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Democrats in the House of Repre­sentatives last week continued their assault on life in the womb by advancing a new spending bill for the Depart­ment of Health and Human Ser­vices without the Hyde Amendment, and other longstanding, bipartisan provisions including the Weldon Amendment. Eliminating these provisions would force taxpayers to pay for elective abortions and force health care providers and professionals to perform and refer for abortion against their deeply held religious beliefs, as well as force employers and insurers to cover and pay for abortion.

As the grandfather of six — Grace Elizabeth, Mitchell Allan, Jacob Andrew, Ryan William, Julia Rose and Luke Andrew — I am looking forward to the Catholic Church’s first celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on Sunday, July 25, the closest Sunday to the feast day (July 26) of Ss. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

Last month at their spring meeting, the U.S. bishops voted decisively to approve the drafting of a teaching document on the Eucharist that in a proposed outline includes a subsection on Eucharistic consistency. The bishops’ doctrine committee, said it would include a “special call for those Catholics who are cultural, political, or parochial leaders to witness to the faith” and uphold Church teaching in public life.

In the days leading up to Religious Freedom Week June 22–29, the U.S. Supreme Court made the celebration of the week even more important. With its unanimous 9–0 decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, it defended our religious freedom. In 2018, Philadelphia ceased placing children with foster parents that partner with Catholic Social Services demanding that the agency change its religious practices (the belief in traditional marriage as between one man and one woman) or close their much-needed ministry.

This issue features The Beacon’s annual salute to graduates of our Catholic elementary and high schools. If you read the valedictorians’ addresses, a common theme is the freedom that these young men and women have to praise God for all of their and their classmates’ accomplishments and how much being disciples of Jesus has meant in their lives because of their Catholic education.

As you are reading this, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is in the midst of its annual spring meeting. The agenda includes deliberating and voting on nine action items, but there is one in particular that has garnered a ton of publicity and will be closely watched by Catholics: the approval of the drafting of a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.

For nearly half a century, the Hyde Amendment and related provisions have protected taxpayers from funding abortions. These policies have had broad support from Democrats and Republicans. They have been enacted and signed into law by Congresses and Presidents of both political parties.

A strong rebuke at the state level to the deeply unpopular abortion agenda actively being pursued by President Biden is rippling across the nation this year. SinceJanuary, 536 pro-life bills have been introduced with more than 60 signed into law to date. Last week in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed legislation protecting unborn children as soon as a heartbeat is detected. The law sets the cutoff for legal abortions at about six weeks after conception.

Memorial Day, our nation’s most solemn holiday, will be marked next Monday, May 31. On that day, to honor all those men and women who, in service to our nation, have made the ultimate sacrifice, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will celebrate the annual diocesan Memorial Day Mass in Calvary Cemetery, Paterson, at 10:30 a.m.

When a nun, who is not only a skilled surgeon but also a retired U.S. Army colonel, tells Catholics they must be “battle ready” to defend the family and their faith in this age of growing secularism, we had better listen. Sister Deirdre Byrne, a member of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, used those words in her recent address at the 50th annual conference of the pro-life group, Heartbeat International, an association of pro-life pregnancy resource centers, medical clinics, maternity homes, and nonprofit adoption agencies.

College of the Ozarks is a small, private, Christian college located in Point Lookout, Mo. Although the college may be small in size, it has made a big-time splash with news that it is suing President Biden over his anti-discrimination executive order that would force the college to abandon its religious principles in favor of gender politics.

Once again, President Biden’s press secretary has said that President “respectfully disagrees” with Catholic bishops, this time on federally-funded fetal tissue research. Last week at a press briefing, EWTN News Nightly reporter Owen Jensen asked Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, about the Biden Administration’s recent decision to remove restrictions on federally-funded fetal tissue research.

The level of Christian persecution has reached a record high globally, according to watchdog organization Open Doors. The organization announced the disturbing news in its 2021 World Watch List that ranks the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be Christian — and exposes startling shifts in the landscape of global religious persecution.

Once again, there is hope for the Born-Alive Act. Setting a record for first-day signatures on a discharge petition, 202 members of the House of Representatives last week signed the discharge petition filed by Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fl.), joined by Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the House Whip, and Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) to bring the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to the House floor for a vote.

At a press briefing last week, the White House said that President Joe Biden “has a difference of opinion” with Catholics who are concerned that the Equality Act would trample conscience rights and religious liberty. Owen Jensen of EWTN News Nightly asked Jen Psaki, White House press secretary: “What does the President, who we know is Catholic, say to Catholic doctors, Catholic institutions, who are fearful that if the Equality Act passes, it has the potential to trample on their conscience rights?”

Silence is golden, and technology companies are making the phrase their mantra when it comes to religious groups on social media. Alarmingly, according to a white paper issued by the Napa Legal Institute, religious groups and figures have been silenced by tech companies at a rate of about one a week.

As we begin the Sacred Triduum today on Holy Thursday, our eyes can now become fixed on knowing that after the Passion and death of Jesus comes Easter, the greatest feast on the Church calendar, when Jesus is raised from the dead. The Resurrection of Jesus carries the promise that death cannot separate us from God. Christ lives and so will we.

Earlier this month, President Biden issued yet another one of his executive orders that should concern Catholics and all people of faith. This new executive order could promote gender ideology in public and some private schools while affecting both the privacy of women and the intellectual freedom of children.

Amazon continues to be part of “cancel culture” by purging free speech and religious liberty in banning certain books from its online store. The latest example is its removal of scholar Ryan Anderson’s 2018 book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment. The book, which had been sold for three years on Amazon, explores the meaning of human embodiment and public policy considerations related to transgender issues.

Last Friday evening at 8 p.m., EWTN News launched a new weekly discussion show “EWTN News In Depth,” covering the intersection of faith and current events. With Montse Alvarado, a Hispanic Catholic who also serves as vice president and executive director of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty as host, the show is important programming in these turbulent times for all Catholics in our nation.