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Jonathan Roumie discusses Season 5 of ‘The Chosen’: ‘For me, it was living out liturgy’

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as Jesus Christ in “The Chosen,” speaks with CNA during a press junket interview on March 19, 2025, in Dallas at the Season 5 premiere of “The Chosen: Last Supper.” / Credit: EWTN screenshot/Francesca Fenton/CNA CNA Staff, Mar 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). Season 5 of the hit series “The Chosen” has officially been released in theaters across the country.“The Chosen: Last Supper” focuses on the events of Holy Week, starting with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and ending with Judas’ betrayal in the Garden of Gethsamene. Part 1 of Season 5 was released in theaters on March 28, with Part 2 coming on April 4 and Part 3 on April 11. Actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in the series, shared about his experience portraying historic events such as the Last Supper and the washing of the feet, especially as a Catholic who celebrates these moments every year d

Pro-life advocates lobby Congress to defund Planned Parenthood

SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser speaks in front of the Capitol on March 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C. “This movement is completely unified in its first priority, and that is to defund big abortion in this reconciliation bill,” she said. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA Washington D.C., Mar 27, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA). More than 300 pro-life activists from 39 different states gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 27 to advocate for the defunding of “Big Abortion” and Planned Parenthood. Earlier this week, a letter from more than 150 pro-life groups from all 50 states was sent to members of Congress urging them to “stop the flow of American tax dollars toward the abortion industry” through a reconciliation bill.The action comes after the announcement that the Trump administration plans to freeze millions of federal taxpayer dollars funding abortion and transgender services. Half of the activists

Prayer and peaceful protest planned in response to ‘black mass’ in Kansas

Kansas Capitol building in Topeka. / Credit: Dave Newman/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2025 / 15:50 pm (CNA). Amid plans for a blasphemous “black mass” at the Kansas Capitol building set to take place on March 28, Catholics in the state and elsewhere are urging a prayerful, peaceful response, the centerpiece of which will be adoration and Mass at a Catholic church directly opposite the Capitol.Organized by the Satanic Grotto, the “black mass” — an explicit parody of the Catholic Mass — is set to begin around 10 a.m. Originally slated to take place inside the Capitol rotunda itself, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly later decreed that the event must take place outside, though organizers of the ritual have said they plan to defy Kelly’s order and enter the Capitol building “around 11:30.”A promotional flyer for the “mass” posted on Reddit lists the “components” of the ritual, which include the “Denounciat

Thousands gather for Illinois March for Life

Pro-life advocates demonstrate at the Illinois March for Life in Springfield on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. / Credit: Diocese of Springfield CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2025 / 14:50 pm (CNA). Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:Thousands gather for Illinois March for LifeMore than 2,000 participants gathered for the Illinois March for Life on Tuesday at the state Capitol building in Springfield.Dr. Christina Francis, the CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, spoke at the rally on treating mothers and babies as two patients and criticizing pro-abortion measures in the state.A participant demonstrates at the Illinois March for Life in Springfield on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Credit: Diocese of SpringfieldOther speakers included state Rep. Adam Niemerg, former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, and Mary Kate Zander, the president of Illinois Right to Life and Illinois Right to Life Action, as well as other pro-life political and faith lead

Survey data shows children bring ‘high levels of happiness’ to everyday activities

null / Credit: Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA). A recent analysis of U.S. survey data found that children tend to bring “high levels of happiness” to activities such as mealtimes, socializing, and household activities. Ken Burchfiel, a research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, said in an analysis published on Thursday that American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data shows “everyday activities are actually more enjoyable when children are present.”Burchfiel said a 2013 Time magazine article that glamorized the “child-free life” is counteracted by ATUS data showing that levels of “happiness and meaningfulness” tend to be highest when children are involved in an activity. Overall, 44% of respondents to the survey rated their happiness levels at their highest when their children were involved in an activity, compared with 37% when a spouse was involved and just 19% when respondents

