Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 5/25/26
What Catholics should know: Combat ‘anti-human vision’ in AI; Free trade is Africa’s ‘only shield; Pprotect civilians in conflict; & Are ‘Real’ Catholics conservative?
“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. Today's sources are Crux, Graphs about Religion, Aleteia, The PILLAR, 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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EWTN News
Pope invokes justice to combat ‘anti-human vision’ in AI
By Hannah Brockhaus, May 25, 2026
In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, published today, Pope Leo XIV calls on society and AI developers to implement “shared standards of social justice” for artificial intelligence to respect human dignity and serve the common good. AI is not a morally neutral tool; It matters not only how it is used, but how it is designed, Leo writes in “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.” Magnifica Humanitas means “Magnificent Humanity” in Latin. He also warns that “a more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few … In fact, as with every major technological shift, AI tends to amplify the power of those who already possess economic resources, expertise, and access to data.” The first encyclical letter of Leo XIV covers a wide range of social issues, focusing heavily on the impacts of AI on education, the economy, unemployment, work, the development of young people, human trafficking, and war.
Related: Babel, Nehemiah, and algorithms: A guide to key terms in Pope Leo’s new encyclical on AI, Our Sunday Visitor, by Gina Christian, May 25, 2026
Related: Father Robert Spitzer Previews Pope Leo’s AI Encyclical, Warns of Secular Chatbot Dangers, National Catholic Register, Alyssa Murphy, May 22, 2026
CRUX
Free trade area: Africa’s ‘only shield against global power rivalries’
By Ngala Killian Chimtom, May 25, 2026
As the United States pivots toward protectionism and reciprocal tariffs under the Trump administration, China is aggressively opening its doors through tariff-free policies. It’s already been done in 53 of Africa’s 54 countries, the exception being Lesotho, which continues to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. This diverging global landscape poses a profound dilemma for African nations: is the West becoming an unreliable partner, effectively pushing the continent deeper into Beijing’s orbit? Or does this shifting dynamic offer Africa an opportunity to rewrite the rules of engagement? Professor Franklin Nnaemeka Ngwu of Lagos Business School dissects the risks of the emerging U.S.-China rivalry. He warns that without “strategic autonomy,” Africa risks becoming a passive pawn in a geopolitical tug-of-war, leading to technological fragmentation and a loss of sovereignty.
Aleteia
Today is the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church
By Philip Kosloski, May 25, 2026
May is a beautiful month to honor the Blessed Mother -- but there are surprisingly few official, universal feast days that are celebrated during this month. That should make it all the more important to celebrate one of the newest Marian feasts to be inserted into the universal calendar of the Roman Rite. Pope Francis established this feast in 2018, in a decree dated February 11, the 160th anniversary of Mary's apparition at Lourdes. It is a feast that "makes sense," as the Virgin Mary is deeply tied to the events of Pentecost. In the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles are described as being united in prayer with the Mother of God: All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers (Acts 1:14.) We can then imitate that example on the Monday following Pentecost by praying with Mary for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Vatican News
Call for moral commitment to protect civilians in conflict
By Linda Bordoni, May 22, 2026
Addressing the Security Council’s Open Debate on the “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict” held in New York this week, the Delegation of the Holy See outlined the tragic reality faced by millions worldwide as civilians bear the heaviest burden in modern conflicts, suffering displacement, violence, hunger, and the collapse of critical services. Protecting civilians, the delegation stressed, is not merely a political or operational challenge but a profound moral obligation. Attacks on religious sites and communities are a “grave concern,” the delegation warned. Such acts wound the spiritual and social fabric of societies. The delegation noted that despite a decade since the adoption of resolution 2286, attacks on healthcare workers and facilities continue unabated. “Those who are wounded or sick must never be denied care, and those who provide humanitarian assistance must never be targeted,” it reiterated.
The PILLAR
U.S. bishops get 2027 ‘ad limina’ schedule, 196 will visit Rome
By The Pillar, May 19, 2026
American bishops have been scheduled to meet next year with Pope Leo XIV, in the first of the ad limina visits to Rome for U.S. bishops during Leo’s pontificate. While the Vatican had previously indicated that quinquennial meetings would not be possible next year, a full schedule of meetings for the bishops of the country’s 196 dioceses has recently been granted. In accord with canon law, all bishops are required to complete a pilgrimage to Rome every five years, at which they are “to venerate the tombs of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul,” hence the name ad limina Apostolorum — at the threshold of the apostles. The bishops meet with the heads of the Roman curial dicasteries and with the pope, at which they are required to present comprehensive reports on the state of their dioceses, which usually span several hundred pages.
