Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 12/8/25
Topics include: Mariologists publish scathing critique; Christmas is back in Bethlehem; European recognition of same-sex unions; & Catholics donate significantly less than others
“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Today's sources are Crux, Graphs about Religion, Aleteia, Fides, UCA, Catholic Culture, & National Catholic Register. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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National Catholic Register
Leading Mariologists publish scathing critique of Vatican note
By Edward Pentin, December 7, 2025
One of the Catholic Church’s foremost associations of Mariologists has issued a strongly critical response to Mater Populi Fidelis, a recently published Vatican doctrinal note that has been criticized for its diminution of some long-established devotional Marian titles. In a 23-page document published Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the International Marian Association Theological Commission (IMATC) points to various elements of Mater Populi Fidelis (The Mother Of the Faithful People of God) which it calls erroneous, “unfortunate,” and says are in need of “substantial clarification and modification.” They describe a significant element of the document as resembling Protestant rather than Catholic theology and urge, “in a spirit of true synodal dialogue,” for Mater Populi Fidelis to be re-evaluated.
CRUX
Christmas celebrations return to Bethlehem after 2 years of war
By Megan Janetsky, AP, December 8, 2025
While a shaky ceasefire holds in Gaza, Palestinians hope the festivities are a step toward a more peaceful future in a region shaken by tragedy. “It’s not like it was before the war,” restaurant owner 30-year-old John Juka said. “But it’s like life is coming back again.” Tourism and religious pilgrims have long been a prime economic engine for Bethlehem. Around 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s residents live off it, according to the local government. Those earnings ripple out to communities across the West Bank, a territory long marked by economic precarity. “When we have 10,000 visitors and pilgrims sleeping in Bethlehem, that means the butcher is working, the supermarket is working and everybody is working,” said Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati. “There’s a ripple effect.”
Aleteia
3 Marian feasts this week, and they’re perfect for Advent
By Daniel Esparza, December 8, 2025
The liturgical calendar offers a miniature Marian season in early and mid-December. Within just a few days, the Church observes three distinct celebrations of Mary, each highlighting a different aspect of her place in Christian life, history, and culture -- and each linked to the joy of new life. None of them competes with the central rhythm of Advent, but together they create a brief, illuminating panorama of Marian devotion across continents and centuries. The week begins with the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, one of the Church’s highest-ranking celebrations. The doctrine matured over centuries before being formally defined in 1854. Two days later comes a newer entry in the universal calendar—the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Loreto on December 10, added by Pope Francis in 2019. It honors the Holy House of Nazareth, preserved in Loreto, Italy. The week concludes on December 12 with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a celebration with enormous influence in the Americas.
Agenzia Fides
Pakistan approves Commission for Minority Rights
By Agenzia Fides, December 5, 2025
“The Pakistani Parliament has passed the law establishing a National Commission for Minorities Rights. This is a long-awaited step forward that means better protection of fundamental rights and security for us. It is a very positive step,” said Samson Shukardin OFM, Bishop of Hyderabad, President of the Pakistan Bishops’ Conference, in an interview with Fides. The commission is a government body responsible for protecting the rights of non-Muslim communities in Pakistan (Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and other religions). The law was passed on December 2 in a joint session of parliament with 160 votes in favor and 79 against, following a lively debate in which Islamic religious parties expressed their opposition. The law follows the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in 2014 ruling that compelled politicians to establish a special commission for minority rights after violent attacks on churches and other communities.
The Pillar
India’s Syro-Malabar Basilica resumes public Eucharistic liturgies
By Luke Coppen, December 3, 2025
One of the most painful chapters in the Syro-Malabar Church’s liturgical dispute ended Monday when the Eucharistic liturgy was celebrated publicly at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in southern India for the first time in three years. Known as the Holy Qurbana, the liturgy had not been celebrated with public participation at the basilica in Ernakulam, Kerala, since December 2022, due to clashes between supporters and opponents of a new uniform liturgy. Holy Qurbana was celebrated versus populum, or facing the congregation, the form of the Eucharistic liturgy favored by most priests and people in the local Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly. Members of the archeparchy fiercely resisted a Vatican-backed effort to end celebrations of the Holy Qurbana versus populum and impose the uniform liturgy. The Syro-Malabar Church is the largest of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome.
