Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 6/29/26
Catholics should know: 75,000 rosaries needed; Islamic flags during the World Cup; UN calls for decriminalization of heroin & prostitution; & Is the Church of England in a death spiral?
“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Your 5-minute daily Catholic briefing. Today's sources: National Catholic Register, EWTN News, The Pillar, Crux, First Things, Zenit, & Aleteia. (Catholic Nutshell is a FREE subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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National Catholic Register
75,000 rosaries needed for Fulton Sheen beatification
By Joseph Pronechen, June 28, 2026
Before the beatification Mass for Fulton Sheen begins on Sept. 24, everyone attending the morning program at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis will receive a free “World Missions Rosary” — designed by Bishop Sheen himself. Thousands of faithful will then pray a Rosary with this rosary. Bishop Sheen made each decade a different color to represent a different continent of the world where missionaries bring the Good News of Jesus. The challenge of providing 75,000 World Mission Rosaries for free was, and remains, daunting. Because the supply of this unique-looking rosary is limited and the cost to meet those numbers is prohibitive, the Pontifical Mission Societies began asking nuns, groups, and individuals to make these rosaries for Sheen’s beatification.
EWTN News
White House Religious Liberty Commission’s key recommendations
By Tessa Gervasini, June 26, 2026
The White House Religious Liberty Commission’s final report offers a list of recommendations to strengthen religious freedom in the United States. The report is for religious leaders and institutions, educators, teachers, coaches and administrators, parents, the military, religious healthcare workers and institutions, and the private sector. It also includes calls for action on efforts to combat antisemitism. Religious liberty is mentioned in the opening of “the First Amendment and itʼs basic to our democracy,” said Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, a member of the commission. “I think this commission focused on that a lot. We kept coming back to that basic insight: This is the first liberty.” The commission highlighted “12 key recommendations to strengthen religious liberty for all Americans," and recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) issue guidance clarifying the understanding of the Establishment Clause and separation of church and state, which does not appear in the First Amendment or the Constitution.
PIMA asia news
Islamic flags during the World Cup season
By Sumon Corraya, June 29, 2026
In recent weeks, rows of white flags bearing the Islamic profession of faith have appeared throughout Bangladesh, fluttering above busy roads, narrow alleys, and quiet residential neighborhoods. From Jatrabari to Uttara in the capital, and from Narayanganj to Chittagong and as far as Dinajpur, these symbols have multiplied with unusual speed, arousing curiosity, pride, and concern in equal measure. For many who display them, the flags are a simple sign of faith. “It’s a symbol of Islam, nothing more,” says a young man from Mirpur, echoing the messages circulated on social media by the organizers. Some have even organized motorbike processions, chanting the slogan: “You are a Muslim, I am a Muslim”, as they rode through the city’s crowded streets carrying the banners. For others, however, the very same image causes unease in a country where religious coexistence and international reputation are sensitive and fundamental issues.
The Pillar
Seven Eastern Catholic cardinals are at the consistory
By Luke Coppen, June 25, 2026
The 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome have up to seven representatives at this week’s extraordinary consistory of the College of Cardinals. They come from communities with a deep memory — or current experience — of marginalization, persecution, poverty, and war. Eastern Catholics account for 2.9% of the College of Cardinals, which currently has 241 living members. Around 18 million — or 1.3% — of the world’s 1.422 billion Catholics belong to Eastern Catholic Churches. They are also shaped by liturgical and spiritual traditions different from those of most fellow cardinals, who belong to the Latin Catholic Church. The seven Eastern Catholic cardinals are from six different autonomous Churches, meaning that 17 Eastern Catholic Churches will have no direct representation at the June 26-27 Vatican gathering.
Related: Leo XIV’s second “business” consistory produced few headlines, but that’s by design, by Charles Collins, June 28, 2026
aciafrica
Pope Leo XIV dismisses a schismatic Spanish priest
By Walter Sanchez Silva, June 28, 2026
Pope Leo XIV has decreed the dismissal from the clerical state of Francisco José Vegara Cerezo, who served as a priest in the Spanish Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, following a canonical process initiated for his repeated public rejection of the authority of Pope Francis and, subsequently, of Leo XIV himself. The case dates back to 2023, when a dialogue with Vegara Cerezo began following the publication of a 20-page manifesto in which he labeled Pope Francis a “heretic” and questioned the validity of his election. The now laicized priest also criticized texts such as the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia by the late Argentine pontiff and the declaration Fiducia Supplicans by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. In 2024, Vegara Cerezo’s obstinacy led his bishop, José Ignacio Munilla, to remove him from any office or position within the diocese.
