Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 11/3/25
Topics include: Detainees denied Communion; Church and conflicts in Colombia; Infertility is a cross to bear (no IVF); & Who goes to purgatory?
“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Today's sources are Catholic News Agency, Graphs about Religion, OSV, Aleteia, Fides, UCA, CWN, National Catholic Register, & Christian Post. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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Catholic News Agency
Detainees denied Communion at Illinois detention facility
By Kathleen Murphy, November 1, 2025
Bishop Jose María García-Maldonado celebrated a Mass on Nov. 1 outside the Broadview facility in Chicago. An auxiliary bishop in Chicago, Maldonado, and a group of eight spiritual leaders sought to bring holy Communion to detainees, but were not admitted. Mass organizers said they followed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s guidelines to obtain access and submitted the request weeks in advance. An estimated 2,000 Catholics attended the outdoor Mass, including Sister JoAnn Persch, 91, a Sister of Mercy and longtime advocate for immigrant rights in the Chicago area. Persch said that in previous years, she was granted access to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and brought Communion to detainees, but access has since ceased. Obtaining access initially took time when she first began visiting the facility a decade ago, she said.
CRUX
Church still working to end conflicts in Colombia
By Eduardo Campos Lima, November 3, 2025
Videos of four police agents and Prosecutor’s Office investigators who were kidnapped months ago by a major Colombian guerrilla group, released last week by the magazine Semana, not only gave hope to their families, but also put pressure on President Gustavo Petro for their release. Some tension was also directed at the South American country’s Catholic Church, which was mentioned by one of the victims as one of the organizations that should hurry up and act for the prisoners’ freedom. The guerrilla organization, the largest one in activity in Colombia, said the four agents will be submitted to a “revolutionary trial,” facing prison sentences ranging 3 to 7 years. The group claims that it promotes a “differentiated justice” and that the prisoners will be able to exchange letters with their families. The continuous violence of left-wing guerrillas is a blow for Petro, who pledged in his campaign that he would promote peace deals or submit all armed groups in the country to justice.
Aleteia
Who goes to purgatory after death?
By Philip Kosloski, November 3, 2025
Catholics believe that purgatory exists and is a state in the afterlife that prepares souls to enter the heavenly bliss of eternal life. It is not a “place,” but a “state,” where most of us will pass through on our way to Heaven. Purgatory is for those souls who need further purification and preparation for Heaven. Essentially, this state is reserved for people who wish to enter the gates of Heaven, but who still have some attachment to earthly things. Purgatory is seen more like a laundry, where you go to purify the white garment of our baptism. Souls that can present that white garment without any spot or wrinkle can enter Heaven immediately. On the other hand, souls that do not want to be in the presence of God and who freely reject him are not allowed to enter purgatory and freely choose to enter Hell. Hell is not somewhere you are “sent,” but is a place where you go when you do not want to be in the presence of a loving and merciful God.
The Catholic Thing
Infertility is part of the mystery of Original Sin, a cross to bear
By Bishop James D. Conley, November 3, 2025
President Trump recently announced measures to expand access to and reduce costs associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF). Billed as a pro-family and pro-life effort to help “American families have more babies,” the intention and goal are noble. IVF, in fact, undermines human dignity, marriage, and family life for a variety of reasons. To those conceived through IVF, those struggling with infertility, and, by extension, those wrestling with this aspect of the Church’s teaching, which can seem counterintuitive, confusing, and even harsh, know these are souls and are still a gift to creation. Like so many other sufferings, infertility is part of the mystery of Original Sin and the wounded, fallen world in which we live. Yet God calls us to bear these crosses with grace and dignity. The Church supports technologies and medical interventions, such as restorative reproductive medicine, yet “The IVF industry treats human beings like products and freezes or kills millions of children who are selected for transfer to a womb or do not survive,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded to President Trump.
The Pillar
Nigeria’s bishop decries ‘Country of Particular Concern’ status
By Luke Coppen, October 30, 2025
Since 2011, Nigeria’s Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah has fearlessly led the Diocese of Sokoto. In the extreme northwest of Nigeria, a staunchly Muslim area, he has emerged as a leading critic of the Nigerian government’s failure to protect the country’s Christians from relentless massacres and kidnappings. Kukah was billed to speak in Rome at the Oct. 21 launch of Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025, and many expected another blazing denunciation of the treatment of Nigeria’s Christians. Far from highlighting the suffering of Christians, the bishop argued that all Nigerians faced insecurity due to a weak state. Instead of welcoming calls for the U.S. to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern due to grave violations of religious freedom, he said this would only harm interreligious ties and relations with the government.
Australian Catholic News
Catholic Schools in NSW will be funded to build preschools
By Emily Kowal, (Sydney Morning Herald), November 3, 2025
Five independent and Catholic schools in New South Wales will receive almost $16 million in funding to construct new preschool facilities. The funding has been awarded to five non-government schools across Sydney and south-west NSW to build new preschools, as part of a $60 million NSW Government program to build and upgrade 50 preschools co-located within independent and Catholic schools. The state has also pledged to build 100 new public preschools by 2027. Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said the grants for non-government schools would “unlock more early learning places in growing areas”. To be eligible, non-government schools must be within a “high-growth area”. They will be selected based on socio-economic status, student demographics, and whether they are a special school. Enrolments in independent and Catholic schools have surged in recent years, with more than one in three NSW students attending a non-government school.
