Fridays, "Living that coconut kinda life."
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Crux
Declining Catholic support for Trump just part of national trend?
By Charles Collins, October 16, 2026
A new survey shows Catholic support for the Republican Party is declining as the United States approaches next month's midterm elections. This may be a national trend rather than a religious one. A Pew Research Center survey shows 42% of Catholics support Democratic candidates for Congress, while 39% support Republicans. However, there is a stark divide by ethnicity: White Catholic voters support 50% of Republicans versus 32% of Democrats; among Hispanic Catholic voters, it is just 19% for Republicans versus 59% for Democrats. Does this reflect a specific change in Catholic attitudes towards the Republican Party? Not really. In Pew’s figures, Catholic approval of Trump is 30%, exactly the national figure found in another poll. “Republican voters, though less likely to favor complete upheaval, are still seeking change. Nearly half, 45%, say they would like to see substantial change in how the country is run,” the report added.
Related: U.S. midterm elections spark multiple Catholic voting exhortations - By Amira Abuzeid, Ken Oliver-Méndez, EWTN News, October 15, 2026
Zeale News
Left-wing influence pressed ‘debanking’ conservatives & Christians
By S.A. McCarthy, October 15, 2026
Under the Biden administration, the federal government pressured the nation’s nine largest financial institutions to deny services to customers based on political and religious beliefs, according to a new major government report. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published an Oct. 14 report finding that JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo Bank, U.S. Bank, Capital One, PNC Bank, TD Bank, and BMO Bank all engaged in “debanking” conservatives and Christians between December 2020 and December 2024, often at the behest of then-President Joe Biden and his administration through federal regulatory agencies. “Reputational risk” policies are generally legally required to protect corporate shareholders, but policies the banks used were overly “broad,” the OCC report found, and “lacked clear standards and objective, risk-based criteria.”
OSV News
META: Subpoena of social media giant over sex assault claims
By Gina Christian, October 15, 2026
A former campus residence rector at the University of Notre Dame has won a court order to subpoena social media giant Meta to identify those behind anonymous Instagram posts accusing her of sexual assault. Elizabeth Greenop can now demand that Meta, Instagram's parent company, provide “documents and records sufficient to identify” the individuals behind both the allegations and the Instagram account that published the claims. Judge Mark P. Telloyan of the St. Joseph County, Indiana, Superior Court signed the Oct. 9 order, in which Greenop filed a civil suit in August. The lawsuit asserts the graphic accusations, posted in June and July to shareyourstory.notredame — an Instagram account not affiliated with the university — constitute both defamation and a false-light invasion of privacy, a charge similar to defamation.
Aleteia
Catholic commando who may have inspired James Bond
By Cécile Séveirac, October 16, 2025
Gus March-Phillpps, an extraordinary officer, novelist, sailor, horseman, and devout Catholic, left behind an elite commando unit and a track record of successful covert operations. Yet, even today, he remains largely unknown to the general public. Born in 1908, he entered Ampleforth Abbey School in Yorkshire in 1917. Run by Benedictines, it is one of England’s great Catholic boarding schools, where faith is taught and lived daily. He didn’t particularly distinguish himself academically or in sports, but his obituary in the Ampleforth Journal (PDF) notes that he developed a reputation for recklessness. Nevertheless, the seeds of a solid faith and a chivalric ideal were undeniably planted. Although relatively unknown today, March-Phillipps is cited as a possible inspiration for James Bond. Ian Fleming, who created the famous character, also worked in British intelligence during the war.
National Catholic Register
Limits proposed on lay access to wine at Mass sparks debate
By Matthew McDonald, October 8, 2026
Should laypeople be allowed to drink from the chalice during Communion? And if so, should the sacred cup be widely available or reserved only for special occasions? Supporters of frequent access to the chalice point to the Catholic Church’s early practice and argue that Communion under both bread and wine offers a fuller expression of the Eucharistic banquet. But others worry that routine availability may increase accidental spills and argue that limiting access may increase reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, brought renewed attention to this topic on Oct. 1 when he published a pastoral letter limiting the availability of the chalice to certain occasions throughout the year, including Holy Thursday, the Easter Vigil, Corpus Christi, the Chrism Mass, ordinations, and Masses at convents and retreat centers.