Zeale
Vermont denies Christian school access to voucher program
By Mary Rose, June 26, 2026
Vermont is barring a Christian school and its students from a state-funded tuition program and athletic league because the school’s religious beliefs on gender and sexuality conflict with state policy, according to a federal lawsuit now before a U.S. appeals court. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed an opening brief on June 25 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit on behalf of Mid Vermont Christian School and one of its families, the Pardington family, arguing that Vermont’s exclusion of religious schools from its Town Tuition Program, Dual Enrollment Program, and Early College Program violates the First Amendment. According to ADF, Vermont, through its Agency of Education and Vermont Principals’ Association, requires private religious schools to adopt the state’s position on human sexuality and gender — “namely, that sex is mutable and biological differences do not matter” — as a condition of participating in the tuition program and athletic association.
ZENIT
UN calls for decriminalization of heroin & prostitution, plus …
By Stefano Gennarini, June 28, 2026
The General Assembly adopted a declaration that promotes decriminalizing drug use, prostitution, non-disclosure of HIV/AIDS status to sexual partners, sexual autonomy for children, and social acceptance of homosexual and transgender conduct. The declaration, which will guide the UN’s HIV/AIDS response for the next five years, was adopted despite a record number of objections and abstentions. The controversial elements in the declaration were included over objections from the Trump administration and African and Asian nations. Despite the objections, the declaration was adopted with 149 votes in favor, 8 against, 14 abstentions, and 22 absentees. It is the second time that the UN declaration on HIV/AIDS has not been adopted unanimously. In 2021, the declaration was also put to a vote. Back then, 165 nations voted in favor and only four against. The UN’s approach to HIV/AIDS is becoming more controversial.
CRUX
Catholic missionaries abducted in Cameroon, then released
By Ngala Killian Chimtom, June 26, 2026
Five Catholic missionaries who were abducted in Cameroon’s war-ravaged North West region on June 19 have been released, 24 hours after they were taken. The two priests, two religious sisters, and an 84-year-old Mill Hill missionary, Huub Welters, were taken while returning from Fundong, where they had attended the ordination of two Mill Hill priests that took place at St. Jude parish. The kidnappers released a video of the abductees, who were forced to address Pope Leo XIV, complaining that the message of peace he brought to Cameroon had not been heeded by Cameroonian authorities. “We want to tell the pope that the message of peace he brought has not been put into practice,” one of the abducted sisters says in the video. Now in its tenth year, the fighting has claimed the lives of at least 6500 people and the displacement of about a million others. In addition, thousands of schools have been shuttered, hospitals destroyed, women raped, and the social fabric of society shattered.
Keep informed - 6/29/26 news for Catholics:
Snippets: EWTN News, Catholic World Report, & Catholic World News
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — June 29, 2026
EWTN News provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, with updates on the Holy Father's words and the Holy See.
Catholic peace group to honor victims of nuclear weapons with lantern ceremony - By Kate Quiñones - Pax Christi International, a Catholic peace movement, is working with the Hiroshima Coventry Club (Touro Project) to organize the “Lanterns for Peace: from Hiroshima to the World” campaign worldwide.
French election politics bring surrogacy back into Europe’s spotlight - By Bryan Lawrence Gonsalves - The former prime ministerʼs call to legalize surrogacy has drawn opposition from across Franceʼs political spectrum, including within his own party, with possible consequences across Europe.
Catholic Church in India expands coaching to prepare youth for civil service exams - By Stephan Uttom Rozario - As the Church in India faces mounting pressures, the Archdiocese of Delhi is quietly opening doors for young people chasing the countryʼs most coveted jobs and university seats.
Catholic World Report
CWR’s Columns, Analysis, & Features
Catholic World Report is a free online magazine that examines the news from a faithful Catholic perspective.
Getting Bible Translations Right: A Case Study from 1 and 2 Timothy - Rev. Msgr. C. Anthony Ziccardi, S.T.D., S.S.L - June 28, 2026, In a recent address, Pope Leo XIV counseled priests not to rely on artificial intelligence for the composition of their homilies: Like all the muscles in the body, if we do not use them, they die. The brain needs to be used, so our intelligence must also be exercised a little so as not to lose this capacity
Opinion: The U.S. bishops missed an opportunity with changes to the “Charter” - Michael J. Mazza, June 27, 2026 - The internet buzzed after the U.S. bishops consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Orlando on Thursday. June 11. Catholic news outlets and bloggers mostly raved enthusiastically, while the secular media propagated slightly more restrained summaries.
What Truths Do We Hold? A Response to Questions and Critics - Kenneth Craycraft June 24, 2026 My June 9, 2026, essay, “Celebrating* 250 Years of American Mythology?,” has drawn over a hundred comments. As often happens in the comments section of any online forum, the majority of these are people arguing with one another about things that have little or nothing to do with the essay.
