St. Columba Catholic Church

Leaders of the Christian community lay wreaths at the grave of Father Charles Joseph Young at the Holy Rosary Church cemetery in Dhaka on Nov. 14, 2025. / Credit: Stephan Uttom Rozario

Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nov 18, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

On the 37th anniversary of his death, Bangladesh’s Christian community honored an American Holy Cross priest and microcredit pioneer who transformed their economic future — Father Charles Joseph Young, whose cooperative credit union has grown from 50 members and barely any money in 1955 to 46,000 members with $122.6 million in capital today.

On Nov. 14, the country’s most respected cooperative, the Christian Cooperative Credit Union Ltd., Dhaka — known as Dhaka Credit — and other cooperatives marked Young’s death anniversary with events including tributes at his grave, a Mass, and public discussions on his life and impact.

“If Dhaka Credit had not stood by me today, I would not have been a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur,” said 45-year-old Shukli Kubi, a Garo tribal mother of two.

Kubi, originally from a rural area in Mymensingh Diocese in central Bangladesh, came to Dhaka in search of a livelihood and started working in a beauty parlor for just 500 taka (the equivalent of $4 today) about 15 years ago. After gaining experience, she has now opened a parlor of her own and is considering a loan from Dhaka Credit to expand.

“I easily took a loan from Dhaka Credit to buy at least 150 decimals of land in the village and opened a beauty parlor in Dhaka, where 10 employees are now working,” she said.

Many workers in Kubi’s parlor have gone on to open their own, albeit on a smaller scale, and she is planning to expand further. “I tell people, save some money in Dhaka Credit and take a loan to buy land for yourself or start a business like me,” Kubi said.

Dhaka Credit is a cooperative run by lay Christians in Bangladesh, founded in 1955 under Young’s leadership. The organization, which started with only 50 members and a capital of 25 taka (the equivalent of about $0.20 today), now has 46,000 members and a capital of about $122.6 million. It operates the Divine Mercy Hospital Ltd., a 300-bed facility — the first hospital established by lay Christians in the country — with more than a thousand employees.

At the time of its founding, Catholics in Bangladesh were financially vulnerable and often forced to take loans from landlords at high interest rates. Young established the credit union movement to lift the Christian community out of poverty, explained Michael John Gomes, president of Dhaka Credit. Gomes noted that, due to Young’s influence, more than 250 cooperatives now exist in parishes across the country.

To keep Young’s legacy alive, Dhaka Credit established the Father Charles J. Young Foundation, which benefits people of all religions in Bangladesh. The foundation seeks to create employment for poor and educated unemployed youth via skills training, educational support, and research.

American-born Young established a housing project for Christians in Bangladesh. He was born May 3, 1904, in Auburn, New York, the fourth and youngest child of Daniel F. Young and Mary Anne (Jennings) Young. He grew up in St. Mary’s Orphanage in Rochester, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph, received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1929, and was ordained a priest on June 24, 1933.

Upon his arrival in Bangladesh, Young served in various parishes, spending much of his life among the Garo tribal people. In 1953, the then-archbishop of Dhaka, Lawrence Leo Graner, CSC, sent him to study cooperatives at the Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University in Canada. Upon his return, he established Dhaka Credit.

According to the book “Father Charles J. Young, CSC, Father of Credit Union in Bangladesh,” by Father Richard William Timm, CSC, Young dedicated himself to forming credit unions for the poorest, recognizing their dependence on moneylenders and understanding their needs from firsthand experience.

The American priest believed the purpose of credit unions was to help people learn to be frugal — not for charity or profit but for service.

Swadhin Mandal, who started with several loans from Dhaka Credit to build a rent-a-car business, is now a successful entrepreneur employing 10 drivers with eight cars. “If Father Young had not started this cooperative movement, I would not have been able to start this business today,” Mandal said.

After the 1947 partition, Young played a critical role in alleviating a housing crisis and resolving the Garo land problem. During the devastating cyclone of 1970, Young hurried back from leave in the U.S. to participate in relief and later co-founded the Christian Relief and Rehabilitation Organization — the precursor to Caritas Bangladesh.

