Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 2/23/26
Topics include: Students to ‘March on the Dome’; Miraculous image of Our Lady of Las Lajas; Vance apologized for comments; & Creationism isn’t as common as you think
“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Today's sources are Crux, Graphs about Religion, Aleteia, Zeale News, OSV News, Catholic Culture, & EWTN News. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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Zeale News
‘March on the Dome’ to protect Notre Dame’s Catholic identity
By Annie Ferguson, February 22, 2026
Students at the University of Notre Dame are set to gather Feb. 27 for a candlelit “March on the Dome” as they call on university leadership to rescind the appointment of Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, according to a press release shared on X by Sycamore Trust. he demonstration follows weeks of controversy surrounding Ostermann’s disparagement of the pro-life movement and outspoken advocacy for abortion access, which critics say conflicts with Church teaching on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. The march was inspired in part by a Feb. 11 statement from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the diocese where Notre Dame is located. Bishop Rhoades expressed “dismay and strong opposition” to the appointment, warning that it risks causing scandal among the faithful.
CRUX
Huckabee, on Israel & the Middle East, taken out of context
By Melanie Lidman, Samy Magdy AP, February 23, 2026
An uproar continued Sunday after the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, as more Arab and Muslim countries objected, and the U.S. said his comments were taken out of context. Huckabee spoke in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday. Carlson said that, according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today includes much of the Middle East, including parts of modern-day Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. He quoted from Genesis Chapter 15 and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land. Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.” Huckabee added later in the interview that Israel isn’t trying to take over Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, or Iraq but is simply trying to protect its own people.
Aleteia
The miraculous image of Our Lady of Las Lajas
By Philip Kosloski, February 23, 2026
Catholics are familiar with Our Lady of Guadalupe and how she miraculously appeared on St. Juan Diego's tilma in a unique way to evangelize the native peoples of Mexico. What many do not know is that she reportedly appeared in Colombia on a separate occasion in 1754. Instead of appearing on a piece of cloth, the Virgin Mary miraculously appeared on a rock wall in a cave, Our Lady of Las Lajas. The image resembles Our Lady of Guadalupe in many ways, as she wears a similar mantle with patterns that echo the tilma. She is holding the child Jesus in her arms while St. Francis and St. Dominic kneel in humble supplication. “Geologists have since bored core samples from several places in the rock and discovered that there is no paint, dye, or pigment on the surface of the rock,” explained Fr. Donald Calloway in an article for Catholic Exchange: “The colors of the mysterious image are the colors of the rock itself and extend several feet deep inside the rock!”
OSV News
Dolan: Vance apologized for comments on bishops & immigration
By Gina Christian, February 20, 2026
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said U.S. Vice President JD Vance “apologized” for “out of line” comments he made against the nation’s Catholic bishops over immigration. The cardinal — who recently retired as archbishop of New York and is now the co-chief of police chaplains in that city — recalled an undated conversation he had with Vance. The cardinal began by describing Vance as “a very good guy,” adding, “I enjoy him a lot … When he (Vance) suggested that bishops in the United States were pro-immigrant because we were making money, which was not only untrue, it was scurrilous — and he apologized,” said Cardinal Dolan. “[Vance] said, ‘That was out of line and that’s not true.'” But on other topics — “the family,” “babies,” “patriotism” and “the beauty of what the United States stands for” — Dolan said, “Bravo.” He added, that that “you’re not going to get anybody batting a thousand,” adding that “even Stan Musial, my hero … his lifetime average was, what, .331?”
Related: Retiring New York Cardinal Dolan says he’s a ‘spiritual granddad’ now, EWTN News, By Kate Quiñones, February 21, 2026
EWTN News
Former Google exec talks AI, Bible, & his conversion
By Kate Quiñones, February 20, 2026
Vic Gundotra, a former senior vice president at Google and a Catholic convert, shared how AI is part of his faith life at a recent Catholic business leadership conference. At Legatus Summit, a Catholic business leadership conference in California that ran from Jan. 29-31, Gundotra shared practical ways to use AI for faith while also highlighting potential pitfalls of the tool. Gundotra’s path to Catholicism was winding. Raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, he became deeply involved in the church, even serving as an elder. He eventually began to have doubts, but the religion’s strict rules banned any questioning of doctrine, under pain of “disfellowship.” “It’s a very dangerous thing as a Jehovah’s Witness. It was quite a struggle to be able to leave the faith and get out,” he told Legatus’ Stephen Henley in a podcast shared alongside the summit.
