St. Columba Catholic Church

Bangalore, India, Jan 14, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

Amid prospects of revival of an anti-conversion law passed in 1978, Christian leaders of Arunachal Pradesh state in northeast India expressed little concern over the development.

“We are the major religious community in the state and we do not expect the government to bring in harsh clauses to trouble us while implementing the court order,” Miri Stephen Thar, the Catholic president of the ecumenical Arunachal Christian Forum, told CNA on Jan. 14.

The revival of the dormant law, passed by the state legislature, has been brought about by the Guwahati High Court, which ordered the state government in September to “frame rules” within six months to implement the law.

The order came after a petition brought by an Indigenous rights activist.

In India, a law can be implemented only after “rules” to enforce it are framed and announced. But since this process had not been followed in Arunachal Pradesh, the conversion law has never been enforced since it was passed 46 years ago.

The latest development drew media attention on Dec. 27 when state Chief Minister Pema Khandu, heading the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, declared that his government will fulfil the order of the high court. 

Khandu made this announcement while addressing the silver jubilee celebration of the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh in Itanagar, the state capital.

Though anti-conversion laws have been enacted by a dozen states, most of them in Hindu nationalist BJP-ruled states from the early 2000s onward, the law has been dormant in Arunachal Pradesh due to the legal flaw.

Compared with stringent laws passed in BJP-ruled states, the Arunachal anti-conversion law remains somewhat innocuous, prohibiting “conversions through force, inducement, or fraudulent means.” It directs a maximum punishment of two years. 

New legislation in other states has made prior permission from government officials mandatory for conversion, made prosecution easier, mandates that the burden of proof be shifted to the accused, and orders stringent punishment — including up to life imprisonment — and high penalties.

“We held a meeting of the Christian legislators [Jan. 13]. Seven of them attended,” said Thar, who is based in Itanagar. 

A meeting of all the 19 Christian legislators including seven belonging to the BJP in the 60-member state assembly, Thar said, “will be held soon to discuss our strategy to deal with this surprise development.”

“We will also hold a state-level convention soon to formulate Christian strategy to lobby with the government as anti-conversion laws are being misused to persecute Christians in several states,” Thar told CNA.

Studies say Christians are the largest religious group in the mountainous Arunachal Pradesh situated in the far east of India in the foothills of the snow-capped Himalayas, bordering China, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

Over 40% of the state’s 1.7 million people — mostly tribal inhabitants — are Christians. Ethnic tribals professing “Indigenous faith” form the second-largest demographic, followed by Buddhists and others.

“The government is duty bound to act on the high court order and frame the rules. That is a legal requirement,” Salesian Bishop George Palliparambil, who heads the Miao Diocese in the state, told CNA.

“The Christian community is powerful and diligent to guard against any misuse of the provisions,” Palliparambil said.

In India’s most populous state of northern Uttar Pradesh with a population of 231 million, hundreds of pastors and even senior Catholic priests had been imprisoned on conversion charges.

“The chief minister Khandu is a Buddhist and is known for respect for all communities. He would not turn the anti-conversion law into a tool to persecute Christians by fulfilling the court order,” Bishop John Thomas Kattrukudiyil, who retired as bishop of Itanagar in 2023, told CNA.

Kattrukudiyil noted that Khandu had even promised to repeal the anti-conversion law when he addressed the Catholic celebration of the decennial memorial service of pioneering Catholic missionary Prem Bhai in 2018. 

On the occasion, Khandu had also expressed concerns that the law “could undermine secularism and is probably targeted towards Christians.” He ultimately never repealed the law.

Rome Newsroom, Jan 14, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

The Vatican City State’s first decree regulating the use of artificial intelligence quietly came into effect this month prohibiting discriminatory uses of AI and establishing a special commission to oversee “experimentation” with the new technology at the Vatican.

The decree titled “Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence” was enacted by the Pontifical Commission of Vatican City State and came into effect on Jan. 1 following a low-profile publication on the Vatican government’s website the day before Christmas Eve.

The new regulations set strict prohibitions on uses of AI within Vatican state institutions but do not apply to the entire Roman Curia. 

Among the banned practices are employing AI systems that compromise Vatican City security, implementing AI systems that exclude persons with disabilities from accessing its features, and using AI to draw “anthropological inferences with discriminatory effects on individuals.”

The 13-page decree also forbids AI applications that create social inequalities, violate human dignity, or use “subliminal manipulation techniques” that cause physical or psychological harm to people.

