Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 6/23/25
Topics include: Euthanasia facility opens at St. Paul’s Hospital; Pope Leo pleads for peace; The rosary & Jim Caviezel; & Catholic movements sweep through Spain
“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Today's sources are Catholic News Agency, ChurchPop, Graphs about Religion, OSV, Aleteia, Fides, National Catholic Register, & Catholic Digest. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
Click here to view this email on the Catholic Nutshell News website. Today’s Catholic Nutshell News audio podcast is available on the Substack App.
Catholic News Agency
Euthanasia facility quietly opens at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital
By Terry O’Neill, June 22, 2025
A government-ordered euthanasia facility, operated by the British Columbia, Canada, government’s Vancouver Coastal Health Authority on the downtown campus of the Catholic-run St. Paul’s Hospital, is now fully operational. A six-month investigation into the impact of the New Democratic Party government’s MAID (medical aid in dying)-imposition edict also uncovered that planning is underway for another euthanasia facility to be operated by Vancouver Coastal on the site of the new St. Paul’s Hospital on False Creek Flats, which is being built a little less than two miles east of the existing hospital. Vancouver Coastal is also currently operating MAID rooms in the same buildings that house two Catholic-run hospices in Vancouver. The provincial government forced the euthanasia facility onto the current site of St. Paul’s Hospital in November 2023.
CatholicVote
Pope Leo pleads for peace following US strikes on Iran
By CV News Feed, June 23, 2025
Amid escalations in the Middle East following a US military strike on Iranian territory, Pope Leo XIV delivered an urgent and impassioned call for peace during his Sunday Angelus address, warning the international community against plunging further into a cycle of irreversible destruction. Pope Leo also warned against the moral indifference that can numb global attention to ongoing suffering. “Today more than ever, humanity cries out and calls for peace,” he said. “This is a cry that requires responsibility and reason, and it must not be drowned out by the din of weapons or the rhetoric that incites conflict.” Without naming specific nations, Pope Leo emphasized that the burden of de-escalation falls on all. “Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable chasm.”
ChurchPop
The rosary & Jim Caviezel: 'Our Lady's hand has guided my life'
By Jacqueline Burkepile, May 30, 2025
A clip of Jim Caviezel speaking about the Rosary has made its rounds across the internet. The 55-year-old actor, who is most known for his role as Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ," will reprise his role in Mel Gibson's 2026 sequel, "The Resurrection of the Christ." The devoutly Catholic actor credits his success to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “That rosary and I believed that the intercession of Our Lady led to the first major role of my career in 'The Thin Red Line.' We would be nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. "Through all my trials, Mary had been there all along, leading me by the hand, and guiding me toward her Son and my vocation."
The Pillar
New Catholic movements sweep through Spain
By Fionn Shiner, June 16, 2025
Archbishop Luis Javier Argüello Garcia, Archbishop of Valladolid and president of the Spanish episcopal conference, bemoaned that of the 23,000 baptismal fonts spread across Spain’s 22,921 parishes, many of them “have no water.” In his view, he said, this amounts to fewer strong Christian communities which can “help the Holy Spirit engender new Christians.” Yet, against that backdrop, Fr. Juan Vargas from Santa María de Castelldefels parish in Castelldefels, near Barcelona, said he has a newfound hope. A retreat by a group called Effetá — “be opened” — has organized weekend parish retreats for people aged between 18 and 30. Effetá is not the only initiative making waves. There is also Hakuna, Emaús, The Conjugal Love Project, a Spanish diocesan program to help married couples and families, and many more. The man who brought LifeTeen from America into the parishes of Spain, Marles agrees about the effectiveness of the new movements.
The Christian Post & CNA
Presidential religious liberty commission convenes first meeting
By CP Staff & CNA’s Tessa Gervasini , Ken Oliver-Méndez, June 23, 2025
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick chaired the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty last Monday at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Panelists included former U.S. Housing Secretary Dr. Ben Carson and TV talk show host Phil McGraw, along with remarks from faith leaders, scholars, and legal experts on the foundational role of religious liberty in American society. Established by a May 1 executive order by President Donald Trump, the commission plans to hold as many as nine hearings through 2026 to gather data and develop long-term strategies to protect religious liberty for all Americans, according to officials. Commissioners, which include Bishop Robert Barron and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, received expert legal input on a number of religious liberty cases, and the feedback included that “the Supreme Court needs to take up more cases, and they need to quit kicking them back down to the lower courts.”
