null / Credit: joshimerbin/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Dec 5, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Is the Bible — already the most widely printed book of all time — having a moment?

As recently reported by the Wall Street Journal, Bible sales — across a variety of editions — rose 22% in the U.S. through the end of October 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. This is despite nearly a third of U.S. adults identifying as religiously unaffiliated. 

In contrast, print book sales overall rose just 1% during the same period. 

Experts cited by the WSJ attributed the rise in Bible sales to readers seeking solace and meaning amid growing anxiety and uncertainty in the culture; the emergence of new Bible versions and formats catering to diverse preferences; and strategic marketing campaigns to reach new audiences, such as young people wanting to make their faith their own by buying their own Bible. 

Several prominent Catholic publishers told CNA that they, too, are riding this wave of increased Bible sales, with many attributing the rise to a spiritual hunger among Catholics to dive into God’s word for themselves. 

A biblical ‘moment’ in the culture

For Word on Fire, the Catholic media and publishing apostolate founded by Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, the “Bible boom” has been very tangible. 

Brandon Vogt, senior publishing director at Word on Fire and general editor of the Word on Fire Bible series, told CNA that the apostolate has sold over half a million volumes of the Word on Fire Bible since launching the product in 2020, far outpacing their own expectations. 

“We ordered 50,000 copies, which to us seemed like a lot, and we expected those would last for at least a year or two. Shockingly, we sold out the leather copies within 24 hours and most of the hardcover and paperback editions within a few weeks. Sales haven’t slowed since then,” Vogt said. 

Jon Bator, Word on Fire’s senior director of sales and marketing, added that the apostolate was “certainly blown away” by the series’ popularity and has “since struggled to keep up with the consistent demand” — in part because the leather-bound volume is printed in Italy. 

“The monthly demand has been fairly consistent, even with very little marketing and promotion,” he said. 

Word on Fire’s approach to creating its Bible was to “lead with beauty,” Bator said, which means making the Bible itself a beautiful object — taking great care with the volume’s artwork, typography, binding, and materials. Beyond that, the book includes commentary from a wide range of voices, most prominently Barron himself, who is a sought-after preacher.

“By leading with beauty in both design and content, it is especially meant to appeal to those who — whether they fully know it or not — are restlessly seeking the Lord,” Bator added. 

Vogt said he believes that the Bible is having a cultural “moment.”

“From Jordan Peterson’s biblical lectures on Genesis and Exodus, which drew millions of views on YouTube and sold out arenas across the country, to Father Mike Schmitz’s ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast, which for a time was the No. 1 podcast in the world, to Bishop Barron’s weekly YouTube sermons, which draw hundreds of thousands of viewers each Sunday, we’re seeing the Bible presented in fresh and exciting ways and people are responding. The Word on Fire Bible offers just another example,” Vogt said. 

“People have grown weary of the ‘your truth, my truth’ paradigm and are hungry for the truth, which is partly why many are turning back to this ancient text which claims to be the very Word of God, not just one word among many.”

‘A revolution in Catholics reading the Bible’

Ignatius Press, which has been a major name in Catholic Bible publishing for decades, recently announced a new study Bible created in concert with professor Scott Hahn’s St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology that is already contributing to the ongoing Bible boom. 

The new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible includes the complete text of the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition of the Bible, plus notes, detailed maps, introductory essays for each book, and over 17,000 footnotes and thousands of cross-references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The notes aim to clarify the historical and cultural context, explain unfamiliar customs, and illuminate theological themes, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the Old and New Testaments. 

Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press, told CNA he sees the recent surge in Bible sales as a reflection of a growing hunger for God and spiritual guidance in society. The new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible has already sold about 40,000 copies, with at least 20,000 more expected to sell from the current print run, he said. 

Ignatius already sells approximately 100,000 copies of various editions of its Ignatius Bible line annually, and Brumley confirmed that the company has seen a “steady increase” in interest and sales in recent years.

“I’m not surprised that this is happening. I see signs of it in my own Catholic parish and in different places around the country, that Catholics are reading the Bible,” Brumley said in response to questions from CNA during a Dec. 2 press event.

The Bible is “a place where increasingly Catholics go to understand what God has said and done in history … I’m not surprised that Bible sales are up. We’re at a point in the Catholic Church, I think, where we’re seeing almost a revolution in Catholics reading the Bible.”

Brumley told CNA he sees the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible as a complementary resource rather than a replacement for other Bibles. He expressed excitement about the diverse range of Catholic Bibles available, recognizing the contributions of other publishers like Ascension Press and the Augustine Institute. 

He said he hopes the new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible will help Catholics in not just reading the Bible but understanding it in its entirety. 

“We’re allowing Catholics to have access to the Bible and to kind of improve their game in reading Scripture, so that Bible teachers and Bible professors can come along and bring them yet to even a higher level … I’m happy that they’re going to have this tool available to them to help them go deeper and come to know Jesus more solidly.”

The ‘explosive factor’ of ‘Bible in a Year’

Beginning in the first days of 2021, the “Bible in a Year” podcast, read in its entirety by popular Minnesota priest Father Mike Schmitz, climbed the podcast charts and dethroned several of the most popular secular podcasts for a few weeks, going on to be downloaded more than half a billion times. 

