Catholic Nutshell News: Friday 7/11/25
Topics include: Kenya's violence, destruction, & corruption; Studies debunk pro-abortion claims; Israeli settlers are persecuting Christians; & AI cannot replicate moral discernment
Fridays, "Living that coconut kinda life."
Today's sources: National Catholic Register, The UK Tablet, Catholic News Agency, Crux, Word on Fire, CatholicVote, Agenzia Fides, & Missio Dei. (Catholic Nutshell is a FREE subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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Agenzia Fides
Kenya: Violence, destruction, corruption, & growing death toll
By Agenzia Fides, July 9, 2025
In recent months, the Bishop of Eldoret, Dominic Kimengich, has denounced the alarming extent of corruption in Kenya. On July 8, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) recorded a total of 31 deaths and 107 injuries in the demonstrations that took place on July 7 on the anniversary of "Saba Saba Day," (Seven Seven, for July 7, 1990) the mass demonstration that called for a return to multi-party democracy after years of authoritarian rule by then-President Daniel arap Moi. Police forces attempted to intimidate demonstrators in various parts of the country, especially in the capital, Nairobi. Following the protests against a new tax law last year, young Kenyans, in particular, once again took to the streets to demand better governance. "We should not be where we are now, with unemployment at almost 60%. The chances of living a life without work in Kenya are very real," said Nzoia Governor George Natembeya after the bloody protests.
Catholic News Agency
Studies debunk pro-abortion 'OB-GYNs’ exodus' claims
By Kate Quiñones, July 10, 2025
Recently released peer-reviewed research is disputing what pro-life researchers call “fear-mongering narratives” about maternal health and OB-GYNs. A peer-reviewed study published last week found that the maternal morbidity — health problems following pregnancy or giving birth — remained unchanged in states with pro-life protections for unborn children. But in pro-abortion states, maternal morbidity rates increased significantly, according to the study published by BMC Public Health. Additionally, the infant mortality rate remained the same in states with pro-life protections. The so-called “OB-GYN exodus,” the claim that OB-GYNs were fleeing pro-life states, is also untrue, according to a recent JAMA article. The article found that OB-GYNs aren’t fleeing states with pro-life protections.
The UK Tablet
Groups of Israeli settlers are persecuting Christians in West Bank
By Patrick Hudson & Ellen Teague July 10, 2025
In a reflection published on Thursday, the chief executive of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Sami El-Yousef said towns on the West Bank had “quietly turned into large unsafe prisons” during the past months of conflict, with settlers persecuting Palestinians with “indiscriminate attacks, burning homes, cars, trees, and cutting off roads while the government engages in further land grabs and expanding and initiating new settlements”, displacing 70,000 people. “All of this while actively and systematically destroying refugee camps and forcing people to move out,” he said. “Chaos on the West Bank is just around the corner.” Addressing the war in Gaza and Israel’s conflict with Iran, he said the region seemed “more distant from peace as all parties are claiming victory, and the talk continues to be about more destruction, revenge, and killing rather than reconciliation and a genuine desire to deal with the core issues.”
Related: Settlement watchdogs warn new settler police unit will worsen attacks on Palestinians, By Charlie Summers and Jeremy Sharon - Times of Israel, 10 July 2025
National Catholic Register
Sacred Island in Norway is considered cradle of Christianity
By Bénédicte Cedergren, July 10, 2025
The Sanctuary at Selja in Nordfjord goes back to the 10th century and is considered the cradle of Christianity in Norway and the Nordic countries. Like many pilgrimage sites and sacred places in the history of the Church, the holy island of Selja is linked to a legend: the legend of the Irish princess Sunniva and her companions. “They providentially ended up here, on this holy island of Selja in Norway,” said newly ordained Father Mathias Ledum, “where they settled down in the caves to live a life of fasting, abstinence, and prayer.” Modern Catholic pilgrimages in Norway have been revived in the 20th century to honor and remember the country’s Christian roots. This year’s pilgrimage marks the first time since the monastery’s closure in 1537 during the Reformation that Norway’s two bishops were present on the island at the same time — Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim and Coadjutor Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo.