PIME Asia News
Monks warn of threats to the Sri Lanka’s Buddhist tradition
By Melani Manel Perera, February 23, 2026
Leaders of the Buddhist community in Sri Lanka are currently protesting against the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, complaining about the government’s alleged lack of respect for their religion and the violation of the long-standing tradition that they must be consulted on matters of state. Hundreds of monks took part in a convention promoted by the Sangha, which was held on 20 February at the headquarters of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress in Colombo, to ‘inform the public about the pressure currently being exerted on Buddhism and the Maha Sangha’. During the meeting, a Sangha Declaration was collectively issued by all the country’s monks and Buddhist leaders to address the social crises currently affecting the Buddhist community. A programme has been launched to collect signatures for a public petition against the separation of state and Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Over 70% of the 22 million inhabitants are Buddhists in a country where Hindu, Muslim, and Christian minorities also live.
Related: Why are Buddhist monks walking across the US? - by Michelle Del Rey, USA TODAY, Feb. 10, 2026
Graphs about Religion
Creationism isn’t as common as you think
By Ryan Burge, February 23, 2026
American religion is certainly not immune to the spirit of the times, and when I was growing up in a Southern Baptist church, one of the topics that seemed to be endlessly debated was evolution versus creationism — to believe that human beings evolved from other, inferior species of life would be to reject everything that the Bible has to say about basically everything else. I just don’t see creation versus evolution discussed much at all on any social media platform. Few Catholics and mainline Protestants embrace creationism. Among Catholics, it was just 17%, and for mainliners it was even lower—13%. The largest category of believers holds that humans have evolved over time through processes guided or permitted by God or a higher power — intelligent design — basically, that evolution is a very real thing, but was guided by God’s hand. This accounted for just under half of the sample (48%). The next most popular response was a belief in pure evolution. One-third of respondents said that God had no role in the evolutionary process.
The Pillar
Ukrainian Catholic sister killed in Brazil
By Filipe d’Avillez, February 22, 2026
An 82-year-old religious sister was killed Saturday in the Brazilian city of Ivaí, in the state of Paraná, Brazil. Sister Nadia Gavanski was beaten to death with a piece of wood, according to local press reports, by a man who broke onto the convent grounds Feb. 21. A suspect was arrested by the Brazilian military police soon after the crime. According to initial media reports, the man — whose name has not been released — told police that he was under the influence of crack cocaine and alcohol when he entered the convent. The convent belongs to the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, a religious order within the Ukrainian Catholic Church, a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church. The state of Paraná is home to a large Ukrainian-Brazilian community. Groups of Ukrainians began migrating to the South-American country at the end of the 19th century to fill a growing need for rural laborers.
EWTN, UCA, and CW News for 2/23/26
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — February 23, 2026
EWTN News provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and the activities of the Holy See, and is available to anyone with internet access.
Cardinals criticize Society of St. Pius X for plan to consecrate bishops without papal approval - By Kristina Millare - Cardinal Gerhard Müller and Cardinal Robert Sarah, two prominent supporters of the Traditional Latin Mass, have spoken out against the decision of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to defy the Vatican and ordain new bishops on July 1.
Varden: Don’t use the Gospel as a weapon - By Angela Ambrogetti - Norwegian Cistercian Bishop Erik Varden opened the Vatican’s annual Lenten spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia by urging Christians to resist using the Gospel as a political weapon and to measure authentic faith by fidelity to Christ — and by the peace believers embody.
Gov. Pillen of Nebraska: ‘There’s no way I could possibly be governor without my faith’ - By Madalaine Elhabbal - Pillen, 70, a native of Columbus, Nebraska, began his State of the State address at the National Governors Association 2026 Winter Meeting held in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 19–21, by recalling a horseback riding accident that nearly killed him last year. He said that “it was an extraordinary faith moment.”
UCA News
The Union of Catholic Asian World News - 2/23/26
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
Philippine drug war victims’ families, activists pin hope on Duterte trial - February 23, 2026 - Rights groups say Duterte is responsible for the deadly anti-drug campaign that killed up to 30,000 people. The International Criminal Court (ICC) started the pre-trial hearing of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, accused of overseeing thousands of extrajudicial killings.
Church, civil society urge Indonesia to halt military operations in Papua - February 23, 2026 - Church organizations, along with civil society groups, have urged the Indonesian government to halt its militaristic approach in the Papua region and its food and palm oil projects that are fueling conflict with indigenous people, who are predominantly Christian
Vatican urges Muslims and Christians to open new paths for world’s renewal - February 23, 2026 - Catholics and Muslims are called to undergo an inner transformation and become catalysts for renewing a fractured world, the Vatican said in its message for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. “We — Christians and Muslims, together with all people of goodwill — are called to imagine and to open new paths by which life may be renewed,” leaders of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue said in a letter published on Feb. 20.
