Catholic Nutshell News: Friday 5/16/25
Topics include: Defunding Planned Parenthood, New Catholic church in China, Opposition to Israeli NGO regs, & Vatican & White House on same page
Fridays, "Living that coconut kinda life."
Today's sources: National Catholic Register, The UK Tablet, Catholic News Agency, Crux, Word on Fire, CatholicVote, Our Sunday Visitor, & Catholic Stand. (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
Reconciliation bill might defund Planned Parenthood
By Kate Quiñones, May 16, 2025
Leading pro-life voices say the proposed congressional reconciliation bill could be a “historic opportunity” to stop federal funding from going to the abortion giant. What makes the reconciliation process unique is that, for specific budget-related bills, it allows for a simple majority vote in the Senate instead of the usual supermajority requirement. “Through a process called budget reconciliation, a new budget is being crafted that will soon be voted on by both chambers of Congress and sent to the White House for approval,” Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins said this week in a livestream that gathered together leading pro-life advocates. “Our goal is to see Planned Parenthood and big abortion defunded of our taxpayer dollars once and for all through this process,” Hawkins said.
Agenzia Fides
New Catholic church in China consecrated to Mary
By Agencia Fides, May 15, 2025
The opening of new churches in the People's Republic of China is a concrete sign of the perseverance of Chinese Catholic communities on the path of faith that continues under the varied circumstances of history. The Chinese bishops, priests, and lay people are convinced of a growing path of faith. "The 33-meter-high bell tower of the new church is like a sign that helps us to fix our gaze on the Kingdom of Heaven, and it also reminds us of the urgency of putting down firm Christian roots in the fertile soil of Chinese culture, in order to express our faith through the witness of Christian life," said the Bishop of Hankou/Wuhan, Franciscan Father Francis Cui Qingqi. He consecrated the new church, dedicated to Our Lady of China, in preparation for the patronal feast on May 13.
The UK Tablet
Catholic charities join opposition to Israeli NGO regulations
By Ellen Teague, May 15, 2025
More than 50 international charities and organisations, including the Catholic social justice umbrella group CIDSE, Pax Christi International, and Christian Aid, called for urgent action from the international community against Israel’s new registration rules for international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in the West Bank and Gaza. Issued on 6 May, the new visa and registration regulations impose new requirements which “threaten to shut down essential humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding work in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory”, according to the charities. They said they “mark a serious escalation in the ongoing crackdown on humanitarian and civic space, undermining the neutrality and independence of international NGOs”.
National Catholic Register
Vatican & White House on same page regarding paths to the peace
By Alberto M. Fernandez, May 15, 2025
The coincidence, or the divine Providence, seems eerie. Pope Leo XIV’s brand new account on X, began by tweeting repeatedly on May 14 about the need for peace, about being “willing to help enemies meet so that they may look each other in the eye and so people may be given back the dignity they deserve: the dignity of peace.” Meanwhile, that most controversial of peace paladins, President Donald Trump, made peace and the dignity of others the centerpiece of his first official state visit as president (as he did in 2017) to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Only in its fourth month, the Trump administration is deep into peace discussions on Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran, sensitive discussions that show promise but could, of course, also fail.
CRUX
Kidnappers demand $42,750 for Cameroon priest’s freedom
By Ngala Killian Chimtom, May 16, 2025
Unidentified gunmen are demanding $42,750 in ransom payment as a condition for releasing Father Valentin Mbaïbarem from captivity. The parish priest of St. John the Baptist Madingring Parish of Garoua Archdiocese in Cameroon’s Far North region was kidnapped on May 7, along with five other people. He was taken on the road between Guidjiba and Tcholliré in Cameroon’s northern region. According to the Diocesan Chancellor, Father Emmanuel Bonkou, one of the hostages, a teacher, has been killed. The others have been released. “Only Father Mbaïbarem remains in captivity, and the abductors are demanding 25 million FCFA (US$42,750) for his release,” he said. He implored the intercession of the Virgin Mary — “The Mother of all Prayers” — to secure the release of the priest.