EWTN News
Catholic lung cancer specialists weigh in on Leo’s diagnosis
By Madalaine Elhabbal, October 14, 2026
Representatives of the American Lung Association and the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) discussed possible underlying causes of Pope Leo XIVʼs lung cancer and potential treatment options. Dr. Jeff McGovern, a pulmonologist, and Dr. Juanita Mora, spokesperson for the American Lung Association, appeared on “EWTN News Nightly” on Oct. 14 to discuss the Holy Father’s health following surgery. The Oct. 13 surgery involved the removal of the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma. The most common type of lung cancer in both smokers and nonsmokers is non-small cell lung cancer, said McGovern, a CMA member. He said “treatments can vary depending on the size” and can involve chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation in addition to the surgical removal of the lower part of the lung. He said the type of ongoing treatment received will depend on the results of a pathology test, which will reveal the stage of the cancer and whether it is contained or has spread to other areas.
Religion News Service
Religious pushback influenced Trump on livestream execution
By Jack Jenkins and Fiona Andrés, October 15, 2026
In a statement published to Truth Social, Trump said livestreaming the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army officer who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others when he opened fire at Fort Hood in 2009, would be a “strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists.” But the president concluded that “many very good and well-meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming or through any other visual device.” The announcement comes after a week of controversy that erupted when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to livestream the execution of Hasan, who is slated to be killed by a firing squad in December. According to a Washington Post-ABC News survey, the plan has fared poorly with a broad range of religious groups. Strong majorities of Black Protestants (88%), Hispanic Catholics (80%), white mainline Protestants (81%), white Catholics (77%) and white evangelicals (74%) opposed livestreaming.
Catholic News of Australia
Australia’s greatest Catholic hymn writer
By Kate Scanlon, OSV News, October 9, 2026
Yesterday marked 50 years since the death of James McAuley, Australia’s most significant Catholic hymn writer, according to the Hobart Archdiocese. McAuley wrote the lyrics to 22 hymns, with accompanying music by musician Richard Connolly (1927-2022), with whom he shared a close friendship and collaborated for many years. Many Tasmanian Catholics may not realize that McAuley, who was a talented poet, academic and political activist, lived on the Apple Isle for the last period of his life until his untimely death in 1976. “I remember him talking about the hymns but not really realizing how many there would be and how important,” said McAuley’s daughter, Katherine Westlake. McAuley lived in New Town with his wife, Norma, and children. They attended Sunday Mass together at Sacred Heart Church in New Town, where he played the organ with great gusto while his wife led the choir and their sons served at the altar.
Keep informed - 10/16/26 news for Catholics
Snippets from Big Pulpit, EWTN, & the Loop
Big Pulpit
Tito Edwards Catholic site: October 16, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is a news aggregator that gathers quality insights and analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide.
Fr. James Martin Is Being Just Plain Silly & Committing Calumny – Fr. Allan J. McDonald
Churches Should Be Open on Federal Holidays – Constance T. Hull at Catholic Exchange
This Appeared Over France The Other Night, Why Is Nobody Freaking? – Creative Minor Report
The Wisdom of St. Teresa of Avila – Brother Innocent Hillman, O.P., at Dominicana
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — October 16, 2026
EWTN News provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, with updates on the Holy Father's words and the Holy See.
Guadalupan Institute established in San Antonio, looks to be replicated throughout U.S. - By David Ramos - A new Guadalupan Institute has taken its first steps in San Antonio, aiming to research, educate on, and disseminate the Guadalupe event, and to serve as a model for replication throughout the United States.
Bishops urge prayer as they continue abortion referendum fights in 4 states - By Tyler Arnold - Bishops and priests remain active in Nevada, Virginia, Idaho, and Missouri, as they prepare Catholics to vote on referendums that could reshape abortion policies in their states.
Brazilian priests rally in defense of their bishop, accused of being a ‘demon’ by Lula supporter - By Monasa Narjara - Ten priests from six municipalities in the Brazilian state of Goiás are pushing back against what they call “shameful attacks, slander, and lies directed against” their bishop, Adair José Guimarães, in the midst of a heated presidential election campaign in the world’s most populous Catholic country.
The Loop
Zeale is CatholicVote, hosting the LOOP
Over half a million people receive the LOOP news rundown six days a week. Zeale is the LOOP's new home. Zeale is a project of CatholicVote, America’s top Catholic advocacy organization leading the fight for faith, family, and freedom.
