“Worth your weight in walnuts”
Your 5-minute daily Catholic briefing. Today's sources: National Catholic Register, EWTN News, The Pillar, First Things, Zeale, & Aleteia. Please support their ministries and apostolates. (Catholic Nutshell is a FREE subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
Please support the following Catholic news services and spiritual support sites. 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.
Our Sunday Visitor
Pope Leo rejects ‘false compassion’ of assisted dying
By Courtney Mares, September 27, 2026
Amid the wheelchairs, crutches, and prayer intentions of the 150,000 pilgrims in Lourdes, France, Sept. 27, the pope spoke out strongly against the practice of assisted suicide for the sick and abortion of the disabled, designating the Marian shrine as a blessed place for “professing the beauty and sanctity of life.” “Dear brothers and sisters who are sick, I want to tell you that you are not a burden,” Pope Leo said in his meeting with patients and caretakers at the Accueil Notre Dame in the Lourdes sanctuary. “You are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church.” “No one ever has the right on the basis of laboratory algorithms to decide the life of a given embryo or elderly person!” the pope emphasized. “Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death.” The pope’s words were met with fierce enthusiasm and prolonged applause from both patients and staff at the Lourdes medical facility.
National Catholic Register
Illinois announces first parish named after Blessed Fulton Sheen
By Tina Dennelly/EWTN, September 26, 2026
Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, announced at the end of a Mass celebrated on Saturday the first-ever parish named for Blessed Fulton Sheen. The combined parish of St. Mary in El Paso, Illinois — where Sheen was baptized — and St. John in Benson, Illinois, will be the first parish in the world to be named after the new blessed. While the buildings themselves will retain their original names, the new parish name will take effect on Dec. 9, Sheen’s feast day, Bishop Tylka said. Bishop Tylka said in a statement released later on Sept. 26, “We have celebrated Archbishop Fulton Sheen becoming the first American-born bishop to be declared Blessed. For the first time, we have heard his name invoked as a Blessed in the Eucharistic Prayer. For the first time, we have prayed the Collect given to the Church for his feast. And today, I have the great joy of announcing another first: the establishment of the first parish in the world named Blessed Fulton Sheen Parish.”
Related: High School Named for Blessed Fulton Sheen Readies for Opening - Emma R.C. Lyons, National Catholic Register, September 24, 2026
EWTN News
Texas abortion law not to blame for death of Tierra Walker
By Kate Quiñones, September 25, 2026
A lawsuit is targeting Texas’ law against abortion, saying a 37-year-old woman was a casualty of the law — but pro-life physicians disagree. Tierra Walker, 37, died of preeclampsia in December 2024 after multiple hospitalizations due to her high-risk pregnancy. She suffered from high blood pressure, seizures, severe pain, and deep vein thrombosis. Two days before she died, doctors sent her home from the emergency room, saying she was “stable enough.” Her family has since filed a lawsuit dated Sept. 15 against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as Walker’s doctors, the Texas Medical Board, and the University of Texas health system, claiming that she was denied an abortion that could have saved her life and blaming Texas’ abortion law for her death. Texas law allows abortions to save the life of the mother; all pro-life states in the U.S. make this exception. Responding to claims that the pro-life law is to blame, pro-life leaders contend that the tragedy was caused by a failure of the medical system.
PIMA Asia News
Who is teaching the children of post-Assad Syria?
By Syria, September 28, 2026
In today’s Syria, a discussion about schooling can quickly turn into a debate on religion, women, authority and identity. This happened on 14 September, during a People’s Assembly session on education. The Assembly is not elected by direct popular vote, but through a mechanism that has given the executive broad influence over its composition. The Ministry puts the number of pupils at 5.291 million; Minister Mohammed Abdul Rahman Turko estimates two million pupils have dropped out due to poverty and, in some areas, the lack of schools. Instead, the parliamentary debate took a different turn. One member of the Assembly denounced the “feminization of education,” attributing “the weakness of pupils” to the high number of female teachers. Another called for the reintroduction of corporal punishment, declaring himself in favor of beatings because, in his view, they constitute a ‘prophetic educational sunna,’ from a well-known hadith: “Command your children to pray when they are seven years old and beat them for it when they are ten; and separate them in their beds.”
The Pillar
Synod secretariat’s shifting role shows Leo’s influence
By Edgar Beltrán, September 15, 2026
When presidents of bishops’ conferences and Eastern Catholic patriarchs gather in Rome next month to discuss Amoris laetitia, their meeting will have been organized largely by the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. But the meeting is not a synod. The Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life originally published its thematic framework. The secretariat's now-leading role in preparing for the meeting seems part of a growing influence of the Secretariat of the Synod under Pope Leo. Before Francis’ 2022 reform of the curia, the Secretariat of the Synod was not even considered part of the curia, properly speaking. In contrast, the Secretariat of the Synod helped organize Leo’s two extraordinary consistories and now oversees the Amoris laetitia meeting, which will function much like a synod typically does, but without that label. While much of its work seems to be happening quietly in the background, the new responsibilities being handed to the Secretariat of the Synod suggest that Pope Leo wants to give the group greater influence in the Vatican.
