Catholic Nutshell News: Friday 4/3/26
Topics include: Nigerian drops night-time services; More battles against ‘conversion therapy bans’; The Good Friday ‘Reproaches’; & German bishops push progressive agenda in Rome
Fridays, "Living that coconut kinda life."
Today's sources: National Catholic Register, EWTN News, OSV News, ACIAfrica, CatholicVote, Zeale, & Aleteia. (Catholic Nutshell is a FREE subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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Zeale
Nigerian Holy Week events will be held during daylight
By Elise Winland, April 2, 2026
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., a Catholic and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, said in an April 1 statement that he and his wife were “absolutely horrified by the brutal massacres,” which he said targeted Christians gathered during one of the faith’s most sacred times. He added that the “savage killings” are “incredibly heartbreaking and absolutely unacceptable.” As Zeale News previously reported, armed men — whom some witnesses described as members of Boko Haram and others alleged were armed Fulani militia — opened fire on March 29 on Ungwan Rukuba, a community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Reports varied on the death toll, with some estimates placing it between 11 and 12, and others reporting more than 30 killed. In response to growing security concerns amid the violence, multiple Catholic dioceses across Nigeria announced they will celebrate the Easter Vigil this Holy Saturday during daylight hours instead of at night.
Related: After Deadly Palm Sunday Attack, Nuncio in Nigeria Urges Justice and Hope, Says “no justification for violence” - By Abah Anthony John, aciafrica, 02 April, 2026
aciafrica
‘He hasn’t changed; He’s still the same’
By Diego Lopez Marina, April 1, 2026
Peruvian priest Father Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, personal secretary to Pope Leo XIV, said the Holy Father “hasn’t changed” since his years as a bishop in Peru and is still approachable, serene, and possesses a great capacity for listening. In an interview with the Spanish media outlet Alfa and Omega, the priest, who first met the pontiff when their paths crossed in Chiclayo, Peru, emphasized that despite his new responsibilities, the pope “remains the same.” “The only things that have changed are his attire, which is now white, and his responsibilities; otherwise, the man we have all come to know remains exactly the same: approachable, calm, an excellent listener, and always available,” he said. Rimaycuna explained that his role as personal secretary consists of accompanying the Holy Father in his daily life and ensuring he has the necessary time and space for rest. The priest also said his role is defined by discretion, with the spotlight always on the pope.
CatholicVote
Court ruling paves way for challenges of ‘conversion therapy bans’
By Mary Rose, April 2, 2026
The Supreme Court found Colorado’s minor “conversion therapy” law unconstitutionally favored one viewpoint, since it allowed licensed counselors to “affirm” a client’s LGBT identity while banning any talk therapy aimed at reducing same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria. The case was reversed and remanded, meaning lower courts must now reevaluate Colorado’s law under the far more demanding standard of strict scrutiny. Writing for the eight-justice majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the Colorado law “censors speech based on viewpoint” and “the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.” Elana Redfield of UCLA’s Williams Institute said many state laws mirror Colorado’s approach and could conflict with the court’s reasoning. Depending on how courts interpret the decision, some laws could be struck down, while others may remain on the books but become unenforceable, Redfield said.
National Catholic Register
European prelates decry ‘exacerbated nationalism’
By Alberto Garzoni, April 1, 2026
On Feb. 13, Cardinals Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, France, and Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Italy, and Bishops Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany, and Tadeusz Wojda of Gdansk, Poland, had signed a joint statement titled “Christians for Europe: The Power of Hope,” advancing their own vision of the Continent and its cohesion. That the heads of four major Episcopal Conferences should issue such a document together was, in itself, a sign of the statement’s importance and intended impact. In 2024, Bishop Wojda openly and vigorously criticized the German Synodal Path, of which Bishop Bätzing has been a leading voice, as dangerous and not a priority for the global Church. What brought them together this time was a shared desire to alert Catholics and, through them, all Europeans, to what they sensed as a threat to Europe’s social cohesion. They quoted Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954), founder of the Christian Democratic Party, who said, “exacerbated nationalism is a form of idolatry: It locates the nation in God’s place and against humanity.”
EWTN News
What are the Good Friday ‘Reproaches’?
