Iowa Catholic Conference Newsletter, Sept. 1, 2025

School shooting mourned

The four Catholic bishops of Iowa released statements regarding the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota. You can find links to the statements on our Facebook page.

Special election flips seat

Democrat Catelyn Drey won a special election in Sioux City to flip a Senate seat that was held by a Republican. In the state Senate, Republicans now hold a 33-17 advantage; the main change is that the governor will now have to get one Democratic vote for appointees as Republicans no longer have a two-thirds majority. 

Check here to see if you’re registered to vote in Iowa:  https://apps.sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/regtovote/search.aspx.

Parents for Educational Choice needs you

Our partners at the Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education and Hispanics Aligned for Choice in Education Reform (HACER Iowa) have formed a network across our state to empower parents and strengthen the school choice movement. Passionate people are needed to help secure educational choice for families for generations to come. Click here for a downloadable flyer or to sign up for more information.

Abortion numbers down in Iowa

According to data from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, the number of abortions performed in Iowa decreased significantly after the “heartbeat” abortion law was allowed to go into effect by the Iowa Supreme Court in June 2024. There were 2,771 reported induced terminations of pregnancies in the state during 2023, a number that dropped to 1,792 in 2024. About two-thirds of those abortions occurred in the first six months of last year.

There is still concern about “off the books” abortions because pills are available cheaply online without any medical supervision.

Celebrating a ‘Season of Creation’

The Season of Creation runs from today, Sept. 1 through Oct. 4, beginning with the World Day of Prayer for the Care for Creation. As we enter into this season, Pope Leo XIV calls attention to the ways humanity exploits nature and how this disproportionately effects the poor and vulnerable, saying “Environmental justice ... is an urgent need that involves much more than simply protecting the environment. For it is a matter of justice – social, economic and human.” 

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Justice and Peace offers resources for the Season of Creation to help your community celebrate, pray, and act for change.

Bipartisan collaboration on immigration reform is still possible, says Bishop Seitz

A bipartisan immigration reform bill has been introduced by Rep. Maria Salazar and Rep. Veronica Escobar, joined by over 20 of their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, offered his appreciation for the “Dignity Act,” specifically commending the bipartisan collaboration:

“At a time when instances of bipartisan cooperation seem to be few and far between, especially related to immigration, I am deeply grateful to Congresswoman Salazar, Congresswoman Escobar, and their colleagues for this sustained commitment to working across the aisle. Bipartisan collaboration is not only possible, it’s absolutely necessary.”

We encourage you to check out the Iowa bishops’ reflection letter on the immigration issue.

Pope Leo speaks to legislators

In late August, Pope Leo spoke to the International Catholic Legislators Network and discussed what it  means to promote integral human development in light of St. Augustine’s “two cities.”

Pope Leo thanked them for their service and said, “The future of human flourishing depends on which “love” we choose to organize our society around – a selfish love, the love of self, or the love of God and neighbor. We, of course, already know the answer. In your vocation as Catholic lawmakers and public servants, you are called to be bridge-builders between the City of God and the City of Man. I would like to urge you this morning to continue to work for a world where power is tamed by conscience, and law is at the service of human dignity. I also encourage you to reject the dangerous and self-defeating mind-set that says nothing will ever change.

“I know the challenges are immense, but God’s grace at work in human hearts is more powerful still. My venerable predecessor noted the necessity for what he called a ‘diplomacy of hope.’ I would add that we also need a ‘politics of hope’, an ‘economics of hope,’ anchored in the conviction that even now, through the grace of Christ, we can reflect his light in the earthly city.”