Zeale
DHS corrects the record on mass deportations for all illegals
By Zeale News Team, September 28, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is correcting a false report that the agency is shifting its immigration enforcement agenda to focus exclusively on arresting illegal aliens charged with or convicted of serious crimes. The Daily Wire’s Jennie Taer reported Sept. 26 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been given new directives and were ordered to halt widespread immigration enforcement operations and instead focus their attention on illegal aliens accused or convicted of serious crimes. DHS promptly responded to Taer’s report, clarifying that no policy change had been made and that none was expected. “This is false. No one is off the table. We will continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come into our path,” the agency’s X account posted in response to the Daily Wire’s claims. “Anyone in our country illegally will be arrested and deported.”
Aleteia
6 altar servers with Down syndrome take on a papal Mass
By Cerith Gardiner, Cyprien Viet, September 27, 2026
Serving Mass can make even an experienced altar server a little nervous. There are movements to remember, objects to have in the right place at precisely the right moment, and the uncomfortable knowledge that mistakes tend to happen in full view of the congregation. Imagine replacing the usual parish congregation with nearly a million people, adding hundreds of fellow altar servers, thousands of clergy, television cameras and, just to keep everybody relaxed, the Pope. François, Théophile, Maxime, Foucauld, Timothée and Jérôme, aged between 11 and 28, are connected with the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune, which supports people with Down syndrome and other genetic intellectual disabilities. Serving at the altar was not something dreamed up especially for the papal visit, either. Maxime, 22, has served since his First Communion and now helps train younger altar servers in his parish, while François, 28, regularly serves at Saint-Augustin in Paris.
Zenit
Pope Leo XIV spends two hours with 7 abuse victims in France
By ZENIT Staff, September 27, 2026
On Sunday afternoon, September 27, shortly after 5:30 p.m., Pope Leo XIV met at the Episcopal House in Lourdes with seven people — four men and four women — who were victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the Church in France. Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens, President of the Council for the Prevention and Fight Against Pedophilia of the French Episcopal Conference, accompanied them. The Pontiff met with each person individually and in private, listening to their stories and the pain and suffering they endured — at times, regrettably, with the complicity or silence of those who could have helped them — as well as their proposals to ensure this does not happen again. He spent a few moments in prayer with some of them. Pope Leo expressed his closeness to them and, through them, to all those who have suffered and continue to suffer the wounds of abuse. Finally, he hoped they might work together to make the community of the faithful a place where men and women of all ages can find comfort and healing.
Keep informed - 9/28/26 news for Catholics:
Snippets: EWTN News, Aleteia, & Catholic World News
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — September 28, 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.
Pope Leo: Europe must return to its Christian roots and be open to migrants - By Hannah Brockhaus - Referring to the large presence of immigrants in Europe, Leo said, “We must grasp the historical significance of what is taking place, namely an unprecedented encounter between peoples and cultures, which calls us to rediscover our roots in new and creative ways, while at the same time listening carefully to others.”
For Iraq’s Christians, Archbishop Warda says long-term stability requires jobs - By Georgena Habbaba - World Bank data indicate that the country’s unemployment rate stands at 15.5%, while labor force participation is around 38%. Demographics add another layer to the challenge: Iraqis between the ages of 15 and 29 make up approximately 29% of the population, placing continued pressure on the labor market.
From foster care to Lourdes: Young convert leaves job to see pope, embrace monastic life - By Solène Tadié - France’s adult baptisms reached a new record this year, driven largely by young adults. Placed in foster care at the age of 4, Yohanna grew up far from any religious practice in a life marked early on by bereavement and solitude. Like many in her generation, she first looked for answers in spiritual movements close to the New Age that flourish among young French people.
Aleteia
Aleteia’s free access to Catholic news
Launched in 2013, Aleteia is a free online daily news publication. The site is available in six languages (French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, and Slovenian). Aleteia reaches nearly 50 million people worldwide, making it one of the leading online Catholic media outlets.
The surprising little things Pope Leo changed in Paris - The sight of priests hearing confessions on the Champs-Élysées, the extraordinary number of buses required to transport the faithful, or quite how many smiling nuns Paris can accommodate at once.
The future of science according to Pope Leo XIV - Pope Leo XIV receives the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, urging its scientists to anticipate the major risks of artificial intelligence and climate change. “Every technology reflects, whether explicitly or implicitly, a particular understanding of the human person, of society and of the future we wish to build.”
Miracle investigations for next steps in Sheen canonization - Even as the Church celebrated his beatification, it is investigating 6 possible miracles for Fulton Sheen’s canonization.
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.