By Matthew Santucci, April 3, 2026
The Good Friday Reproaches are a series of antiphons, also known as the “Improperia” or “Popule Meus” (“My People”), derived from the opening lines of the Latin text of the recitation. Dating back to the ninth century, though not gaining a permanent place in the Roman orders until the 14th century, the Good Friday Reproaches have long been an essential part of the Roman liturgy. But they largely disappeared from many parishes following the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The antiphons have, however, retained their prominence at the Vatican — and are normally chanted by the Sistine Chapel Choir during the Good Friday service in St. Peter’s Basilica. In the moment leading up to the dramatic recitation, the priest chants three times, in an increasing pitch, “Ecce lignum crucis,” or “Behold the wood of the cross,” each time gradually unveiling the cross that has been covered in a purple veil.
The Pillar
Indian government pauses NGO bill amid Church outcry
By Luke Coppen, April 3, 2026
India’s Hindu nationalist-led government paused consideration of a new bill this week after Church leaders and opposition parties argued it would give the authorities excessive powers over Non-Government Entities (NGOs). The proposed legislation, introduced in the lower house of India’s parliament on March 25, would grant the government powers to take control of foreign-funded assets when an NGO’s registration is canceled or lapses. The legislation triggered alarm, especially among Church leaders in Kerala, because the southern state has a large network of Christian schools, hospitals, and charities that depend on funds from outside of India. Critics argued that under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, the assets of Church-linked NGOs could be seized even for minor administrative lapses. The government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, insisted it was necessary to enhance transparency in the NGO sector and denied that the powers would be used arbitrarily.
CRUX
‘Worry about shortage of people before shortage of priests’
By Fionn Shiner, April 3, 2026
Following the Bible Society's admission that the data used in last year’s impactful The Quiet Revival report was faulty, the director of mission at the bishops’ conference of England and Wales has said the Church's task remains the same regardless of the data. Speaking to Crux Now, Norbertine Abbot Hugh Allan said that last week’s announcement from the Bible Society makes no difference to his prognosis for the future of Christianity in England and Wales. “The task of the Church remains the same whether the data says the numbers are going up, or the numbers are going down. We are still called to communicate the beauty and the joy of knowing Jesus Christ. This remains the same, whatever the data may tell us,” he said. “We constantly hear people talk about the shortage of priests, but we need to be more concerned about the shortage of people,” he added.
Zenit News
German bishops push their progressive agenda in Rome
By Zenit Staff, April 2, 2026
The long and often contentious German “Synodal Way” has now entered a ruling phase in Rome, where its future will be judged not by debate but by ecclesial law. On March 31, Heiner Wilmer, recently elected president of the German Bishops’ Conference, formally submitted the statutes of a proposed national Synodal Conference—an unprecedented body that would bring together bishops and lay representatives to deliberate and make decisions on key issues facing the Church in Germany —to the Vatican. The move represents the most concrete institutional outcome of a reform process that, for years, has sought to rethink structures of authority, moral teaching, and participation within the Church. Yet it also places the German initiative at the center of a delicate ecclesiological question: how far can synodality go without altering the fundamental constitution of the Catholic Church, in which each diocesan bishop exercises authority in communion with the Pope?
Big Pulpit, EWTN News & Loop for 4/3/26
Big Pulpit
Tito Edwards Catholic site: April 3, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is a news aggregator that gathers quality insights and analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide.
25 Priests Sat for 3 Hours at Franciscan U. of Steubenville to Hear Confessions – Hillbilly Catholic
How the Apostles Became Priests – Deacon Paul Maxey at Catholic Answers Magazine
The Third Rail Our Hierarchy Avoids – Kevin Wells at Crisis Magazine
Why Classical Christian Education Will Save This Country – Gerald R. McDermott at PD
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — April 3, 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.
Release date for Season 6 of ‘The Chosen’ announced - By Francesca Pollio Fenton - Prime Video and 5&2 Studios announced April 3 that the sixth season of “The Chosen” will be released in the U.S. and internationally exclusively on Prime Video on Nov. 15 — six episodes, the first three of which will debut on Nov. 15, then weekly episodes through Dec. 6. The season finale will be a stand-alone theatrical release in spring 2027.
Ukraine bishop: War could spread to countries that ‘never imagined it reaching them’ - By Madalaine Elhabbal - Ahead of Easter, Bishop Vitalii Kryvytski, SDB, of Kyiv-Zhytomyr in Ukraine, warned against conflicts spreading to unexpected places around the world as the war in the Middle East continues unabated.
DNA research sheds new light on the Shroud of Turin’s complex history - By Ishmael Adibuah - A new genetic study shows that the reputed burial cloth of Jesus contains DNA from a mix of people, traces from multiple geographic regions spanning several centuries.