Graphs about Religion
The Catholic share of US population still at 27%, while others fall
By Ryan Burge, November 3, 2025
The General Social Survey is the tree trunk of empirical social science, and is cited everywhere. The GSS just released a second tranche of data that extends our picture of the American religious landscape through 2024. Evangelicals were not a large tradition in the 1972 data. In fact, they came in third in relative size, behind Catholics and mainline Protestants, at about 18% of the full sample. The evangelical baseline has consistently hovered in the low twenties, and it is now a couple of points below that. It’s a steady, unmistakable slide downward. Yet, there’s no evidence of a mainline [Protestant Churches] resurgence. If their trajectory continues, they’ll be under 5% of the population within the next decade. Plus, the percentage of Americans who are Black Protestants has been cut in half over the last fifty years. However, from 2000 through 2010, the Catholic share of the population held almost perfectly steady at 27%. Catholics are down only 5% points from their historical baseline.
From the same report: In 2018, 23% of American adults claimed no religious affiliation. But by 2021, the share of nones shot up to 28%. America isn’t any more secular today, though, than it was when Donald Trump was first elected.
The Christian Post
Texas Court allows judges not to perform same-sex weddings
By CP Staff, November 3, 2025
Judges in the state of Texas who refuse to perform same-sex marriages based on their sincerely held religious beliefs will no longer face disciplinary action for doing so. The Texas Supreme Court amended its judicial code of conduct last week to explicitly protect judges in a ruling that stems from a lawsuit filed by McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley, who in 2019 refused to marry same-sex couples, stating it would be “inconsistent with her religious faith.” At the time, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) issued a public warning against her, arguing the refusal cast doubt on her “capacity to act impartially” as a judge. Hensley then stopped performing all weddings. But on Oct. 24, the court approved adding a new comment to Canon 4 of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct: “It is not a violation of these canons for a judge to publicly refrain from performing a wedding ceremony based upon a sincerely held religious belief.”
CatholicVote
Mass media appears to be pivoting back to ‘journalism’
By Elise Winland, November 3, 2025
NBC News unveiled a new marketing campaign last week, presenting the network as a source of “facts,” “clarity,” and “calm,” stating that it aims to address the low trust in news. NBC’s 60-second ad opens with the voices of Americans expressing frustration with the news. One speaker says she “turned off news altogether.” Another adds, “Just tell the truth.” The spot then cuts to NBC anchors and reporters, including Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, Richard Engel, Kristen Welker, and Tom Llamas, before closing with the slogan: “Facts. Clarity. Calm. Reporting for America.” NBC’s campaign follows similar efforts by rival networks. Last month, CBS — now part of the newly formed Paramount Skydance — acquired The Free Press and appointed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Weiss, who launched the Free Press in 2021 to “seek truth and tell it plainly,” said in an Oct. 6 Free Press article that CBS’s move marks a “redoubled commitment to great journalism.”
CNA, UCA, and CNW News for 11/3/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — November 3, 2025
The Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, and up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and the happenings of the Holy See to anyone with internet access.
7 fascinating facts about St. Martin de Porres, the first Black saint of the Americas - Nov 3, 2025 - By Francesca Pollio Fenton - On Nov. 3, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian Dominican brother who lived a life of humble service and charity and became the first Black saint of the Americas.
Pope Leo XIV urges ceasefire in Sudan, condemns post-election violence in Tanzania - Nov 2, 2025 - By Diego López Colín - Pope Leo XIV issued urgent appeals for peace and humanitarian access in Sudan and Tanzania on Sunday, decrying escalating violence that has left civilians dead and aid blocked in parts of Africa.
Preparing for death with the Sister Servants of Mary - Nov 2, 2025 - By Kate Quiñones - The Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick, is a Catholic community of sisters who dedicate their lives to caring for the sick and dying in New Orleans and around the world. As nurses, they are at the bedside of the dying through the long nights.
UCA News
The Union of Catholic Asian World News - 11/3/25
UCA News (UCAN) is the leading independent Catholic media service from Asia, with a convergent media approach that couples traditional journalistic practices with multimedia and social media
Is the Vatican aware of China’s underground Church? - The death last week of one of the most prominent leaders of China’s underground Catholic Church, Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, was met with curious silence from the Vatican. Bishop Jia, of Zhengding diocese, died on Oct. 29 at the age of 91, after years of enduring torture in prison for his resistance to pressure by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to join the state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA).
Police probe death threat against bishop in Indian state - The threat, some suspect, is aimed at creating a Christian-Muslim divide ahead of next year’s state election, and police in southern India’s Kerala state have launched an investigation into a death threat issued to Bishop Remigiose Inchananiyil of the Thamarassery diocese.
