National Marriage Week
National Marriage Week 2023 is fast approaching, under the theme "one flesh, given and received". You can find resources, including recent related podcast episodes, an at-home couples retreat guide, preaching tips, and more, at our sister site, For Your Marriage, and the USCCB main site.

Stay tuned here for more updates as we get closer to February 7-14, including a contribution from our committee chairman, Bishop Barron!
Made for Love Podcast
The podcast got a little emotional, as is bound to happen when talking about Titanic. The film still has a lot to offer for reflection on the call to love as it marks its 25th anniversary.

Before that, the podcast kicked off 2023 with a look at the Eucharistic Revival, a movement that is restoring faith in the Real Presence and building up to the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress (the first in decades).

Find previous episodes of the podcast here and share it with your friends!
The USCCB is Hiring!
Applications are open for the Associate Director for Policy position, which serves the Committee for Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth. Based in Washington, DC, the role involves collaboration with the Office of Government Relations and other USCCB offices in the protection and promotion of marriage, the response to gender ideology, and the prioritization of family life in society.
Legal/Policy Updates
At the Intersection of Law and Theology – Pope Francis gave an interview, which has led to confusion in media outlets, in which he characterized homosexuality as a sin, but not a crime. The comments were in reference to harmful legal efforts, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, to punish same-sex sexual activity, which is indeed sinful.

Blood Donation – The FDA proposed new regulations, which would allow those involved in same-sex sexual relationships to donate blood, as long as they followed certain other conditions, which remain in place.

Cracking Down On Pornography – A new law geared toward the protection of children went into effect in Louisiana, requiring porn websites to verify visitors to be age 18 or older.

"Gender Affirming Care" (GAC)– The Oklahoma state legislature is considering a bill to ban medical providers from offering GAC to anyone under the age of 26. Kansas lawmakers introduced a similar bill with an age cutoff of 21. The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a similar bill, but with an age cutoff of 18. The South Dakata legislature is also considering a bill with age-18 cutoff.

Cakeshop Lawsuit – Jack Phillips, who has been the focus of multiple legal cases attempting to force him to bake cakes endorsing various violations of his conscience, lost a ruling in a lawsuit before a Colorado appellate court.

Christian Colleges – A US District court ruled in favor of Christian colleges' receiving Title IX funding while maintaining their religious exemption, despite the efforts of LGBT activists.

LGBT Books in Children's Section – An Alaska public library advisory board voted to keep 55 books with LGBT themes in the children's section of its public library in the town of Homer.

International – The Church of England maintained a prohibition on same-sex "weddings", but added prayers to bless same-sex relationships, in a compromise criticized by groups both in favor of and opposed to the complementary nature of marriage. The UK vetoed a bill in Scottish Parliament which would streamline the requirements for a legally recognized "gender transition". This unfolded while the Scottish Prison System weighed whether convicted rapist Adam Graham, who identifies as a woman named Isla Bryson, should be detained in a men's or women's prison.