Jonathan Strate, CEO of Ascension, the Catholic publishing company that produces the podcast, told CNA that “Bible in a Year” (BIY) has been an “explosive factor” driving Ascension’s Bible sales.

Already a popular item, the Great Adventure Catholic Bible, which is formatted to be read in concert with BIY, remained sold out for months after the launch of the podcast at the beginning of 2021.

While unable to quantify whether or not its own Bible sales boom contributed to the nationwide trend, Strate said the company “certainly hope BIY has been a factor in this revival.”

“We find that BIY is both bringing in new audience members and also inviting current members to repeat the journey year after year. We hear from audience members who repeat BIY annually and find new insights and meanings every year,” he told CNA, adding that Ascension continually receives requests from customers for additional Bible products on top of what they already offer.

In addition to the Bible itself, Ascension promotes its color-coded Bible Timeline Learning System, created by Bible scholar Jeff Cavins and designed to help people understand “how the big picture of salvation history fits together.”

“Many people have struggled to read the Bible for years because they’ve never been taught that it tells the story of God’s salvation of humanity from the beginning of time until now. Having this insight, and the color coding on every page, helps them make connections they never have before. Understanding what they’re reading helps them fall in love with Scripture and want to keep returning to it again and again,” Strate said.

null / Credit: joshimerbin/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Dec 5, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Is the Bible — already the most widely printed book of all time — having a moment?

As recently reported by the Wall Street Journal, Bible sales — across a variety of editions — rose 22% in the U.S. through the end of October 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. This is despite nearly a third of U.S. adults identifying as religiously unaffiliated. 

In contrast, print book sales overall rose just 1% during the same period. 

Experts cited by the WSJ attributed the rise in Bible sales to readers seeking solace and meaning amid growing anxiety and uncertainty in the culture; the emergence of new Bible versions and formats catering to diverse preferences; and strategic marketing campaigns to reach new audiences, such as young people wanting to make their faith their own by buying their own Bible. 

Several prominent Catholic publishers told CNA that they, too, are riding this wave of increased Bible sales, with many attributing the rise to a spiritual hunger among Catholics to dive into God’s word for themselves. 

A biblical ‘moment’ in the culture

For Word on Fire, the Catholic media and publishing apostolate founded by Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, the “Bible boom” has been very tangible. 

Brandon Vogt, senior publishing director at Word on Fire and general editor of the Word on Fire Bible series, told CNA that the apostolate has sold over half a million volumes of the Word on Fire Bible since launching the product in 2020, far outpacing their own expectations. 

“We ordered 50,000 copies, which to us seemed like a lot, and we expected those would last for at least a year or two. Shockingly, we sold out the leather copies within 24 hours and most of the hardcover and paperback editions within a few weeks. Sales haven’t slowed since then,” Vogt said. 

Jon Bator, Word on Fire’s senior director of sales and marketing, added that the apostolate was “certainly blown away” by the series’ popularity and has “since struggled to keep up with the consistent demand” — in part because the leather-bound volume is printed in Italy. 

“The monthly demand has been fairly consistent, even with very little marketing and promotion,” he said. 

Word on Fire’s approach to creating its Bible was to “lead with beauty,” Bator said, which means making the Bible itself a beautiful object — taking great care with the volume’s artwork, typography, binding, and materials. Beyond that, the book includes commentary from a wide range of voices, most prominently Barron himself, who is a sought-after preacher.

“By leading with beauty in both design and content, it is especially meant to appeal to those who — whether they fully know it or not — are restlessly seeking the Lord,” Bator added. 

Vogt said he believes that the Bible is having a cultural “moment.”

“From Jordan Peterson’s biblical lectures on Genesis and Exodus, which drew millions of views on YouTube and sold out arenas across the country, to Father Mike Schmitz’s ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast, which for a time was the No. 1 podcast in the world, to Bishop Barron’s weekly YouTube sermons, which draw hundreds of thousands of viewers each Sunday, we’re seeing the Bible presented in fresh and exciting ways and people are responding. The Word on Fire Bible offers just another example,” Vogt said. 

“People have grown weary of the ‘your truth, my truth’ paradigm and are hungry for the truth, which is partly why many are turning back to this ancient text which claims to be the very Word of God, not just one word among many.”

‘A revolution in Catholics reading the Bible’

Ignatius Press, which has been a major name in Catholic Bible publishing for decades, recently announced a new study Bible created in concert with professor Scott Hahn’s St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology that is already contributing to the ongoing Bible boom. 

The new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible includes the complete text of the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition of the Bible, plus notes, detailed maps, introductory essays for each book, and over 17,000 footnotes and thousands of cross-references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The notes aim to clarify the historical and cultural context, explain unfamiliar customs, and illuminate theological themes, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the Old and New Testaments. 

Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press, told CNA he sees the recent surge in Bible sales as a reflection of a growing hunger for God and spiritual guidance in society. The new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible has already sold about 40,000 copies, with at least 20,000 more expected to sell from the current print run, he said. 

Ignatius already sells approximately 100,000 copies of various editions of its Ignatius Bible line annually, and Brumley confirmed that the company has seen a “steady increase” in interest and sales in recent years.

