Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 5/12/25
Topics include: Japanese cardinal on papal choice, First responders save priest’s life, Pope Leo XIV to live in Apostolic Palace, & Mainline Protestants not ‘liberal’
“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Today's sources are Catholic News Agency, Crux, Graphs about Religion, OSV, Aleteia, Fides, National Catholic Register, & First Things. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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CRUX
Japanese cardinal explains why Pope Leo XIV was chosen
By Nirmala Carvalho, May 12, 2025
Japanese Cardinal Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo says Pope Leo XIV’s previous work as a missionary and as a Vatican official were important reasons he will make a good pontiff. Speaking to Crux, the cardinal spoke on the election of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to the Chair of Peter on May 8. “Pope Leo XIV has a rich background in missionary work, especially in Peru, where he served both as a missionary and later as a bishop. He also led the Augustinian Order as its Superior General and most recently served as Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, giving him deep experience in both pastoral and administration in the Church and also as an effective and reliable leader,” Kikuchi said. “However, we all understood that we were not looking for a second Pope Francis, photocopy of Pope Francis, but a true successor to Saint Peter, who would faithfully guide the Church according to God’s will and responding to the trust given by Jesus.”
CatholicVote
First responders on vacation save priest’s life in Bermuda
By Rachel Quackenbush, May 12, 2025
A Catholic priest nearly drowned during a recent vacation in Bermuda — until two off-duty first responders from Massachusetts came to his rescue. According to the New Bedford Fire Department, firefighter Michael Desouza and an unidentified 911 dispatcher from Waltham were at a beach in Bermuda when they saw an elderly man lying unresponsive in about two feet of water, CBS News reported May 9. They pulled him to shore and found that he had no pulse and was not breathing. Desouza and the dispatcher began performing CPR. Two surgeons who were nearby also assisted. Together, they revived the man, who was transported to a hospital. The fire department confirmed the man was a 75-year-old Catholic priest from Halifax, Nova Scotia, vacationing with family to mark the 50th anniversary of his ordination.
National Catholic Register
Pope Leo to media: Never separate ‘search for truth from love’
By Hannah Brockhaus/CNA, May 12, 2025
In his first address to international media on Monday, Pope Leo XIV thanked journalists for their service to the truth and for communicating peace in difficult times. He met with several thousand international press members to thank them for their “long and tiring days” of work over the last few weeks as they reported on Pope Francis’ death, funeral, and the conclave. “In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (Mt 5:9). This is a beatitude that challenges all of us, but it is particularly relevant to you, calling each one of you to strive for a different kind of communication, one that does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive words, does not follow the culture of competition, and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it,” Pope Leo XIV said.
Daily Caller
Return to tradition: Pope Leo XIV to live in the Apostolic Palace
By Timothy Sekerak, May 10, 2025
According to BBC reports, Pope Leo XIV is reportedly set to reside in the Apostolic Palace, the historic residence of popes for centuries. Starting with Pius IX in 1870, the pope has traditionally lived in the papal residence. The papal apartment has more than a dozen rooms, staff residences, and a grand view overlooking the city of Rome. Pope Francis broke this tradition when he was elected in 2013 and opted to live in the Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where he stayed during the conclave. After the Regina Caeli prayer from the Loggia of the Blessings on 11 May, Pope Leo XIV had the papal apartment of the Apostolic Palace reopened with the removal of the seals that had been placed there during the afternoon of 21 April following the death of Pope Francis.
Catholic News Agency
Campaign to defund Planned Parenthood swings into high gear
By Tessa Gervasini, May 12, 2025
Pro-life organizations are stepping up their campaign to defund “big abortion” as the reconciliation bill is expected to come up for debate in the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week. On Wednesday, May 7, digital billboards with ads from pro-life organization Live Action lit up Times Square, urging passers-by to help defund Planned Parenthood. Since the Trump administration announced its plan to defund Planned Parenthood in March, pro-life leaders have been working with lawmakers and urging citizens to contact their representatives with the hope the reconciliation bill will defund federally defund the organization by Memorial Day.
Graphs about Religion
Mainline Protestants are not actually ‘liberal’ Christians
By Ryan Burge, May 12, 2025
The “Mainline” Protestant moniker is a Protestant tradition that is the less conservative version of evangelical Christianity. It used to dominate American religion. There is some evidence that half of all Americans were members of a Mainline church back in the 1950s. Those glory days are most assuredly over. There’s a perception of the Mainline that you often read on social media about them, the stereotype is that Mainline Protestants are politically liberal. For the record, this thought almost always emerges from the keyboard of an evangelical Protestant or a traditional Catholic. In 2024, Donald Trump actually managed to make some real inroads with mainline Protestants, and he upped his vote share to 58%. In contrast, Kamala Harris did even worse than Hillary Clinton, only receiving 40% of the votes from mainline Protestants.