Young and the Catholic Church made a significant contribution during and after the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971, including arranging management training for funds received by Caritas and establishing a residential hostel for students in Dhaka.

Poverty alleviation and community self-development were significant challenges during Young’s era, recalled Babu Markus Gomes, vice chairman of the Father Charles J. Young Foundation. “Father Young is the father of Dhaka Credit and the credit union movement, but he did not seek to be its president. He spread this movement throughout the country, leading those for whose quality of life this union was created,” Gomes said.

“He spread the word of Christ to everyone, regardless of race, religion, or caste. Whenever someone wants to build a credit union, they recall this great priest — people of all faiths remember him, and the word of Christ spreads throughout the country as a result,” Gomes added.

Young died on Nov. 14, 1988, in a road accident while riding his motorcycle to his residence. He was buried at the Holy Rosary Church’s cemetery in Tejgaon, Dhaka.

“We can work to canonize Father Young based on his life’s immortal contribution to humanity,” Gomes said during a recent homage at Young’s grave.

Holy Cross Father Hubert Liton Gomes, a cooperative expert, said if the Church is willing, the cause for canonizing Young could move forward.

“Canonizing is not a one-day task; it requires research, prayer, and effort. The Church has to consider many things, but we can take the initiative,” said Gomes, secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Bangladesh Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Blessed Carmelo De Palma. / Credit: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Father Carmelo De Palma, a priest known as the “hero of the confessional,” was beatified Nov. 15 in Bari, Italy.

Pope Leo XIV recognized the new blessed during the Nov. 16 Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, saying De Palma “was a diocesan priest who died in 1961 after a life generously spent in the ministry of confession and spiritual accompaniment.” 

“May his witness inspire priests to give themselves unreservedly to the service of God’s holy people,” he added.

The beatification Mass in Italy was celebrated by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. In his homily in the Bari cathedral, the prelate emphasized that “spirituality, when authentic, is always combined with charity toward one’s neighbor,” Vatican News reported.

“That our blessed lived out this sacramental fraternity is demonstrated both by the numerous testimonies given by priests during the process for his beatification and canonization, and by the subsequent dedication shown by the diocesan clergy in promoting and supporting this cause,” the cardinal said.

He also noted that many faithful found in De Palma “a spiritual guide to progress in their personal response to that ‘vocation which unites us all as baptized, living members of the one people of God: that is, the vocation to holiness.’”

De Palma, Semeraro added, was “for countless faithful a minister of reconciliation and forgiveness” and “a clear and balanced guide” for those who asked for his help “in discerning God’s will for their own lives.”

Who was Father Carmelo De Palma?

De Palma was a diocesan priest who dedicated his life to the ministry of confessor and spiritual direction of the faithful, priests, seminarians, and especially the Benedictine nuns of St. Scholastica in Bari, Italy.

He was born on Jan. 27, 1876, in Bari. After being orphaned, he entered the seminary in his hometown at the age of 10. He was ordained a priest in Naples in 1898.

On June 17, 1900, he was appointed chaplain of St. Nicholas Basilica in Bari, where he served by celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, and encouraging various pastoral initiatives.

Later, the basilica was entrusted to the Dominican Fathers by order of the Holy See, and De Palma was appointed spiritual director of the Benedictine nuns of St. Scholastica in Bari as well as the Oblates of St. Benedict. 

Over the years, his health deteriorated severely due to chronic colitis, arteriosclerosis of the heart, and progressive vision loss. In February 1961, he celebrated Mass publicly for the last time, and because of his illness, he continued to celebrate the Eucharist in his room, where he also continued to hear confessions.

He died in Bari on Aug. 24, 1961, of heart failure. The miracle that led to his beatification was the inexplicable healing of a Benedictine nun who had a severe spinal cord injury that prevented her from walking.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

The statue of Pope Leo in Chiclayo, Peru, is surrounded by some of the people who attended its inauguration and blessing. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Provincial Municipality of Chiclayo

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Chiclayo is celebrating following the inauguration and blessing of a large statue of Pope Leo XIV, located in a central roundabout in the city. The statue now welcomes visitors to the northern Peruvian city where Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, served as bishop and apostolic administrator from 2014 to 2023.