National Catholic Register
Why does Jesus vanish at Emmaus?
By Father Michael Johns, May 23, 2026
When the resurrected but still unrecognized Jesus sits at table with the two disciples in Emmaus, he “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them” (Luke 24:30). Immediately, several things happen: Their eyes were opened; they recognized him; he vanished from their sight (Luke 24:31). Why does Christ vanish? By juxtaposing the passage in Judges 6:20-21 with Christ’s actions at Emmaus in Luke 24, one finds noteworthy parallels. In both passages, there is a ritualistic meal involving God, whose presence is veiled in some way (he is represented by an angel in Judges, and the risen Jesus is unrecognized). Further, in both passages, the ritual meal consummates a covenant. Once the meal is miraculously consumed, God disappears, since his continual presence is now guaranteed by the renewed covenant and the sacral fire. The Last Supper can be repeated. And, in its repetition, the new covenant is commemorated because it bears “Jesus’ signature,” by which the bread and wine become his Body and Blood
Graphs about Religion
Are ‘Real’ Catholics as conservative as Evangelicals?
By Ryan Burge, May 25, 2026
The data consistently shows — across a wide variety of dependent variables — that white Catholics are not as socially conservative as white evangelicals. The average white Catholic doesn’t go to church with nearly the same regularity as the average white evangelical. Back in the halcyon days of the early 1970s, Catholics were more devout than evangelicals — and by a fair amount. About 60% of white Catholics attended Mass every week in 1972, compared with only 45% of white evangelicals. By the late 1990s, evangelicals were more likely to be weekly attenders than their Catholic counterparts. From there, the gap only widened. In 2024 data, 57% of white evangelicals were weekly attenders, compared with 25% of white Catholics. It’s fair to say that evangelicals have always been more conservative than Catholics, although those gaps just weren’t that big back in the 1970s.
Our Sunday Visitor
Somalia is nearing the brink of humanitarian catastrophe
By Fredrick Nzwili, May 22, 2026
Somalia is once again approaching the brink of catastrophe, agencies warn as the country is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. International aid agencies, including those connected to the Catholic Church, warn that millions lack access to basic, life-saving services and urgently need sustained global support. “Nearly 6.5 million people across Somalia are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, while more than 1.8 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition,” a group of aid organizations, including Save the Children International and SOS Children’s Villages International, said in a joint May 20 statement. “Among them, hundreds of thousands face severe acute malnutrition requiring urgent treatment.” The numbers correspond with the latest April-June data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative — a standardized global framework used to classify, measure, and communicate the magnitude of food insecurity and malnutrition.
Keep informed - 5/25/26 news for Catholics
Snippets: EWTN, UCA, and CW News for 5/25/26
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — May 25, 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.
Hundreds of churches open doors to all as Europe marks ‘night of churches’ - By Bohumil Petrík - The annual ecumenical initiative invites believers and nonbelievers to explore hundreds of churches, chapels, and synagogues across the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovakia on May 29.
EWTN News explains: Why do popes issue papal documents and what are they? - By Ishmael Adibuah - Encyclicals, motu proprios, apostolic constitutions, and exhortations — here is a guide to some of the types of documents the pope uses to lead the Catholic Church.
6 easy activities to help children understand Memorial Day - By Jen Fulwiler - As Americans remember those who have given their lives in defense of their country, here are some ideas to help children remember the meaning of the day.
UCA News
The Union of Catholic Asian World News - 5/25/26
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
Sri Lankan families march to demand justice for the disappeared - May 25, 2026 | Quintus Colombage - As many as 20,000 people disappeared during Sri Lanka’s long-drawn conflict. The demonstrators gathered on the streets spanning from the Bandaranaike International Airport to the Avariyawatta bus stand and the Raddoluwa intersection near the national capital, Colombo, on May 24.
Tribal groups sign peace deal after deadly clashes in Indonesia’s Papua - May 25, 2026 | Jacobus E. Lato - Two major tribal groups in Indonesia’s Papua region signed a peace agreement to end hostilities days after deadly clashes left at least 13 people dead, dozens wounded, and hundreds missing.
