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Czech court clears archbishop persecuted by communist regime #Catholic The district court in Olomouc, Czech Republic, has rehabilitated Josef Karel Matocha, the city’s former archbishop, recognizing his internment under the communist regime as unlawful more than six decades after his death.The court’s decision, based on the Judicial Rehabilitation Act, confirms that the prelate was a victim of unlawful deprivation of liberty in the 1950s by the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia. He was not formally convicted, yet he was forced to remain in the archbishop’s palace under surveillance by the State Security, and this was recognized as imprisonment.The current archbishop of Olomouc, Josef Nuzík, said he is “very happy that after so many years we have managed to complete this procedural step and achieve justice” in civil law as well.Matocha is “constantly present in our palace and in the hearts of believers,” and guests “are often moved when they realize that these beautiful spaces were his prison,” said Nuzík, who is also president of the Czech Bishops’ Conference. U.S. bishop joins Slovaks honoring blessed bishop tortured by communists The rehabilitation is an important sign “also for the entire society,” he added, one that shows “the heroism and suffering of people who did not let themselves be broken must not be forgotten.”Ladislav Müller filed the initial motion for rehabilitation at the request of Jan Kratochvil, director of the Museum of Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian Exile of the 20th Century in Brno.Decades of isolationMatocha, who held doctorates in philosophy and theology, was appointed archbishop of Olomouc by Pope Pius XII in 1948. He was deeply dedicated in his pastoral visits, initiated the beatification process of Archbishop Antonín Stojan, and secretly ordained František Tomášek as a bishop, who later became a cardinal and archbishop of Prague, according to the Archdiocese of Olomouc.After his internment in 1950, he could not read newspapers or listen to the radio, and visits to the garden were permitted only sporadically. The isolation lasted until his death from a heart attack in 1961, which was also due to the denial of medical care. In 1999, then-Czech President Václav Havel posthumously awarded Matocha the first class of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk for outstanding services to democracy and human rights.The press office of the Archdiocese of Olomouc told EWTN News that no special event regarding Matocha is planned at present, but it noted that a rehabilitation process is underway for Cardinal Štěpán Trochta. Trochta also suffered internment as the bishop of Litoměřice, but “we consider him ours,” the press office said, because he was born within the Archdiocese of Olomouc.A wider reckoningThe unjust treatment of two other churchmen by the communist regime in Czechoslovakia has recently been recognized. Cardinal Josef Beran, the former archbishop of Prague, who was interned in several locations, was rehabilitated in February, the District Court of Prague confirmed to EWTN News. In 2024, the regional court in Hradec Králové rehabilitated the priest Josef Toufar, who was illegally arrested and tortured to death.

Pro-life advocates defend unborn babies with Down syndrome after YouTuber goes public with abortion #Catholic Pro-life advocates defend unborn babies with Down syndromePro-life advocates are defending unborn children with Down syndrome after a YouTuber told the world that he and his wife aborted their child who had been diagnosed with the condition.YouTube creator Jesse Ridgway went viral for posting about how he and his wife decided to abort their unborn baby after they learned the child would likely have Down syndrome. Advocates on X reacted by sharing posts celebrating the worth of individuals with the medical diagnosis."Down syndrome shouldn’t mean a death sentence,” Live Action Founder and President Lila Rose said.SBA Pro-Life America posted in response to Ridgway’s post: “This is so sad and awful. We CANʼT stand silently by.”“Research shows 99% of people with Down syndrome are happy with their lives, and their families love them,” the pro-life group continued. “Families deserve truthful information & support. People with Down syndrome deserve to live. They should never be targets for discrimination, inside the womb or out. Period.”“Babies with Down syndrome arenʼt a ‘glitch.’ Theyʼre a blessing.” Live Action posted. “Yet 67-80% of these beautiful babies are killed for their disability before they are born."Study: Women aren’t informed on emotional, physical impact of abortionWomen want information on abortion symptoms and the emotional impacts associated with the procedure, but they often aren’t given it, according to a recent peer-reviewed study.The study by scholars associated with the Charlotte Lozier Institute found women experience significant informed consent gaps when they are given abortion drugs.The researchers found that three in 10 women report experiencing unexpected levels of pain and bleeding.“Because they didn’t know what was ‘normal,’ many women turned to the internet for information about abortion side effects like excessive pain and bleeding, help processing difficult emotions, and urgent reassurance during the abortion process,” the study read.Tessa Cox, senior research associate at the institute and one of the authors of the study emphasized the risks associated with this lack of medical information-sharing. “The stakes are too high for informed consent to be treated as a formality,” Cox said in a statement.Fourteen attorneys general call for clean water protections from abortion drugsFourteen attorneys general called on the federal government to track water pollution from abortion pills this week.The attorneys general asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to track pollution from the drugs dumped into the U.S. water supply. They argued that “loosened regulations” have “increased the number of chemical abortions occurring in the home,” resulting in “tons of chemically tainted medical waste being flushed into American waterways.”Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins, who spearheaded the movement, called the request “commonsense.”“Because of negligent FDA policy and the failure to enforce the Comstock Act, more than 50 tons of chemically tainted blood, placenta tissue, and human remains go into our waterways every year. With infertility on the rise, we need to know: what is the extent of the damage?” Hawkins said in a statement shared with EWTN News.The letter was signed by attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.Head of Knights of Columbus awarded for ‘building up a culture of life’The Sisters of Life, a religious organization centered around affirming the life of every human being, gave an award to the head of the Knights of Columbus, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, for his life-affirming work.Kelly received the John Cardinal O’Connor Award on on June 5 at the annual Friends of the Sisters of Life Gala in Rye, New York.“His Eminence John Cardinal O’Connor was a towering pillar of the pro-life movement,” Kelly said in a press release. “With an unshakable resolve, he dedicated so much of his ministry as bishop to proclaiming the sanctity of every human life, made in the image and likeness of God.”“Speaking for the Knights, we will keep doing everything we can to support the Sisters of Life, and to protect vulnerable mothers and their children,” Kelly said. "As we prepare for the work ahead, we take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus Christ will continue to guide us.”Alabama attorney general launches legal challenge against abortion drug companiesAlabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued cease-and-desist letters to six companies that have been allegedly illegally distributing abortion drugs.According to a June 9 press release, the companies were providing chemical abortion drugs in Alabama, where abortion is illegal.“These companies are not only breaking the law, they are deceiving Alabama consumers about the very real dangers of these drugs,” said Marshall in a statement. “That stops now.”The letters were sent to abortion drug providers across the United States, as well as one company based in the United Arab Emirates. Several companies were based in California or New York, which have “shield laws” designed to protect abortion companies.