The 16-foot white statue, standing atop a 6-foot pedestal, weighs half a ton and is made of fiberglass and resin. The statue was created by artist Juan Carlos Ñañake of Piura, Peru, who collaborated with six other artists over a three-month period.

“It has been an artistic and spiritual challenge. We wanted Pope Leo XIV to reflect serenity and approachability. His smile will welcome all who come to Chiclayo,” said the artist, according to the Andina news agency.

“This work symbolizes the gratitude of the people of Lambayeque to the Holy Father for his message of love, hope, and unity,” highlighted Félix Mío Sánchez, regional manager of foreign trade and tourism for the Peruvian government. The provincial municipality of Chiclayo also participated in the unveiling of the monumental sculpture.

The statue will be part of the Pope Leo tourist route.

The bishop of Chiclayo, Edinson Farfán, emphasized that “by blessing this sculpture, we renew our commitment to walk together: Church, state, institutions, and citizens under God’s gaze, to continue serving Pope Leo XIV with humility and generosity.”

“Our bishop emeritus is the pope of communion; may his example inspire our public and community actions, and may his witness remind us that governing and serving is also an act of love,” he added.

Jorge Pérez, governor of the Lambayeque region, highlighted that the image is also an act of thanksgiving “to one of our brothers, a Peruvian at heart, a Peruvian who walked with us and I am sure walks with us today through his prayers for the well-being of our people.”

Pope Leo XIV obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and this year updated his information to obtain a new Peruvian ID. 

The Augustinian friar spent more than 20 years in Peru, serving in Chulucanas and Trujillo, and eventually as the bishop of Chiclayo.

The mayor of Chiclayo, Janet Cubas Carranza, also thanked Pope Leo XIV “for having put Chiclayo on the world map.”

The unveiling of the statue last week included the traditional northern marinera dance, a performance by Donnie Yaipén, who played his song “La Cumbia del Papa,” a fireworks display, and the inaugural lighting of the sculpture of the first American and Peruvian pope.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

“Sts. Peter and Paul,” Altar of St. Catherine (1465), Schwabach, Germany. Artist unknown. / Credit: Public domain

Vatican City, Nov 18, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Nov. 18 is celebrated in the Catholic Church as the feast day of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul. Here are three things to know about the historical, architectural, and spiritual significance of these two papal basilicas:

1. Historical significance of the Nov. 18 feast day 

In the fourth century, the world’s first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine, commissioned the construction of two separate basilicas over the burial sites of St. Peter and St. Paul to enable the public veneration of the two great apostles, martyrs, and evangelizers of Rome.

After Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire following the Edict of Milan issued by Constantine in 313, construction of the first Basilica of St. Peter began in 319 and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester on Nov. 18, 326. Historical records indicate that Sylvester consecrated the first basilica built by Constantine dedicated to the apostle St. Paul on Nov. 19 around the year 330.

The masses of pilgrims who came to pray at the tombs of the “Prince of the Apostles” and the “Apostle to the Gentiles” required constant repairs, renovations, and expansion of the two basilicas built by Constantine.

In 1506, Pope Julius II ordered the demolition of the original basilica dedicated to St. Peter to construct the second Basilica of St. Peter, which still stands today. Pope Urban VIII solemnly consecrated the magnificent Basilica of St. Peter 120 years later on Nov. 18, 1626.

Over the centuries the basilica dedicated to St. Paul underwent several renovations and two major reconstructions. The current Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is the third basilica built above the apostle’s burial site. In 1854 — after the great fire of 1823 and over 30 years of construction work — Pius IX consecrated the newly-built basilica and fixed Nov. 18 as its commemoration date.

2. Architectural significance of the two basilicas 

With histories that span nearly two millennia, both the Basilica of St. Peter and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls bear the marks of changing architectural designs dating back from the Paleo-Christian period to the present day.

The world-famous 16th-century Basilica of St. Peter, visited by millions of tourists and pilgrims yearly, took more than 100 years to construct and was heavily influenced by Western artistic styles of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Designed by the Italian architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the 94-foot-tall bronze canopy, known as the baldacchino, is a Baroque masterpiece that towers above the central altar and stands directly above the tomb of St. Peter. To highlight the primacy of Peter among the apostles, the baldacchino features sculptures of cherubs holding the papal tiara as well as the “keys to the kingdom of heaven,” which Jesus entrusted to St. Peter and his successors. Bernini also designed the keyhole shape of St. Peter’s Square.

Throughout its history, the Roman basilica dedicated to St. Paul was a testimony to the Catholic Church’s ancient past. Before the 1823 fire, the basilica housed artworks and historical artifacts from the Paleo-Christian, Byzantine, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

Reconstructed to be identical to the basilica destroyed by fire, the art and architecture of St. Paul Outside the Walls has taken its inspiration from different architectural styles dating back from the 11th century to contemporary designs of the 21st century.

The Holy Door of this major basilica was designed by Enrico Manfrini in preparation for the 2000 Jubilee Year. Inside this door stands the Byzantine door, created in 1070, depicting scenes of the life of Christ and the first Christians.

3. Spiritual significance of the two basilicas 

The burial sites of the two patron saints of Rome remain significant places of pilgrimage for Christians.

St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Paul Outside the Walls, two of the four papal basilicas of Rome, are visited by millions of tourists for their historical, architectural, and artistic importance. For Christian pilgrims, the two major basilicas hold a greater spiritual significance that links their faith in Jesus and his Church to two of its most faithful apostles who led the way for Christians throughout the ages through their teachings and witness.

On the June 29, 2024, solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis invited all of the Catholic faithful to imitate their example and “open the doors” of the Church during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. 

“The jubilee will be a time of grace, during which we will open the Holy Door so that everyone may cross the threshold of that ‘living sanctuary’ who is Jesus,” the Holy Father said in his homily.

The Holy Door in the Basilica of St. Peter opened on Christmas Eve 2024 to usher in the jubilee year and the Holy Door of St. Paul Outside the Walls opened on Jan. 5, 2025. The former wil close on Jan. 6, 2026, and the latter will close on Dec. 28, 2025.

This story was first published on Nov. 18, 2024, and has been updated.

Children play as procession participants wait to enter the Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne for adoration. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/CNA

CNA Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On Nov. 18 the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, a French religious sister who came to the United States as a missionary in the 1800s. 

Rose was born on Aug. 29, 1769, in Grenoble, France. On the day of her baptism, she received the names Philip, honoring the apostle, and Rose, honoring St. Rose of Lima. She was educated at the Convent of the Visitation of Ste. Marie d’en Haut and became drawn to contemplative life. At the age of 18, she became a novice at the convent. 

During the revolution in France, Rose’s community was dispersed and she ended up returning to her family home. After the Concordat of 1801, she tried to rebuild her community’s monastery but was unable to do so. 

In 1804, Rose heard of a new congregation — the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She became a novice in the society that same year. 

Despite her great desire for contemplative life, Rose also felt a calling for missionary work. 

In a letter she wrote to Mother Madeleine Sophie Barat, the foundress of the society, Rose described an experience she had during adoration: “I spent the entire night in the New World ... carrying the Blessed Sacrament to all parts of the land ... I had all my sacrifices to offer: a mother, sisters, family, my mountain! When you say to me ‘now I send you,’ I will respond quickly, ‘I go.’”

In 1818, Rose was finally sent to do missionary work. Bishop Louis William Valentine DuBourg, the St. Louis area’s first bishop, was looking for a congregation of educators to help him evangelize the children of the diocese. At St. Charles, near St. Louis, Rose founded the first house of the society outside of France.

That same year, Rose and four other sisters opened the first free school for Native American children in the United States. By 1828 Rose had founded six schools.

The saint once said: “You may dazzle the mind with a thousand brilliant discoveries of natural science; you may open new worlds of knowledge which were never dreamed of before; yet, if you have not developed in the soul of the pupil strong habits of virtue, which will sustain her in the struggle of life, you have not educated her.”

