Catholic Nutshell News: Friday 1/16/26
Topics include: Post-hurricane aid to Cuba; Archdiocese warns of excommunication; Planned Parenthood’s restored funding; & PriestChat is not real confession
Fridays, "Living that coconut kinda life."
Today's sources: National Catholic Register, Catholic News Agency, Word on Fire, ACIAfrica, CatholicVote, Zenit, & Aleteia. (Catholic Nutshell is a FREE subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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Catholic News Agency
U.S. working with Catholic Church on post-hurricane aid to Cuba
By Madeleine Teahan, January 15, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. government is working with the Catholic Church to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Cuba after a late-October hurricane. “The U.S. is sending the first humanitarian shipment to Cuba to help people in need as they continue to recover from Hurricane Melissa,” Rubio said in a Jan. 14 post on X. “We are working with the Catholic Church and partners to ensure aid reaches the Cuban people directly — not the illegitimate regime.” U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Brian Burch also reposted the message. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Oct. 28, 2025. The storm’s high winds left a path of destruction and affected millions across the Caribbean, including Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Floodwaters and damaged water systems created conditions for disease outbreaks in Cuba, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
aciafrica
Parishioners in South Africa archdiocese face excommunication
By Agnes Aineah, January 12, 2026
Archbishop Dabula Mpako of South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria has issued a Canonical decree requiring a section of parishioners who incited a series of protests at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in the Archdiocese to undergo a “rehabilitative process” or be penalized, including being excommunicated. In the decree that was circulated on Sunday, January 11, Archbishop Mpako narrates events of December 2025 in which some parishioners of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart organized demonstrations, incited other Church members to participate in them, and even disrupted Holy Mass to protest a pastoral decision that was made concerning “a pastor” of the Archdiocese. The actions of December 7 and December 28, Archbishop Mpako reports, “seriously harmed ecclesial communion, the good name of the Church.”
CatholicVote
Pressures were behind Planned Parenthood’s restored funding
By Elise Winland, January 15, 2026
After reports surfaced that the Trump administration restored frozen family planning funds to Planned Parenthood, many pro-life commentators expressed frustration. But pro-life operatives with knowledge of the decision argue the story is not as simple as some initially thought: The administration faced limited legal options and releasing the funds may ultimately strengthen efforts to cut off taxpayer support for abortions in the near future. Politico reported Jan. 13 that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in December “quietly released” tens of millions of dollars in previously frozen Title X family planning grants to Planned Parenthood and other abortion groups. The Trump administration had frozen roughly $27.5 million in April 2025 while it reviewed whether grant recipients had unlawfully used taxpayer dollars to support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, CatholicVote previously reported.
National Catholic Register
Nigerian Christians remain uncertain after U.S. intervention
By Zelda Caldwell, January 16, 2026
Just days after the U.S. launched a Christmas Day attack on Islamist terrorist camps in northwestern Nigeria, a band of armed militants rampaged through the neighboring states of Niger and Kebbi, killing at least 47 people and kidnapping women and children. Any hope that the U.S. intervention would serve as a deterrent to the violence that has plagued the country quickly faded. Nigerian Catholics, while heartened that the world was finally taking notice of the crisis in their country, told the Register that they have serious doubts that the violence against Christians will end without a sustained plan and commitment from their government to stop it. “There is cautious optimism that something is at last being done, but concern about how serious the follow-through will be and what the repercussions might be here on the ground. The Christians here have seen what happened in Iraq and in other places, and we know that these extremist groups still exist even years later,” said Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza, from the Yola Diocese in northeast Nigeria
The Times of Israel
Witkoff: U.S. prefers to resolve Iran tensions with diplomacy
By Jacob Magid, ToI Staff and Agencies, January 16, 2026
US special envoy Steve Witkoff suggested on Thursday that the Trump administration prefers a diplomatic resolution, rather than a military one, to the ongoing tensions with Iran, sparked by the regime’s deadly violence against protesters. Asked in an onstage interview at the Israeli-American Council conference in Florida if he thinks a US military strike against Iran is likely, Witkoff responded, “I hope there’s a diplomatic resolution. I really do.” The US envoy said a diplomatic agreement with Iran would address four issues: “(1) nuclear enrichment, (2) missiles — they have to cut back on their inventory; (3) the actual [nuclear] material that they have, which is roughly 2000 kilograms enriched anywhere between 3.67 percent and 60%; and (4) the proxies.