Our Sunday Visitor
Pope Leo presenting a low-key, calm style
By Michael R. Heinlein, May 15, 2025
One thing seemed clear from the moment Pope Leo stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: He was not another Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, or St. John Paul II. He intended to do things his own way. The traditional red mozzetta (shoulder cape) and stole draped over his shoulders — not used by Fracis — was a sign of a return to a kind of “normalcy” the papacy had been missing for the past 12 years. In addition to wearing the mozzetta, Leo has returned the “P.P.” after his signature — a symbol used by popes prior to Francis for centuries as an abbreviation of “Pastor Pastorum.” So far, Pope Leo’s style is relatively low-key. He is joyful but calm, intentionally disarming a church that has become polarized. And he seems determined to create a neutral ground from which he can implement needed reforms and strengthen unity.
The Pillar
Iraq Cardinal denies he revealed secret conclave voting details
By The Pillar, May 15, 2025
In a situation that’s gained widespread attention in Iraq, Chaldean Catholic leader Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako has denied giving a controversial media interview in which the cardinal allegedly disclosed details of the papal conclave, including the claim that one cardinal accidentally submitted two ballots in a round of voting. Sako told The Pillar Wednesday that an Iranian-backed militia was spreading misinformation about him, the cause of a social media maelstrom that has engulfed the cardinal since soon after the conclave concluded. During the interview, Sako reportedly heard how support grew for electing Pope Leo XIV during the conclave. “There was a mishap: one of the cardinals placed two ballots into the box. There were 133 cardinals in total — two were absent due to illness — so the total became 134 ballots found,” Sako was reportedly quoted saying.
Vatican News
Pope Leo meets with head of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
By Vatican News, May 15, 2025
Pope Leo XIV received on Thursday morning, 15 May, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv. Meeting in the Library of the Apostolic Palace, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church thanked the Pope for his words during the Regina Caeli on Sunday 11 May when he recalled the suffering of the Ukrainian people, calling for “an authentic, just and lasting peace” and asking for the release of all prisoners and the return home of children who had been taken away. At the conclusion of the audience, Archbishop Shevchuk presented the Pope with a symbolic painting entitled "Requiem Prayer", which depicts the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Artist Bohdan Pylypiv, the father of a soldier who died in the conflict, created the work.
Pillar, CNA & Satire for Friday, May 16, 2025
The Pillar
Pillar Articles for 5/16/25
The Pillar is an American news and investigative journalism website focusing on the Catholic Church. Founded D Flynn, former editor-in-chief of Catholic News Agency and former chancellor of the Archdiocese of Denver; and Ed Condon, former Washington, D.C., bureau editor of Catholic News Agency
As he celebrated the first Mass of his pontificate Friday in the Sistine Chapel, in the presence of the world’s cardinals, Pope Leo XIV described the Petrine ministry as both a cross and a blessing.
On Monday, Leo XIV met with journalists in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall and warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence, while encouraging reporters to “move beyond stereotypes and clichés through which we often interpret Christian life and the life of the Church itself.”
While the entire world trying to find out more about who Prevost-now-Leo really is, the pontiff himself suggested in Rome last week that people are asking the wrong question. It’s not so much about the man as about the office, and more important — about Jesus of Nazareth.
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — May 16, 2025
Catholic News Agency provides reliable and free up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, with updates on the words of the Holy Father and the Holy See.
Cardinal Parolin doesn’t rule out Pope Leo XIV going to Nicaea - May 16, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - The Vatican secretary of state has not ruled out the possibility of Pope Leo XIV traveling to Nicaea to celebrate the anniversary of that council meeting.
