LifeSite’s year in review: 10 stories that shook the world (and a special mention)

(LifeSiteNews) — Assassination attempts on an American presidential candidate, a Pope who preached religious universalism, open blasphemy at the Olympics, courageous pro-lifers sent to jail: 2024 was certainly an exciting – if serious – year for faith, family, freedom, and life news.

We list here, in chronological order, 10 of the biggest stories of LifeSiteNews’ year, plus an honorable mention.

1. Pope Francis denounces ‘anti-vaxxers’ (March 19) – Years after the end of the so-called “COVID emergency,” Pope Francis took aim once again at critics of the abortion-tainted COVID-19 injections. He said that opposition to the shots “distressed” him since “being against the antidote is an almost suicidal act of denial.”
2. ‘Christ is King’ goes viral on X after Candace Owens leaves Daily Wire (March 26) – Christians proclaim that Christ is King, but thanks to tensions between journalist Candace Owens and her soon-to-be-former employer Ben Shapiro, a debate sprang up over a belief whose expression was called “an antisemitic dog whistle.”
3. FACE Act prisoners sentenced (May 14, 15) – Lauren Handy, Will Goodman, Heather Idoni, John Hinshaw, Rosemary “Herb” Geraghty. Joan Andrews Bell, Jonathan Darnel, Jean Marshall and Paulette Harlow were all sentenced in May after being found “guilty” in 2023 of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. LifeSiteNews is proud of having covered their trials and sentencing in depth, of publishing their thoughts from prison and of encouraging other readers to write to them.
4. First assassination attempt on Donald Trump (July 13) – We were as astounded as anyone else when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, PA, nicking his ear. A photo of Trump, ear bleeding, shaking his fist and shouting “Fight, fight” became an indelible image for American history. Crooks’ bullets also killed volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore and wounded two other men. These sad details came to light after we broke our first story.
5. Blasphemous depiction of Last Supper at Olympic ceremony sparks outrage (July 27) – The Olympics carried many stories – the spectacle of a male beating the daylights out of female boxers comes to mind – but the official opening ceremonies of the Paris summer event also contained an indelible image: a drag queen version of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” Christians – even cultural Christians, like Elon Musk – made our voices heard.
6. Pope Francis: Every religion is a way to arrive at God (September 13) – LifeSiteNews has received both praise and blame for hosting a debate on whether Francis is really the pope or not. Embracing religious universalism instead of declaring, with Christ, that nobody comes to the Father except through Him, is one of the reasons why Catholics are having this painful discussion.
7. Randall Terry’s presidential campaign ad airs during ‘The View’ (October 11) – Randall Terry ran for president, which meant that, by law, television stations had to run his campaign material. Terry, a veteran pro-life leader, used his platform to fight for the unborn, forcing American fans of “The View” to see what abortion does to human beings.
8. Donald Trump re-elected President of the United States (November 6) – Yes, he did it again. The 45th President of the United States became the 47th, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. Whereas pro-lifers were unhappy with his seeming change of heart regarding the unborn, they embraced him during his campaign as “the lesser of the two evils.”
9. Pro-lifer Mark Reno died in jail. Did the FBI frame him? (November 7) – Investigative reporter Jenny Hay never bought the FBI’s story that Mark Reno, who died in prison after being charged with shooting a federal building, was the Knoxville, Tennessee, Planned Parenthood arsonist. Through her indefatigable research and FOIA requests, Hay has discovered that Reno is likely guilty of nothing more than having told an undercover investigator that he was at the January 6 protests.
10. Jeff Younger loses fight to stop his ex-wife castrating their 12-year-old son (November 20) – LifeSiteNews has reported on hundreds of stories of victims of transgender ideology, dozens including Jeff Younger’s fight to save his son from his ex-wife’s delusions. In November, a grieving Younger told the world via X (formerly Twitter): “I lost all parental rights to my sons. Goodbye, boys.”

Special mention: Mom shares plans to end life of disabled daughter Margo Naranjo (July 22,  July 27) – Viewers were horrified when the mother of young woman badly hurt by a careless driver announced her death and funeral on social media, right in front of her. At first it seemed that Margo Naranjo was destined to become America’s next Terry Schiavo. However, Margo’s parents lost legal custody, saving her from death by starvation and dehydration. At the same time, it was revealed that the Naranjo family had fought to keep Margo alive, after her accident, had cared and prayed for her for years, and created an online prayer community. The story is a reminder, not only of the right to life of people with brain damage, but of the anguish of their families and their need for support.