Vatican Announces Plans For 2028 Church Post-Synodal Assembly: (CNA) — The Vatican announced March 15 that Pope Francis has approved a special ecclesial assembly for October 2028 to evaluate how Catholic communities worldwide have implemented the recently concluded Synod on Synodality recommendations.
Mario Cardinal Grech, secretary-general of the synod, detailed the plans in a letter to bishops worldwide, emphasizing that this gathering will not constitute a new synod but rather serve as the culmination of a structured three-year implementation process.
“The goal is not to add work upon work but to help churches walk in a synodal style,” Grech wrote.
The cardinal further said that local churches would actively receive and apply the synod’s final document, which Pope Francis directly approved following the conclusion of the synod in Oct. 2024.
The new implementation timeline begins in May with the publication of detailed guidelines, followed by a “Jubilee of Synodal Teams” in October.
Throughout 2027, evaluation assemblies will take place at diocesan, national, and international levels, with continental gatherings scheduled for early 2028.
Grech highlighted the essential role of local “synodal teams” composed of “priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and laypeople” working alongside their bishops. These teams, he noted, should be “valued” and, where necessary, “renewed, reactivated, and appropriately integrated.”
“This process does not diminish the role of each church in receiving and applying the fruits of the synod in its own unique way,” the cardinal wrote. “Rather, it encourages a great co-responsibility that values local churches while associating the episcopal college with the pope’s ministry.”
Grech concluded his letter with an invitation for prayers for Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14.
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Minneapolis Forced To Pay $450,000 After Censoring Pro-Life Free Speech: (CatholicVote) — The city of Minneapolis, Minn., has agreed to pay $450,000 in attorneys’ fees after settling a lawsuit with a pro-life ministry last year over sidewalk counseling.
CatholicVote previously reported that Pro-Life Action Ministries was unconstitutionally barred from standing on public sidewalks around a Minneapolis Planned Parenthood location to offer support and counseling to women seeking abortions.
Pro-Life Action Ministries sued in 2023, alleging that the buffer zone law violated its advocates’ rights to free speech, freedom of expressive association, and freedom of religious expression.
Though the lawsuit was settled in favor of Pro-Life Action Ministries Dec. 18, the attorneys’ fees payment by the city was not determined until later. According to MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) News, the Minneapolis City Council signed an agreement for the thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees March 13.
Pro-Life Action Ministries was represented in court by the Thomas More Society. Peter Breen, Thomas More Society executive vice president and head of litigation, secured the payment from the city. In an emailed statement to CatholicVote, he called the payment a “total victory for free speech and the pro-life movement.”
“The City of Minneapolis’ capitulation and agreement to pay nearly a half-million dollars in fees and costs reflects the strength of our case and demonstrates the importance of vigorously defending fundamental freedoms in court,” Breen stated. “Politicians seeking to hinder and silence the efforts of pro-life sidewalk counselors should think twice — or it will cost them.”
In addition to paying the fees, the city also amended its restrictive buffer zone law in December to exempt organizations like Pro-Life Action Ministries. Sidewalk counseling outside Minneapolis’ abortion facilities is now a constitutionally protected activity, CatholicVote previously reported.
At the time of the legal victory, Pro-Life Action Ministries’ CEO Brian Gibson called the decision a “win for the unborn babies.”
“Having our rights restored will increase the possibility to help women and save more babies from abortion,” he stated in a December release. “Other cities need to take note to never simply do Planned Parenthood’s bidding and interfere with citizens’ constitutional rights.”
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Archbishop Naumann Will Reconsecrate Kansas To Jesus Through Mary In Response To Satanic Event: (LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will reconsecrate Kansas to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary ahead of a satanic “black mass” to be held in late March.
In a March 14 parish announcement, Archbishop Naumann, along with the entire Kansas Catholic Conference, announced that he will reconsecrate Kansas to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary just a few days before a “black mass” planned by a Kansas-based satanic group, The Satanic Grotto (SG), intends to dedicate the state legislature to Satan.
