Saturday, 28 February 2026

WEEKEND LOOP: Bishops file brief defending birthright citizenship

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28

US BISHOPS FILE BRIEF IN BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP CASE The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops filed an amicus brief Thursday with the Supreme Court, calling President Donald Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship "immoral." The bishops drew criticism for hiring a law firm for the filing that has in the past represented Planned Parenthood affiliates and also played a role in advocating for same-sex "marriage." READ

OPENAI REACHES POTENTIAL AGREEMENT WITH PENTAGON OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the evening of Feb. 27 that his artificial intelligence company had reached an agreement with the Pentagon to allow its technology to be used for classified work within the Department of War. The news came just after OpenAI's competitor, Anthropic, was rejected by the Department. Anthropic claimed the disagreement was due to its refusal to remove protections against AI being used for mass surveillance or the deployment of drones that could kill without human prompting. READ

MAJOR COMPANY LETS THOUSANDS GO AFTER ADOPTING AI Block, the parent company of Square, Cash App, and Afterpay, said Feb. 26 it will eliminate more than 4,000 positions, reducing its workforce by "nearly half." CEO Jack Dorsey directly tied the cuts to his company's adoption of advanced artificial intelligence. READ

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STUDENTS SHIFT FROM PROTEST TO PRAYER AT NOTRE DAME After a pro-abortion professor announced she is declining her controversial appointment by the University of Notre Dame to head up one of its institutes, pro-life students shifted plans for a Friday protest against the school. "We need to shift this event to be an event of gratitude," student Luke Woodyard told Zeale News. READ

EEOC DECISION: FEDERAL AGENCIES CAN HAVE WOMEN-ONLY SPACES The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted Feb. 26 to affirm that federal agencies may designate bathrooms and other intimate workplace spaces based on employee sex, rather than "gender identity," under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said the move is "consistent with the plain meaning of 'sex' as understood by Congress at the time Title VII was enacted." She added: "Biology is not bigotry." READ

CHARLOTTE BISHOP ADDRESSES CRITICISM OF LITURGY RULES The Charlotte Observer this week published an interview with Bishop Michael Martin. In it, the bishop of Charlotte elaborated on his pastoral vision and addressed widespread criticisms of liturgical changes he initiated in May 2025, some of which affected the Traditional Latin Mass in the diocese. READ

BILL CLINTON DENIES ANY KNOWLEDGE OF EPSTEIN CRIMES Former Democratic President Bill Clinton yesterday said he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes in an opening statement to the House Oversight Committee. "As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse," Clinton said, "not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing — I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes." READ

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A SHRIMP RECIPE PERFECT FOR THE SEASON If your idea of the perfect pasta night involves a little spice and zero fuss, this Shrimp Fra Diavolo is it. Better yet, this Italian American classic is perfect for Lent. READ

WINTER WARDROBE TLC Your favorite winter clothing items need your attention. All knit sweaters require gentle care, but some fibers can handle a bit more of a tussle than others. Here's a quick guide to washing and storing your favorite sweaters. READ

WHAT TO SIP WHILE READING Curl up with your next great read and the perfect drink to match! This fun guide pairs five excellent books with sips that make the whole experience feel like a cozy little ritual. READ

SAINT OF THE DAY Bl. Villana de' Botti ran away at 13 to enter a convent but was sent home and later married. After falling into a worldly life, she saw her reflection appear as a demon — a shock that sparked a dramatic conversion. Becoming a lay Dominican, she embraced prayer, Scripture, and her vocation to marriage. READ

SATURDAY'S PSALM "Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!" (Psalm 119) READ

SATURDAY'S READINGS Today's Mass readings. READ

SUNDAY'S PSALM "Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you." (Psalm 33) READ

SUNDAY'S READINGS Sunday's Mass readings. READ

ANSWER TO TRIVIA Thanks to a letter from Pope Leo the Great decrying the behavior of certain trouble-makers at the Second Council of Ephesus as "band of robbers," the council is widely known as "The Robber Council." The good pope didn't disapprove of everyone there, however. He sent a papal legate named Hilary to the council, and later, that holy emissary succeeded Leo as pontiff. Both popes are canonized saints, and Pope St. Hilary's designated feast day is today.