The Pillar
It’s not really the confessional with PriestChat
By Jack Figge, January 15, 2026
PriestChat markets itself as a platform to “connect with compassionate priests for guidance and support on our chat platform. Experience confidential, one-on-one spiritual counseling, and enrich your faith journey anytime, anywhere.” It guarantees that chats are with “actual priests,” that there is “no AI behind them.” And, it says, you can ask these priests anything, anytime, day and night. Oh, and they can also hear your confession, with the site promising “absolution and guidance” — surprising, given that canon law requires confession take place in person. A quick glance at the website raises some pretty quick questions about whether any priests are involved at all. With the validity of the sacraments on the line, The Pillar set out to uncover who’s really behind the screen. He’s not a priest, just bots. You get invalid blessings and sacraments. I informed the robot it would have to be excommunicated. In return, it asked me if I wanted to share my heart. Stupid machines.
CRUX
Assisted Suicide bill opposed by Catholic bishops in Wales
By Charles Collins, January 16, 2026
Catholic leaders in Wales are urging legislators not to accept a British parliamentary Bill that would legalize doctor-assisted suicide. Westminster’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was passed by the House of Commons in June 2025 and is currently being debated in the House of Lords. Members of the Senedd – the Welsh parliament – are set to debate and vote on on whether to allow the British parliament in Westminster to continue to legislate on its behalf on Jan. 20. Even if the Senedd does agree to pass the proposal, Welsh people would be able to receive assisted suicide if the British law is confirmed, but it wouldn’t be provided by the Welsh National Health Service. “We believe that the right response to suffering is not to hasten death, but to strengthen palliative and end-of-life care so that every person can live their final days with dignity, comfort, and peace,” the bishops said.
OSV News
Archdiocese of Seattle deacons to wear modified clerical garb
By Kate McEntee DeWeese | Northwest Catholic, January 16, 2026
Permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of Seattle are now allowed to wear gray clerical shirts with a Roman collar when actively engaged in ministry in a public setting. Archdiocesan policy had previously prohibited the wearing of a Roman collar by deacons, except for special situations, like street ministry, with the express permission of the Office of the Vicar for Clergy. Some deacons requested and received that permission. Their experiences ministering on the streets of Seattle raised the idea for this change, said Deacon Eric Paige, the archdiocese’s director for deacons. “Originally, wearing the Roman collar when on the streets was about ensuring our safety,” he told Northwest Catholic, Seattle’s archdiocesan news outlet. “But then we discovered that wearing the collar while serving those on the margins created the opportunity for encounters that would never happen otherwise.”
Big Pulpit, CNA & Zenit for 1/16/26
Big Pulpit
Tito Edwards Catholic site: January 16, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is a news aggregator that gathers quality insights and analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide.
Pope Leo Denounces Orwellian Tendencies to the Diplomatic Corps – New Daily Compass
Pope Leo Hosts Surprise Meeting With María Corina Machado at Vatican – Rome Reports
Five Reasons Why Baptism Is the Greatest Gift You Can Give a Child – P. Perazzo at Church Pop
What Does the Church Say About Rebaptism? – Marcus Peters at Catholic Answers Magazine
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — January 16, 2026
Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, with updates on the words of the Holy Father and the Holy See.
Nigeria accounts for 72% of Christian killings worldwide, new report finds - Jan 16, 2026 - By Elliot Hartley - Of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith worldwide, 3,490 were in Nigeria, according to Open Doors’ World Watch List.
Italian diocese to award $58K to international ‘economy of fraternity’ prize winners - Jan 16, 2026 - By Kristina Millare - In addition to the 50,000-euro ($58,000) prize money, award winners also receive an icon with the images of Sts. Francis and Carlo Acutis are symbolically vested with the “cloak of Francis” by the bishop of Assisi during a ceremony to be held in May at the Sanctuary of the Renunciation.
Mexico’s Cardinal Aguiar: Pope Leo XIV would like to visit Mexico ‘soon’ - Jan 16, 2026 - By Victoria Cardiel - The Archdiocese of Mexico renewed an invitation first extended to the pope a few days after the conclave for him to travel to the country. “In response, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude and his desire and interest in visiting our country soon.”
Zenit
Zenit - The world seen from Rome - January 16, 2026
Zenit is an international, non-profit news agency staffed by professionals and volunteers to transmit information with fidelity and service to the truth.
Comedy Writer Claims that the Human Skeletons of Men and Women Are Not the Same and Goes to Jail - Swiss opponents of the legislation warn that the law has become a weapon to silence those who defend biology and question gender ideology.
