July 17, 2025

Next week, over 150 leaders of male religious communities will gather in Baltimore, focusing their attention on the Jubilee Year. Over the course of their three days together, they will pray, reflect on current issues in justice and peace, including migration, pro-life issues, care for our common home, and the preferential option for the poor. Pray for them as they discern how to act for justice and peace within their communities and for the world. 

U.S. Bishops’ President Reacts to Passage of One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by the U.S. Congress, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed deep concern over the significant harm the legislation poses to society’s most vulnerable. He highlighted steep cuts to Medicaid and clean energy tax credits, as well as increased deficit spending. While the bishops had previously praised the positive elements in an earlier draft, they noted that key provisions had been weakened or removed.

Read more here.

“The Catholic Church maintains its stance of not endorsing or opposing political candidates.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered a statement regarding the recent interpretation of the Johnson Amendment publicized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Johnson Amendment outlines guidelines for the tax-exempt status of churches and other nonprofits regarding their political activities and endorsements or oppositions to candidates for public office.

Click here to read the statement. Learn more here.

Caring for others, serving life is the ‘supreme law,’ Pope says

During his first Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo on July 13, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that "serving life by caring for others is the supreme law," a moral principle he described as more fundamental than any societal regulation. Drawing on Jesus’ teaching to “love your neighbor as yourself,” he encouraged Christians to offer consolation and hope, especially to those weighed down by discouragement, and stressed that eternal life is received by living out this law of love during our time on earth.

Read more here.

Webinar from the Catholic Mobilizing Network - What’s Really Happening with the Death Penalty in 2025? 

In late June, the Catholic Mobilizing Network released a webinar discussing the current state of the death penalty in the United States. The panelists for the webinar were: Robert Dunham, the founder and director of the Death Penalty Policy Project; Stefanie Faucher, the Deputy Director of the 8th Amendment Project; and Demetrius Minor, Executive Director for Conservatives Concerned.

Watch the webinar here.

Bishop goes to bat for migrant farm workers as administration mulls enforcement, visa changes

Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, Chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, recently spoke out about the current state of immigration and visa changes in the U.S. The bishop stated that Catholics “are called to accompany [migrant farmers] as we simultaneously advocate for reforms to our immigration system that benefit both our economy and all those who labor within it.” Bishop Cahill emphasized that nearly half of U.S. agricultural laborers lack legal status, yet they play an essential role in feeding the nation, often under difficult and exploitative conditions. 

Read more here.

2025 Franciscan Justice Leadership Conference: Love in Action

• October 18-20, 2025, in Washington, DC
• More information is available here.

Contact CMSM JPIC

Dr. David Rohrer Budiash, Director of Programs & Managing Editor, Review for Religious

Visit us online: cmsm.org/justiceandpeace