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Jan 23, 2026 / 15:29 pm (CNA).

Vice President JD Vance and Republican lawmakers defended President Donald Trump’s abortion-related policies at the 2026 March for Life on Jan. 23.

“You have an ally in the White House,” Vance said in his speech.

Vance was the first political speaker at the march, and he was followed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, the longtime leader of the House pro-life caucus.

Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune addressed the marchers in prerecorded video messages.

In his speech, Vance said: “One of the things I most wanted in the United States of America is more families and more babies,” and touted the recent announcement that he and his wife, Usha, are expecting their fourth child.

“So let the record show that you have a vice president who practices what he preaches,” Vance said.

The vice president said Trump’s Supreme Court appointments were vital to overturning Roe v. Wade, which he called “the most important Supreme Court decision of my lifetime.”

He said the decision “put a definitive end to the tyranny of judicial rule on the question of human life” and allowed the people to settle these disputes democratically.

Vance spoke about some of the pro-life victories during the first year of Trump’s second term.

This included legislation that blocked Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements as well as reinstating and expanding the Mexico City Policy, which bans federal tax money from being used to support organizations that promote abortion abroad.

The vice president also spoke about the restoration of conscience protections for health care workers, the expansion of the child tax credit, and the pardoning of pro-life activists who were convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

“Building a culture of life requires persuasion,” Vance said.

“That effort is going to take a lot of time, it’s going to take a lot of energy, and it’s going to take a little bit of money,” he said.

The vice president briefly addressed some criticism the administration has received from members of the pro-life movement who have been unhappy with certain developments.

Some pro-life advocates have expressed concern about the lack of action on the abortion pill mifepristone, which is under review by the Food and Drug Administration.

Others have raised objections to Trump urging lawmakers to be “flexible” on taxpayer-funded abortions in negotiations about extending Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Vance asked people to look at the successes.

“Look where the fight for life stood just one decade ago and look where it stands today,” he said.

In his video message, Trump celebrated many of the same pro-life policies as Vance and thanked marchers for their efforts to “stand up for the unborn.”

“We will continue to fight for the eternal truth that every child is a gift from God,” Trump said.

Johnson said a shift in policy from the Trump administration is that success is not just measured by the economy but also “the strength of the American family.”

He also spoke about the actions taken to ban Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements, saying: “We finally defunded big abortion and it was a long time coming.”

“Every single child deserves the opportunity to fulfill their God-given potential,” Johnson said.

Smith referenced the recent Marist Poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, which showed most Americans supporting at least some restrictions on abortion and approving of the work of pregnancy resource centers.

He also spoke strongly against the chemical abortion pill mifepristone, which he called “baby poison that kills the unborn child by starving the baby boy or baby girl to death” and said it poses health risks to women.

“We must today recommit to protecting the weakest and most vulnerable,” Smith said.

In a video message, Thune called abortion an “evil that’s too often brushed to the side.”

He said Republicans “will continue to do everything we can in Congress to support moms and protect preborn children.”

After the speeches from lawmakers, March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter urged participants to contact their senators amid ongoing negotiations related to health care.

Lichter encouraged them to ask their senators to oppose any health care legislation that excludes the Hyde Amendment, which bans taxpayer funding for abortion.

Jan 23, 2026 / 14:23 pm (CNA).

Pro-life speaker Sarah Hurm offered her testimony about facing her fourth unplanned pregnancy at a March for Life rally on the National Mall on Jan. 23.

“I am hear to tell you that abortion pill reversal can work. My life, and the life of my son, is living proof,” Hurm, who is a Catholic single mother of four, said at the rally.

Hurm described seeking an abortion. “The clinic had felt lifeless,” she said. After taking the abortion pill, she changed her mind and found the abortion pill reversal ministry.

“I realized ... I could fight for my child’s life. And so I did,” she said.

Abortion pill reversal (APR) is recommended or dispensed by pro-life pregnancy centers to prevent the completion of an abortion shortly after a woman takes mifepristone to achieve a chemical abortion. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) does not recommend the use of APR, citing insufficient evidence. Alternatively, the American Association of Pro-Life OB-GYNs (AAPLOG) states the literature “clearly shows that the blockade is reversible with natural progesterone.”

Describing her son’s life as “one of the greatest joys,” Hurm encouraged participants to be intentional in helping women who are expecting.

“Saving a life can be as simple as answering a phone call, driving a friend to an ultrasound, or helping pick out a car seat,” Hurm said. “Small sacrifices can become enormous victories that support moms like me and children like mine. You have that power. Be that person that connects a woman to hope.”

Hurm further thanked the men in attendance at the March, saying: “Your voice carries weight, and we need you.”

“Join me in making a commitment of being living proof that life is a gift,” she concluded.

If you’re attending the March for Life, don’t forget to use #ewtnprolife on all your posts across X, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook!

Want to relive interviews and special moments from the march? Visit ewtnnews.com/watch and subscribe to youtube.com/@EWTNNews for full coverage.

Jan 23, 2026 / 12:34 pm (CNA).

On Jan. 22, Pope Leo XIV approved the decree recognizing the martyrdom of Servant of God Augusto Ramírez Monasterio, a Franciscan priest murdered in Guatemala in 1983, and the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Maria Ignazia Isacchi, foundress of the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Asola in Italy.

