Catholic Nutshell News: Monday 9/1/25
Topics include: Pope Leo XIV meets Fr. James Martin; Vatican contacts USA over Gaza; Fr. Mike Schmitz, a Catholic influencer; & Do US citizens embrace diversity?
“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Today's sources are Catholic News Agency, Graphs about Religion, OSV, Aleteia, Fides, National Catholic Register, & Christian Post. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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Catholic News Agency
Pope Leo XIV meets Fr. James Martin at the Vatican
By Hannah Brockhaus, September 1, 2025
Pope Leo XIV met in a private audience with Father James Martin, S.J., at the Vatican on Monday. Martin, who is in Rome to lead a Jubilee pilgrimage for his LGBTQ ministry, Outreach, also had one-on-one audiences with Pope Francis on at least two occasions. Responding to a request for comment from CNA, Martin wrote: "I was honored and grateful to meet with the Holy Father this morning in an audience in the Apostolic Palace, and heard the same message I heard from Pope Francis on LGBTQ people, which is one of openness and welcome: 'Todos, todos, todos.' I found the Pope serene, joyful, and encouraging." Martin’s ministry to people with same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria has been criticized by some Catholics, who say his approach minimizes or even conflicts with the Church’s teaching on sexual morality. He has also been criticized for promoting initiatives that some say affirm same-sex orientation as an identity.
Aleteia
Vatican in contact with USA for Gaza solution
By I.Media, August 28, 2025
Although there are possible solutions, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said, there are many selfish interests getting in the way of peace. Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin lamented the political and economic interests of power and “hegemony” that prevent a solution to the tragedy in Gaza. The Vatican's “number two” expressed his hope that Israel would abandon its plan to evacuate the city of Gaza. The Secretary of State referred to the interests of “individuals and groups” – without naming them – citing “interests of a political nature, of an economic nature, interests of power, interests of hegemony, which are intertwined and prevent [the finding of] a humane solution to this tragedy.” The cardinal expressed the Holy See's desire to resolve the conflict, saying he was “always in contact with the US administration,” particularly through the US Embassy to the Holy See.
Vatican News
Pope includes Catholics as united for Creation Day on September 1
By Vatican News, August 31, 2025
On September 1, Christians worldwide unite to mark Creation Day, the annual celebration of the mystery of Creation. Speaking at the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV recalled that Pope Francis extended the celebration to Catholics 10 years ago by instituting the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, saying prayer for Creation is “now more urgent and important than ever.” “Together with all Christians, we celebrate it and extend it into the Season of Creation until Oct. 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi,” he said. “In the spirit of the Canticle of Brother Sun, composed 800 years ago, let us praise God and renew our commitment not to spoil His gift, but to care for our common home.” Creation Day, or the World Day of Prayer for Creation, is celebrated by most Christian Churches following an invitation by the Orthodox Church in 1989. Grounded in an ancient Orthodox liturgical tradition from the 5th century, it is a day to praise God as Creator, commemorate the mystery of Creation in Christ, and inspire Christians to care for the created world.
The Pillar
‘I am just a priest’ — Fr. Mike Schmitz on Catholic influencer culture
By Jack Figge, August 30, 2025
For 20 years, Fr. Mike Schmitz has served as a college chaplain at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, preaching, administering the sacraments, and engaging with students. Schmitz’s students asked him to start recording his homilies so that they could stay connected to the university’s Newman Center after graduation. Eventually, the requests became increasingly larger. In 2015, the popular Catholic media company Ascension Press asked if he would be willing to record brief talks answering common Catholic questions. Quickly, his videos gained a following, and Father Mike Schmitz became a household name in the realm of digital evangelization. His most-viewed video has 3.4 million views. There are pitfalls to that kind of life. Priests in similar positions have had big falls. And Schmitz says he is well aware of his fame and the temptations that it can present.
Our Sunday Visitor
Beauty, truth & goodness converge in new edition of the catechism
By Kenneth Craycraft, August 30, 2025
The Every Sacred Sunday edition of the catechism contains the entire text of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, including citation and topic indices, as well as a theological glossary. But what stands out about this volume is the beauty of its production. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “All creatures bear a certain resemblance to God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. The manifold perfections of creatures — their truth, their goodness, their beauty — all reflect the infinite perfection of God” (No. 41). These theological principles are at the heart of the mission of the small Houston publisher Every Sacred Sunday, especially as expressed in an extraordinary new edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Every Sacred Sunday edition of the catechism combines the words of truth with the beauty of art to create a very good companion to our journey of faith.
