World News

Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa. / Credit: Robert Linsdell via Flickr (CC BY 2.0) CNA Staff, Dec 2, 2025 / 18:04 pm (CNA). Legislators in Canada are reportedly poised to strip religious protections from the country’s hate-speech laws as part of an effort to crack down on hateful symbols throughout the country. Lawmakers with the Liberal Party of Canada have reportedly struck a deal with the Bloc Québécois party to remove the religious exemptions from the national code.Canadian law forbids people from “incit[ing] hatred against any identifiable group,” though it provides exemptions for individuals whose opinions are grounded in religion or a religious text. The National Post reported on Dec. 1 that the exemptions are expected to be removed in an upcoming amendment to the country’s hate-speech laws. The paper cited a “senior government source” who was granted anonymity to discuss the proceedings.“The bill is in a p

null / Credit: Wolfgang Schaller/Shutterstock Washington, D.C., Dec 2, 2025 / 17:04 pm (CNA). The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on whether a New Jersey faith-based pregnancy center may immediately assert its First Amendment right to challenge a state subpoena demanding donor information — including names, addresses, and places of employment — in federal court, or whether it must first proceed through the state court system.The case, First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Platkin, has drawn support from a diverse array of groups, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of Congress, the Trump administration, and the ACLU. All argue that First Choice should be able to challenge the subpoena in federal court without first litigating the issue in New Jersey state court.At the center of the dispute is a 2023 subpoena issued by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin

Bishop Chad W. Zielinski of New Ulm, Minnesota. / Credit: Diocese of Fairbanks Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 2, 2025 / 15:38 pm (CNA). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) allocated more than $7.8 million to strengthen American mission dioceses, which are dioceses that cannot sustain themselves without additional funds.The USCCB Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions announced the grants on Dec. 1, which will provide 69 dioceses and eparchies with funds for the 2025-2026 budget year, according to a news release. The subcommittee reviewed the grant requests in the fall.Per the news release, the funds were generated through collections from parishioners during the Catholic Home Missions appeal, which is taken up annually throughout the country. Many mission dioceses are in regions with small Catholic populations and in rural areas that are affected by economic hardship, the bishops said in the announcement.“When parishioners contribute to the Catholic H