Catholic Nutshell News: Friday 2/20/26
Topics include: Vatican to use AI to translate Masses; Catholics in Northern Nigeria back at Church; Kansas bill says gender is biological sex; & SSPX rejects Vatican talks
Fridays, "Living that coconut kinda life."
Today's sources: National Catholic Register, EWTN News, Times of Israel, 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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EWTN News
Vatican to use AI to translate Masses at St. Peter’s into 60 languages
By Victoria Cardiel, February 20, 2026
This spring, the Vatican will debut a simultaneous translation system assisted by artificial intelligence, allowing people to follow liturgical celebrations in St. Peter’s Basilica in real time in up to 60 languages. For the first time, the faithful will be able to follow the liturgy in their own language via their smartphones. The service will operate directly in the device’s browser, without the need to download any applications or use any accessories. In this way, Mass attendees will be able to understand the readings, chants, and prayers in their own language as the celebration unfolds. The new system is designed to be easy to use. QR codes will be placed at the entrances and designated points within the church, allowing users to connect to a website where they can follow the liturgy with real-time translation, in both audio and text formats. Another example of technology serving the Vatican is the new digital access system, SmartPass, which helps better manage the flow of tourists and pilgrims entering St. Peter’s Basilica every day.
aciafrica
Thousands of Catholics in Northern Nigeria return to Church
By Agnes Aineah, February 19, 2026
Catholics in northern Nigeria are returning to Church “in their thousands” following 15 years of Boko Haram insurgency, the leadership of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri has said, acknowledging the growing vibrancy of the Church in the West African country. According to Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme, there are more Catholics in Maiduguri now than there were before Boko Haram struck. He adds, “We have a lot of weddings taking place; the number of children receiving Holy Communion has shot up; the number of children being baptized goes to 1,000. The difference is in thousands, not in the hundreds.” According to him, more than 90,000 Catholics were displaced and more than 1,000 Catholics killed. He says that of 279 people who were kidnapped, including children, 100 have not come back.
Related: $930.2 million in U.S. aid to Nigeria in 2024 (for economic purposes), and $247.2 million reported for 2025 (military), USA Facts
CatholicVote
Kansas passes bill defining gender as biological sex
By Hannah Hiester, February 19, 2026
The Kansas House of Representatives voted yesterday to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill that defines gender as a person’s biological sex at birth, requires Kansans to use restrooms in public buildings that align with their true sex, and mandates that driver’s licenses and birth certificates must reflect a person’s true sex. The House voted 87 to 37 to override Kelly’s veto and approve SB 244, with every Democratic lawmaker and one Republican voting against the bill, the Kansas Reflector reported. The Senate passed the bill Feb. 17. According to the bill’s summary, individuals who use single-sex facilities that do not correspond with their true sex are liable for criminal and civil penalties. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas stated that facilities include restrooms, hospital rooms, dorm rooms, domestic violence shelters, and more, while violations of the law carry a civil penalty of $1,000 and a Class B misdemeanor charge for repeat offenses.
National Catholic Register
Former head of an influential Anglican Seminary now a Catholic
By Edward Pentin, February 19, 2026
Canon Robin Ward, who served as principal of St. Stephen’s House in Oxford for 19 years until stepping down last year, announced on social media Feb. 14 that he had been received into the Church at St. Michael’s Benedictine Abbey, Farnborough, by its abbot, Benedictine Dom Cuthbert Brogan. “I have been tremendously encouraged by the kindness of so many,” he said, “not least those who for many years have been praying for me, and I rejoice without regret or hesitation to find myself in this place.” Colloquially known as “Staggers,” St. Stephen's House has played a significant role in the history of the Church of England. Founded in 1876, Gavin Ashenden, also a prominent former Anglican, said it is “the last remaining theological college to represent the aspirations of the 19th-century Oxford Movement.” Called the Tractarian Movement, it sought to recover continuity between Anglicanism and the Catholic Church.
The Times of Israel
8,500 West Bank Palestinians cross into Jerusalem for Ramadan
By Emanuel Fabian, plus Reuters and ToI Staff, February 20, 2026
Israel said that it would cap the number of Palestinian worshipers from the West Bank attending the weekly Friday prayers at 10,000. Like last year, only males aged 55 and up, women 50 and up, and children 12 and below when accompanied by a first-degree relative will be permitted to attend prayers at Al‑Aqsa. The restrictions apply only to West Bank Palestinians. In addition, tens of thousands of Muslim Israeli worshipers also attended prayers at Al‑Aqsa. Police say that the prayers ended in an orderly manner with no major incidents. Meanwhile, Hamas tightens its grip in Gaza, increasing skepticism of Trump’s peace plan. The terror group seeks to be part of the postwar government and police, IDF tells PM. An inside source says US-backed technocrat panel ‘may have key to the car, but it’s a Hamas car.’ Hamas is cementing its hold over Gaza by placing loyalists in key government roles, collecting taxes and paying salaries, according to an Israeli military assessment seen by Reuters and sources in the Palestinian enclave.