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.
Saint Polycarp of Smyrna: Father of the Church and apostle to Protestants - Dawn Beutner, February 22, 2026 - Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was not the first Protestant who decided to become a Catholic after reading the Fathers of the Church. And he’s not alone.
Bishops continue to urge Notre Dame to reverse ‘scandalous’ appointment of pro-abortion professor - Daniel Payne for EWTN News - Professor Susan Ostermann has spoken out in the past in favor of abortion and has criticized the pro-life movement, at times linking it to “white supremacy” and misogyny. Presently an associate professor of global affairs, Ostermann’s leadership of the Liu Institute is set to start on July 1.
The Politics of Three Cardinals - CWR Staff - January 21, 2026 - Just a week after Archbishop Coakley, the new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), met with President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, and Secretary Noem, three U.S. cardinals ignored Archbishop Coakley’s elected authority and issued a statement harshly critical of the Trump administration.
Nutshell reflections for 2/23/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - February 23, 2026
Monday of the First Week of Lent
Word on Fire
Solzhenitsyn didn’t realize beauty has already saved the world
By Dr. Richard Clements, February 23, 2026
“Beauty will save the world.” This claim, drawn from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1869 novel, The Idiot, served as the starting point for Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s acceptance speech for the 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature. In his speech, Solzhenitsyn referred to Dostoevsky’s statement as “enigmatic,” and he admitted that “for a long time,” he considered the statement to be nothing more than “mere words.” After all, he had asked himself, “When in bloodthirsty history,” he had retorted, “did beauty ever save anyone from anything? Ennobled, uplifted, yes—but whom has it saved?” But over the course of his life, Solzhenitsyn gained insights into the saving power of beauty, and he shared some of those hard-won insights in his Nobel speech. He had gradually come to realize that in contemporary society, beauty is often more effective at touching people's hearts and minds (and changing them) than claims focused on goodness or truth.
Dominicana
Pack your angry eyes … just in case
By Br. Anselm Kelly, O.P., February 19, 2026
If you have ever seen Toy Story 2, you will recognize Mrs. Potato Head’s words. She intuits what Mr. Potato Head needs to help rescue Woody from Al, the greedy owner of Al’s Toy Barn. She instinctively packs shoes to help with the long journey and his angry eyes, just in case he needs them. The fact that Mr. Potato Head has a set of angry eyes, just in case he needs them, provides a nice lesson about anger. Many people today don’t know how to use their anger. Just scroll through Twitter or the comments section of almost any YouTube video, and you will see that we live in a world full of angry people. The misuse of anger we see in our contemporaries may lead us to think that anger is always bad. But in fact, getting angry can be a reasonable and virtuous act. Anger is an emotion shaped by our habits. Even Jesus gets angry when he sees the moneychangers and the merchants thieving in the Temple (cf. John 2:13-22).
Caeli
How to make a good Lenten promise
By Kathryn Arzabala, February 18, 2026
At each stage of my life, I’ve had expectations about how the next stage would unfold. When preparing to graduate from high school, I expected to attend a big college. After college, I thought I would get married right away. Then, when entering the dating world as an adult, I expected to meet my future spouse through conventional means (i.e., not online dating). However, I went to a small college close to home. I graduated from college without even being in a relationship. And about a year after beginning my career, I got on a dating app and met my now husband. Through these circumstances, I have learned that my expectations rise from my desires, and my desires come from the Lord. But when I give these longings back to him, he will fulfill them in ways that are better than I had planned. We all have expectations, from how a single day will go to longer plans that span a lifetime. However, if we cling to these expectations, we will be discontented with our lives.
Bishop Barron Reflections
We take the quality of our love into the next world
By Bishop Robert Barron, February 23, 2026
Friends, our Gospel today is the scene of the last judgment. We hear that the specifics are a matter of love concretely expressed: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” And we know the famous connection that Jesus makes: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” There is something awful about the specificity of these demands. This is not love in the abstract, having affection for “humanity.” It is caring for that person who is homeless, for that person who is ill, for that person who is in prison. We do not take our money, our social status, our worldly power into the next world, but we do take the quality of our love. You might consider doing an examination of conscience at the end of each day, and use this passage as your criterion.
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