Zeale / Loop / CatholicVote
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10-YEAR-OLD HONORED FOR BRAVERY AMID SHOOTING AT MASS - A Minneapolis student who shielded a classmate during the shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School Mass in 2025 has been honored for what officials called “extraordinary bravery far beyond his years.” READ
POPE REFLECTS ON CHURCH'S MISSION IN 'DARK HOUR OF HISTORY' - During the Chrism Mass yesterday, Pope Leo reflected on the Church's missionary identity, calling the faithful to proclaim Christ’s Passion with unity and courage “in this dark hour of history.” READ
CATHOLIC 101 - When Good Friday falls on the first Friday of the month, Catholics can still fulfill the Sacred Heart devotion — even without Mass — by receiving Communion during the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion. Zeale's McKenna Snow outlines how the devotion’s requirements can still be met despite the absence of the Eucharistic liturgy. READ
Nutshell reflections for 4/3/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection: AUDIO - April 3, 2026
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
Catholic365
A case for AD 27 - Jesus’ Crucifixion
By Steve Breighner, April 3, 2026
Most ordinary people may not have considered much at all in their estimating the year of Our Lord’s Crucifixion. If asked whether it occurred in the year 33, they might say that, since He was born in the year 1 and lived to the age of 33, it would likely be AD 33. Coincidentally or not, modern scholarship, through all sorts of complex calculations and reasonings, seems now to favor this year as the most likely as well. I lay out the case for the Crucifixion in the year 27, one of the three ‘possible’ years you often hear about. The Crucifixion most likely happened no earlier than 26 nor later than 36 (give or take a year), and, as mentioned in the gospels and inferred from Josephus, Pilate was prefect of Judea within that date range. With Luke, we have to assume Jesus was born before AD 1, both because he asserts that Jesus was a contemporary of Herod the Great and because of the flight to Egypt during the census of Quirinius. If we look to the church fathers, Clement, Tertullian, possibly Origen, and perhaps Augustine, and factor in that they accepted a one-year ministry as possible at the very least, AD 27 is a feasible candidate and in some ways a more likely one than 33.
Catholic Weekly
Christ got up from his three falls — so should we
By George Weigel, April 3, 2026
The Way of the Cross (the third, seventh, and ninth stations in particular) has been an especially appropriate Lenten devotion this year. Every day, some new craziness erupts in the world, the country, or the church. Every time we think we see rays of hope and possibility, we take another fall. It is good to remember this Holy Week, with Hans Urs von Balthasar, that we are empowered to get up and continue the journey because Christ got up from his three falls, which were caused by a spiritual weight infinitely greater than we are ever called to bear: “Our Lord was forced to suffer beyond human endurance. We truly understand this when we realize that in his extreme weakness, he had to bear not only the burden of the cross but also of our sins – from Adam to the very last person. … We should not dwell too much on our own suffering which is nothing compared to what the Son of God suffered for us. Whenever we are able to share in a small way in Christ’s suffering, it is indeed a grace.”
Aleteia
The 2026 convert boom is happening around the world
By Theresa Civantos Barber, April 3, 2026
A college senior has witnessed something incredible over the four years she’s been at the University of Illinois. She told me, “Last year, my campus had 50 students entering the church on Easter. This year, we have 120. I’ve seen a significant difference in the Catholic culture and presence on my campus over the past four years.” It’s not just her university. What my friend sees happening at her school — in a remarkable, measurable way — is happening all over the world. There’s a Catholic convert boom. It’s an exciting time to be Catholic and incredible to be living through this time of renewal and revival. When Pope Leo XIV was elected — the first pope from the U.S. — many people wondered what the effect would be on the Catholic Church in the United States. While it’s very soon to say, we might wonder if this Easter, we’re already starting to see the answer. But the part we didn’t expect? This sudden growth is not just happening in the U.S.
Bishop Barron
A follower of Jesus walks a dangerous path
By Bishop Robert Barron, April 3, 2026
Friends, our Gospel today is St. John’s poignant account of Jesus' arrest. The setting is the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus has just been betrayed by Judas, seized, arrested, and bound; the ear of the high priest’s slave has been severed; all of Jesus’s disciples have fled. In a parallel narrative, St. Mark adds this odd detail of the young man running off naked into the night. Like a Renaissance painter who puts contemporary figures into a biblical scene, here Mark places a stand-in for you and me in the scene. The young man is described as “following” Jesus. This, of course, is biblical code for discipleship. And what is he wearing? The term used in the Greek (sindona) designates the kind of garment worn by the newly baptized. The point is this: to be a baptized member of Christ’s Church is to put oneself in harm’s way. To be a follower of Jesus is to walk a dangerous path, one sure to upset the powers that be.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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