Zenit
European Court imposes recognition of same-sex unions
By Zenit Staff, December 5, 2025
Europe’s highest court has placed the continent before one of its most delicate crossroads: the tension between national sovereignty, European integration, and competing visions of family. The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that all member states must recognize same-sex marriages lawfully contracted in another EU country, even when their own domestic laws do not provide for such unions. The judgment, handed down on Nov. 25, does not oblige any government to redefine its marriage legislation. Yet it carries unmistakable consequences. By requiring states to acknowledge the civil effects of a same-sex marriage concluded abroad, the court insists that core rights linked to private and family life, freedom of movement, and residence must be guaranteed across the Union.
Graphs about Religion
The Bible says ‘Don’t work, don’t eat’
By Ryan Burge, December 8, 2025
2 Thessalonians 3:10: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” The scripture comes up when discussions about government welfare arise. It’s usually cited in defense of free-market capitalism and a smaller government. Is it true that religious people are more likely to have jobs than non-religious folks? For people born in 1959, about 72% are not employed, while only 60% of those born a year or two later are not employed. A majority of people born between 1965 and 1998 have at least one job. The most likely to be employed are those born in the 1980s — at least two-thirds of them are working. When you compare religious folks to non-religious folks of the same age, the religious respondents are more likely to report being employed, but the differences aren’t huge. What’s really odd about Orthodox Christians is that they’re also more likely to have multiple jobs than almost any other religious group (aside from Hindus).
University of Notre Dame
Catholics donate significantly less than most non-Catholics
By Catholic Social & Pastoral Research, December, 2025
Overall, Catholics donate significantly less than most non-Catholics. However, Catholics do not considerably differ from non-religious Americans. Catholics who do make donations are not only more likely to give to the Church. Still, they are also more likely to make voluntary financial contributions to “secular” causes, including combating homelessness, reducing poverty, aiding the elderly, supporting pro-life causes, and more. Moreover, most U.S. households, especially Catholic ones, have significant potential for greater financial generosity. Similarly, Catholics who followed a system or routine in their giving contributed more than situational or spontaneous givers to all causes. On average, the former group gave an additional $216 to the Church and an extra $287 to other philanthropic causes. Catholics donated, on average, $425 to various charitable causes over the last 12 months, as compared to $490 for the average non-Catholic.
Related: Churchgoers give more money and food at Christmastime, The Christian Post, By Leonardo Blair, December 8, 2025
Vatican News
Syria marks al-Assad ouster amid one-year anniversary
By Nathan Morley, December 8, 2025
Syria is marking the first anniversary of the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted on December 8 last year after nearly 14 years of conflict. The al-Assad dynasty, which held power for 54 years, ended when a rebel offensive forced Assad from office after his 24-year rule marked by accusations of widespread torture and repression. Up to 300,000 people remain missing, with scores of mass graves believed to exist across the country. The war triggered one of the world’s largest migration crises, with 6.8 million Syrians — about a third of the population — fleeing at its peak in 2021. More than half settled in neighbouring Türkiye, while hundreds of thousands found refuge in Lebanon and Jordan. The UN refugee agency says more than 3 million Syrians have returned since late 2024, though many face dire conditions with no functioning infrastructure, schools, or health services. European Council President Antonio Costa on Monday reaffirmed the EU’s support for Syria, pledging commitment to a peaceful, Syrian-led process.
CNA, UCA, and CW News for 12/8/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — December 8, 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.
Fátima visionary Sister Lucia’s doctor shares moving conversion story - Dec 8, 2025 - By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú - “I was her doctor for her body, but she was my spiritual doctor,” said Dr. Branca Pereira Acevedo while describing her relationship with Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the visionaries of Our Lady of Fátima.
What is ‘papal infallibility?’ CNA explains an often-misunderstood Church teaching - Dec 8, 2025 - By Daniel Payne - Though Church historians argue that numerous papal statements down through the centuries can potentially be regarded as infallible under this teaching, the concept itself was not fully defined by the Church until the mid-19th century.
‘Peace is possible,’ Pope Leo XIV says after visits to Turkey and Lebanon - Dec 7, 2025 - By CNA Staff - Pope Leo XIV on Sunday said his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon showed that “peace is possible,” pointing to renewed steps toward Christian unity and powerful encounters with the Lebanese people still seeking justice after the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
UCA News
The Union of Catholic Asian World News - 12/8/25
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
Eerasing colonial names won’t free Malaysia - December 8, 2025 - When an opposition MP recently declared that soldiers depicted on the Tugu Negara (national monument) should be remodelled to look “more Malaysian” because their noses appeared too pointed — too European for his liking — many Malaysians dismissed the comment as an odd footnote in the news cycle.