“Satanic worship is disturbing, spiritually harmful, and an affront to every Christian,” the Archdiocese of Kansas City wrote. “Participants may claim that the destructive and offensive acts during a ‘black mass’ are part of their religious freedom or free speech rights under the First Amendment. However, these rights have limits and do not allow individuals to act in ways that include or incite lawless behavior.”
“We are deeply disappointed that such blasphemous acts that are intended to mock Catholic worship, the beliefs of all Christians, and those who believe in the one true God, are being allowed on the Kansas Statehouse grounds,” the announcement continued.
“We must not allow ourselves to be provoked to anger or violence, as that would be cooperation with the devil. Instead, we should approach this situation with all confidence in God’s ultimate victory over Satan, sin, and death. ‘And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (Matt. 16:18),” the archdiocese added.
The archdiocese detailed Archbishop Naumann’s plan to offer reparation ahead of the satanic event scheduled for March 28.
On March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the archbishop will celebrate an evening Mass for Expectant Parents. During the Mass, he will reconsecrate Kansas to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Additionally, on the day of the “black mass,” Archbishop Naumann will hold a Eucharistic holy hour at Assumption Church, directly north of the statehouse where the satanic ritual will take place. After the holy hour, he will celebrate Mass.
Faithful Catholics who cannot attend the Mass and consecration in person are encouraged to recite the Individual Consecration Prayer to consecrate themselves to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“Pray for the repentance and conversion of those participating in the satanic worship event,” the archdiocese advises.
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Maryland Passes Bill That Would Provide $25 Million To Fund Abortion: (CNA) — The Maryland Senate passed a bill March 17 that would allow $25 million in funding to go toward abortions.
The grant program is designed to fund abortions for women whose insurance does not cover the procedure, using money from premium funds collected by health insurance carriers.
If approved by the state’s governor, the program would become the first of its kind in the country.
Funding for the Public Health Abortion Grant Program would require “certain premium funds collected by health insurance carriers be used to provide certain coverage and to support improving access to abortion care clinical services under certain circumstances,” according to the text of the bill.
The grant program was approved in the Maryland House the week of March 10 and in the Senate on March 17. The two bills must be reconciled before legislators send a final version to be signed by the state’s governor, Wes Moore.
Moore has a track record of pro-abortion action and has pledged his support “for a woman’s right to choose.”
In 2025, Maryland voted overwhelmingly in favor of enshrining a right to abortion in the state constitution via an amendment that passed with roughly 75% voting yes. The state has no gestational limits on abortion. Its broad acceptance of abortion makes it an abortion destination for some in neighboring states such as West Virginia.
A similar bill did not pass last year due to legal concerns over the use of insurance company funds to support abortion clinics.
The grant program is designed to ensure that uninsured or underinsured women have funding for abortions. The funding comes from a dollar-per-month fee that certain insurers are required to collect on every policy under the Affordable Care Act. The fund has grown to $25 million over time, increasing by about $3 million annually.
The Senate bill was sponsored by Guy Guzzone, D-Howard, chair of the Budget and Taxation Committee. Lesley Lopez, D-Montgomery, and other delegates sponsored the House bill.
A local report said the legislators’ debates over the bill grew heated and emotional over the past few weeks, with legislators on both sides of the aisle bringing up their own personal experiences.
The Maryland Catholic Conference has encouraged lawmakers to redirect resources toward pregnancy support rather than abortion, calling on local Catholics to take action via a statewide alert.
Jenny Kraska, the Maryland Catholic Conference’s executive director, urged the state government to put funds toward mothers in need.
“Instead of allocating public funds to expand abortion access, our state should prioritize policies that support mothers in need, provide real health care solutions, and affirm the dignity of both mother and child,” Kraska told CNA.
Kraska also shared her concerns that taxpayer funding could go toward abortion.
“We also hope that the federal government will act to ensure that taxpayer dollars cannot be used in this manner to fund or subsidize abortion at the state level,” she said.
If signed, the bill would go into effect July 1.
