Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 6/30/25
Topics include: A return to normalcy in the Papacy; British politician refused communion; Will Leo canonize American saints?; & 'Hunger not a valid weapon of war'
“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)
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National Review
A return to normalcy in the Papacy
By Michael Brendan Dougherty, June 29, 2025
In less than two months, there is something almost normal about the Catholic Church again. Pope Leo XVI hasn’t conspicuously maintained emphasis on his predecessor’s themes and hobbyhorses. The man formerly known as Robert Prevost has somewhat disappeared into the role of pope, neither asserting his personality in a bumptious way, nor making off-the-cuff pronouncements that send his churchmen reeling. For the first time in the lives of many Catholics, a new papacy is not born into the storm of controversies left over from the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s. Pope Leo has refused to center anything like his personal mission statements in his public appearances. Instead, he has simply preached from the text of that day’s Gospel readings, often fluidly, and with a central focus on drawing people toward the saving work of Jesus Christ.
Catholic News Agency
British politician refused communion over assisted dying vote
By AC Wimmer, June 29, 2025
A British politician has publicly criticized his parish priest for refusing to give him Holy Communion after he voted in favor of the UK’s assisted dying bill. Liberal Democrat MP Chris Coghlan took to Social Media on Sunday and reportedly complained to Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton, describing his treatment as “outrageous.” Father Ian Vane, parish priest at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dorking, Surrey, had warned Coghlan before the June 20 vote that supporting the controversial bill would constitute “obstinately persevering” in sin. He then reportedly named Coghlan, who represents Dorking and Horley in Surrey, from the pulpit two days later. Coghlan described the priest’s actions as “completely inappropriate” and claimed it “undermines the legitimacy of religious institutions.”
Vatican News
Catholic World Women’s Observatory changing lives in Africa
By Sarah Pelaji, June 26, 2025
Operated by the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO), the World Women’s Observatory (WWO) aims to amplify the voices of women often unheard and living in fragile and marginalized communities. Founded in 1910, WUCWO represents over 100 Catholic women’s organisations worldwide, uniting more than 8 million members. The WWO, its flagship initiative, focuses on making women’s lived realities visible and informing Church and public policies through a Catholic lens centered on human dignity. Under the vision “Women Custodians of Mother Earth,” WWO has extended its reach across Africa, with notable activity in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi. Tanzania initiatives like Rise & Raise and Set Me Free, led by local advocate Sylvia Ruambo, focus on economic inclusion for imprisoned and at-risk women.
The Pillar
Will an American pope mean new American saints?
By Michelle La Rosa, June 28, 2025
The announcement of a new pope is often followed by canonizations of saints from the pope’s home country, either because the new pontiff has a personal affinity for a particular individual whose cause for canonization is open, or because the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints moves a little more quickly in processing those causes. There are dozens of Americans currently at various stages in the canonization process. And Leo XIV is relatively young and appears to be healthy. It’s possible that he could canonize a number of new American saints, such as Blessed Fr. Solanus Casey, O.F.M. Cap. Casey died in 1957 and was beatified in 2017. Also, Servant of God Dorothy Day, cofounder of the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933, whose canonization cause was opened in 2000, and Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, scheduled for beatification in 2019, when plans came to a screeching halt just weeks before the beatification Mass.
Our Sunday Visitor
Under Rome lies a hidden world of martyrs and mystery
By John and Ashley Noronha, June 29, 2025
Beneath the cobblestone streets of Rome lies a hidden world — a vast, layered history of Christian faith going deep into the belly of the earth. This subterranean realm, composed of ancient catacombs, crypts, and buried basilicas, descends as many as four or five stories in some places, preserving the sacred traditions and legacy of early believers. Beneath the popular ninth-century Basilica of Santa Cecilia lies a silent underground realm, comprising the remains of structures occupied from the second to the fourth centuries, now a crypt that contains the relics of St. Cecilia and her husband, St. Valerian. Layered like an Italian nonna’s Sunday lasagna, San Clemente is a vertical timeline passing through layers of Rome’s religious and architectural transformations, from the first century to the present.
Graphs about Religion
How much did religious groups engage in politics in 2024?