DO THE BISHOPS HAVE THE WHOLE CITIZENSHIP PICTURE? Kelsey Reinhardt, President and CEO of CatholicVote, offers insightful perspective on the amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court by the U.S. Catholic bishops, in which they encourage the Court to strike down what they call President Trump's "immoral" executive order regarding birthright citizenship. READ

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Friday, 27 February 2026

The Church and birthright citizenship…

Friend,

With just over a month before the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the Trump administration's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has entered the fray, urging the justices to "protect God-given human dignity" by striking down what they describe as an "immoral" order.

In their amicus brief, the bishops argue that the case is not simply about constitutional interpretation: "It is a question of whether the law will affirm or deny the equal worth of those born within our common community—whether the law will protect the human dignity of all God's children."

There are serious legal arguments to reasonably question altering a policy that has been practiced for 128 years. That is a legitimate constitutional discussion.

But to frame the issue as though limiting automatic citizenship is "immoral" or somehow denies "God-given human dignity" is unsustainable—both logically and theologically.

Dignity, in Catholic teaching, does not come from a passport, a constitutional clause or a legislative act. It comes from being created in the image of God.

If U.S. citizenship is necessary to affirm the "equal worth" of a child, then dignity has ceased to be inherent and has instead become a concession of the state. That argument does not strengthen the Church's moral witness—it weakens it. By tying dignity to civil status, the bishops inadvertently echo the logic of the abortion industry: rights exist because the state recognizes them.

Are children born in Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, or the Philippines any less bearers of God-given dignity because they lack U.S. citizenship? Of course not. The suggestion collapses under its own weight.

If citizenship, instead, is the indispensable instrument for affirming human dignity, then consistency would demand extending U.S. citizenship to all eight billion people on the planet. How is this Catholic teaching?

The United States is not some moral outlier for questioning birthright citizenship. In the European Union, 18 of the 27 member states either lack or significantly restrict automatic birthright citizenship, relying primarily on citizenship by bloodline. These are the same Western democracies often invoked as humane exemplars.

The bishops' brief leans on biblical and traditional language, but the citations feel strained and disconnected from the legal reality of the case. The Fourteenth Amendment is a constitutional provision, not a sacramental formula.

Conflating immigration enforcement with a denial of divine image-bearing confuses categories that Catholic social teaching has always carefully distinguished: the inherent dignity of the person and the prudential authority of the state.

As I have insisted: the Church absolutely has the right—and at times the duty—to challenge how immigration laws are enforced. But that is different from declaring that any limitation on automatic citizenship constitutes a moral assault on the human person.

One further detail raises serious concern.

The USCCB chose Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP to represent them in this filing.

This is a firm that supported same-sex "marriage" in the lead-up to the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell, and that supported abortion positions in the Dobbs litigation, including representing Planned Parenthood affiliates in state cases triggered by Dobbs.

How does that square with the claim to uphold a "consistent ethic of life"? When the bishops partner with a firm that has defended legal positions directly opposed to Catholic moral teaching on marriage and the sanctity of life, it sends a message—whether intended or not—about priorities and alliances.

Was no other law firm available?

At a moment when the country is engaged in serious debates over sovereignty, constitutional interpretation, immigration policy, and national identity, the bishops have a crucial contribution to make in the debate about how to humanely enforce immigration at this moment in our country.

But we need to work from the arguments that are intellectually rigorous and authentically grounded in the Church's tradition, not slogans that blur theology and public policy.

The credibility of their witness depends on it.

Go forward bravely,

Kelsey Reinhardt
President & CEO

CatholicVote