Rose always carried a desire to serve Native Americans. In 1841, at the age of 71, she established a school for Potawatomi girls in Sugar Creek, Kansas. She spent a year with the Potawatomi, spending much of her time in prayer because she was unable to help with much of the physical work. They gave her the name “Quah-kah-ka-num-ad,” which means “woman who is always praying.”

In 1842, Rose returned to St. Charles and died there on Nov. 18, 1852, at the age of 83. She was declared a saint by Pope John Paul II on July 3, 1988, and is buried at the Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in St. Charles, Missouri.

This story was first published on Nov. 18, 2024, and has been updated.

Pope Leo XIV addresses diocesan liturgy officials during an audience on Nov. 17, 2025, at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Nov 17, 2025 / 19:40 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged parishes to invest in liturgical formation, especially for lectors, while also encouraging people to pray the Liturgy of the Hours and calling for attention to be paid to popular piety.

While receiving participants in a course organized by the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of St. Anselm in Rome at the Apostolic Palace for diocesan liturgical pastoral workers, the Holy Father said that “in the dioceses and parishes there is a need for such formation” and encouraged the creation of “biblical and liturgical courses” in places where such formation programs are lacking.

Through such courses, the pope said the institute could help local churches and parish communities “to be formed by the word of God, explaining the texts of the weekday and feast day Lectionary.”

For the pope, it is important that the liturgy be “expression of a community that cares for its celebrations, prepares them, and lives them to the full.”

Regarding biblical formation combined with liturgical formation, he recommended that those in charge of liturgical ministry pay “particular attention” to those who proclaim the word of God.

Referring to lectors and those who regularly read the Scriptures, the Holy Father said that “basic biblical knowledge, clear diction, the ability to sing the responsorial psalm, as well as to compose prayers of the faithful for the community are important aspects that implement liturgical reform and help the people of God grow on their path.” 

“We are well aware that liturgical formation is one of the main themes of the entire conciliar and postconciliar journey,” Leo XIV stated.

In this regard, he affirmed that while “much progress has been made” there is still “a long way to go.” “Let us not tire: Let us enthusiastically resume the good initiatives inspired by the reform and, at the same time, seek new ways and new methods,” he urged.

The pope said the aim is “to foster the fruitful participation of the people of God as well as a dignified liturgy that is attentive to different sensibilities and sober in its solemnity.”

Among other things, he expressly asked the diocesan liturgy to promote the Liturgy of the Hours and to nurture the dimension of “popular piety.”

“Among the aspects linked to your service as directors, I would like to mention the promotion of the Liturgy of the Hours, care for popular piety, and attention to the celebratory dimension in the construction of new churches and the adaptation of existing ones,” he stated.

“In many parishes, then, there are also liturgical groups who must work in synergy with the diocesan commission,” the pope noted.

Parish liturgy committees

The Holy Father continued: “The experience of a group, even small but well motivated, that is concerned with the preparation of the liturgy is an expression of a community that cares for its celebrations, prepares them, and lives them to the full, in agreement with the parish priest.”

“In this way, we avoid delegating everything to him and leaving only a few people responsible for singing, proclaiming the word, and decorating the church,” he explained.

Similarly, he lamented that these parish groups “have dwindled to nothing, as if they had lost their identity.” Therefore, he called for a commitment to make “this area of Church life attractive again, capable of involving people who are competent or at least inclined to this type of service.”

He thus encouraged liturgical leaders to propose to parish priests “formation courses to start or consolidate liturgical groups in the parish, training their members and offering suggestions for their activities."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gestures while speaking to the media a day after she won the 12th parliamentary elections in Dhaka on Jan. 8, 2024. / Credit: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images

Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nov 17, 2025 / 16:58 pm (CNA).

The secretary of the Bangladesh Catholic Bishops’ Conference has criticized the death sentence given to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as unilateral and politically motivated, reaffirming the Church’s opposition to capital punishment.