Graphs about Religion
How many US citizens embrace diversity in America?
By Ryan Burge, September 1, 2025
Is there a more loaded word in American discourse right now than “diversity”? It seems you can almost sort Americans into two camps based on how often they use the term. Are people actually concerned with the possibility that the country is becoming more racially and religiously diverse? The Pew Religious Landscape Study asked questions about racial/ethnic and religious diversity, and found that a majority of the U.S. population believes that diversity is a strength. When it comes to religious diversity, there’s quite a bit more trepidation. Just a bare majority (52%) said that a growing number of people who come from diverse religious backgrounds is making the U.S. stronger, while 19% disagreed. A very small group, 6%, want to see the United States stay primarily white and primarily Christian. However, people are much more sold on the idea of a multi-racial country than a country with a tremendous amount of religious diversity.
Christian Post
Archaeologists find massive wall where Jesus healed a blind man
By Anugrah Kumar, August 31, 2025
A massive wall unearthed in ancient Jerusalem has been identified as part of the original engineering that formed the Pool of Siloam, the site where Jesus is said to have healed a blind man. Researchers described the discovery as a rare physical link to a location cited in the Gospel of John. The 39-foot-tall structure, dating back 2,800 years, was part of a sophisticated hydraulic system that helped channel water from the Gihon Spring to the pool. Archaeologists excavating the site were able to radiocarbon date organic materials embedded in the mortar, including branches and twigs, confirming construction during the First Temple period, The Telegraph reported. Excavation director Itamar Berko of the Israel Antiquities Authority was quoted as saying that the wall offers “tangible remnants” of a location long known only through scriptural references.
National Catholic Register
‘Marvel’s man in Japan’ now chronicles Catholic martyrs
By Jonah McKeown, August 31, 2025
A New Yorker by birth, a young Gene Pelc — now 81 — was sent to Japan 50 years ago by the legendary Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee and tasked with adapting Marvel’s Spider-Man comics and television shows to suit a Japanese audience. At the time, American comics had made little impact in Japan, despite Japan’s thriving manga and anime culture. Pelc succeeded in helping create a Japanese version of Spider-Man, which became a national sensation. It still enjoys a cult following today. While laboring for Marvel in Japan, a country with a predominantly irreligious Population, Pelc sought out a Catholic community, attending Mass regularly at the Franciscan Chapel Center in Tokyo. Pelc was able to convince Lee to greenlight several religious-themed comic books for Marvel featuring Catholic saints, beginning in 1980 with Francis: Brother of the Universe. Pelc also helped to create a popular comic book about the life of St. John Paul II.
CatholicVote
Work has dignity, rest has purpose
By Rachel Quackenbush, August 29, 2025
Father Joe Connelly of Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Oakdale, Minnesota, explained that the Labor Day holiday “offers a profound opportunity to reflect on the Church’s teachings about the sanctity of work, human dignity, and our role in building a just society.” He noted that work is not merely a matter of survival but a way of sharing in God’s creative mission. “Through work, we participate in God’s creation, cooperating with His divine plan and contributing to the common good,” he wrote. He pointed to the Church’s consistent teaching that work is tied to human dignity and sanctification, most clearly seen in Christ Himself, who labored as a carpenter. Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum articulated this connection more than a century ago. Fr. Connelly also drew on later papal teaching, noting Pope Pius XI’s insistence in Quadragesimo Anno that fair wages and humane conditions are matters of justice.
CNA, Agenzia, & Podcasts for 9/1/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — September 1, 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.
Study: Mental health-related hospitalizations rates doubled for women who had abortions - Sep 1, 2025 - By Kate Quiñones - The study, published this summer in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, compared abortions with other pregnancies in hospitals in Quebec.
From Malawi to Houston: Catholic schools around the world named after Carlo Acutis - Sep 1, 2025 - By Courtney Mares - Schools across the world named for Carlo Acutis are getting ready to celebrate his canonization on Sept. 7 in Rome.
11 saints who had pets or who befriended animals - Aug 31, 2025 - By Diego López Colín, María Ximena Rondón - Here are a few saints who have been remembered not only for their dedication to God and others but also for the special relationship they had with animals.
Agenzia Fides
News of the Pontifical Mission Societies for 9/1/25
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/PHILIPPINES - Fasting and prayer for good governance - Manila (Agenzia Fides) - Various Filipino Catholic groups, communities, and associations have launched spiritual initiatives centered on fasting and prayer for the common good of the nation.