Senate Democrats block U.S. Vatican ambassador confirmation: What’s next? - May 15, 2025 - By Madalaine Elhabbal - Senate Democrats this week blocked the confirmation of Brian Burch, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
Pope Leo XIV laments that today’s youth have to deal with ‘relativism’ and ‘superficiality’ - May 15, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - “Think of the isolation caused by rampant relational models increasingly marked by superficiality, individualism, and emotional instability; the spread of patterns of thought weakened by relativism, …”
Babylon Bee’s Satire News
Pete Rose Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony To Be Sponsored By Betting Folks At DraftKings
By Sports Staff, May 14, 2022
Despite not yet being officially elected to the prestigious and exclusive group, one late baseball player already landed a lucrative sponsorship, as it was announced that Pete Rose's Hall of Fame induction ceremony would be brought to you by DraftKings. The long-awaited election of Major League Baseball's all-time hit leader to the Hall of Fame had not even taken place when the online sports betting website snapped up the rights to promote the event. "It's our honor to sponsor such a special occasion," said DraftKings CEO and co-founder Jason Robins. "We're currently taking bets on how many minutes the induction speech someone will give on Pete's behalf will run. Head to DraftKings now to get in on the action!"
Nutshell reflections for 5/16/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection: AUDIO & VIDEO- May 16, 2025
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
ChurchPOP
Pope Leo is not a politician, he is God’s guy
By Jacqueline Burkepile, May 14, 2025
Some Catholics are pushing back, explaining that the answer to this question is neither. The pope is a spiritual leader, not a political one. Catholic conservative commentator Alexandra Lains describes the Pope’s role as the Vicar of Christ. She explains that if you “demand the Vicar of Christ toe your party line, that’s just not how this works.” She added on Instagram, “The Pope’s job isn’t to echo your politics, it’s to uphold God’s truth.” “We should not try to fit our Pope into these American conservative or liberal camps. Whoever you voted for, you should feel uneasy because the Catholic Church does not fit neatly into either of those categories,” said St. Ann’s Catholic Parish pastor Father Edwin Leonard of Coppell, Texas, in an Instagram reel.
Catholic Exchange
The Lord provides in our small and great needs
By Constance T. Hull, May 15, 2023
I accepted the position of Coordinator of Campus Ministry at a small liberal arts college in my area. It has roughly 2000 students. Fallen away Catholics are the largest group on campus with a self-identified religious affiliation. There is no Newman Center, and I have no office. This has come to me repeatedly in prayer as I discern the next steps for the ministry. We have seemingly insurmountable obstacles to overcome: a limping along ministry, no space to call our own, and a sick chaplain. But these are the times when the Lord works in amazing ways. It is precisely in our poverty that the Lord can pour out an abundance of graces. He comes as the poor babe of Bethlehem who has nothing. He tells His Apostles that He “has nowhere to lay His head.” His ultimate bed was the Cross. The saints understood that these impossible circumstances resemble the Lord most.
Word on Fire
Douthat makes the case for religious belief
By Dr. Christopher Kaczor, May 14, 2025
In his new book Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat notes a shift over the last fifteen years in the public discussion of religious issues. The triumphal confidence of the New Atheists rejecting religion has given way to a new generation conscious of something wrong and largely unfamiliar with the basic tenets of Christianity. Douthat thinks the time is right for a book written “to atheists looking to be unsettled in their certainties, to spiritual searchers struggling to imagine a plausible destination, to believers wrestling with doubts and difficulties, and to anyone interested in the ultimate questions of human life.” It is not just that Douthat thinks that religious stories are psychologically helpful, but that they are closer to the truth than atheistic naturalism.
Catholic Stand
Ritual and art are the gateways to faith
By Tom Collingwood, May 15, 2025
I’m pretty unsophisticated when it comes to the fine arts. I’ve never studied art, music, or architecture. However, I know what impresses me and gets my attention when I see or hear it. For example, Caravaggio's paintings and Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ” helped me visualize the narratives presented during the holy week. At Christmas, the music of Handel’s “Messiah” stirs a feeling of awe and appreciation for the incarnation. The majesty of the great cathedrals such as Chartres, Notre Dame, and St. Peter’s portrays a sense of transcendence. Michelangelo’s “Pieta” and “Christ Carrying the Cross” offer three-dimensional pictures of our Lord. All these examples give my human feelings a sense of the sacred that is good for my soul.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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