The Pillar
San Diego Chaldean bishop accused of embezzlement, brothel visits
By The Pillar, February 19, 2026
According to documents reviewed by The Pillar, parish finance council members at St. Peter’s Chaldean Cathedral in El Cajon, California, noticed in November 2024 an unusual banking pattern that indicated the possibility of embezzlement. An audit of records for both parish accounts found other transactions in which Chaldean Catholic Bishop Emanuel Shaleta (who has resigned) seems to have accepted cash on behalf of the parish for activity fees or services, and then “reimbursed” the parish from the charity assistance account. In total, at least $427,345 in cash was appropriated by Shaleta. Sources told The Pillar that other questionable transactions could amount to up to $1 million in embezzlement from the parish, which also functions practically as the eparchial curia. Among the allegations reported to the Vatican by Chaldean Catholics is that Shaleta regularly crossed the border from San Diego to Tijuana, Mexico, during late-night hours to visit a large strip club where prostitution is regularly practiced.
Related: Full canonical penal process may be opened against Spanish bishop accused of sexual abuse, CRUX, By Fionn Shiner - Feb 20, 2026
CRUX
SSPX rejects Vatican talks: A collision course for the pope
By Nicole Winfield, AP, February 20, 2026
The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a breakaway Catholic traditionalist group, on Thursday rejected the Vatican’s offer of talks, suggesting a collision course with Pope Leo XIV over its planned consecrations of new bishops without his consent. In a letter to the Vatican’s doctrine chief, SSPX said the Holy See’s threat of sanctions and schism if it goes ahead with the July 1 ceremony “is hardly compatible with a genuine desire for fraternal exchanges and constructive dialogue.” SSPX celebrates the old Latin Mass and was created in opposition to the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernized the Catholic Church and allowed for the celebration of Mass in the vernacular. The SSPX broke with Rome in 1988, after its founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without papal consent. Worldwide, SSPX counts 733 priests, 264 seminarians, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates, and 250 religious sisters — a Catholic reality that poses a real threat to the Vatican because it represents a parallel church.
Related: Timeline: Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X vs. the Holy See - Aleteia, by Agence I.Media - 02/20/26
OSV News
Lawmakers, attorneys general back abortion pill challenge
By Kate Scanlon, February 19, 2026
Twenty-one state attorneys general and 60 members of Congress were among the Republicans who filed amicus briefs in support of Louisiana’s efforts to roll back the Biden administration‘s eased restrictions on mifepristone, a drug commonly, but not exclusively, used for most first-trimester abortions. Those filings came after the U.S. Department of Justice under the Trump administration sought to pause the case. “This matter has immediate, dangerous consequences for women and the unborn in our state,” Murrill said. “Abortions have tragically increased in Louisiana and other pro-life states because of the withdrawal of in-person dispensing requirements. Behind the statistics is a woman abandoned by an irresponsible doctor who dispensed these drugs without any medical oversight and a baby whose life will be terminated.” “Chemical abortion drugs kill innocent children and put mothers’ lives at risk,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in a statement applauding Murrill’s lawsuit.
Big Pulpit, EWTN News & Zenit for 2/20/26
Big Pulpit
Tito Edwards Catholic site: February 20, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is a news aggregator that gathers quality insights and analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide.
Catholic Oxford’s Quiet Revival – Jan C. Bentz at The Catholic Herald
From Ashes to Alleluia: Lenten Readings for Forty Days – Brother Joseph Freyaldenhoven at CSM
The Unlikely Prophet Jonah as a Model for Us in Lent – Peter A. Kwasniewski, Ph.D., at T&S
Appropriate for Fridays During Lent: Can We Eat Alligator? – Fr. Z’s Blog
St. Leo the Great on the True Meaning of Lent – The Catholic Herald
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — February 20, 2026
EWTN News 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.
‘Rome of Pakistan’ celebrates 125 years of Catholic faith and witness
By Kamran Chaudhry - The village of Khushpur has produced bishops, priests, nuns, and unofficial martyrs — and its faithful now face a new struggle to save their farmland. A banner on the graveyard wall declared: “On the 125th Jubilee of Khushpur — a legacy of faith, sacrifice, and service — dedicated to all the departed faithful.”
Defending Christ is a ‘diabolical idea’ because he has already won, Catholic school founder says - By Nicolás de Cárdenas - French philosopher Fabrice Hadjadj has founded a new school in Spain, Incarnatus est, to advance Christian culture by cultivating it as a garden rather than defending it like a besieged fortress. He seeks to offer Christian wisdom to the enemies of the faith who, he says, are “dying of despair.”