MLB SLAMMED FOR AIRING ‘SOFT PORN’ ADS DURING PLAYOFFS - Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call called on Major League Baseball (MLB) to stop airing “soft porn ads” during the playoffs, saying parents shouldn’t have to worry about “half-naked women” appearing on screen while their children watch baseball. CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt also urged MLB “not to ruin America’s pastime,” saying that “Some things are worth more than advertising dollars.”
‘THOU SHALL NOT KILL’: CATHOLIC VOTER CALLS OUT TALARICO FOR ABORTION SUPPORT - At a town hall debate, a Catholic voter challenged Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico’s assertion that abortion is compatible with Christianity. “The Bible is not silent on abortion. There is the Ten Commandments: ‘Thou shall not kill,’” she said.
NBC CHALLENGES EL-SAYED OVER ALLEGED FAMILY TIES TO MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD - Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat, denied misleading viewers after NBC confronted him with his half-sister’s past posts describing their mother’s Muslim Brotherhood activism during the early 1970s, challenging his earlier denial of family connections to the group.
October 16, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE — or read HERE:
Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Catholic365
Catholic Church on an earthly Purification, avoiding Purgatory
By Eileen Renders, October 16, 2024
We are called to faith by studying the Bible and the Commandments while following Christ. We spend our days evangelizing, as we are all called to be disciples of God. We evangelize not through our own merit, but through the graces and blessings of wisdom, understanding, patience, and other blessings from God. The Catholic Church teaches that some may be purified on earth and thus avoid the need for Purgatory. However, it also affirms that those who die in God’s grace yet imperfectly, for purification after death, will undergo final purification in Purgatory before entering heaven. The Church teaches (CCC 1030-1031) that purgatory is the final purification of those who die in God’s grace and friendship but are still imperfectly purified. This purification is not a second chance at salvation, but the completion of the holiness required to behold God in heaven. However, not everyone who dies in grace will need this post-mortem purification.
The Pillar
The soon-to-be-Blessed Georgia Martyrs
By Michelle La Rosa, October 6, 2026
This month will see the beatification of five Franciscan missionaries who were martyred in 1597 in the region known as La Florida, along the coast of modern-day Georgia. The missionaries evangelized and ministered to the local Guale people and had largely lived in peace with them for years until what came to be known as the 1597 Uprising, sparked by the insistence of a local chieftain’s heir on continuing to practice polygamy after entering the Catholic Church. The cause for canonization for the five murdered missionaries was opened in 1981. In January 2025, Pope Francis approved the official promulgation of their martyrdom. Among the challenges in spreading the Catholic faith was the practice of polygamy among the native Guale people. Missionaries would baptize only those who agreed to a life of monogamy. They were killed for the exceptions they took to accepting polygamy.
The Haeft
Why creation matters: The Trinitarian case for stewardship
By Matthew J. Ramage, Ph.D., October 10, 2026
I was delighted to learn recently that Pope Leo had authorized the publication of a substantial new study by the International Theological Commission (ITC) on a subject close to my heart: Caring for Our Common Home: A Responsible and Fraternal Response to the Trinitarian God. While ITC texts don’t constitute acts of the Church’s magisterium, I left convinced this one deserves serious attention. And I’m not saying this just because the Vatican’s vision closely parallels themes I develop in a book of my own that, by a lovely coincidence, was released at virtually the same time. For a theological giant like Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, recovering creation was anything but optional. He regarded its retrieval as so urgent that he declared, “The renewal of our world can be accomplished only if the teaching on creation is developed anew”—an undertaking he called “one of the most pressing tasks of theology today.”
Bishop Barron
You are connected to the very power of God
By Bishop Robert Barron, October 16, 2026
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, “Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” In Jesus Christ, you are connected to the very power of God, to what is here and now, creating the universe. You stand above the vagaries of space and time. You are in the center of the wheel of fortune. No matter how much it turns, you stay the same. You are in the Interior Castle. Now think of saints like John Paul II and José Sánchez del Río. The young Karol Wojtyła operated behind locked doors, preserving the great works of Polish literature during the Nazi occupation. That same man, now come of age and newly elected pope, told the world, “Be not afraid!” This was from someone who had experienced the worst barbarism of the twentieth century. So, no matter how much violence is going on, we have a place of safety.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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