Aleteia
Pope Leo: ‘A man who doesn’t lose his calm in difficult situations’
By I.Media, May 12, 2025
Mother Yvonne Reungoat is a French religious and former superior general of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians — commonly known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco. As a member of the Dicastery for Bishops, she worked for three years with Cardinal Prevost. “He brings both novelty and continuity, building on what Pope Francis began and going beyond it, too, with a different personality. I’m certain that the Church will continue on the path begun with the Synod,” she said. “It’s impossible to be indifferent to the great injustices of the world when we’re directly confronted with poverty. I also experienced this when I was a religious sister in Africa.” In the face of challenges, Sister Reungoat said, “I’ve always seen him maintain his serenity in order to discern the paths that could open up. This is an important point in his new responsibility: He’s a man who doesn’t lose his calm in difficult situations.”
Our Sunday Visitor
What is the Church's teaching on yoga?
By Jenna Marie Cooper, May 11, 2025
Catholics should avoid things like palm readers, ouija boards, or anything else related to the occult. The Church has no clear official teaching on yoga. Yoga did originate as a non-Catholic religious practice, and it would be problematic if a Catholic engaged in yoga on specifically spiritual terms. On the other hand, many, if not most, Westerners who engage in yoga do so without any kind of religious intentions. They participate in yoga for the pure physiological benefits of this kind of gentle exercise and controlled breathing, which seem to have a basis in the natural medical sciences. St. Thomas Aquinas extensively used the ancient pagan Greek philosophers in his writings, and a similar argument might be made for the legitimacy of non-religious yoga. Catholics should engage in yoga as something to be personally discerned, perhaps with the help of a confessor or spiritual director. It would be inappropriate, if not spiritually dangerous, for a Catholic to seek out purely supernatural healing apart from Christian prayer or the sacraments.
Related: When approached with the right mindset, yoga can be a physical and spiritual discipline that honors God, YogaMindfully, April 14, 2025
Agenzia Fides
‘The Church is not a battlefield, it is a sacred place’
By Agenzia Fides, May 10, 2025
A new act of violence has shaken the parish of St. Mary Help of Christians, in Tombura County, Western Equatoria State, one of ten states in South Sudan. Paul Tamania, a young coordinator of the Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CODEP), was shot dead on Wednesday, May 8, inside the parish premises. CODEP is an organization born within the Diocese of Tombura-Yambio. The crime comes five months after the murder of the parish choir director on December 13, 2024. Local authorities opened an investigation. Bishops Barani Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala, condemned the murders. “These continuous attacks on innocent lives are absolutely unacceptable, deeply immoral, and must cease immediately. The Church is not a battlefield, it is a sacred place, a refuge where people come to find the peace of God.”
From CNA to Agenzia, plus Satire for 5/12/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — May 12, 2025
Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See to anyone with access to the internet.
Catholic school hit, 3 students killed in India-Pakistan conflict; pope hails ceasefire - May 12, 2025 - By Anto Akkara - Indian security forces launched aerial assaults against what they said were nine terrorist centers inside Pakistan early on May 7.
U.S. bishops’ updated document on pornography addresses loneliness epidemic, deepfakes - May 11, 2025 - By Jonah McKeown - a new 10th anniversary preface to a major document on the Church’s response to pornography, offering fresh recommendations for parents, clergy, educators, and civil leaders on combatting porn’s influence.
Catholic-backed suit to protect Native American site wins temporary block in federal court - May 10, 2025 - By Daniel Payne - The federal government is prohibited from selling the Oak Flat site in Arizona while the coalition group Apache Stronghold waits for the Supreme Court to potentially consider its case.
Agenzia Fides
News of the Pontifical Mission Societies for 5/12/25
Fides has become an excellent center for collecting and producing material information on the missionary world through current news, photographs, mission studies, and missionary work.
ASIA/PAKISTAN - Ceasefire between India and Pakistan: "Fruit of the children's prayers" - Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - "We know that the Lord hears the prayers of the children who are in his heart. And the ceasefire between India and Pakistan has a very special meaning for us because we consider it a truce."
AFRICA/DR CONGO - Missionary from the capital of South Kivu: “Bukavu is abandoned to hunger and neglect” - Bukavu (Agenzia Fides) - Poverty is spreading day by day: so many have lost their jobs because their deposits were plundered, because there is no money, in the case of civil servants, because they were replaced by someone hired by their new rulers.
