Charles III to visit Vatican 6 months after Francis’s death
London, Sep 27: Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to make a state visit to the Vatican in late October, six months after the trip was postponed due to the illness of the late Pope Francis.
While the king and queen delayed their formal state visit in April, they met privately with Francis during their four-day state visit to Italy. Francis died just two weeks after the meeting, which took place on the occasion of the royal couple’s 20th wedding anniversary.
The rescheduled visit will allow Charles and Camilla to join the new pope, Leo XIV, in celebrating the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. The Jubilee is a year of reconciliation and pilgrimage that the church celebrates every 25 years.
The visit to the Vatican is also symbolic of the effort to build closer ties between the Catholic Church and the Church of England, which split from Rome in the 16th century during the reign of King Henry VIII. Charles, who is head of the Church of England, has made building bridges between people of all faiths a priority since he ascended the throne 2 1/2 years ago. (AP)
16 states sue Trump over sex education funding cuts
PORTLAND, Sep 27: Sixteen US states and the District of Columbia have sued the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), alleging it violated federal law by threatening to cut funding for sexual education programs that include references to gender diversity.
Filed in federal court in Oregon, the lawsuit claims the Trump administration is forcing states to erase recognition of transgender and gender-diverse youth from curricula.
HHS is targeting two federal grant programs—PREP and Title V SRAE—used for teaching about contraception and abstinence, threatening states with funding loss if they include “gender ideology.”
California already lost a $12 million grant in August. The plaintiffs argue the move violates federal law, the separation of powers, and congressional authority over spending.
Oregon, Washington, and Minnesota are leading the suit, with officials criticizing the pressure to exclude LGBTQ+ content.
The policy could cost states over $35 million in funding. HHS has not commented on the lawsuit. (AP)