Massachusetts bishop suspends 2 Stigmatine priests - The Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, announced the suspension of two Stigmatine priests from the same parish. Father Robert White, C.S.S., pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Springfield, was suspended following an allegation of an improper relationship with an adult, according to the diocesan announcement. Father Paolo Bagattini, C.S.S., was suspended following an allegation of inappropriate behavior with a minor.
The Church that ‘travels light’ - by Phil Lawler - Every day, we read statements from Vatican officials and other leading Catholic prelates on AI and climate change, immigration and military strategy, welfare policies, and international trade. Yes, the Church can and should address the underlying moral principles. But Church leaders' voices will persuade only those who already recognize the Church's claim to speak with moral authority. Catholicism loses political clout as it loses spiritual vitality.
Follow Your Dreams? - by Fr. Jerry Pokorsky - Children, the elderly, and the handicapped are not efficient. But as children of God, they are never disposable. We need God’s grace to distinguish between desirable and necessary efficiency, and to recognize the inherent dignity in various forms of human inefficiency.
September 28, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE — or read HERE:
Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Catholic commentary:
First Things
The stench of corruption
By R. R. Reno, September 25, 2025
In a recent review of Theo Baker’s book, How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University, Christian Parenti discusses the “culture of fraud,” not just at Stanford but throughout higher education (“The Rise of the Fraud Economy,” Compact). Through experience, students learn that successful people are manipulative, self-aggrandizing, hypocritical, and dishonest.” And not just students. During the pandemic, public health officials, journalists, and politicians shamelessly manipulated public opinion by lying about the universal danger the virus posed, only to lie about the efficacy of the vaccines a year later. It’s very difficult not to become cynical. “Everyone is doing it” is never a legitimate excuse for prevarication and misuse of office. And furthermore, everyone is not trading on his power and position to enrich himself. My point is that the rot runs deep. Repair will require leaders who value honor over wealth.
Zenit
Leo XIV’s most pro-life & anti-euthanasia speech held in France
By ZENIT Staff, September 27, 2026
Early Sunday afternoon, September 27, Leo XIV met with patients and their companions at the Accueil Notre-Dame Center, an important health and hospitality facility for sick or vulnerable pilgrims at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. The message drew widespread attention in the secular press in France, as the country has enshrined abortion as a constitutional right and legalized euthanasia. “Mary did not keep the Lord for herself, but offered him to the world, saying to each of us, ‘The Lord is with you.’ This truth is the foundation of our dignity as persons. Here, Mary looks upon each of us as a unique person, as Saint Bernadette testified during the apparitions at the grotto. This maternal gaze reminds us once more that no one is invisible in God’s eyes. At a time when some societies are inclined to look aside or close their eyes to the dignity of human life, we need first of all “to foster, in ourselves and in others, a contemplative outlook… It is the outlook of those who see life in its deeper meaning, who grasp its utter gratuitousness, its beauty and its invitation to freedom and responsibility.”
Excel Leadership Network
How to handle people leaving my Church
By J.D. Pearring, September 1, 2026
When people pack up and leave, it is rarely a single knockout blow. Instead, it is a constant flurry of body blows that leaves leaders bruised, exhausted, and questioning their calling. To develop the fuel for endurance in ministry, we have to learn how to navigate the inevitable pain of people walking away. Look at the biblical track record: In Acts 13:5, Paul and Barnabas set out on their first missionary journey with high spiritual momentum. John Mark joins them as their first launch team member in verse 5. But by verse 13—just eight verses later—John Mark abandons them and goes home. In John 6:66–67, after a hard teaching, many disciples turned back and no longer followed Jesus. He had to turn to the Twelve and ask, “Do you want to leave too?” In 2 Timothy 4:10–16, Paul laments that Demas deserted him because he loved the world, and Alexander the coppersmith did him great harm. At his defense, everyone deserted him. If it happened to Jesus and it happened to Paul, it will happen to you. Expecting immunity only makes the blow hit harder.
The Catholic Thing
France: Oldest little daughter, arise
By Fr. Benedict Kiely, September 28, 2026
France, for centuries called the “eldest daughter of the Church,” has been sleeping for a very long time. The horrors unleashed on that land with the regicide of the King and Queen, and the terror of the Revolution in 1789, seemed, in many ways, to have killed the little daughter of the Church. The further effects, we might say, of the revolution and the so-called Enlightenment have created a French society, as much of European society, that is, in Pope Leo’s words, “deeply secularized.” Yet a million people lined the Champs-Élysées in Paris to see the pope. Thousands of young people greeted him enthusiastically. And as we know, France is the very epicenter of what is called the “quiet revival” of Catholicism, though in France last week it was rather loud. A wise French commentator called it the “Advent of the Church” in France. Another friend, a journalist, said to me that a “page in history has been turned.”
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
Listen to an audio podcast of today’s Catholic Nutshell News on the Substack App!
At the top of your phone, while in the app and reading a post, you can press the ▶️ play button and have Catholic Nutshell News read to you every day …