ASIA/PAKISTAN - Flood toll worsens: One and a half million displaced in Punjab province - Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - "The situation is very serious. It is terrible. In Punjab alone, there are over one and a half million people who have been made homeless due to the floods.
ASIA/CHINA - Church restorations and reopenings signal a "rebirth" for Catholic communities in Guangdong - Zhanjiang (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic community in Maoming celebrates the solemn reopening of the parish church, which had been closed for a long time due to major restoration work.
Podcasts
YouTube Podcasts with Bishop Robert Barron
Three podcasters present interviews with Bishop Barron
Bishop Barron pastors Megyn Kelly on annulments - “It was fantastic that Megyn shared her situation, as so many Catholics are going through a similar situation and need this knowledge!” From JD Catholic Engage in an August 2025 podcast.
Bishop Barron questioned about Jesus by Jordan Peterson - “The core essence of Jesus' pain, suffering and death on the cross is one and one alone - LOVE. No greater love is there that one lays down his life for another, even your enemy.” From Daily Dose of Christ, by T.J. who discusses topics about Jesus
Bishop Robert Barron interviewed by Tucker Carlson - On The Tucker Carlson Show, Carlson asks Bishop Barron about the reality of demons, how to fight them with prayer, and debunking the new athiests.
Nutshell reflections for 9/1/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - September 1, 2025
Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Caeli
Called to reflect God’s beauty: Dressing for your vocation
By Victoria Cardona, August 29, 2025
When the Lord called you to your vocation, he did not dream of you doing it in sweatpants and a messy bun (unless you’re deep in Saturday chores or in the thick of juggling littles, in which case: Carry on, sister!). God created you with greatness in mind and envisioned you living your vocation with strength and confidence in who you are. While our value is not diminished or increased by what we wear, we teach ourselves to value our dignity through the physical. As women, we affirm that our bodies are good and that we are temples of God’s very spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). How we present ourselves to the world can either reflect or obscure that truth. I didn’t do these things to be noticed; I made this shift because I remembered who I was: a beloved daughter of the King.
National Catholic Register
Times to pray while you drive
By Debbie Cowden, September 1, 2025
When you’re leaving the driveway: Pray to your guardian angel.
When you pass a Catholic church: Say “hello” to Jesus.
When you pass a cemetery: Pray for departed souls.
When you pass a hospital or hear emergency sirens: Pray a Hail Mary.
When you pass police with their lights on: Pray the Prayer to St. Michael.
When you pass construction or road workers: Pray a prayer to St. Joseph.
When you encounter someone driving recklessly: Pray for the guidance of their guardian angels.
George Weigel
Ukraine and a peace worthy of the name
By George Weigel, August 27, 2025
Pope Leo XIV’s spiritual lodestar is St. Augustine. In his first months in office, the Holy Father summoned the Church to pray, fast, and work for an end to the twenty-first century’s wars. That spiritual orientation and that summons invite us to consider what “peace” is possible in this world. Vladimir Putin is determined to dominate Ukraine, or even better, eliminate Ukraine as a sovereign nation; Ukraine refuses to be dominated or eliminated. What does this Augustinian approach to war and peace suggest about peace in Ukraine? A historical vignette, possibly apocryphal, helps sharpen that reflection. An Augustinian peace requires a security architecture that precludes a future Russian invasion of Ukraine. There are now $300 billion in frozen Russian foreign exchange reserves in Europe. Will those funds be part of any peace negotiation? A truly artful—and just—deal would at least put those funds into play.
Catholic Culture
The Minneapolis shooting has invoked a ‘vibe shift’
By Peter Wolfgang, August 30, 2025
What a difference a “vibe shift” makes. That was one of the thoughts that ran through my head when I heard about the transgender-identifying terrorist who murdered Catholic school children as they were worshiping at a Mass opening their school year in Minneapolis. The sheer horror of it. The overwhelming sadness for all those affected by it. The fear for the safety of our own little ones. (Five of my seven kids attend Catholic schools. A sixth teaches at one.) The danger of transgenderism, both the ideology and the scientific quackery, is making all of us less safe. The obtuseness of politicians who want us to ignore every possible reason for school shootings except for guns, always guns, and only guns, the only thing we are ever allowed to talk about. The outrageousness of public officials who criticize prayer. I am concerned that, in the midst of all these other related matters, the vibe shift may be overlooked.
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