Furthermore, any use of AI that conflicts with the mission of the pope, the integrity of the Catholic Church, or the Vatican’s institutional activities is prohibited.

In an effort to oversee compliance, the decree establishes a five-member “Commission on Artificial Intelligence,” comprising officials from Vatican City’s legal, IT, and security departments. 

This commission is tasked with monitoring AI activities, preparing implementation laws, issuing biannual reports on AI within Vatican City and areas governed under the Lateran Treaty. 

The commission will also evaluate proposals for AI experimentation to ensure alignment with the decree’s ethical framework.

The Vatican guidelines draw inspiration from the European Union’s AI Regulation, which came into force in August, emphasizing a risk-based approach to AI applications. 

While safeguarding existing Vatican laws on data protection and copyright, the decree reinforces principles of transparency, inclusion, and ethical responsibility. It mandates that AI systems prioritize Vatican security, data protection, nondiscrimination, economic sustainability, and care for the environment.

AI-generated content within the Vatican must be clearly labeled as “IA” (intelligenza artificiale), ensuring transparency and distinguishing human creativity from machine outputs. The Vatican also retains copyright over such works.

The decree states that “the use of artificial intelligence must not limit the decision-making power of the subjects responsible for the organization, functioning, and coordination of the personnel of the governorate of the Vatican City State by the administration.”

In addition to outlining general principles, the decree provides specific guidelines for sectors such as health care, cultural heritage, judicial activity, and administrative procedures.

In Vatican courts, AI systems may only be used for research, while the decree stipulates that the actual judicial activity of interpreting the law must be reserved for human judges.

Pope Francis’ advocacy for ethical AI governance has been a driving force behind these new regulations. The decree reflects Francis’ ongoing call for regulations that align with AI ethics, as outlined in the Vatican’s “Rome Call for AI Ethics,” a document calling for transparency, accountability, and social justice in artificial intelligence.

Pope Francis has previously called for an international treaty to regulate AI and urged the G7 summit last year to ban the use of autonomous weapons. 

Despite the prohibitions, the guidelines affirm that “science and technology are a product of human creativity understood as a gift from God and have remedied countless evils that afflicted and limited human beings.” 

Additional Vatican laws implementing the AI regulations and guidelines are expected by the end of 2025.

"An economy that kills, that excludes, that starves, that concentrates enormous wealth in a few to the detriment of many, that multiplies poverty and grinds down salaries, that pollutes, that produces war, is not an economy," he said in an autobiography released Jan. 14. It is a perversion, "an emptiness, an absence, a sickness."

A national listing of Church-relevant events honoring the life and legacy of the African-American martyr slain for the cause of civil rights.

Seattle, Wash., Jan 14, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

A lone tabernacle that survived the blaze at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Pacific Palisades has come to epitomize hope for countless families devastated by Southern California’s sweeping wildfires. Despite flames that consumed entire buildings, the metallic container — housing the Eucharist — remained nearly untouched.

“It was covered in soot but preserved,” said Paul Escala, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. “That, to me, is a miraculous sign that even when everything is lost, Christ remains.”

At least two dozen people have died in the fires, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds and severe drought conditions. Officials estimate thousands of homes and other structures, including churches, were destroyed or severely damaged. 

Initially, more than 100 Catholic schools throughout the archdiocese closed out of safety concerns, a figure that dropped to fewer than 20 by the following Monday, according to Escala.

Pacific Palisades and Altadena are among the hardest-hit regions. Corpus Christi Catholic Church is now reduced to rubble, and entire neighborhoods around it have been wiped out. 

St. Elizabeth School in Altadena has also seen massive disruption, prompting the archdiocese to identify “bridge locations” where displaced families can gather until rebuilding can begin.

Despite the devastation, volunteers have organized swiftly. 

Monsignor Liam Kidney reminded parishioners at a recent Mass — held at nearby St. Monica’s Church, which is sheltering the displaced community — that “the building is not the Church. We are the Church.”

Across Southern California, Catholics have turned parish halls and school gyms into makeshift donation centers. Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Andrew’s in Pasadena have collected clothing, toiletries, blankets, and toys, while Loyola High School in Los Angeles converted Caruso Hall into a relief station, offering meals, showers, and spare clothing. American Martyrs School in Manhattan Beach opened additional classroom seats to children who lost their homes. 

Donations have poured in from dioceses nationwide. “Toledo, Kansas City, Richmond; you name it,” Escala noted. “People are asking how to help, offering gift cards, trucks of supplies, or even to sponsor entire classrooms. A deacon in Missouri plans to drive donated items here himself. It’s humbling.” 

The archdiocese launched a Wildfire Victims Relief Fund, while Catholic Charities USA continues to collect donations for food, clothing, and temporary housing. Escala’s office is also finalizing a scholarship program so families who lost homes or jobs can keep their children enrolled in Catholic schools.

Some communities narrowly escaped total destruction. 

In Altadena, Deacon José Luis Díaz and parishioners at Sacred Heart Church beat back approaching flames with a single garden hose. “We barely had water pressure,” Díaz told Angelus News, the archdiocese’s media outlet, “but we did whatever we could, and it worked.” 

Elsewhere, the 83-acre Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre lost its garage, hermitage, and parts of its gardens but remained partially standing. “Our faith is tested on fire,” wrote center director Father Febin Barose on social media. “We are pilgrims of hope… We will recover and be back serving you again.”

Archbishop José Gomez underscored the spirit of resilience at a special Mass on Jan. 9 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. 

“Thousands of our neighbors have lost everything,” he said. “We are reminded how precious every life is, and how fragile. We must be instruments of compassion.”

Escala emphasized that many Catholics do not wait for instructions; they respond spontaneously with donations, shelter, and other relief. “They know what to do,” he said, “and they just do it.”

"Growing up in my mother's Pueblo household made me fierce. I'll be fierce for all of us, our planet, and all of our protected land," Haaland said in 2021 ahead of her congressional confirmation vote. 

CNA Staff, Jan 14, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

The Catholic bishops’ pro-life chair called for forgiveness of women who have had abortions ahead of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, reminding the faithful that “no sin is beyond God’s unfathomable mercy.”

Jan. 22 marks the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized abortion nationwide in the United States. Though Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022 — leaving legal decisions about abortion to the states — its effects can still be felt across the United States.

Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called on Catholics to observe Jan. 22 as “a day of prayer and penance.”

“As we prayerfully continue the essential work of restoring full legal protection of all preborn children and supporting parents facing difficult pregnancies, we also recognize our need for asking forgiveness and healing from the Lord for when we have given in to the culture of death,” he said in a USCCB press release. 

Thomas also offered a consoling message to the parents of children who died by abortion. 

“To the parents of children who have died by abortion, I am deeply sorry for your loss. Know that our Lord loves you as his daughters and sons no matter your actions,” Thomas said. “No sin is beyond his unfathomable mercy.” 

“Abortion inflicts deep and lasting wounds on society but more directly on individuals and families,” Thomas continued. “Many mothers and fathers may feel they have no choice except abortion. Some are pressured or coerced.” 

“No matter the circumstances of the abortion, we must recognize the often-silent grief of parents for their child and their despair of being worthy of the love and forgiveness of God and others.”

Thomas encouraged the faithful to turn to hope amid the jubilee year, centered on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” 

“Hope allows those who have been involved in abortion to turn to God and repent, confident that he will forgive and make them whole,” Thomas said. 

“This Jan. 22 and beyond, we need to be reassured that Jesus himself, who is the source of our hope, was first wounded for our offenses and suffered for every sin of ours, including abortion.”

Thomas invited families suffering from wounds due to abortion to “seek support” from the Church’s various ministries, such as the healing ministry Project Rachel. Project Rachel offers grief support after losing a child by abortion. Many other resources exist for those facing unplanned pregnancies, including local crisis pregnancy centers and maternity homes for pregnant women and women with young children. 

Thomas also invited those who are Catholic to seek out the sacrament of reconciliation. 

“Jesus greatly desires our repentant hearts and invites us into an encounter with him. For Catholics, the sacrament of reconciliation is always available for those seeking God’s forgiveness, hope, and peace.” 

The bishop called on Catholics everywhere to pray for those suffering from the wounds of abortion. 

“Please join me in praying that God will fill the hearts of mothers and fathers suffering the emotional and psychological wounds from abortion with the hope of forgiveness that only he can give,” Thomas said.

Justices on Monday heard arguments from Annunciation House, which is fighting to stay open, and the Texas Attorney General’s office, which claims the shelter’s work with migrants violates state law.

The Los Angeles fire is the kind of crisis that also is an opportunity to do something dramatic.

Meeting more than 7,000 pilgrims who filled the Vatican audience hall or pressed against crowd-control barriers outside, Francis began a series of Saturday general audiences designed, as he said, to "welcome and embrace all those who are coming from all over the world in search of a new beginning."