University of Notre Dame commencement departs from presidential tradition

The University of Notre Dame. / Credit: Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 27, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA). Neither U.S. President Donald Trump nor Vice President JD Vance will deliver the commencement address for the 2025 graduating class at the University of Notre Dame — signaling a departure from the tradition of the revered Catholic institution.Since the 1970s, Notre Dame has routinely invited newly inaugurated presidents to deliver the university’s commencement address. However this year, rather than hosting a political figure, Joint Chiefs of Staff Acting Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady will deliver the address.In total, six United States presidents have delivered commencement addresses at the university while in office: Eisenhower in 1960, Jimmy Carter in 1977, Ronald Reagan in 1981, George H. W. Bush in 1992, George W. Bush in 2001, and Barack Obama in 2009. Former Vice President Mike Pence delivered the 2017 commencement speec

Mother Angelica’s work still brings inspiration — and conversion — 9 years after her death

Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN. / Credit: EWTN CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA). The foundress of EWTN, Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, died nine years ago, but her legacy lives on in the spiritual renewals that have resulted from the fruits of her work. Born Rita Antoinette Rizzo on April 20, 1923, she died on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016, after a lengthy struggle with the aftereffects of a stroke. She was 92 years old.Mother Angelica founded EWTN out of a garage in Alabama in 1981, and it has since become the largest religious media network in the world. (CNA is a service of EWTN News.)Nine years after her death, EWTN viewers are still sharing their stories of how Mother Angelica’s life and the network she founded continue to influence them. Here are some of those stories, edited for clarity:Daily Mass viewers“EWTN has changed my life. I faithfully watch from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. every morning in Massachusetts. My father, who is 95 years ol

Pro-life groups praise Trump plan to cut taxpayer funds for Planned Parenthood

null / Orhan Cam/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 26, 2025 / 17:45 pm (CNA). Several pro-life organizations are praising President Donald Trump’s administration for plans to freeze tens of millions of dollars in federal taxpayer money that was intended in part for the country’s largest abortion supplier, Planned Parenthood.Officials are mulling an immediate freeze of $27.5 million from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Title X Family Planning Services Program for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that are yet to be named.Congress allocated more than $286 million for funding of the Title X program for the current fiscal year. The expected freeze would block about $20 million that was expected to support Planned Parenthood affiliates, according to a Tuesday report from the Wall Street Journal.Federal law prohibits direct federal taxpayer funding for most abortions but allows funds for abortion clinics if the money is spent on other

Diocese promotes day of ‘unplugging’ from screens, devices for Lent

null / Credit: Zyabich/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Mar 26, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA). The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, is promoting a “Diocesan Day of Unplugging” — intentionally eliminating screen time or time spent consuming digital media — on March 28 as a Lenten fasting discipline to encourage Catholics to spend more time with God as opposed to spending time on their smart devices.Noting that fasting is a “practice of self-discipline with a penitential focus,” the diocese, which is led by Bishop Michael Burbidge, called “unplugging” from the addicting influence of the internet, phones, and social media a “worthwhile and challenging type of fasting.”Citing studies suggesting most people spend more than two hours a day on social media, the diocese said such statistics beg the questions: Are we spending more time with our devices than with God? And are we investing more time on social media than on nurturing in-person rela

Mel Gibson’s ‘The Resurrection of the Christ’ to begin shooting in Italy this August

Actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson. / Credit: Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons CNA Staff, Mar 26, 2025 / 16:15 pm (CNA). Mel Gibson’s sequel to “The Passion of the Christ” — “The Resurrection of the Christ” — is set to begin production in Italy this August, according to Manuela Cacciamani, CEO of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. “I can confirm that the next film directed by Mel Gibson, produced by Icon Productions, ‘The Resurrection of Christ,’ will be shot entirely in Cinecittà starting in August and requires many theaters and stage constructions,” she said in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.In an interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, Gibson said the film is “very ambitious” and the story follows “the fall of the angels to the death of the last apostle.”“I think in order to really tell the story properly you have to really start wi

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