“I’m not surprised that this is happening. I see signs of it in my own Catholic parish and in different places around the country, that Catholics are reading the Bible,” Brumley said in response to questions from CNA during a Dec. 2 press event.

The Bible is “a place where increasingly Catholics go to understand what God has said and done in history … I’m not surprised that Bible sales are up. We’re at a point in the Catholic Church, I think, where we’re seeing almost a revolution in Catholics reading the Bible.”

Brumley told CNA he sees the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible as a complementary resource rather than a replacement for other Bibles. He expressed excitement about the diverse range of Catholic Bibles available, recognizing the contributions of other publishers like Ascension Press and the Augustine Institute. 

He said he hopes the new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible will help Catholics in not just reading the Bible but understanding it in its entirety. 

“We’re allowing Catholics to have access to the Bible and to kind of improve their game in reading Scripture, so that Bible teachers and Bible professors can come along and bring them yet to even a higher level … I’m happy that they’re going to have this tool available to them to help them go deeper and come to know Jesus more solidly.”

The ‘explosive factor’ of ‘Bible in a Year’

Beginning in the first days of 2021, the “Bible in a Year” podcast, read in its entirety by popular Minnesota priest Father Mike Schmitz, climbed the podcast charts and dethroned several of the most popular secular podcasts for a few weeks, going on to be downloaded more than half a billion times. 

Jonathan Strate, CEO of Ascension, the Catholic publishing company that produces the podcast, told CNA that “Bible in a Year” (BIY) has been an “explosive factor” driving Ascension’s Bible sales.

Already a popular item, the Great Adventure Catholic Bible, which is formatted to be read in concert with BIY, remained sold out for months after the launch of the podcast at the beginning of 2021.

While unable to quantify whether or not its own Bible sales boom contributed to the nationwide trend, Strate said the company “certainly hope BIY has been a factor in this revival.”

“We find that BIY is both bringing in new audience members and also inviting current members to repeat the journey year after year. We hear from audience members who repeat BIY annually and find new insights and meanings every year,” he told CNA, adding that Ascension continually receives requests from customers for additional Bible products on top of what they already offer.

In addition to the Bible itself, Ascension promotes its color-coded Bible Timeline Learning System, created by Bible scholar Jeff Cavins and designed to help people understand “how the big picture of salvation history fits together.”

“Many people have struggled to read the Bible for years because they’ve never been taught that it tells the story of God’s salvation of humanity from the beginning of time until now. Having this insight, and the color coding on every page, helps them make connections they never have before. Understanding what they’re reading helps them fall in love with Scripture and want to keep returning to it again and again,” Strate said.

Iraqi Christian youth gather at the Ankawa Youth Meeting in 2022. / Credits: Aid to the Church in Need

ACI MENA, Dec 5, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

In a survey conducted between 2022 and 2024, ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, explored the views of young Iraqi Christians — mostly Catholics — across various towns, cities, and church communities. The findings show that half of respondents feel the Church meets their spiritual needs and that a majority of them want to leave the country.

The poll targeted young women and men between the ages of 18 and 40, with 70% of them falling in the 18- to 25-year-old category. The results showed that 66.7% of participants feel they receive adequate support from the Church while 9.1% do not and 24.2% are uncertain.

Many participants said the Church provides opportunities for active roles throughout its institutions and activities. When asked to evaluate their engagement in Church activities on a scale of 1 to 5, approximately 77% chose a score between 3 and 5, while only 23% gave a lower score. Notably, about 75% of survey participants reported being active in the Church’s preparations for the synodal process, regardless of their varying perspectives.

Regarding faith aspirations, nearly half of Catholic participants (about 50%) felt that the local Catholic Church meets their spiritual needs, at a rate of 80% to 100%. Roughly one-third rated it on a scale of 60% to 80%, while the remaining group believed the Church meets their aspirations only moderately or poorly.

Youth and migration

The survey highlighted the issue of migration, unveiling that a large proportion of young Iraqi Christians are inclined to leave the country in search of a new life abroad. While 47% of respondents opposed the idea of migration, 13% remained indecisive, and 40% openly expressed their desire to emigrate. Those who are hesitant or determined to leave the country collectively comprise approximately 53% of the total participants.

Economic challenges and political obstacles were cited as the primary drivers for the desire to emigrate. Other reasons included religious concerns, family circumstances, and educational opportunities.

Despite the concerning numbers of youth looking to leave, an almost equal percentage remains firmly rooted in their homeland. More than 68% of participants denied experiencing religious discrimination, while 31.3% said they had faced it.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

The nave of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on Nov. 29, 2024. The cathedral is set to reopen with a planned weekend of ceremonies on Dec. 7–8, 2024, five years after the 2019 fire that ravaged the world heritage landmark and toppled its spire. / Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Rome Newsroom, Dec 5, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, five years after the fire that devastated its roof and spires and made it unusable, is “a renaissance,” Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich told CNA.

The Paris cathedral reopens on Dec. 8, but the celebrations for the cathedral’s return to worship will last until Pentecost next year. 

The restorations have produced a cathedral with brighter walls but intact in its original structure. In the rooster at the top of the spire, the relics of the saints of Paris — St. Louis, St. Genevieve, and a piece of Jesus’ crown of thorns — which were miraculously saved from the fire — are displayed. 