Graphs about Religion
US policy that seems more ‘religiously coded’
By Ryan Burge, June 23, 2025
I picked six issues that run the gamut of public opinion — abortion, gun control, crime and punishment, the environment, immigration, and healthcare. In 2022, 59% of all Americans thought abortion should be a choice. The partisanship gap was a chasm. Among Democrats, 86% were in favor versus just 30% of Republicans. This division between Democrats and Republicans is there on every issue. More frequent church attenders are much less supportive of abortion as a choice compared to never attenders. The total drop is nearly forty percentage points. When it comes to gun control, support for a ban on assault rifles decreases by 13 points from never attenders to those who attend more than once a week. On immigration issues, there is no discernible difference in the answers based on attendance, which is quite striking. And regarding healthcare, the more often people attend church, the more likely they are to support repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Aleteia
Religion is rising and atheism is dying
By Tom Hoopes, June 22, 2025
A quarter of the way in, the 21st century isn’t turning out to be the “post-Christian” century it was predicted to be. In 1996, Richard Dawkins, the biologist who led the charge of the New Atheism movement, said, “I think a case can be made that faith is one of the world's great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate.” Now, nearly 30 years later, he admitted in a TV interview that he appreciates “living in a culturally Christian country” and says, “I’m not a believer, but there is a distinction between being a believing Christian and a cultural Christian.” The culture looked bleak without faith. In addition to frequent spikes in crime and steady rises in child pornography and human trafficking, many noticed how angry and mean we have grown. Worse, “deaths of despair” — suicides, directly or indirectly through addictions — have risen dramatically for complicated reasons including a lack of meaning and belonging.
Omnes
Spain’s 24,987 benefactors have supported ACN's work
By José M. García Pelegrín, June 16, 2025
Over the last decade, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has strengthened its position among Catholics worldwide, consolidating its reputation as one of the most active organizations in supporting Christian communities affected by conflict. An emblematic example of this work is the publication of the Bible adapted for children, a project that has reached a global dimension. This publication has been translated into more than 190 languages and 51 million copies have been distributed. 28.2% of resources went to the formation of priests, religious, and catechists, while Mass stipends accounted for 23.9%. In total, 1,619,185 euros in stipends were given, representing an increase of 11.8% over 2023. ACN funds more than 5,300 projects in 137 countries thanks to the support of nearly 360,000 benefactors in 23 countries.
Crux
Archbishop demands suspension of Marilyn Manson’s concert
By Eduardo Campos Lima, June 23, 2025
Archbishop Jorge Cavazos Arizpe of San Luis Potosi, a city with more than 800,000 residents in Mexico, asked the local state governor to cancel a concert of rockstar Marilyn Manson scheduled to happen on Aug. 10, claiming that it can “take to situations of evil.” Cavazos claimed that the concert “does not bring fraternity nor joy” and involves mockery of the Catholic faith and creeds. “I don’t know that person [Manson], only in a general way. But if we understand that situations of evil can be caused, as a Church, united with our Lord Jesus, we cannot promote any kind of insinuation of evil. We have to attack all situations,” he added. Manson’s concert will be part of Potosi’s annual National Fair, which will take place between Aug. 8-31.
From CNA to Agenzia, plus Satire for 6/23/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — June 23, 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.
Vatican secretary for protection of minors: ‘Harming a victim is harming the image of God’ - Jun 23, 2025 - By Diego López Marina - Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera contends that instead of a single reparative action, victims of abuse require “an in-depth process.”
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage concludes with Corpus Christi Mass in LA - Jun 22, 2025 - By Jim Graves - The 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage completed its 3,300-mile journey across the western United States Sunday, having traversed 10 states.
‘The church comes first’: A Yazidi family’s promise to protect a Christian sacred site - Jun 22, 2025 - By Georgena Habbaba - Thanks to the devotion of a local Yazidi family, the doors of Mar Odisho Church remain open in the northern Iraqi village of al-Nasiriya.
Agenzia Fides
News of the Pontifical Mission Societies for 6/23/25
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.
AMERICA/ECUADOR - Salesians distribute work kits to fishermen in difficulty after the environmental disaster in Esmeraldas - Esmeraldas (Agenzia Fides) – On March 13, 2025, a pipeline rupture in the province of Esmeraldas, northwest Ecuador, caused a huge amount of oil to spill into the river of the same name.
ASIA/VIETNAM - An association for the promotion of faith in Vietnam is born in the parish of Trang Quan - Hai Phong (Agenzia Fides) – To accompany adults who have recently received baptism on their journey of faith: with this objective, the Association for the Promotion of Faith was born in the parish of Trang Quan.
OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Accusations of witchcraft and violence in society: Caritas' commitment to combating them - Kundiawa (Agenzia Fides) – In the province of Simbu, in Papua New Guinea, so-called violence related to accusations of witchcraft represents one of the most serious and horrific forms of aggression between families.