Church Bell Rings Daily for Aborted Babies: Left Attacks - Bishop Monsignor Antonio Suetta stated that there is no turning back and the bell will continue to ring at 8:00 p.m. to «remind us that all life is a gift, that every human being has infinite dignity, and that the Christian response to the wounds of the world always involves love, acceptance, and truth.
Sacred Spaces Under Strain: A Wave of Attacks Jolts Catholic Parishes in NY Speaking on January 13, Senator Scarcella-Spanton said she has been in direct contact with both parish leaders and the local police precinct regarding the attacks, all of which occurred within her district.
Nutshell reflections for 1/16/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection: AUDIO - January 16, 2026
Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Catholic365
Recall 1941: National blindness, and the light of the Christ child
By G.C. Stevenson, January 15, 2026
In an age of moral confusion and sentimental Christianity, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen calls us back to truth, justice, and the divine clarity revealed in Bethlehem. There are moments in history when a nation must stop, look in the mirror, and confront what it has become. Nineteen forty-one, when Bishop Sheen wrote A Declaration of Dependence, was such a moment. Two thousand twenty-six is another. In 1941, the world trembled under the weight of ideologies that denied the dignity of the human person. Totalitarian regimes rose by weaponizing lies, distorting justice, and numbing conscience. America, still reeling from economic collapse and staring into the abyss of global war, was tempted by the same spiritual disease: the refusal to see itself truthfully before God. Long before armies crossed borders, nations had already surrendered their consciences. The collapse was internal before it was territorial. Economic despair had softened the moral fiber of entire peoples, making them vulnerable to false saviors—leaders who promised security but demanded the sacrifice of truth. Sheen saw with piercing clarity that when a people deny sin, they become easy prey.
Catholic Weekly
The house of Mary in Nazareth
By Fr John Flader, January 16, 2026
If we went to Nazareth in Jesus’ time, we would find a small village with only a few hundred inhabitants. Today, we find a bustling city of some 80,000 people, most of them Muslim, with a significant minority of Christians. It is Israel’s largest Arab-majority city. It was in this village in Galilee, in northern Israel, that Mary conceived Jesus. The site is marked today by the Basilica of the Annunciation, where tradition holds that the archangel Gabriel appeared to the young Mary in the home of her parents, Joachim and Anne. When the modern two-story basilica, designed by Italian architect Giovanni Muzio, was finished in 1969, it was the largest Christian church in the Middle East. It was beneath this Basilica, in a grotto-cave, that 2000 years ago the Annunciation took place. That truth is inscribed in Latin over the triple-doorway of the main entrance of the Basilica: “Verbum caro factum est”, the Word was made flesh” (Jn 1:14).
Aleteia
India’s St. Joseph Vaz evangelized Sri Lanka through his poverty
By Philip Kosloski, January 16, 2026
Missionaries often have to learn new languages when preaching the Gospel in a different country, but sometimes that "language" takes on a more physical form. St. Joseph Vaz is a great example of someone who spoke the language of poverty, as well as charity, to better communicate with the native people of Sri Lanka. Sri. Lanka in the 17th century had a very small Christian population, without priests, when St. Joseph Vaz made his journey from India. St. Joseph Vaz is celebrated on January 16. Sri Lanka has been a predominantly Buddhist country, and Buddhist monks are well known for their vow of poverty. In addition to his life of poverty, St. Joseph Vaz also preached through his charity, which St. John Paul II also highlighted in his homily for St. Joseph's beatification in 1995: "His heroic charity, shown in a particular way in his selfless devotion to the victims of the epidemic in 1697, earned him the respect of everyone."
Word on Fire
Scott Adams and Pascal’s Wager
By Dr. Kody W. Cooper, January 14, 2026
To many, Scott Adams will always be the “Dilbert guy.” To younger generations, he’ll be more remembered for his social media presence as a political analyst. Beyond politics, he became a life coach. His repeated fundamental precept for success was “Be Useful.” I think the thing he should be most remembered for is at the end of his life, he took Pascal’s wager. Adams revealed he was not hostile to religion, but a religious skeptic. In a striking video released not long before his death, he said that he planned to convert to Christianity. Christianity seemed to him the most-likely-to-be-true religion on offer. For cases of persons not on their deathbed considering whether to take the wager, the choice is complicated by various temporal “costs” of belief if Christianity is false, plus costs of time (going to church), treasure (tithing), and psychological (lifestyle changes, etc.). In the end, Scott Adams’s greatest wager was to place his faith in Jesus Christ.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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