On Dec. 8, Notre Dame will not yet be fully accessible. But the reopening is a sign that France is coming to life again. Over the last century, the cathedral has become a symbol of national unity. 

Victor Hugo’s novel “Notre Dame de Paris” brought the cathedral back to center stage in the 19th century. The architect Viollet Le Duc renovated it by inserting the famous gargoyles into the structure. Then, starting with Napoleon — who chose Notre Dame for his coronation — the cathedral has increasingly become a national monument. 

Speaking to CNA, Ulrich stressed that the reopening of Notre Dame is “a renaissance, a rediscovery for the priests and faithful of Paris who have been waiting for this moment for five years.”

“About 40 recently ordained priests have never had the opportunity to celebrate or attend a celebration in our cathedral,” Ulrich explained. “That day will certainly be memorable. It will be a day of profound joy for Paris, France, and the world. Notre Dame is also a reference point for those passing through the Archdiocese of Paris. Everyone knows Notre Dame; even foreigners are very fond of it.”

According to the archbishop, the cathedral has “balanced architecture.” Above all, it is “a symbol of Christian Europe and medieval Europe,” which has “surpassed the centuries” and taken on a national dimension in the last century, especially after the celebration held at Notre Dame to give thanks for the liberation of Paris in 1944 and for the end of the war in May 1945. 

Ulrich noted the differences between the rebirth after World War II and the current reopening of Notre Dame, although “the national sentiment is the same.“ But “in 1944-45, many French were still regular churchgoers, attending Mass regularly. Today, it is no longer the same. For many, going to Notre Dame is a discovery, sometimes spiritual, but above all cultural.“ 

The archbishop said he wishes “that people who come to Notre Dame discover not only a national monument but a place of Christian prayer, and that the tour route — which we have redesigned for this reopening — makes everyone know something about the Christian faith. Not everyone will become a Christian, but everyone has the right to hear about the Christian faith.“ 

For this reason, in the reconstruction process, the identity of Notre Dame has been forcefully defended. There was talk of turning the cathedral into a museum and regulating access through a ticket, but the Church of France strongly opposed this. Although the state is the “concessionaire” of the building, President Emmanuel Macron can only speak outside the cathedral on Dec. 7 when he symbolically hands over the renovated cathedral. On Dec. 8, he will participate in the inauguration Mass, but the focus will be entirely on the Church of Paris and France. 

Upon his entrance, the great organ will be rekindled, and the office of the Maîtrise de Notre Dame will be sung by the choir led by Henry Chalet, culminating with the Magnificat. 

The archbishop will then give a final blessing, and the Te Deum will be sung. In the evening, a cultural program with giant screens and performances outlines a “great mystery of the Middle Ages.” 

The inaugural Mass will be held on Dec. 8 at 10:30 a.m. The new high altar designed by Guillaume Badet will be consecrated. Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world will participate in the Mass, as will a priest from each of the 106 parishes of the Diocese of Paris and a priest from each of the seven Eastern-rite Catholic Churches. 

The Mass will be full of symbols: Holy water will be sprinkled on the people, then on the altar and the pulpit as a sign of purification of these elements intended for sacred use. 

The rites of consecration of the altar will take place in five phases. The first is the deposition of the relics of the saints on the altar. Five saints are linked to the Church of Paris: St. Marie Eugénie Milleret, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, St. Catherine Labouré, St. Charles de Foucauld, and Blessed Vladimir Ghika. 

The second phase will be the prayer of dedication of the anointing with oil. Then, incense will be offered, and the altar will be ornamented and lit. 

After the inauguration, there will be a special eight-day period during which each day will be a solemn celebration with a dedicated theme. This will involve, in particular, those who supported Notre Dame during the reconstruction period. 

Jaime Mayor Oreja inaugurates the sixth Transatlantic Summit of the Political Network for Values ​​held in Spain’s Senate. / Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/ACI Prensa

Madrid, Spain, Dec 4, 2024 / 17:10 pm (CNA).

“Faith is not imposed, but it doesn’t hide” is how Jaime Mayor Oreja, the driving force behind the pro-life and pro-family summit held Dec. 1–2 in Spain’s Senate chamber, summed up the Christian position in face of forces in the world that seek to suppress outward expressions of faith. 

The theme for this year’s event was “For Freedom and the Culture of Life.”

Spain’s former minister of the interior and honorary president of the Political Network for Values ​​(PNfV) denounced “the sick obsession against the Christian foundations [of society], the contempt for science and biology, and the perverse manipulation of history” by those who tried to prevent the meeting from being held. Some 300 political and civic leaders from 45 countries on three continents participated in the event.

“They call us fundamentalists because we defend the foundations [of society]. But it’s the opposite, because we defend the regeneration” of the Western world, argued Mayor, who affirmed the group’s conviction of being “at the forefront of the debate of the future,” which will be characterized by being “between those who don’t believe in anything and those who want to believe and have permanent [points of] reference.”

“We don’t have to be afraid at all, even though the prevailing fashion is to be enraged,” Mayor said while proclaiming that “the defense of the right to life is the foundation, the pillar of all our positions within this cultural debate.”