Babylon Bee’s SATIRE News
Pathetic Excuse For Disciple Who Fails To Get An Epistle Into Bible
By Scripture Staff, June 22, 2023
The sorry excuse for a disciple known as "Saint Bartholomew" died without having penned a single epistle that would make it into the Bible. Though Saint Bartholomew wrote many letters during his missionary journeys to India and Armenia, not a single one made the cut for the canon, cementing Bartholomew's status as a total embarrassment. "What a loser," said New Testament scholar Dr. James Stanton. "He's a total joke of an apostle, Bartholomew. After all those years, the guy couldn't get one measly epistle published. It's just humiliating." According to Stanton, little-known documents from the Council of Nicea indicate that the Church actually passed a formal resolution recognizing Bartholomew as an absolute travesty. "Maybe he could have gotten credit for probably dying as a martyr for the faith, but because his writings were so lousy, no one could know for sure.”
Nutshell reflections for 6/23/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - June 23, 2025
Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Our Sunday Visitor
The truth about transitions as holy moments
By Laura Kelly Fanucci, June 18, 2025
But then I saw the spark in my midwife’s eyes. “You’re in transition,” she said, her gaze steady. “This baby is almost here — believe me.” Transition is the stage between active labor and pushing, when contractions come fast and furious. (Google defines transition as “a challenging but crucial stage of birth,” which is like calling the epic Easter Vigil a “slightly longer liturgy.”) Transition is the peak of the mountain climb, the last mile of the marathon, the grueling final exam after a week of all-nighters. In transition, you are certain that you cannot do it. You cannot go one minute more. But these exact words of despair signal to every professional in the room that you are about to have a baby. Transitions are hard. But transitions are also holy. They don’t last forever; they lead to what comes next. And the passage deserves to be honored.
Matt Fradd's Terrifying Ruminations
Aquinas' brutal takedown of the prophet Muhammad
By Matt Fradd, June 20, 2025
St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae was written as a work of apologetics, aimed at explaining and defending the Christian faith to non-Christians, especially Muslims and Jews. Because of that, Aquinas relies primarily on reason and philosophy—drawing from Aristotle, Plato, and the Neoplatonists—rather than Scripture, which his intended audience wouldn’t have accepted as authoritative. Aquinas’ work is a direct (and not at all politically correct) critique of the origins of Islam. “Muhammad said that he was sent in the power of his arms, which are signs not lacking even to robbers and tyrants. What is more, no wise men, men trained in things divine and human, believed in him from the beginning.” For further details, hear one man’s story of leaving Islam in my upcoming conversation with Ridvan Aydemir, known online as Apostate Prophet.
The Catholic Gentlemen
Harvard University’s sad abandonment of ‘Veritas’
By Joseph Pearce, June 22, 2025
It is ironic and risible in the extreme that the motto of Harvard University is “Veritas” because that once-illustrious institution has long since abandoned any belief in objective verity. It has ceased to seek answers to Pilate’s question, Quid est veritas?, and only asks it in the rhetorical sense that it is unanswerable. Abandoning the noble quest for truth, it now pursues relativism while simultaneously tolerating the absolutism of radical Islam. It’s all a long way from the vision of its founders or the vision of the generations of students who have studied in its once-hallowed halls. In 1978, at his famous commencement address at Harvard, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn had warned of the rise of relativism and had prophesied its destructive consequences. “The motto of your university is ‘Veritas,’” he began, taking “truth” as his theme and its abandonment as his cautionary lament.
Catholic Digest
Learn to walk on water
By Gary Zimak, June 17, 2025
It’s easy to trust God when all is going well. During those “blue sky” periods, we typically don’t spend too much time analyzing our faith. It’s a different story, however, when we are faced with an unexpected storm. We are often placed in situations that challenge us to trust God even when it doesn’t make sense. Nobody understood this better than Peter, a seasoned fisherman who Jesus called to walk on water in the middle of a storm. There were some bumps in the road, but overall, he was successful. Any opportunity to grow in faith will involve some degree of risk. While the intensity of the fear may vary, it is typically present whenever God asks you to do something. Note that the storm didn’t stop once Peter stepped out of the boat. The key is to imitate Peter and get refocused on the Lord. When he began to sink and cried out, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30), Peter did exactly what he was supposed to do.
Catholic Nutshell News is a subscription service hosted by SubStack. Get up to a dozen recent articles Monday through Saturday to review regarding newsworthy issues. An easy way to browse top Catholic news and information services on the net. Edited by John Pearring.
Listen to an audio podcast of today’s Catholic Nutshell News on the Substack App!
At the top of your phone, while in the Substack app to read our post, press the ▶️ play button and have Catholic Nutshell News read to you daily …