Bishop Ponen Paul Kubi, CSC, of the Mymensingh Diocese, told CNA that the verdict handed down Nov. 17 by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal was “one-sided” and that “the accused had no lawyer and that the current government used political power to give this verdict.”

“The Catholic Church has never supported the death penalty,” Kubi said. “I think that even if Sheikh Hasina committed a crime, she should be punished in a way that is remedial.”

Describing the verdict as an abuse of power, Kubi added: “If we judge in a hurry and give a verdict as we wish, we are no longer living in civilization, we have gone back to the primitive era.”

The Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal found Hasina, 78, guilty of crimes against humanity related to the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in July and August 2024. The court sentenced both Hasina and her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, to death in absentia. Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was sentenced to five years in prison after turning state witness.

The 453-page verdict, broadcast live on state television beginning around 12:30 p.m. local time Monday, found Hasina guilty on three of five charges, including ordering the use of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons against protesters, and failing to prevent mass killings.

Background to the uprising

In July 2024, student protests against job quotas escalated into a mass uprising that forced Hasina to flee to India on Aug. 5. A United Nations investigation team reported that at least 1,400 people were killed, though Bangladeshi activists believe the number exceeds 2,000.

Hasina has been living in exile in India since fleeing the country. In a statement released through her Awami League party on Facebook, she called the verdicts “distasteful, biased, and politically motivated,” claiming they were made by “a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate.”

Divided public reaction

The verdict prompted sharply divided reactions across Bangladesh. While the banned Awami League held protest marches in several parts of the country, ordinary people held joy marches in most areas, including Dhaka, where sweets were distributed.

“We will be completely happy only when Sheikh Hasina comes to the country and is hanged,” Tarif Hasan, a Dhaka University student who participated in the celebration march, told CNA.

Professor Asif Nazrul, law adviser to the interim government, described the death sentence as “the greatest achievement in establishing justice” and called it “another victory day for the July Uprising.”

A public hearing on the case is scheduled to take place, and the interim government has formally requested India’s cooperation in extraditing Hasina to face the tribunal. National elections in Bangladesh are expected to be held in February.

Jessica Williams and her 3-year-old daughter were helped by First Choice Pregnancy Services in Las Vegas. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America

CNA Staff, Nov 17, 2025 / 16:11 pm (CNA).

When Jessica Williams became pregnant with another man’s child while she and her husband were separated, her husband pressured her to abort the child.

As soon as she took the first abortion pill, mifepristone, she regretted it. 

“As a nurse, the reality of what I had done had hit me hard,” said Williams, who was nine weeks pregnant at the time. “Here I was working to save lives and about to take one of my own child’s lives.” 

But as a nurse, Williams knew that in spite of the pill cutting off the progesterone supply to her child, the baby might still be alive. She hadn’t yet taken the second pill, misoprostol, which would expel the child from her body.  

When she found a pregnancy center, First Choice Pregnancy Services in Las Vegas, staff immediately brought her in for an ultrasound.

“They provided a free ultrasound, and that moment changed everything,” she said. 

Her baby was still alive.

First Choice helped her through the abortion pill reversal process, a practice to reverse the effects of mifepristone soon after the woman takes the first abortion pill. 

Now, her daughter is a “healthy” and “thriving” 3-year-old, Williams said when she shared her story at a Nov. 17 online press conference.

Williams is one of many women who have received help from pregnancy resource centers. 

Pregnancy centers across the U.S. “provided over $452 million in total medical care, support and education services, and material goods in 2024,” according to a Nov. 17 report by the Charlotte Lozier Institute. 

Pregnancy centers saw a total of 1 million new patients last year, “which is the equivalent of each center serving a new client every day in 2024,” Karen Czarnecki, the head of Charlotte Lozier Institute, said during the press conference. 

During the press conference, Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called pregnancy centers the “beating heart” of pro-life movement.  

Pregnancy centers, Dannenfelser said, “are going to the roots of the problem” by providing support for mothers across the board, whether they are struggling with addiction, domestic abuse, homelessness, completing school, or any other challenge. 