“Let’s not lose our cool, as they are losing theirs with us,” the leader urged, before concluding that “by the solidity of our foundations, not by embracing extremism, let us know how to fulfill our obligation to the truth: to tell the truth, to defend the truth, and also sometimes to suffer for the truth.”

Lola Velarde, the executive director of the PNfV, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that the participants in the summit had come to Spain to “defend the infinite dignity of the human person, from which a culture of life is born and of course the freedom to be able to defend these values.”

José Antonio Kast: ‘They hate us because they fear us’

During the summit’s introductory panel, the leader of the Republican Party of Chile, José Antonio Kast, also spoke.

In the words of Chilean politician Jaime Guzmán, who was murdered by left-wing groups, Kast gave an explanation for the attempts to cancel, persecute, and disqualify this summit: “They hate us because they fear us. And they fear us because they know we can’t be eliminated.”

“They know that we are brave and that we will never give up in the defense of our values,” he added.

Kast recalled that 10 years ago the first international summit of the PNfV was held, a time during which “this network has been strengthened and expanded with parliamentarians from dozens of countries, with opinion leaders, with researchers, advisers, and members of different governments.”

Kast announced that he was stepping down as president of the PNfV to mount another electoral bid for the presidency of Chile. “The time has come for me and my family to face a tremendous challenge, which is to run for president of our country, and we are doing it as a family,” he said.

Kast ran against Gabriel Boric in the 2021 Chilean presidential election and lost.

Before the summit began in the Senate, the apostolic nuncio in Spain, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, celebrated Mass at the Monastery of the Incarnation, located near the Senate chamber, where a small group of abortion advocates gathered.

Aúza emphasized that human dignity, as set forth in Dignitas Infinita, is the “fundamental principle and basis of our culture,” without whose recognition “it would not be possible to live in society.”

The prelate explained that this dignity exists “beyond all circumstances” and must be defended “in every cultural context” and, after thanking the participants in the summit for their work, encouraged them to “educate the conscience of many to recognize the centrality of human dignity.”

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

Zion Lutheran Church in Long Valley, New Jersey, is one of two churches that have won a victory against county officials who were excluding them from a historic preservation grant program. / Credit: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Dec 4, 2024 / 16:40 pm (CNA).

Two churches in New Jersey have won a victory against county officials who were excluding them from a historic preservation grant program, a ruling that comes after a key Catholic religious liberty clinic backed their lawsuit. 

First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based religious liberty legal group, said in a Monday press release that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a preliminary injunction against Morris County ordering officials to allow two churches to participate in the county’s Historic Preservation Trust Fund. 

In her ruling this week, District Judge Evelyn Padin said the case “illustrates the inherent tension” between the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom and its barring of government endorsement of religion. 

The court determined that a “likely free exercise clause violation” stemmed from the county’s policy. The injunction does not order the churches to receive county funding but rather to make them eligible for it. 

Jeremy Dys, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, said in the group’s press release that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly “declared that all forms of religious discrimination by the government are unconstitutional.” 

“We are thrilled that the court recognized that religious institutions cannot be excluded from public funding programs like preservation grants simply because of their religious character or religious activities,” Dys said. 

The parishes, Mendham Methodist Church and Zion Lutheran Church Long Valley, were supported in their lawsuit by the University of Notre Dame School of Law’s Religious Liberty Clinic, which argued in June that the county’s barring the churches from the program “violates the law and harms congregations and their surrounding communities.”

The Notre Dame Religious Liberty Clinic had argued that barring the churches from the grant program “threatens significant harms that can never be undone,” up to and including church closures. 

The county policy is “squarely unconstitutional,” the clinic said.

The county rule came from a 2018 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that asserted that including the churches in the historic grant preservation program violated the state constitution. 

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider a review of the state Supreme Court’s decision, though Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in a statement after that decision that the state rule appeared to be unconstitutional. 

“Barring religious organizations because they are religious from a general historic preservation grants program is pure discrimination against religion,” he said. 

Zion Lutheran Church in Long Valley, New Jersey, is one of two churches that have won a victory against county officials who were excluding them from a historic preservation grant program. / Credit: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Dec 4, 2024 / 16:40 pm (CNA).

Two churches in New Jersey have won a victory against county officials who were excluding them from a historic preservation grant program, a ruling that comes after a key Catholic religious liberty clinic backed their lawsuit. 

First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based religious liberty legal group, said in a Monday press release that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a preliminary injunction against Morris County ordering officials to allow two churches to participate in the county’s Historic Preservation Trust Fund. 

In her ruling this week, District Judge Evelyn Padin said the case “illustrates the inherent tension” between the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom and its barring of government endorsement of religion. 

The court determined that a “likely free exercise clause violation” stemmed from the county’s policy. The injunction does not order the churches to receive county funding but rather to make them eligible for it. 

Jeremy Dys, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, said in the group’s press release that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly “declared that all forms of religious discrimination by the government are unconstitutional.” 

“We are thrilled that the court recognized that religious institutions cannot be excluded from public funding programs like preservation grants simply because of their religious character or religious activities,” Dys said. 