Faith endures amid neglect at Dhaka’s historic cemetery - Wari Christian Cemetery, which dates back to the late 16th century, lies in a state of neglect. The cemetery, one of Bangladesh’s oldest European-era burial grounds, is both sacred and sorrowful. Its cracked tombs, moss-covered crosses, and crumbling walls bear witness to centuries of Christian history — and to years of neglect.
Catholic World News
CatholicCulture.org from Trinity Communications
Catholic World News (CWN) is an independent Catholic news service staffed by lay Catholic journalists, dedicated to providing accurate global news from a distinctly Catholic perspective.
Leading African cardinal denounces world’s ‘culpable silence’ about DR Congo conflicts - At a recent interreligious peace conference in Rome, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, the president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) denounced the world’s “culpable silence” about conflicts in his nation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Corruption crisis in Philippines sparks largest Church-backed protests in years - In recent months, the Philippine bishops have repeatedly spoken out against corruption and declared a national day of prayer and public repentance.
Abbot Father Alexandre Ineichen, CRA, was appointed for troubled Swiss abbey - In recent years, the abbey—akin to a tiny diocese, with five parishes entrusted to its care—has faced serious abuse allegations. In 2024, an independent commission found “at least 67 cases of sexualized violence, mostly against minors, perpetrated by at least 30 religious” since 1960; the Swiss government, citing the allegations, took control of the abbey’s school.
Nutshell reflections for 11/3/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - November 3, 2025
Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Vatican News
Vivian Suter’s art: Inseparable bond with nature
By Eugenio Murrali, November 2, 2025
“The courageous artistic vision of Vivian Suter overturns and transforms our dominant, sleepwalking categories,” said Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, as he opened Suter’s exhibition at the Botanical Garden of Rome. The defining feature of Suter’s work is her collaboration with nature. Suter described how she began painting with nature rather than merely about it. She works in a studio on a former coffee plantation at the edge of a Guatemalan rainforest. One day, a violent hurricane struck the region, covering some of her canvases with mud. When the mud dried, Suter realized the traces it left were not damage — they were part of the work. Suter stopped trying to control her paintings, which she had previously created indoors. From then on, she allowed the air, rain, soil, humidity, pawprints of her dogs, marks of plants and animals, and even sounds to interact with the canvases.
Aleteia
‘Cemeteries,’ derived from the Greek, means ‘dormitory’
By Kathleen N. Hattrup, November 3, 2025
Pope Leo said, strengthened by hope in eternal life, Christians have called burial places “cemeteries,” a word derived from the Greek koimētērion, originally meaning “dormitory.” Every year, in the days following November 2, All Souls’ Day, the Bishop of Rome celebrates a Mass at the Vatican for all the cardinals and bishops who have died in the previous 12 months. This year, the list included eight cardinals, 134 archbishops and bishops, as well as Pope Francis, who died on April 21, 2025. Sixty cardinals and bishops participated in the ceremony, celebrated at the altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica. Leo XIV assured that God “does not want” this death and that He “sent His own Son into the world to deliver us from it.” He lamented, “How many people — how many ‘little ones’! — still suffer today from the trauma of this atrocious death, disfigured by sin.”
George Weigel
Jew-hatred is Christ-hatred
By George Weigel, October 29, 2025
Sixty years ago, on October 28, 1965, the Second Vatican Council adopted, and Pope Paul VI promulgated, the Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, known by the first words in the official Latin text as Nostra Aetate (In Our Age). The obstinate refusal of some Arab states to concede the reality and permanence of Israel as a Jewish state injected itself into the Council’s discussion, creating difficulties. Nonetheless, and in no small part because of the indefatigable work of Pope Pius XII’s former confessor, the German biblical scholar Cardinal Augustin Bea, SJ, Nostra Aetate made it across the conciliar finish line—and thank God it did, given the resurgence of the cultural cancer of antisemitism today. We have the Council’s acknowledgment of the religious debt that Catholicism owes to Judaism. Antisemitism is a betrayal of Christianity, for Jew-hatred is Christ-hatred.
National Catholic Register
When St. Thérèse of Lisieux visited California
By Jeffrey Bruno, November 3, 2025
Saints are more alive now, in the kingdom of God, than they ever were on earth. Their souls, radiant in Christ’s glory, continue to walk with us. The relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the “Little Flower” who conquered the world with love, arrived in Los Angeles. I read her autobiography, Story of a Soul. How could words written by a young, cloistered nun more than a century ago reach through time and grab the human soul? How could her simple phrases so profoundly rearrange something fundamental in a person’s understanding of love and holiness? I caught up with the relics at St. Thérèse Carmelite Church in Alhambra — a parish in its 101st year, with nearly 40 of those years spent in perpetual adoration, where Christ in the Eucharist is adored day and night. The lines to venerate her stretched as far as the eye could see, winding through church grounds and spilling into the street. Millions have met her through answered prayers, conversions, and healings beyond counting.
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