CRUX
Pope Leo: AI cannot replicate moral discernment
By Charles Collins, July 10, 2025
Humanity is at a crossroads, and facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to a message from Pope Leo XIV. In a letter sent on the pontiff’s behalf by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State, Leo said the impact of the VI revolution “is far-reaching, transforming areas such as education, work, art, healthcare, governance, the military, and communication.” Parolin added, “In fact, while AI can simulate aspects of human reasoning and perform specific tasks with incredible speed and efficiency, it cannot replicate moral discernment or the ability to form genuine relationships. Therefore, the development of such technological advancements must go hand in hand with respect for human and social values, the capacity to judge with a clear conscience, and growth in human responsibility.
CathNews Australia
Virtual reality is reimagining Catholic evangelisation
By Darren Ally, July 9, 2025
One highlight of the Catholic youth festival, Purpose Fest 2025, held in Sydney in July, was the world premiere of “The Carlo Acutis VR Experience,” which offered attendees a snapshot of the faith and the future. Hundreds of young people clamoured to be the first in the world to step into the groundbreaking virtual reality journey that transports attendees into the life and spiritual legacy of the young soon-to-be saint. The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney now stands at the forefront of evangelisation through innovation as they premiered this world-first virtual reality encounter into Blessed Acutis’ faith journey and his devotion and love for the Eucharist. “Virtual reality will never replace the richness of real, embodied life in the church,” said developer and director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, Daniel Ang, “but it can be a new frontier for creativity and encounter.
The Pillar
Will Leo weigh in on France's criminal chancellor?
By JD Flynn, July 11, 2025
A French archbishop is standing by his decision to appoint as chancellor a priest who was convicted of raping a 16-year-old boy, and who spent four years in prison for the offense. While Archbishop Guy de Kerimel of Toulouse argues that appointing the priest to a prominent archdiocesan position is an act of mercy, Catholics in France and the U.S. seem skeptical, with some asking why Fr. Dominique Spina is eligible for any diocesan assignment at all. And as the archbishop doubles down in the face of criticism, the case seems almost certain to find itself on the desk of Pope Leo XIV, whose judgment on the case would speak volumes about what the Church can expect of the pontiff’s approach to safeguarding. The priest was sentenced to five years incarceration, with one year of the prison term suspended. Spina was not laicized.
ChurchPOP
Orphans rescue abandoned baby near a dumpster
By Jacqueline Burkepile, July 10, 2025
Father Khoi Tran, a Chaplain priest in the United States Air Force, was visiting the sisters of the Missionaries of Christ’s Charity in Saigon, Vietnam, when something unexpected happened. Orphans found an abandoned baby near a dumpster outside the sisters’ orphanage. The crying baby was soiled and covered in ant bites. The sisters quickly cleaned him, contacted authorities, and called Father Khoi so he could bless the baby. The sisters named the baby after his patron saint, Saint Francis Xavier. “It was an emotional day… we found a baby boy abandoned close to a dumpster by an orphanage cared by the sisters! By the grace of God, one of the orphans found the baby, and we were able to save him,” said Fr. Tran.
Pillar, CNA & Satire for Friday, July 11, 2025
Big Pulpit
Tito Edwards Catholic site: July 11, 2025
The Big Pulpit website is a news aggregator offering quality insight & analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide.
Pope Leo XIV Names Another Pro-Immigration Bishop: This Time in Austin – Complicit Clergy
Castel Gandolfo Savors Pope Leo XIV’s Return: It’s More Than Economics – I.Media via Aleteia
Pope Leo XIV & the New Emerging Realities of the Catholic Church – Rome Reports
Cardinal Who Has Known Eight Popes Pays Tribute to Pope Leo XIV – Catholic Conclave
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — July 11, 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.
How the St. Benedict medal became a shield against the powers of darkness - Jul 11, 2025 - By R. Jared Staudt - St. Benedict, whose feast the Catholic Church celebrates on July 11, endured constant attacks from the enemy throughout his life.
San Bernardino diocese grants Sunday Mass dispensation to those fearing deportation - Jul 10, 2025 - By Madalaine Elhabbal - ICE tells CNA it 'does not indiscriminately take enforcement actions’ at churches.
