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This week a federal Texas judge could stop over half of the abortions happening in the country in what may be the most consequential abortion ruling since the reversal of Roe v Wade. US Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk for the Northern District of Texas is set to issue a decision in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine’s (AHM) suit against the Federal Drug Administration that alleges the agency ignored its own research and testing standards when approving the abortion drug mifepristone. Mifepristone is the first of two drugs used in chemical abortions, which account for 53% of all abortions in the country. If Kacsmaryk rules against the FDA, the administration could be forced to rescind its approval of the drug, bringing its legal distribution to a halt across the country, even in states where abortion remains legal. Though a ruling against the FDA could block the legal distribution of mifepristone, that result might only be temporary.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253763/here-s-how-half-of-us-abortions-could-be-stopped-this-week
The Nicaraguan dictatorship led by Daniel Ortega has prohibited holding the Stations of the Cross in the streets the same week that the dictator accused the Church of being a “mafia.” Local media reported February 23 and 24 that the government had banned the Stations of the Cross, a traditional practice during Lent and Holy Week. Hundreds of faithful participated in the Stations of the Cross that took place around the Managua Cathedral on Friday, February 24. Ortega’s government has in recent years detained, imprisoned, and likely tortured numerous Catholic leaders, including at least one bishop and several priests. His government has also taken action to repress Catholic radio and television stations, and driven Catholic religious orders, including the Missionaries of Charity, from the country. The regime also expelled Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, the former apostolic nuncio in Nicaragua, from the country, a move the Vatican called “incomprehensible.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253760/dictatorship-in-nicaragua-bans-stations-of-the-cross-in-the-streets
Today, the Church celebrates Saint David of Wales. David is the patron of the Welsh people, remembered as a missionary bishop and the founder of many monasteries during the sixth century. David was a popular namesake for churches in Wales prior to the Anglican schism, and his feast day is still an important religious and civic observance. Twelve monasteries have their founding ascribed to David, who developed a reputation for strict asceticism. His monks modeled their lives on the earliest desert hermits – combining hard manual labor, silence, long hours of prayer, and a diet that completely excluded meat and alcohol.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-david-of-wales-163