The parishes, Mendham Methodist Church and Zion Lutheran Church Long Valley, were supported in their lawsuit by the University of Notre Dame School of Law’s Religious Liberty Clinic, which argued in June that the county’s barring the churches from the program “violates the law and harms congregations and their surrounding communities.”

The Notre Dame Religious Liberty Clinic had argued that barring the churches from the grant program “threatens significant harms that can never be undone,” up to and including church closures. 

The county policy is “squarely unconstitutional,” the clinic said.

The county rule came from a 2018 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that asserted that including the churches in the historic grant preservation program violated the state constitution. 

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider a review of the state Supreme Court’s decision, though Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in a statement after that decision that the state rule appeared to be unconstitutional. 

“Barring religious organizations because they are religious from a general historic preservation grants program is pure discrimination against religion,” he said. 

Opponents of transgender treatments on children gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4, 2024, as justices hear oral arguments for a challenge to a Tennessee law banning transgender surgeries and hormones for minors. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 4, 2024 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

Several United States Supreme Court justices during oral arguments on Wednesday morning challenged claims that a Tennessee law banning transgender drugs or surgeries for minors constitutes a form of “sex” discrimination.

The state law, which went into effect in July 2023, prohibits doctors from performing transgender surgeries on anyone under the age of 18 and does not allow doctors to prescribe them any drugs to facilitate a gender transition, such as puberty blockers or hormones.

Tennessee’s law is being challenged by President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and by families who live in the state, who are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee.

The Supreme Court’s decision could have a wide-ranging effect across the country. There are currently 24 states that prohibit both transgender surgeries and drugs for minors. Another two states — New Hampshire and Arizona — prohibit the surgeries but not the drugs. Numerous state-level laws currently face legal challenges.

DOJ and ACLU argue ‘sex’ discrimination

United States Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who made oral arguments on behalf of the DOJ, told the justices that the state law “regulates by drawing sex-based lines” and that this constitutes a “facial sex classification, full stop,” which implicates the equal protection clause of the United States Constitution. 

Attorney Chase Strangio, who argued on behalf of the ACLU, built on that claim, stating that a male can legally access puberty blockers and hormone treatments if he has early-onset puberty to ensure he goes through puberty at a normal age. However, Strangio said, a biological girl could not access the same drugs if she desires to go through puberty like a boy would.

“It is clearly a sex classification on its face,” Strangio added.

Prelogar said that under the law, “your access to drugs depends on your birth sex.”

“The state has left no out for those patients to obtain those medications when there’s a showing of individualized medical need,” she added. 

Many of the Republican-appointed justices, who make up six of the nine members of the court, appeared skeptical of that argument. They noted that the court ought to be cautious when ruling on questions when the medical standards are evolving and questioned whether this was a form of sex discrimination or simply a health and safety regulation. 

During oral arguments, Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted that several European countries are “pumping the brakes” on transgender drugs for children with heavy restrictions. He said when medical standards are evolving, that should be a “heavy yellow light, if not a red light” for the court when deciding whether to weigh in.

Kavanaugh further disagreed with the sex discrimination claim, stating that “it prohibits all boys and girls from transitioning.”

Justice Samuel Alito went further, citing a comprehensive review in the United Kingdom that prompted a near-total ban on transgender drugs for minors and legislative actions in other European countries to restrict those drugs.

In response, Prelogar claimed “there is a consensus that these treatments can be medically necessary for some adolescents” but acknowledged there could be some room for regulations that do not categorically ban transgender drugs for children.

The ACLU and DOJ received more sympathy from the three justices appointed by Democrats, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who said “there are inherent differences between the sexes” but that “there are some children that actually need this treatment.” 

Tennessee argues against discrimination claim

Tennessee Solicitor General J. Matthew Rice, who argued on behalf of the state, told the court that the law “protects minors from risky … medication” and is entirely based on “medical purpose — not a patient’s sex,” adding that the equal protection clause “does not require the states to blind themselves to medical reality or to treat unlike things the same.”

“These interventions often carry irreversible and life-altering consequences,” he said, claiming that there are “no established benefits.”

Sotomayor quickly interrupted Rice, saying: “I’m sorry counselor, every medical treatment has a risk.” She said that a boy with early onset puberty could obtain a puberty blocker to delay the growth of unwanted facial hair but that a girl could not access the same drug to delay the development of unwanted breasts, adding that one “can get that drug but the other can’t — that’s the sex-based difference.”

Rice countered, saying: “Those are not the same medical treatment.”

“I don’t think that is an example where a sex-based line is being drawn,” he said, adding that the only thing that matters is “medical purpose.” He noted that there are already other laws restricting the prescription of hormones, arguing “you cannot use testosterone for purely cosmetic reasons” regardless of whether it is for a gender transition. 

“There is no medical treatment that boys can receive that girls can’t,” he said. 

Rice added that giving testosterone to a boy with a “deficiency” is not the same as giving testosterone to a girl who has “healthy” hormone levels and that such treatments for a girl could make her “infertile and permanently damaged.”

What the legislation does

The surgeries prohibited in the legislation include operations to remove or alter a child’s genitals to make them resemble the genitals of the opposite sex. It further prohibits chest surgeries and other aesthetic surgeries that would make the child appear more similar to the opposite sex.