Murdered in the street during the Guatemalan Civil War

Monasterio was last seen trying to escape his killers on one of the busiest streets in downtown Guatemala City. With his hands tied, he was crying out for help while dodging traffic going in the opposite direction. His desperate efforts were in vain: He was struck by eight bullets.

The future blessed thus joined the long list of priests murdered — apparently at the hands of Guatemalan security forces — during the 1960–1996 civil war that pitted the official security forces against the Catholic clergy, Marxist guerrillas, political dissidents, and the poor.

His murder was the culmination of months of persecution, death threats, and torture for refusing to break the seal of confession after hearing the confession of Fidel Coroy, a catechist and member of the Kaqchikel Maya people known for his involvement in peasant organizations such as the Committee of Peasant Unity and the Guerrilla Army of the Poor.

Accounts following Ramírez’s murder revealed that he had been tortured by his military captors, who stripped him naked and hung him by his wrists, subjecting him to beatings and burns and breaking several of his ribs.

At the time of his death, Ramírez was the superior of the Franciscans and a priest at St. Francis the Great Parish in the city of Antigua, known for its colonial churches. He was remembered as an exemplary priest and for his service to and protection of the poor of Guatemala.

Devotion of Maria Ignazia to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Following Thursday morning’s audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the pope also approved the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Maria Ignazia Isacchi, founder of the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Asola, Italy.

As highlighted by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Isacchi distinguished herself by a profound life of prayer and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, demonstrating heroic virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and dedicating her life to educational services and to those in need. Her reputation for holiness remains alive within the congregation she founded.

Miracle attributed to her intercession

In 1950, at age 23, Sister Maria Assunta became seriously ill with tuberculosis and did not respond to medical treatment. After a novena of prayer invoking Isacchi and a medal with her image was placed on Sister Maria Assunta, she experienced a sudden and complete recovery from Sept. 27–29, 1950. The healing was medically confirmed and considered miraculous, becoming one of the steps toward Isacchi’s beatification. Maria Assunta lived to be 92 years old, passing away in 2018.

New venerables

The Holy Father has also recognized the heroic virtues of Servant of God Maria Tecla Antonia Relucenti, co-founder of the Congregation of the Pious Sisters Workers of the Immaculate Conception in Italy.

The pope recognized the heroic virtues of Italians Servant of God Crocifissa Militerni, a religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, and Servant of God Nerino Cobianchi, a lay member of the faithful and father of a family.

Pope Leo XIV also recognized on Jan. 22 the heroic virtues of Maria Immaculata of the Blessed Trinity, a Brazilian Discalced Carmelite and a key figure in the founding of the Carmel of the Holy Family in Pouso Alegre, Brazil, in 1943.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Jan 23, 2026 / 12:04 pm (CNA).

Ecumenical dialogue is especially important in a time when Christian belief and practice are on the decline, said one Catholic expert during the Jan. 18–25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

“What is happening today is that the secularization [of society] is incredibly strong … and the temptation among Christian traditions is to step back,” Father Philip Goyret, an ecclesiology professor at Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, told EWTN News.

“But if [Christians] step back, we lose our identity, and we cannot be united,” he said. “That is a serious concern.”

Goyret said it is evident that the theological principles of “unity” and “communion” have become important policies of Leo’s pontificate, as summarized in his papal motto, “In Illo uno unum” (“In the one Christ we are one”).

“Leo, from the very beginning, has said that he wants to be the pope of unity, and that is extremely linked with ecumenism,” he added.

When Leo first stepped out onto the Loggia of Blessings of St. Peter’s Basilica in May last year, he said humanity needs God and stressed the need for a “united Church” in Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us move forward,” the pope said in his May 8 address. “We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light.”

Two months after his election, Pope Leo shed further light on his desire to forge the belief, identity, and mission of the Church.

“I believe very strongly in Jesus Christ and believe that that’s my priority, because I’m the bishop of Rome and successor of Peter, and the pope needs to help people understand, especially Christians, Catholics, that this is who we are,” the pope told the Catholic website Crux in July 2025.

Noting the Holy Father’s particular emphasis on Christian identity and witness as key to advancing ecumenical relations among churches, Goyret said Leo’s predecessors have also shown commitment to promoting unity among the faithful through different approaches.

Pope Francis placed great attention to engaging in dialogue with Eastern and Orthodox Churches, while Pope Benedict XVI is recognized for his 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, which structurally supported Anglicans seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

“Pope Francis presented himself as ‘bishop of Rome,’ and that’s very significant because that title is the way that Eastern non-Catholic Christians understand the Petrine ministry,” he said, recalling the late pope’s first urbi et orbi address in 2013. “It was an invitation for dialogue.”

By focusing on the Vatican II documents Unitatis Redintegratio (Restoration of Unity) and Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations), Goyret said Pope Benedict’s approach to ecumenical dialogue encouraged academic study and the faithful living of Christian traditions.

“If you dig and dig into these different traditions, you will eventually discover the Church as Jesus Christ wished it,” he said.

Speaking on the theme of the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “One Body, One Spirit,” Goyret said there is a great need for Christians to be united in prayer and hope to strengthen faith in God in a secularized world.

“Pope Leo said that we have to pray in this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,” he said. “The Church needs our prayers especially because the unity of the Church is a gift of God.”

“We don’t build it ourselves through negotiation. It’s not diplomatic and it’s not political,” he added. “If we want to restore unity to the Church, we have to ask God for it.”