Poll: Lack of federal action on abortion pill hurts Republican enthusiasm for midterms - By Tyler Arnold - A poll shows that Republicans overwhelmingly want stricter regulations on the abortion pill Mifepristone, and a lack of action could affect enthusiasm for the midterm elections in November. It also found that more than 70% of the Republican voters oppose the federal policy of allowing the abortion drug mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail and worry that the policy undermines laws in pro-life states.
Zenit
Zenit - The world seen from Rome - February 20, 2026
Zenit is an international, non-profit news agency staffed by professionals and volunteers that faithfully transmits information and is committed to the truth.
Three Areas Where the Fire of Pastoral Ministry Can Be Rekindled, According to Pope Leo XIV - The first concerns the ordinary pastoral work of parishes. A second aspect is this: learning to work together, in communion. To prioritize evangelization in all its many forms, we cannot think or act alone. His last is closeness to young people. “Many of them, we know, live without any reference to God and the Church.”
Opus Dei before the Pope: what was said about the new statutes - They discussed the situation of vocations in the Church and, particularly, the contrast between the situation in Africa and in Europe. Also, the institutional perspective on some specific controversies in Argentina was explained to the Pope.
Pilgrims visited the Shrine of Fatima in 2025, & the Shrine revealed surprising data: Europe was the continent with the most pilgrims, especially from Spain, Poland, and Italy. Asia came in second, a position previously held by the United States. Pilgrims from Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines were particularly prominent. From the Americas, most were from the United States, Brazil, and Mexico. In total, 6.5 million people visited Fatima.
Nutshell reflections for 2/20/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection: AUDIO - February 20, 2026
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Catholic365
Don’t forget our dear Joseph
By Marianne Giltner, February 20, 2026
I wonder why Joseph didn't get to grow old with Mary. Why didn't he get to live to see Jesus in His ministry and be there to comfort our Beloved Mother Mary in her sorrows? Maybe it's to show that God uses us all as He wishes, as His faithful servants. He was husband, father, protector, and provider of the Holiest of Holy families. His struggles were real. His fears were real. His joys illuminated the house in Nazareth. Imagine getting awakened by an Angel and being told to swoop up your wife and child, put them on a donkey, and hurry in the night to escape an imminent death to the child, all the while knowing this is the Son of God and the Mother of the Redeemer of the world. He had to show his manliness, his confidence, his trust. God had already confused him a little by making him search in vain for an appropriate place for Mary to give birth. His role in the structure of the Holy Family signifies surrender, strength, and love.
Catholic Weekly
40 Days for Life in Sydney: Prayer vigil at the Parliament House
By Marilyn Rodrigues, February 20, 2026
The 40 Days for Life campaign has returned to Sydney amid renewed public discussion following recent media reports in Queensland concerning a baby allegedly born alive after an abortion in Townsville. Queensland Health has indicated the matter is being investigated, prompting broader debate about existing laws and medical practices. The debate was reignited after South Australian pro-life advocate Dr Joanna Howe posted an image of the “perfectly healthy” baby on social media, she claimed was aborted at 16 weeks and died more than 30 minutes after birth. The international initiative, which began in the United States around the early 2000s, has spread to cities around the world as a prayer-based witness outside abortion facilities. In Sydney, the vigil was launched on 17 February, with participants praying daily from 7 am to 7 pm at NSW Parliament House.
Aleteia
Surprising secret behind Pope Leo’s popularity
By Cerith Gardiner, February 19, 2026
At a time when public confidence in leadership is battered by polarization, conflict, and skepticism, one global figure stands out: Pope Leo. According to the Gallup International End of Year Survey, he is the only contemporary global leader with a positive net reputation worldwide — a remarkable distinction in a fractured age. Pope Leo’s net favorability score is +24 — the only positive score in the entire ranking. His appeal spans cultures and continents: He holds a net positive image in 51 of the 61 countries surveyed. Pope Leo’s broad appeal hints at something many people instinctively recognize: genuine leadership has a different texture altogether. They bring clarity without noise, authority without harshness, and conviction without spectacle. Pope Leo’s reputation becomes less a curiosity of polling and more a reflection of something deeply human. People respond, across nations and backgrounds, to figures who embody steadiness, sincerity, and moral clarity.
Bishop Barron
Jesus is the wedding of heaven and earth
By Bishop Robert Barron, February 20, 2026
Friends, in today’s Gospel, people ask Jesus why he and his disciples do not fast when John and his disciples do. Jesus’s answer is wonderful: “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” (That’s a typically Jewish style, by the way—answering a question with another question.) This image of the wedding feast appears frequently in the New Testament, most notably in the narrative of the wedding feast at Cana. And it is echoed in the tradition. Jesus is the wedding of heaven and earth, the marriage of divinity and humanity; he is the Bridegroom, and the Church is the bride. In him, the most intimate union is achieved between God and the world. Could you imagine people fasting at a wedding banquet? Could you imagine going into an elegant room with your fellow guests and being served bread and water? It would be ridiculous! So, says Jesus: “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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