Under the law, doctors cannot prescribe puberty blockers to facilitate a gender transition, which are drugs that halt a child’s natural development during puberty. When prescribed to facilitate a gender transition, the children normally begin receiving them before they are teenagers. The law also prevents doctors from prescribing excessive estrogen to boys and excessive testosterone to girls when intended to facilitate a gender transition.

Doctors and health care providers who violate the law can be fined up to $25,000. Some states have stricter penalties, including six that make it a felony. 

A report published in October by the medical watchdog group Do No Harm found that doctors in the United States provided at least 13,944 children with either transgender drugs or surgeries based on information that is publicly available — but warned that the number could be even higher. This included more than 5,700 children receiving surgeries.

Opponents of transgender treatments on children gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4, 2024, as justices hear oral arguments for a challenge to a Tennessee law banning transgender surgeries and hormones for minors. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 4, 2024 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

Several United States Supreme Court justices during oral arguments on Wednesday morning challenged claims that a Tennessee law banning transgender drugs or surgeries for minors constitutes a form of “sex” discrimination.

The state law, which went into effect in July 2023, prohibits doctors from performing transgender surgeries on anyone under the age of 18 and does not allow doctors to prescribe them any drugs to facilitate a gender transition, such as puberty blockers or hormones.

Tennessee’s law is being challenged by President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and by families who live in the state, who are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee.

The Supreme Court’s decision could have a wide-ranging effect across the country. There are currently 24 states that prohibit both transgender surgeries and drugs for minors. Another two states — New Hampshire and Arizona — prohibit the surgeries but not the drugs. Numerous state-level laws currently face legal challenges.

DOJ and ACLU argue ‘sex’ discrimination

United States Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who made oral arguments on behalf of the DOJ, told the justices that the state law “regulates by drawing sex-based lines” and that this constitutes a “facial sex classification, full stop,” which implicates the equal protection clause of the United States Constitution. 

Attorney Chase Strangio, who argued on behalf of the ACLU, built on that claim, stating that a male can legally access puberty blockers and hormone treatments if he has early-onset puberty to ensure he goes through puberty at a normal age. However, Strangio said, a biological girl could not access the same drugs if she desires to go through puberty like a boy would.

“It is clearly a sex classification on its face,” Strangio added.

Prelogar said that under the law, “your access to drugs depends on your birth sex.”

“The state has left no out for those patients to obtain those medications when there’s a showing of individualized medical need,” she added. 

Many of the Republican-appointed justices, who make up six of the nine members of the court, appeared skeptical of that argument. They noted that the court ought to be cautious when ruling on questions when the medical standards are evolving and questioned whether this was a form of sex discrimination or simply a health and safety regulation. 

During oral arguments, Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted that several European countries are “pumping the brakes” on transgender drugs for children with heavy restrictions. He said when medical standards are evolving, that should be a “heavy yellow light, if not a red light” for the court when deciding whether to weigh in.

Kavanaugh further disagreed with the sex discrimination claim, stating that “it prohibits all boys and girls from transitioning.”

Justice Samuel Alito went further, citing a comprehensive review in the United Kingdom that prompted a near-total ban on transgender drugs for minors and legislative actions in other European countries to restrict those drugs.

In response, Prelogar claimed “there is a consensus that these treatments can be medically necessary for some adolescents” but acknowledged there could be some room for regulations that do not categorically ban transgender drugs for children.

The ACLU and DOJ received more sympathy from the three justices appointed by Democrats, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who said “there are inherent differences between the sexes” but that “there are some children that actually need this treatment.” 

Tennessee argues against discrimination claim

Tennessee Solicitor General J. Matthew Rice, who argued on behalf of the state, told the court that the law “protects minors from risky … medication” and is entirely based on “medical purpose — not a patient’s sex,” adding that the equal protection clause “does not require the states to blind themselves to medical reality or to treat unlike things the same.”

“These interventions often carry irreversible and life-altering consequences,” he said, claiming that there are “no established benefits.”

Sotomayor quickly interrupted Rice, saying: “I’m sorry counselor, every medical treatment has a risk.” She said that a boy with early onset puberty could obtain a puberty blocker to delay the growth of unwanted facial hair but that a girl could not access the same drug to delay the development of unwanted breasts, adding that one “can get that drug but the other can’t — that’s the sex-based difference.”

Rice countered, saying: “Those are not the same medical treatment.”

“I don’t think that is an example where a sex-based line is being drawn,” he said, adding that the only thing that matters is “medical purpose.” He noted that there are already other laws restricting the prescription of hormones, arguing “you cannot use testosterone for purely cosmetic reasons” regardless of whether it is for a gender transition. 

“There is no medical treatment that boys can receive that girls can’t,” he said. 

Rice added that giving testosterone to a boy with a “deficiency” is not the same as giving testosterone to a girl who has “healthy” hormone levels and that such treatments for a girl could make her “infertile and permanently damaged.”

What the legislation does

The surgeries prohibited in the legislation include operations to remove or alter a child’s genitals to make them resemble the genitals of the opposite sex. It further prohibits chest surgeries and other aesthetic surgeries that would make the child appear more similar to the opposite sex.