Priest shares how he battled depression, emerged from ‘dark pit’ of temptation to suicide - Jul 10, 2025 - By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú - Spanish priest Salvador Aguado Miguel shares his testimony following last week's suicide of beloved Italian Father Matteo Balzano.
Babylon Bee’s Satire News
Jesus's Defense Lawyer Groans As Client Says 'Yes, I Am The Messiah, And You Will See The Son Of Man Sitting At The Right Hand Of The Mighty One And Coming On The Clouds Of Heaven.'
By Theology Staff, July 10, 2025
A Galilean teacher arrested just outside the city during the night reportedly frustrated his court-appointed public defense lawyer during a Sanhedrin trial, after he stood before Caiaphas and proclaimed: "Yes, I am the Messiah, and you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of Heaven." "I advised my client to stay completely silent during the proceedings," said the defeated lawyer with his head in his hands. "And then he just blurts out something like this. It's like this guy is trying to get himself killed." The lawyer had hastily prepared a strategy before the trial, only to have the carpenter-turned-traveling-preacher wreck the entire plan by voluntarily engaging in what the court immediately took as an admission of blasphemy. "Welp, there goes my airtight defense strategy," the attorney was heard muttering to himself in frustration.
Nutshell reflections for 7/11/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection: AUDIO - July 11, 2025
Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Aleteia
Parishes need to lead revolution in elder care, says Pope
By Kathleen N. Hattrup, July 11, 2019
Pope Leo calls for a "change of pace" that would be the "assumption of responsibility on the part of the whole Church." God "teaches us that, in his eyes, old age is a time of blessing and grace, and that the elderly are, for him, the first witnesses of hope," Pope Leo XIV said in his message for the fifth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be celebrated on Sunday, July 27, 2025. The Pope refers to several figures of the elderly in the Bible — Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah, Nicodemus, and even Moses — noting that old age had seemed to extinguish the hopes of these people. But God's response revives the lives of these people and gives them new meaning. “God’s fidelity to his promises teaches us that there is a blessedness in old age.”
Catholic365
B.I.B.L.E. — Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
By NiAn, July 11, 2023
I like to think of B.I.B.L.E. as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
B — Believe in God’s promises. Even when life feels dark or uncertain, faith anchors us to something unshakeable.
I — Invite His truth into your heart daily. Don’t just read the words; let them transform you.
B — Build your life on love, compassion, and mercy. The world needs less judgment and more grace.
L — Learn from its stories—of human weakness and God’s unending faithfulness. The Bible doesn’t hide our flaws; it redeems them.
E — Embrace grace. For yourself. For others. For every broken piece He can mend.
These instructions aren’t burdensome rules. They’re God’s gentle invitation: “I’m with you. Follow Me.”
Word on Fire
The Exorcist, a horror classic, is a profound exploration into faith
By Matthew Malone, July 11, 2025
“What are the Church’s greatest needs at the present time? Don’t be surprised at our answer and don’t write it off as simplistic or even superstitious: one of the Church’s greatest needs is to be defended against the evil we call the Devil.”— Pope Paul VI, Confronting The Devil’s Power (1972) Pope Paul VI wrote Confronting The Devil’s Power a mere year before the release of the film that brought the Church’s battle with the devil into popular consciousness: The Exorcist. It spawned a level of hysteria, controversy, and fascination rarely seen in cinematic history. While The Exorcist is a horror classic, it is also a profound exploration into faith and the exclusive power of the Catholic Church to combat the forces of evil. From the earliest days of Christianity, there have been accounts of demonic possession or spiritual attacks inflicted by the devil to harm a person physically or psychologically.
Missio Dei
How to be Hated? Love Jesus.
By Phillip Hadden, July 11, 2025
What is the cost of discipleship? What is the price of the charism of Missio Dei—the first mission of the Church, the proclamation of the gospel? Our Lord in today’s gospel lays out plainly what the cost will be for loving Him. You will be hated because of Jesus’ name. The Lakota religion developed into a monotheism receptive to Christian missionaries during the late 19th century. The Catholic faith was a huge part of Black Elk’s life, a man now on the list for sainthood—why didn’t people know about it? No one wanted you to know about it.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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