Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has sent a letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops urging compliance with state law requiring religious exemptions for vaccine mandates.
In a July 31 letter addressed to Michael Sheedy, the conference’s executive director, Uthmeier, a Catholic, expressed concern that “at least one diocese” appears to have adopted a policy articulated by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in 2011 that states Catholic institutions “cannot grant an exemption from vaccination on religious grounds.” Under Florida law, the attorney general pointed out, both public and private schools are required to provide religious exemptions for vaccinations.
Citing Church teaching on respect for human life from conception to natural death, Uthmeier noted that “the Catholic Church has historically encouraged the faithful to abstain from the use of vaccines produced from aborted fetal tissue, while at the same time recognizing the moral permissibility of using such vaccines in certain circumstances.”
“But even if abortion-derived vaccines may be permissible to take, Church teaching also recognizes that no one should be forced to take a vaccine ‘if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience,’” he said. “Having no legitimate religious reason to refuse granting religious exemptions to the taking of abortion-derived vaccines, Catholic schools in Florida should comply with Florida law.”
Institute for Ethics and Common Good grants boost ethics and spirituality research on AI
The University of Notre Dame announced that its Institute for Ethics and the Common Good has awarded more than $800,000 in rapid-response grants for research on “the ethical and spiritual implications” of AI.
“The grants, provided through the institute’s DELTA Partner Program and selected from a competitive pool of over 160 applicants, offer seed funding for organizations to convene strategic gatherings, provide training, and create high-impact, practical tools and resources for educators, students, policymakers, and pastoral leaders as they lead in the midst of the rapidly changing technological landscape,” the university said in a July 29 press release.
Grants were distributed to 12 organizations, including Catholic tech companies, schools, and public policy nonprofits.
“We were thrilled to see such a wide range of organizations and individuals who were interested in immersing themselves in the DELTA framework and adapting it for their own unique contexts,” Meghan Sullivan, director of the Ethics Initiative, said in the release. “We know that those working to develop this new technology are moving rapidly, and so there’s a real need for Christian leaders across a wide variety of fields to also work quickly to help navigate questions of what it means to lead a good human life, to serve the common good, and to build what Pope Leo calls the ‘civilization of love’ in this new context.”
“Each of these partners brings a unique perspective to bear on the question of what it means to be human in this current moment,” Adam Kronk, director of DELTA, said in the release. “We are excited to have them as part of our growing community of leaders who are looking for tools to protect the dignity of learning and form people’s hearts and minds.”
Franciscan University launches ‘Be Light’ faculty appreciation fellowship
Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, has announced a faculty fellowship program aimed at recognizing professors who have made an exceptional impact on students and the university’s Catholic mission.
“The highly competitive Be Light Faculty Fellows Program was established in 2026 to recognize and retain professors whose consistent exceptional performance strengthens academic programs, creates new opportunities, inspires students, and advances the university,” Franciscan said in a July 28 press release.
The university named seven faculty members to the fellowship, which includes “a monetary award that can be utilized for research costs, course reduction, or salary.”
“Recipients were selected following a nomination process and an extensive review of their performance in teaching, scholarship, and service over the previous three years, along with assessments of their broader institutional impact by their deans and department chairs,” the university said.
The program comes as part of the university’s Be Light Strategic Plan aimed at improving recruitment and retention of “mission-dedicated faculty and staff.”
John Paul the Great Catholic University announces degree in narrative arts
John Paul the Great Catholic University will launch a bachelor of narrative arts degree in screenwriting and fiction in fall 2026.
“The degree creates new pathways for students pursuing careers in storytelling across multiple media, while retaining the previous pathways,” the university said in a July 1 press release. Students who apply to the program before Sept. 1 will receive a $1,000 scholarship that may be stacked with other need- and merit-based aid.
Screenwriting students will be able to choose from a bachelor of science in communications media with an emphasis in screenwriting, a bachelor of arts in humanities with an emphasis in screenwriting, or a bachelor of narrative arts with an emphasis in screenwriting. Creative writing students will be able to choose from a bachelor of arts in humanities with an emphasis in creative writing or a bachelor of narrative arts with an emphasis in fiction.
“Alongside the launch of the Bachelor of Narrative Arts, JPCatholic is also introducing a renewed emphasis in Catholic Education & Evangelization within its Bachelor of Arts in Humanities,” the release said. “Led by Professor Justin Panlasigui, chair of Humanities, the revised emphasis builds upon the universityʼs former New Evangelization emphasis while providing students with stronger preparation for careers in Catholic education, ministry, catechesis, and evangelization.”
“Our new Catholic Education & Evangelization emphasis will help students develop an important skill set for todayʼs intra- and extra-ecclesial landscape,” Panlasigui said.
University of Dallas, DeSales University launch graduate partnership
The University of Dallas and DeSales University have announced an academic partnership to expand graduate-level business school offerings.
“Through a Memorandum of Understanding, enrolled graduate students at each university will be able to pursue select online concentration courses offered by the partner institution while remaining matriculated at their home university,” the University of Dallas said in a July 15 press release. Courses will be available online with flexible synchronous and asynchronous options, the release said.
“We are excited to partner with DeSales University in a collaboration that expands academic opportunities for students at both institutions while preserving our shared commitment to rigorous, applied graduate business education,” said J. Lee Whittington, dean of the Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas.
Under the agreement, University of Dallas students will be able to enroll in DeSales’ courses in healthcare management and operations and supply chain management, while DeSales students will have access to University of Dallas classes in accounting, finance, and financial planning.
“We view this partnership as more than an academic agreement — it is a strategic collaboration between two institutions committed to student success,” said Chris Cocozza, dean of the Waterbury Reilly School of Business at DeSales.