Report debunks false claims about pregnancy centers 

Dannenfelser noted there are some claims “often unchecked in the media” that call pregnancy centers “fake clinics” or say they “don’t have licensed medical staff.”

“This is flat-out false,” Dannenfelser said. “Eight in 10 centers are providing free or low-cost medical services, staffed by over 10,000 medical professionals.” 

More than 80% of these centers provide ultrasound services, according to the report. Many of the centers also provide STD and STI testing and treatment, as well as abortion pill reversal, like in Williams’ experience. 

The report also found a 98% satisfaction rate among their clients — something Williams attested to.

“They greeted me gently and were nonjudgmental,” Williams said of the staff and volunteers at the pregnancy clinic she went to. “They provided a safe, calm space for me, emotionally, spiritually.”

“They gave me information and education without pushing me in any direction,” she continued. “They simply supported me in whatever path I chose.”

More than three years later, Williams still keeps up with the women at the clinic.

“I’m meeting with these ladies every month still,” Williams said. “They’re just a phone call, a text away, anything I need. I mean, we’re just almost becoming a family now.” 

Pregnancy centers also provide material, educational, and emotional support. For instance, 92% of centers offer material items to women in need. On average, each pregnancy center distributed six-packs of diapers and five baby outfits every day, according to the report. 

First Choice “provided diapers, material support, emotional and spiritual support groups, parenting resources, community connections, and just so much practical help in general,” Williams said. “It was a level of compassion that carried me through my entire pregnancy.” 

Offering material support is a growing effort in the pro-life movement. At pregnancy centers, material support has grown by more than 300% from 2019 to 2024.

Many pregnancy centers also offer a variety of other resources, including childbirth classes, breastfeeding consultations, and outreach to victims of human trafficking. 

“Even right now, they’re doing a monthly get-together — we get to network with other mamas,” Williams said. “We’re [able] to access any resources.”  

The majority of pregnancy centers also help support women who are recovering from abortions.

Williams said the women at the clinic “understood the pressure and fear” she was under to abort. Even after the reversal, her husband drove her to an abortion clinic when she was 16 weeks pregnant “to finish the job,” she said. 

“The clinic was on the same exact street [where] I saved my baby,” she said. “I couldn’t do it and demanded he take me home. I now know that the strategic location has also saved many other babies.” 

“They created a safe place for me to heal and feel supported,” she said of the clinic.

Professor Robert P. George speaks at Heritage Foundation event commemorating the 100th anniversary of Pierce v. Society of Sisters on May 30, 2025. / Credit: Ronald Walters

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 17, 2025 / 15:41 pm (CNA).

Robert P. George, a Catholic academic focused on philosophy and law, resigned from his board position at the conservative Heritage Foundation on Nov. 17 after the think tank’s leader Kevin Roberts posted a video defending Tucker Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes.

In the interview, Carlson and Fuentes bonded over criticism of Israel, and Carlson pushed back on Fuentes for tying his criticisms of Israel to Jewish identity and blaming “organized Jewry” for the American support of Israel. Jewish organizations and some conservative and other political commentators argued that Carlson platformed Fuentes’ views and kept a friendly tone without adequately pushing back against antisemitic claims. Carlson allowed Fuentes to speak uninterrupted and challenged general blame levied against Jewish people but did not address each specific claim Fuentes made.

Roberts, who has since apologized, said in his initial video that he abhors “things that Nick Fuentes says” but urged debate instead of “canceling him.” He said Heritage would stay friends with Carlson and criticized the “venomous coalition” attacking Carlson.

In the video, Roberts said: “Christians can critique the state of Israel without being antisemitic.” Roberts issued an apology for using the term “venomous coalition” amid accusations that it was an antisemitic trope and said Heritage would continue to fight antisemitism. 

George said in a Facebook post that he would resign from the board because Roberts did not fully retract his initial video when he issued an apology.  

“Kevin is a good man,” George said. “He made what he acknowledged was a serious mistake. Being human myself, I have plenty of experience in making mistakes. What divided us was a difference of opinion about what was required to rectify the mistake.”

