Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast, where we discussreligious liberty from the perspective of faith-based nonprofits.

In this week's episode, Frank DeVito and Kyle Nazarethdiscuss Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington's letter, read at every Mass inhis diocese, urging Catholics to vote no on Virginia's proposed abortion andmarriage amendments; a federal injunction protecting Cardinal Blase Cupich, theArchdiocese of Chicago, and two orders of Catholic sisters from Illinois'sassisted suicide referral mandate; and a Massachusetts case in which Catholicparents allege the state took custody of their 15-year-old daughter after theyrefused, on religious grounds, to affirm her as a boy.

In this episode, we discuss:

[1:00] Bishop Burbidge's letter urging Catholics to vote noon two Virginia ballot amendments this November, one expanding abortion accessand one redefining marriage. Frank uses the letter as a chance to walk throughwhat Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

[13:06] Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm v.Pritzker, in which a federal judge temporarily barred Illinois from enforcingits End of Life Options Act against the Archdiocese of Chicago and the sisters.Kyle walks through the Becket Fund's church autonomy argument and the Catholicmoral theology at the heart of the complaint.

[30:18] The Massachusetts family who say the Department ofChildren and Families removed their daughter from their home two years agoafter a school counselor reported them for objecting to her social transition.Drawing on his experience as a solicitor for a children and youth agency, Frankexplains how Mirabelli v. Bonta, the Supreme Court's decision on secret schoolgender transitions, bears on the case.

The Napa Legal Podcast, September 22, 2026

#freedomofreligion #religiousliberty #parentalrights

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