By Ryan Burge, June 23, 2025
The most engaged group in political action in 2024 was Jews, but only 14% had gone to a meeting in the previous month. Almost every Christian group was in the single digits, with 8% of white evangelicals and 9% of white Catholics attending a local meeting. Only two groups had a donation rate that was above 30% — Jews and atheists. Of the sixteen religious groups and six political activities (meetings, protests, and contacts with politicians), I found only two instances where overall engagement increased in 2024. People's interest in politics declined significantly in 2024 compared to four years earlier. For what it’s worth, the pandemic probably had varying impacts on political activity. It gave us more time to pursue other interests. Overall, the average person engaged in .75 activities in 2020, compared to 2016. In 2024, that dropped to .60 activities. A drop of about 20%
Aleteia
Confirmation names we may see inspired by the latest popes
By Cerith Gardiner, June 30, 2025
A good time to find a hero is when we choose our confirmation name. By selecting a saintly name, a child adopts that saint as a heavenly patron. Taking a “saint’s name at confirmation … give[s] the confirmand the opportunity to develop his understanding of and reliance on the communion of saints," according to Catholic.com. Pope Leo’s choice of Leo XIV shows he looks up to St. Leo as a model of bold, compassionate faith. Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose Francis as his papal name, honoring St. Francis of Assisi, but even before that, young Jorge’s heavenly friend was St. George. Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI chose the inspirational founder of the Benedictine Order, the one he called an "unusual saint." A child picking Joseph or John as a confirmation name could look to John Paul II’s example of loving trust in God and joyful witness to Christ on every page of his life.
Omnes
Holy Land parishes with Eastern rites, Protestants, Jews & Muslims
By Javier García Herrería, June 30, 2025
Under the luminous sky of Jaffa, Friar Agustin Pelayo OFM - Franciscan friar of the Custody of the Holy Land - builds bridges between different cultures and religions. With more than two decades in these sacred territories, his life is a testimony of dedication to religious vocation and dialogue in one of the most complex and fascinating regions of the world. “We maintain schools, housing and work to sustain their faith. We serve everyone without distinction. We engage in interreligious dialogue through actions, not documents. In our parishes there are Christians of Eastern rites, Protestants, Jews at Christmas and even Muslims who honor Mary.” There are also heartfelt gestures, he said. “Muslims who return inherited Bibles, Jews who donate crosses at Passover, or the municipality of Tel Aviv, which cleans our cemetery and built a park for children.”
Crux
Hunger not a valid weapon of war, Pope Leo says
By Charles Collins, June 30, 2025
Around the world, people are currently witnessing “with despair the iniquitous use of hunger as a weapon of war,” according to Pope Leo XIV. The pontiff on Monday sent a message to participants of the annual conference of United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) taking place in Rome. Leo said starving people to death “is a very cheap way of waging war.” He said the Catholic Church encourages all initiatives to put an end to the “outrage of hunger” in the world. “That is why today, when most conflicts are not fought by regular armies but by groups of armed civilians with few resources, burning land and stealing livestock, blocking aid are tactics increasingly used by those who seek to control entire unarmed populations.” Leo said global food security continues to deteriorate, making it increasingly unlikely that the “Zero Hunger” goal of the 2030 Agenda will be achieved.
From CNA to Agenzia, plus Satire for 6/30/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — June 30, 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 exhibits Raphael’s legacy with the reopening of the Hall of Constantine - Jun 30, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - “In a way, we have rewritten the history of art,” explained Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums.
Catholic ministry helps adult children of divorce find healing and love - Jun 30, 2025 - By Emily Chaffins - Life-Giving Wounds is empowering adults to heal from the wounds from their parents’ divorce.
Pope Leo XIV warns new archbishops against pastoral plans that repeat without renewing - Jun 29, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - Speaking on the June 29 solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Leo XIV also called for maintaining ecclesial unity.
Agenzia Fides
News of the Pontifical Mission Societies for 6/30/25
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/VIETNAM - Forty new priests in Vietnam during the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - Ho Chi Minh City (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic Church in Vietnam continues to flourish in priestly vocations. In June 2025, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and traditionally reserved for priestly ordinations.