Police hunt gunman who shot down Pakistani pastor - December 8, 2025 - Police in Pakistan’s Punjab province have launched a manhunt for the assailant who shot and killed a Pentecostal pastor on Dec. 5. Kamran Salamat worked in tribal areas for decades before relocating to Punjab after death threats.
New church to serve Australia’s growing Catholic community - December 8, A Catholic diocese in Australia’s Western Sydney has purchased land to build a new church and civic center in Blacktown, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing cities, to better serve the growing Catholic community.
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.
Europe’s “Civilizational Erasure” happened when it snubbed John Paul II - by Peter Wolfgang | Saturday. What exactly is America still defending Europe from? We defeated the USSR and our allies went commie on us anyway.
Why I am not (quite, yet) a Traditionalist: Part I - by Phil Lawler | Friday.
Even if the current draconian prescriptions of Traditionis Custodes are eased by the new Pontiff, what would “mutual enrichment” bring us? Could the Novus Ordo move closer to the TLM? Absolutely. But could the TLM move toward the NO? Probably not.
Revival? New springtime? Or just a vibe shift? - by Peter Wolfgang | Nov 29.
No less than five articles in the secular press, all of them published just this month, suggests that the “vibe shift” is still very much with us. Indeed, that it may be picking up steam.
Nutshell reflections for 12/8/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - December 8, 2025
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Word on Fire
Catholics called to be the soul of the world
By Tim Glemkowski, December 8, 2025
Over the last several months, the swell of political violence and broader cultural disruption—acutely the horrible assassination of Charlie Kirk—has galvanized many lay Catholics to ask, “What can I do about all this?” We must wrestle with the tensions inherent in that question for us as Catholics. Something of the Catholic worldview has always struggled in the context of the empire: We never fit neatly in the political categories of any time period and the same is undoubtedly true today. At the same time, the first public apologetic of the Christian faith, the Epistle to Diognetus, leans heavily on the public witness of Christians as part of its most vital function. As they are accused of being “enemies of the human race,” the author of the letter instead suggests a different way of considering Christians: “soul of the world.”
Catholic News Agency
‘Sons of Thunder’ vocations group: Boys become Catholic men
By Francesca Pollio Fenton, December 7, 2025
A little over a year ago, Father Matthew Gonzalez, a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, had the idea to create a group for boys in grades eight to 12 that focuses on vocations and what it means to be a Catholic man in today’s world. “The Lord has placed a strong desire for vocations on my heart. I am convinced the Lord is still calling young men today,” Gonzalez told CNA. Sons of Thunder, which takes its name from Mark 3:17, where Jesus gave that nickname to the apostles James and John. The group meets once a month at St. Bartholomew Church in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and currently has 12 members who come together for prayer and fellowship. “Sons of Thunder exists to help restore a sense of identity as Christian men, of purpose, and of mission. When young men know who they are and what they’re made for, they can hear the Lord’s call more clearly.”
George Weigel
Ukraine amazed the world with its courage, resilience, & ingenuity
By George Weigel, November 26, 2025
Prior to the “Revolution of Dignity” that began on the Maidan, Kyiv’s Independence Square, in late 2013 and eventually gave birth to the country that has amazed the world with its courage, resilience, and ingenuity since the Russian invasion of February 2022, ecumenical dialogue and interreligious cooperation were not prominent features of the Ukrainian cultural landscape. The Maidan experience changed all that. An ecumenical and interreligious determination to reclaim the freedom that Ukraine sought when it auto-liberated itself from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991 was demonstrated night after freezing night, on Independence Square, even when peaceful, prayerful demonstrators were gunned down by an oppressive regime colluding with Moscow. That new configuration of religious and moral witness has shown its strength during more than three years of a brutal war that would have crushed the resolve of lesser spirits.
Bishop Barron Reflections
Allow yourself to be invaded and rearranged
By Bishop Robert Barron, December 8, 2025
The Church Fathers consistently referred to Mary as the New Eve, which is to say, the one who reversed the momentum started by the mother of the human race. The Ave of the angel was seen as the reversal of Eva. While Eve grasped at divinity, Mary said, “May it be done to me.” Here’s the liberating paradox: Passivity before objective values is precisely what makes life wonderful. Allowing oneself to be invaded and rearranged by objective value is what makes life worth living. And this applies unsurpassably to our relationship with God. The message that your life is not about you does indeed crush the false self that would bend the whole world to its purposes, but it sets free the true self. The immaculate conception itself is concealed in the privacy of salvation history, but the effects of it are on clear display in Luke’s Gospel.
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