unitedyam June 13, 2026June 13, 2026

Pro-life and abortion-related news you may have missed this week.

Start here: 15 quotes from Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas #Catholic Pope Leo XIV just released his first encyclical — and it may be the most important Church document of our lifetime. Called Magnifica Humanitas, it covers artificial intelligence, human dignity, childrenʼs phones, autonomous weapons, doomscrolling, the mystery of the human soul, and why no machine will ever have the final word on what it means to be a person made in the image of God.The full document is available to download here — and worth a read. But for a quick taste of whatʼs inside, here are 15 powerful quotes from the encyclical:“Never has humanity had such power over itself.” (par. 4)"In practice, however, technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it. Therefore, the primary choice is not between a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence.” (par. 9)“In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace.” (par. 15)“Thus, the ‘rejected stones’ — the poor, the sick, the migrants and the least among us — will become the cornerstone, and a solid, welcoming common home will emerge on the earth, where love and faithfulness will finally meet, and righteousness and peace will embrace (cf. Ps 85:10).” (par.16)“Human dignity does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth, or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made; instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of his unfailing love.” (par. 50)“Among these ideologies, I consider particularly insidious the one that suggests that every person must earn or justify his or her own worth, to the point of attributing greater value to those who are more efficient or effective.” (par. 51)“No sin, failure, humiliation, or exclusion can diminish the profound value of a human life that God has willed and called into being.” (par. 52)“Solidarity demands that decisions regarding data, algorithms, platforms and artificial intelligence take into account not only the immediate benefit for a few, but also the impact on all peoples and on future generations.” (par. 76)“For an algorithm, an error is a flaw to be corrected; for a person, however, an error can be a catalyst for profound change. A person’s future is not calculable, but depends on one’s freedom — elevated by the inexhaustible grace of God — and on the relationships cultivated.” (par. 128)“Having a personal mobile device at too early an age and using it without adult supervision can exacerbate young people’s vulnerabilities, foster addiction, and expose them to isolation, bullying, and cyberbullying, as well as to pressures to share intimate images or sensitive information.” (par. 141)“Even in the darkest nights, the Lord raises up men and women who refuse to give up, who persevere in doing good, who protect the vulnerable and open pathways to reconciliation. The memory of the saints, righteous people, and the oft-forgotten peacemakers, show us that grace does not magically eliminate conflict, but instead it inspires active resistance to evil and an astonishing creativity in doing good.” (par. 211)“The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization.” (par. 213)“‘Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the world.’ Words have enormous power, something we experience in our daily interactions; for example, spoken words can change our mood for better or for worse." (par. 214)“No computational system, however sophisticated, can create a heart that gives itself, or a conscience that discerns good from evil. Even when machines excel in efficiency, a human face that asks to be gazed upon remains the center of our history. This human face is the fullness toward which history is moving.” (par. 233)“Let us remain faithful to the truth! Living amid incessant flows of information, opinions and images, we know how easy it can be to influence decisions and preferences through increasingly sophisticated algorithms. In this context, it is imperative to cultivate hearts that love the truth, prefer what is right despite the most appealing content and pursue wisdom rather than immediate results.” (par. 237)

Second Lady Usha Vance, NASA Astronaut Suni Williams Celebrate Reading