Under the law, doctors cannot prescribe puberty blockers to facilitate a gender transition, which are drugs that halt a child’s natural development during puberty. When prescribed to facilitate a gender transition, the children normally begin receiving them before they are teenagers. The law also prevents doctors from prescribing excessive estrogen to boys and excessive testosterone to girls when intended to facilitate a gender transition.

Doctors and health care providers who violate the law can be fined up to $25,000. Some states have stricter penalties, including six that make it a felony. 

A report published in October by the medical watchdog group Do No Harm found that doctors in the United States provided at least 13,944 children with either transgender drugs or surgeries based on information that is publicly available — but warned that the number could be even higher. This included more than 5,700 children receiving surgeries.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a legal brief in which he argued that Missouri’s regulations on abortion providers are consistent with Amendment 3 and are justified on grounds of patient safety and informed consent. / Credit: DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

St. Louis, Mo., Dec 4, 2024 / 15:40 pm (CNA).

A new amendment enshrining a right to “reproductive freedom” in Missouri is set to go into effect Thursday as the state attorney general argues that certain pro-life provisions should remain in effect despite the new amendment.

Missouri’s Amendment 3, which passed narrowly Nov. 5, mandates that the government “shall not deny or infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including “prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.”

Although the amendment language mentions that laws could be passed to restrict abortion past the point of “fetal viability,” the amendment simultaneously prohibits any interference with an abortion that a doctor determines is necessary to “protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”

On Election Day, a handful of the state’s most populous counties — which include urban areas such as Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia — carried the amendment to victory by an overall statewide margin of less than 2%. Meanwhile, over 100 of Missouri’s counties voted no.

Planned Parenthood asks judge to block pro-life measures

Planned Parenthood filed a 221-page lawsuit the day after the election asking a judge to block all of Missouri’s numerous pro-life protections in light of the new amendment, most notably the state’s 2019 “trigger law” that banned nearly all abortions in Missouri immediately after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Planned Parenthood went on to enumerate and challenge myriad other pro-life protections in Missouri, including the state’s 72-hour waiting period for abortions; the state’s ban on abortions done specifically for reasons of the race, sex, or a Down syndrome diagnosis of the baby; the state’s ban on “telemedicine” abortions; and the state’s requirement that only licensed physicians may perform abortions.

In addition, Missouri lawmakers in recent years have passed numerous laws designed to protect patients and limit the abortion industry’s influence, including 2017 regulations requiring that abortion doctors have surgical and admitting privileges to nearby hospitals; that abortion clinics must be licensed with the state; and that clinics must meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery.

By 2018, regulatory violations had shut down surgical abortions at all but one of the state’s abortion clinics.

In 2019, Missouri revoked the license of the state’s last abortion clinic, located in St. Louis, over safety concerns including reports of at least four botched abortions that took place there. The clinic ultimately won a 2020 decision from an independent state commission that allowed it to continue performing abortions until the overturning of Roe v. Wade allowed Missouri to ban abortion entirely, with a few exceptions. 

Missouri attorney general argues some pro-life regulations remain law 

In response to Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a legal brief in which he argued that Missouri’s regulations on abortion providers are consistent with Amendment 3 and are justified on grounds of patient safety and informed consent.

He also pointed out that Planned Parenthood has a history of violating Missouri’s abortion laws, many of which he said were passed in order to address specific problems that have occurred at Planned Parenthood facilities. 

Bailey also referenced an earlier letter he wrote to incoming Gov. Mike Kehoe in which he acknowledged that Amendment 3 coming into effect would render the state’s gestational bans on abortion “unenforceable” in most circumstances but would not “remove these statutes from the books,” meaning they could come back into effect immediately if Amendment 3 is altered in the future. 

Bailey noted that the amendment allows the state to “protect innocent life after viability,” about 24 weeks, a provision he said his office will “vigorously enforce.” In addition, Bailey said his office will continue to enforce laws designed to protect women from being coerced into abortion, as well as the state’s parental consent law that allows parents to prevent a minor child from getting an abortion. 

Despite the setback that the passage of Amendment 3 represented for the pro-life movement in Missouri, some leaders have expressed optimism that the closeness of the vote and the unity displayed by pro-life advocates in the state suggest a repeal of the amendment in the future remains a possibility. A St. Louis-area Republican representative has already introduced a resolution that could lead to a stateside vote to overturn Amendment 3. 

In a Dec. 3 press conference, Brian Westbrook of the St. Louis pro-life group Coalition Life urged Missourians to support Bailey’s efforts to keep the state’s regulations on abortion providers in place. He urged Missourians to oppose Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit, contact their representatives, and support Bailey’s efforts to hold Planned Parenthood accountable.

“We cannot allow these facilities to operate without regulations and protections that have been put in place over decades to protect Missouri women,” Westbrook said.

“Simply put, the public needs to be aware of prior unsafe practices by Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers and the need to maintain commonsense safety standards that hold them accountable.”

The amendment’s appearance on the ballot was the subject of a protracted court battle earlier this year, with pro-lifers arguing that the final proposed language not only violated state law by failing to list which laws it would repeal but also misled voters about the scope and gravity of what they would be voting for. The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately voted 4-3 to allow the measure to appear before voters.