Indian Christians say can’t ignore viral ‘cockroach party’ campaign - May 25, 2026 | Umar Manzoor Shah - Some Indian Christians see the sudden rise of the viral “Cockroach Janta Party” — an online movement built around political satire — as a reflection of growing anger and political alienation among the country’s youth.
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.
In Peru, Mass of reparation offered for suppressed lay movement’s victims - A Mass of reparation was offered in Catacaos, Peru, on May 23 for victims of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (Sodality of Christian Life), a lay movement suppressed by Pope Francis last year. Mass was offered for members of the “Tallán indigenous communities who, for over a decade, suffered persecution, land expropriation, and harassment” from the movement.
6 beatification causes advanced, including Maronite Patriarch, Spanish martyrs - Vatican News - On May 22, Pope Leo XIV approved decrees advancing six beatification causes, paving the way for the beatification of Patriarch Hoayek, the Maronite Patriarch who led the Maronite Catholic Church from 1899 to 1931, and also founded the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family.
Cardinal Czerny pays tribute to martyred Czech priests - Vatican News - Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, paid tribute to two Czech martyrs at a conference organized by the Czech embassy to the Holy See.
Take time for today’s USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE - May 25, 2026 - or READ:
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Word on Fire
Why popes can, and must, talk about AI (and other social issues)
By Matthew Becklo, May 25, 2026
Many, both Catholic and non-Catholic, will be asking, if only unconsciously: Should popes be talking about something like AI at all? The Catholic Church, after all, is ultimately in the business of saving souls. Why not leave the analysis of social issues to the experts? Debate over the Church’s involvement in social and political life, of course, is nothing new. But it has taken on new intensity with the advent and development of Catholic social teaching over the past few centuries. Leo’s answer, offered right at the outset, is Christ: “the Incarnate God” to whom “we Christians lift our eyes” (1). Jesus is the Word made flesh—both fully divine and fully human—and this mystery of the incarnation, he writes in the conclusion, is “at the heart of everything” (231). This doctrine gives Christians a dual vision. If Christ is both divine and human, then Christ’s Church must be about the business of both God and humanity
What We Need Now
The project of Christian humanism
By Larry Chapp, May 19, 2026
What John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla, and his theological allies (Henri de Lubac, von Balthasar, and Joseph Ratzinger) understood was that the modern world, especially in the West, had succumbed to the allure of a kind of secular, scientistic, promethean project, mislabeled as a form of “humanism,” attempting to build a newer and more ambitious tower of Babel. Only this time, not really a tower at all, since there is no heavenly realm with gates to breach, and it is instead a kind of “anti-towers project” where the demolition and deconstruction of transcendence as the enemy of the human race is the chief goal. What we need, they claim, are not towers leading us into the celestial perfections, but a series of lateral liniments and tendons binding together the skeletal structure of a “brave” and revolutionary new form for human society.
ZENIT
Holy See notes that arms spending reaches world record
By Rafael Llanes, May 21, 2026
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published its annual report on April 27, detailing investment in armaments for armies through 2025 and highlighting the rise in spending in this area. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which has analyzed defense and security issues since 1997 and is based in London, also confirmed the highest level of military spending since 1945, following World War II. Francesco Vignarca, Coordinator of the Campaigns of the Italian Network for Disarmament and Peace, commented that, “It is precisely the continued use of weapons — which has intensified in the last two or three years, but which has been steadily increasing since the beginning of the century — that has contributed, directly or indirectly, to the world being more affected by conflicts.” SIPRI reports more than 60 armed conflicts in 2025 with military spending of almost $2.9 trillion, 2.9% more than in 2024. This marks the eleventh consecutive year of growth in military spending, which has increased by 41% since 2015.
The Christian Post
Memorial Day: America’s 7 costliest wars
By Mark Creech, May 17, 2026
Every Memorial Day, Americans pause to remember the service members who never returned home from war. Originally known as Decoration Day and centered on honoring Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War, Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May. Throughout its nearly 250-year history, the United States has been involved in numerous military conflicts in North America and around the world. From the American Revolution to World War II, military conflicts have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Some wars lasted only a few years, while others stretched across generations and reshaped the country politically, culturally, and spiritually. Read further to review the seven bloodiest wars in American history.
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