ASIA/CHINA - The People of God in China accompany the priests in their “Jubilee of Hope” - Beijing (Agenzia Fides) – With a 24-hour Eucharistic adoration and prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Chinese Catholics celebrated the days before and after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
AFRICA/KENYA - "Let us continue the dialogue with young people instead of blaming the bishops" - Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - “We want to ask everybody — the government, the leaders, and the political spheres — to look at the fact that we are taking care of the dignity of the young people.”
Babylon Bee’s SATIRE News
Honest Pastor Brags About His Moderately Attractive Wife
By Church Staff, June 27, 2023
Congregants said Pastor Michael Boldman set a great example of honesty at Fruit of the Cross Church, where he reportedly bragged about his moderately attractive wife. "I thank you, Lord, for blessing me with a moderately attractive wife who gave me three pretty good kids," Boldman said, lifting his family up in prayer. "She's not supermodel hot, but I like her." He added, "My cup may not runneth over, but it's certainly mostly full. More than halfway, at least." According to Boldman, honesty is one of the most important qualities a Christian can have, and he's not going to throw that away just to make his wife happy. "If I tell everyone she's smoking hot, that would be a blatant lie," he said. "It would ruin my witness for the gospel." Pastor Boldman's wife reportedly organized a group of ladies at the church to get revenge by sabotaging their casseroles at the next potluck afterglow luncheon.
Nutshell reflections for 6/30/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - June 30, 2025
Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
National Catholic Register
‘Love’ and ‘the heart’ have been redefined
Father Jeffrey Kirby, June 27, 2025
The world talks about love, but its definitions are either incomplete or just plain wrong. Our fallen world tells us that love is about our wants and desires. In this view, love is self-centered, euphoric, emotionally fulfilling, gleeful, subjectively satisfying, recreational, pleasurable, self-regarding, gratifying, entertaining, affable and fun. The Lord Jesus teaches us something very different about love. The Lord, whose Sacred Heart burns with a love for us, tells us: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:12-14). St. John echoes our Lord Jesus. “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (1 John 3:16).
Matt Fradd's Terrifying Ruminations
Ways that lust hijacks your brain and wrecks your soul
By Matt Fradd, June 12, 2025
A few years ago, after my debate with Dennis Prager on the morality of pornography (here), I was invited onto Ben Shapiro’s show to talk about lust. He publicly stated that he disagreed with my claim that lust is both possible and sinful within marriage. By the end of our discussion, I think we were in agreement. I provided a definition similar to that in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes” (2351). When our lower desires—like the craving for pleasure—grow too strong, they disrupt the higher powers of the soul: reason and will. In the case of lust, our natural drive for pleasure becomes so intense that it clouds our judgment and weakens our freedom. Lust does not just affect the body; it disrupts the whole person.
The Catholic Gentlemen
Love ‘em before you date ‘em
By Fr. Brian Isenbarger, May 14, 2025
The dating scene is one of the most confusing places to be, and for a Catholic man who desires a life of virtue and sanctity, discerning my vocation was nearly impossible. I met a young woman during my senior year who changed everything. We had a conversation about the purpose, or telos, of our relationship. She was a committed and faithful Catholic woman, and I was striving to live a life of holiness as well. It quickly became clear that our relationship should be focused on what all relationships should be focused on – heaven. The salvation of the other person is placed at the forefront. I am now three years into my seminary formation and was just recently formally declared a candidate for holy orders. Why do I share this story? Despite the end of our engagement and plans for marriage, our fundamental disposition did not change. We still desired the will of God and each other’s salvation above everything else. As Catholic men, it is imperative that we love the women we date even before we go out with them for the first time.
Catholic Digest
Online conversations are not in our control
By Maria Morera Johnson, June 29, 2025
I am currently the face of a meme circulating in Latin America warning children they will be disciplined when they get home from their shenanigans. An internet meme (pronounced "meem") is a picture or video with an added phrase that is ironic or humorous and gets posted and reposted until it becomes viral. One funny picture could end up with millions of views. My amusement quickly turned to something else when I realized how innocently the mistaken identity led to a funny and confused twitter conversation, and how quickly it escalated to someone taking my profile picture, adding some text, and circulating my picture outside the initial small friends group where it originated. Within minutes, the meme was seen by a hundred people. I felt violated to become the subject of someone’s joke, and shocked by how easily it happened. I now know from direct experience: once we post online, it is no longer in our control.
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