VATICAN/REGINA CAELI - Leo XIV: May Jesus grant the world "the miracle of peace" - Christian animation "VeggieTales" and voice of Bob the TomatoChristian animation "VeggieTales" and voice of Bob the TomatoBob the Tomato has been the voice of Christian teachingVatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Pope Leo entrusts his prayer for peace to Mary, the "Queen of Peace," "so that she may present it to the Lord Jesus to obtain for us the miracle of peace."
Babylon Bee’s SATIRE News
New Pope Now Second-Most Influential Christian Named 'Bob'
By Media Staff, May 2, 2023
Christian animation "VeggieTales" hero, Bob the Tomato, has been the voice of Christian teaching for decades. After ascending to the role of Pope this week, former Bishop Robert Prevost has now taken the title of the second most influential Christian in the world named "Bob", narrowly losing out to Bob the Tomato. "The Pope is a close second, don't get me wrong," said seminary professor Dr. Art Moody. The Holy Father was understanding, but disappointed that he was not the most influential Christian named "Bob." "All this, and I still don't have the power of an anthropomorphic tomato," sighed the Pope. "Yet, who can compete with the likes of Bob the Tomato? I accept my place as the runner-up of Christian Bobs." The Pope reportedly changed his name to "Leo" so that he would no longer have to compete with Bob the Tomato.
Nutshell reflections for 5/12/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO & VIDEO - May 12, 2025
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Missio Dei
A new pope for a wounded world
By Christina M. Sorrentino, May 8, 2025
Christ gave St. Peter the keys, which handed him the authority and responsibility to "bind and loose," to guide and lead the faithful with the care and love of the Good Shepherd. Pope Leo XIV inherits that authority through apostolic succession—not to use his position for personal gain or power, but to serve, protect, and shepherd the flock entrusted to him. We know the battle ahead for him in this post-Christian world, yet we hope Pope Leo XIV will reaffirm what the Church teaches with clarity and conviction. The Holy Father needs our prayers more than our opinions, our fasting more than our applause. Like Moses on the mountain, we are called to sustain him with uplifted hands—through prayer and sacrifice—not to cut him down with bitterness and chastisement as our new Vicar in Christ. As the new helmsman, he gently takes the wheel of this ancient vessel, not steering by his own wisdom, but guided by the Holy Spirit and anchored in the truth Christ entrusted to His Church. Viva il Papa!
Reprinted with permission from Missio Dei
Catholic Exchange
The long loneliness of Dorothy Day
By Russell M. Lawson, May 12, 2025
Dorothy Day’s work as a lay Catholic, a sometimes radical writer, speaker, and doer who fought against poverty, homelessness, hunger, and disbelief, was subordinate, in her mind, to her role as a mother. In her pilgrimage through life, she hungered for human relationships, and it was particularly through the gift of being a mother that she felt almost complete. It was, after all, what brought her to Roman Catholicism. But ironically, even as she was surrounded by love, by her daughter, grandchildren, and close friends, she grappled with one of the great plagues of our modern world: loneliness. Loneliness is part of life, Dorothy Day wrote, particularly modern life, but technology and urbanization only exacerbate the human condition of loneliness that is in accord with the will of the Creator.
National Catholic Register
No matter the pope, God chose you to be a saint
By Gabriel Somarriba, May 7, 2025
While it can be exciting to speculate on our next supreme pontiff — whose election is a huge occasion deserving of our prayers — it’s also worth remembering that, when I die, Jesus will not judge me based on which pontificates I lived under. He’s going to judge me based on my fidelity to his Gospel. He will judge me based on how faithfully I carried out my duties as a husband, father, brother, son, worker, and as a Christian. I am unaware of the percentage of saints who had direct contact with the Vatican. I don’t know if St. Martin de Porres ever met the pope. I do know that soon-to-be-St. Carlo Acutis never met the pope, but he offered his sufferings for Pope Benedict XVI and the Church. Whether or not the cardinal electors give us our “top pick,” we still have the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the Catechism. There are churches with tabernacles and the Blessed Sacrament that we can visit.
Caeli Catholic
It’s not so simple: The reality of abuse
By Allie Moroney, April 11, 2025
The book and movie “It Ends With Us” touch on a sensitive and very important subject — domestic violence. I have not read the book or seen the movie, but I came across an interview with the film's director, Justin Baldoni, that struck a chord with me. In the interview, Baldoni shared something he learned while making the film: “These women who experience this every single day, there is real love there. There is charm, charisma, passion, there’s this belief that they can be better, and it’s not so simple.” It’s not so simple. Those words have stayed with me for months, and I could not agree more. Abuse often defies the neat, black-and-white categories we try to place it in. It’s not just something that happens to “other people” in theoretical situations — it’s messy, layered, and often rooted in dynamics that make it painfully hard for the victim to recognize or leave.
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