George said he was saddened to leave Heritage and prays the think tank “will be guided by the conviction that each and every member of the human family, irrespective of race, ethnicity, religion, or anything else, as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, is ‘created equal’ and ‘endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.’”

“The anchor for the Heritage Foundation, and for our nation, and for every patriotic American is that creed,” he said. “It must always be that creed. If we hold fast to it even when expediency counsels compromising it, we cannot go wrong. If we abandon it, we sign the death certificate of republican government and ordered liberty.”

A spokesperson for Heritage said in a statement to CNA that George is “a good man,” thanked him for his time at Heritage, and looks forward to “opportunities to work together in the future.”

“Under the leadership of Dr. Roberts, Heritage remains resolute in building an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish,” the statement read. “We are strong, growing, and more determined than ever to fight for our republic.”

Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the conservative Family Institute of Connecticut, said in response to George on Facebook that he disagrees with George’s decision to resign “when Heritage is trying to make amends and needs support of the adults in the room, lest it be tempted by the ancient evil about whose promotion Kevin Roberts was initially too sanguine.”

Wolfgang said the “continuing beatdown” on Roberts appears to be a proxy for the pre-Trump Republicans seeking to “take back the reins of the party from the Trumpers.” Though he told George, “I’m not saying that’s you,” he added that the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party and the “MAGA” wing should be unified in opposition to antisemitism.

The Oct. 27 interview of Fuentes by Carlson has more than 6.2 million views on YouTube. In the interview, Fuentes discussed Republican efforts to “cancel” him starting when he was 18 years old. Those efforts often focused on his criticism of Israel and derogatory comments toward Jewish people and other ethnic minorities.

Fuentes and Carlson agreed in criticism of Israeli military action in Gaza, opposition to American financial and logistic support to Israel, and objections to politicians receiving political donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Carlson objected when Fuentes said neoconservatism and advocacy for Israel was rooted in Jewish identity and blamed “organized Jewry” for wars. Carlson retorted that many supporters of Israel are Christian Zionists, like Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee, and many Jewish Americans, such as Dave Smith, are critical of Israel.

In the interview, Carlson said collectively blaming Jewish people is “against my Christian faith” and “I just don’t believe that and I never will.”

The interview has fractured American conservatives. Some denounced Carlson for his friendly tone throughout the interview. Others noted his pushback against some of Fuentes’ views and the political relevance of Fuentes, who has a large fanbase among young conservative men.

Pope Leo XIV prays during a Mass at Sant’Anselmo Church, located at a Benedictine monastery on the Aventine Hill in Rome, on Nov. 11, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 17, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV sent a message Nov. 17 to participants in the meeting for “Building Communities that Protect Dignity,” promoted by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The Holy Father said that efforts to build communities where the dignity of minors and the most vulnerable is protected and promoted are a matter that he holds “deep in his heart.”

The pontiff explained that “dignity is a gift from God” and that it is not something obtained through merit or force but rather “a gift that precedes us: It is born from the loving gaze with which God has loved us individually and continues to love us.”

“In every human face, even when marked by weariness or pain, there is a reflection of the Creator’s goodness, a light that no darkness can extinguish,” he affirmed.

The pope thus emphasized that “by taking responsibility for the lives of others, we learn true freedom, the kind that does not dominate but serves, that does not possess but accompanies.”

“Consecrated life, an expression of the total gift of oneself to Christ, is called in a special way to be a welcoming home and a place of encounter and grace,” he underscored.

The pope therefore affirmed that “whoever follows the Lord on the path of chastity, poverty, and obedience discovers that authentic love is born from the recognition of one’s own limitations: from knowing that we are loved even in our weakness, and it is precisely this that enables us to love others with respect, tenderness, and a free heart.”

In this regard, he emphasized the purpose of the meeting: “to share experiences and paths taken in learning how to prevent all forms of abuse and how to be accountable, with truth and humility, for the processes of protection undertaken.”

He also urged the participants “to continue with this commitment so that communities become ever more examples of trust and dialogue, where every person is respected, listened to, and valued.”

“Where justice is lived with mercy, the wound is transformed into an opening for  grace,” the Holy Father said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.