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.
Love of Christ entails detachment, loss, and hospitality, Pope tells pilgrims - Love of Christ entails detachment, loss, and hospitality, Pope Leo said today during his midday Angelus address (video). Reflecting on Matthew 10:37-42, the Gospel reading at Mass today, Pope Leo told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square that following Christ is “not just a matter of outward acts, but of committing ourselves entirely to a loving relationship with him.”
DDF prefect condemns just-war justifications for preventive wars - In an address to the extraordinary consistory of cardinals, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said that Catholic social doctrine has been misused to justify what are described as preventive wars. In attempting to justify preventive wars, leaders invoke “unproven preparatory actions for external aggression,” said Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, as “we continue to see in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, and elsewhere.”
Vatican diplomat calls for legal migration routes to deter human trafficking
Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations, called for the establishment of “safe and regular migration routes” to help deter human trafficking. “Human trafficking is a contemporary form of slavery and a grave violation of the God-given human dignity,” he said in Geneva, Switzerland, said during a June 22 meeting with the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons.
June 29, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE — or read HERE:
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Aleteia
How to handle false accusations without losing your peace
By Cerith Gardiner, June 29, 2026
Recently, somebody accused me of using AI to write an article that I hadn't written with AI. It definitely stung a little. Not because I think I'm better than AI, but because it wasn't true. The comment (accusation) stayed with me for a while. I was trying to be sensible and reason with it: After all, why am I so bothered by what a complete stranger thinks? Most of us can cope reasonably well with criticism, especially when there is a grain of truth in what is being said. False accusations, on the other hand, are a whole other ball game. Hours — or sometimes months! — after the accusation has been levied, we're still replaying events in our heads, delivering increasingly eloquent speeches to imaginary audiences and finally saying all the things we wish we'd thought of in the moment. Give yourself a chance to respond wisely rather than emotionally. Correct the facts clearly and calmly. Provide evidence if necessary. One of the hardest lessons is accepting that we cannot control what other people think.
Our Sunday Visitor
Father Isaac Hecker: Father of American evangelization
By Russell Shaw, June 28, 2026
In late spring or early summer of 1842, Isaac Hecker had a vision. Standing beside him, so it seemed, was “a beautiful angelic pure being” whose presence gave him “a most heavenly pure joy.” Here was a life-changing experience that set the young man, just 22 at the time, in search of a way of life that would somehow correspond to it. Although it isn’t recorded that Hecker had other visions after that, in a larger sense, the founder of the Paulist Fathers remained a visionary all his life. His great goal was the conversion of Protestant America to Catholicism, something he was convinced could happen. After all, he said, in the United States “true religion will find a reception it has in vain looked for elsewhere.” If he ever is declared a saint (the process began in 2008 and he now has the title “Servant of God”), you could imagine him being named patron of the Americanist impulse in American Catholicism.
First Things
What JD Vance found in the Church
By Robert Barron, June 26, 2025
JD Vance is a man from the backwoods, far from the centers of power. Anyone who has read the first installment of his autobiography Hillbilly Elegy knows how his early years were marked by economic instability, lots of family dysfunction, and little prospect of rising in the world. But like Augustine, this kid from the provinces possessed a fierce ambition to succeed. And so, he made his way out of hillbilly country to the military, then to great achievement at Ohio State University, and finally to triumph at Yale Law School. He was a success addict, or rather, an approval addict, and his heart was still utterly restless. It was this emptiness that opened him to a reconsideration of the Christianity of his youth, which he had largely abandoned, at the prompting of the intelligentsia among whom he moved at Yale. I was indeed struck by the important role that Catholic social teaching played in the vice president’s journey to Catholicism—confirming St. John Paul II’s insight, by the way, that the social doctrine of the Church is crucial to evangelization.
The Catholic Thing
Is the Church of England in a death spiral?
By Brad Miner, June 29, 2026
What would T.S. Eliot think of the Church of England today? By the time he died in 1965, he had become deeply concerned about the leftward drift in British culture. Eliot’s major prose works – The Idea of a Christian Society (1939) and Notes Towards the Definition of Culture (1948) – are extended laments that England was ceasing to be Christian. And it’s just this downward and escalating slide from orthodoxy that seems to be driving so many young English people, men especially, toward Catholicism in 2026. Something similar is going on in the U.S. Some are calling it a “quiet revival,” although that may be because liberal Anglicans don’t want to hear about it. Among churchgoers aged 18–34, Catholics now make up 41% compared to just 20% for Anglicans – an astonishing turnaround from just 2018, when Anglicans made up 30% of that group and Catholics only 22%.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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