied,” he told the AP. “We will be with them every step of the way.”

“We look at the results, and they are not favorable,” Burbidge added. “We have a good message to convey. ... Even if it hits some more bumps in the road, some disappointments, eventually we believe that what is true, what is just, will triumph.”

2024 will bring many opportunities for disappointments and triumphs. Abortion is sure to be a key issue in many political contests, and efforts are underway in several states — including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri and Nebraska — to get Ohio-style abortion-rights measures on the ballot.

Burbidge and Hickey said the Catholic leadership, as it moved ahead in the abortion debate, should avoid sounding harsh and punitive. Hickey, for example, suggested that abortion restrictions would receive greater public support if they offered exceptions, perhaps allowing abortions for women impregnated by rape.

“We need to have those conversations,” Hickey said. “The Catholic Church is a place for refuge. It’s not a place for condemnation.”

Some Catholic abortion opponents favor an aggressive approach, whether or not it sways voter sentiment.

“The church will never compromise, it cannot compromise. It will always stand for the truth that every single human life is sacred,” said Brian Burch, president of the conservative advocacy group CatholicVote.

“But it’s very clear the public is completely divided on this,” he added. “Recent trends show the public is not willing to go where many pro-life entities had hoped to go in the wake of Dobbs.”

Burch said state legislatures with anti-abortion majorities should avoid punishing women who get abortions. But he approves of penalties against medical personnel who provide abortions, and favors new laws that could punish people for pressuring a woman to get an abortion.

“The abortion divide has become more heightened because of Dobbs,” he said. “There is no question the Democrats will use the issue next year. It’s a political gamble and I hope they’re wrong.”

Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, hopes the Democrats do highlight the issue – and says abortion opponents should engage head-on in the ensuing debate, rather than skirting the issue.

“We need an honest debate about abortion — a debate that starts with a clear, objective and public description of what the abortion procedure is,” Pavone says in a strategy memo he’s distributing to political candidates. “Abortion supporters refuse to describe what they defend ... abortion itself is the last thing they want to talk about.”

Pavone was a Catholic priest from 1988 until 2022, when the Vatican removed him from the priesthood for “blasphemous communications” on social media, and persistent disobedience of his bishop. Over many years, he had drawn attention for partisan political activities that accompanied his anti-abortion activism.

In common with Burbidge, Hickey and Burch, Pavone advocates showing compassion for women considering abortion.

But Catholics who support abortion rights question how this rhetoric can be reconciled with a stance that would deny these women the freedom to choose for themselves how to proceed.

“Solidarity with women — what does that mean?” asked Jamie Manson, president of Catholics for Choice.

“Women do not have equality in the church. We’re not allowed to lead, to be ordained,” she said. “I don’t know what ‘solidarity’ means when you have an entrenched second-class status for women.”

Manson would like to see a new kind of conversation within Catholic ranks.

“Many Catholic women have had an abortion — they have a story to tell,” she said. “What I’m hoping and pushing for is for Catholic leaders to listen to why women made that choice and have no regrets.”

For now, the U.S. bishops conference has signaled it will press ahead with existing strategies on abortion. Last month, a week after the abortion-rights amendment was approved in Ohio, the bishops elected Daniel Thomas, the bishop of Toledo, Ohio, to succeed Burbidge in November 2024 as chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Thomas had forcefully appealed for Ohioans to defeat the amendment, calling it “extreme, dangerous and unacceptable.”

Manson depicted the election of Thomas as “ironic,” given that Catholic dioceses in Ohio had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars unsuccessfully opposing the amendment.

“The Catholic bishops are doubling down on their losing abortion strategy through 2024,” she said. “The Catholic Church will continue to spend big in elections — and they will continue to lose.”

___

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