null / Credit: Wolfgang Schaller|Shutterstock CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2025 / 17:13 pm (CNA). During oral arguments on Wednesday, the conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court appeared sympathetic to supporting the establishment of the first Catholic charter school in the United States.The St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which is managed by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma, last year petitioned the high court to approve its bid to become the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school. The case could reshape school choice and religious freedom in the U.S. The Oklahoma Supreme Court previously ordered Oklahoma’s charter school board to rescind the contract with the school, citing the First Amendment’s prohibition of laws establishing a state religion. Shortly after the state Supreme Court ruling, both St. Isidore and the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board filed separate pet

null / Credit: HoneySkies/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 30, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA). Recent polling data has found that Americans’ religious affiliations have not greatly changed since 2020, appearing to stabilize following decades of substantial shifts.Data collected by the polling firm Gallup surveyed 12,000 adults in the U.S. and found that from 2000 to 2020, the percentage of people with no religious affiliation spiked, while Protestant and Catholic populations declined.In 2000, 57% of Americans identified as Protestant or nondenominational Christians. Over the following 20 years this group dropped more than 10 points to 46%. The Catholic population experienced a smaller yet still notable decline over the same time period, decreasing from 25% to 22%.The largest change over the two decades was the increase in American adults who said they had no religious affiliation. In 2000, only 8% of those surveyed said they did not practice a religion, but in 2020 the

The St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square are seen at sunset near the French Quarter in downtown New Orleans on April 10, 2010. / Credit: Graythen/Getty Images CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2025 / 12:04 pm (CNA). The Archdiocese of New Orleans has been ordered to appear in federal court to defend ongoing proceedings in its years-old bankruptcy case, with a federal judge citing no resolution after years of proceedings and millions in expenditures.Under financial pressure from clerical abuse litigation compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, the archdiocese announced in May 2020 that its administrative offices were filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.Yet U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill said in an order this week that after “five years and millions of dollars expended, no coalition of parties has proposed a confirmable plan” to help the diocese compensate abuse victims both monetarily and with “nonmonetary remedies in the form of disclosure, transparency, and lasting i

Cardinals celebrate the Novendiales Masses on the fourth day of mourning for Pope Francis on April 29, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA Vatican City, Apr 30, 2025 / 09:23 am (CNA). The College of Cardinals on Wednesday called on Catholics around the world to pray for them as they prepare to enter the conclave next week to elect the next pope, acknowledging the “enormity of the task ahead” in choosing the next successor of Peter. The appeal came as the cardinals concluded their seventh general congregation — the daily meetings leading up to the start of the conclave on May 7. In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the cardinals said they are “conscious of the responsibility to which they are called” and are relying on the prayers of the global Catholic community. “This is the true force that in the Church promotes the unity of all the members of the one body of

Cardinals participate in Day 4 of the Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis on April 29, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA Vatican City, Apr 30, 2025 / 06:34 am (CNA). The College of Cardinals announced Monday, April 28, that the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition: