Catholic Nutshell News: Saturday 12/13/25
Topics include: Illinois assisted suicide law; Syro-Malabar liturgy dispute is back; Anti-ICE nativities in Boston churches; & Evidence of targeted Christian violence
“We see through new tender verdant pecan leaves”
Today's sources: National Catholic Register, Catholic News Agency, The Pillar, Crux, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic Culture, & Aleteia. (Catholic Nutshell is a FREE subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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Catholic News Agency
Illinois assisted suicide law signed by Gov. Pritzker ‘heartbreaking’
By Kate Quiñones, December 12, 2025
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law an assisted suicide bill that Catholic leaders have ardently opposed. Pritzker, who met with Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 19, cited “freedom,” “choice,” and “autonomy” as his reasons for signing the bill, which allows doctors to give terminally ill patients life-ending drugs if they request them. According to the law, patients must be mentally capable and have a prognosis of six months or less to live. Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and other Illinois bishops had urged Pritzker to veto the bill. The Catholic Conference of Illinois, which speaks for the Catholic bishops in the state, condemned the law, calling it a “dangerous and heartbreaking path.” Other jurisdictions with assisted suicide laws include: California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
The Pillar
Basilica occupation reignites Syro-Malabar liturgy dispute
By Luke Coppen, December 11, 2025
Dozens of protesters from the “One Church One Qurbana” movement, who support a new uniform Eucharistic liturgy, entered St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Ernakulam, southern India, Dec. 10. They reportedly locked the basilica from the inside, preventing worshipers from attending the 6 p.m. Eucharistic liturgy. The liturgy was due to be celebrated in an older style favored by the majority in the local Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, in which the priest faces the people throughout (versus populum). The protesters argue that the celebration of the versus populum Eucharistic liturgy breaches a 2021 decision by the Synod of Bishops — the Syro-Malabar Church’s supreme authority — that all eparchies (dioceses) should exclusively celebrate the uniform liturgy. The occupation could imperil a fragile liturgical peace in the archeparchy.
CatholicVote
Pope invokes Mary to heal divisions among nations
By Mary Rose, December 12, 2025
In his first homily for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, delivered Dec. 12, Pope Leo invoked the Virgin Mary’s motherhood as a response to a fractured world, calling on nations to reject division, protect human dignity, and exercise authority “as service and not as domination.” Preaching in Spanish, Pope Leo drew on the 1531 apparition, calling Mary’s words to Saint Juan Diego continue to answer fear and suffering: “Am I not here, I who am your mother?” He reminded the faithful that her words were spoken “amidst ceaseless conflicts, injustices, and sorrows that cry out for relief.” Her motherhood “reveals us as her children,” he said. “Whoever hears ‘I am your mother’ remembers that, from the cross, the words ‘Here is your mother’ are followed by ‘Here is your son.’” From that shared identity, he suggested nations are called to recognize one another not as rivals or factions, but as children entrusted to one mother.
National Catholic Register
Anti-ICE display still up at Boston-area church
By Matthew McDonald, December 12, 2025
A week after the archbishop of Boston asked a pastor to remove an anti-immigration-enforcement display from a Nativity scene outside his church, it remained up as of Friday, with no word on what happens next. Meanwhile, two Protestant churches in northern Illinois have erected Nativity scenes with comparable anti-immigration-enforcement messages, The Associated Press reported. In Massachusetts, a sign above a manger outside St. Susanna Church in Dedham reads, “ICE was here,” while another sign says figures depicting Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are “safe in the Sanctuary of our Church.” A spokesman for Boston Archbishop Richard Henning told the Register on Friday that the archdiocese has no update on the situation. The pastor, Father Stephen Josoma, did not respond to a request for an interview.
Related: Church Nativity scenes add zip ties, gas masks and ICE to protest immigration raids, Dec 13, by Leah Willingham, Associated Press
The Times of Israel
Tiny Jewish community relies on its Muslim neighbors
By Sue Surkes, December 12, 2025
With an estimated 37.6 million people, Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia. While its government is secular, nearly 97% of the country’s population is Muslim. Uzbekistan’s roughly 10,000 Jews represent just under 0.03% of the population. Most live in the capital, Tashkent. According to the 2021 census, about 1,000 Jews remain in the ancient Jewish hub of Bukhara, though Yakubova estimated that there are only 200 Jews in the city today. Despite its tiny size, Bukhara’s community is making every effort to keep Jewish traditions alive. In a state school set up in the 1990s in the old Jewish quarter, Muslim pupils, alongside Jews, learn Hebrew and study Jewish tradition, even though just a handful of Jewish pupils are left. The tourist potential of this ancient Jewish community is not lost on the locals. Over the past two decades, Muslim businessman Otobek Muradev has purchased five Jewish homes built in the 17th and 18th centuries from emigrating Jewish families and has created a hotel.
PIME asianews
Cambodian bishops call for weapons to fall silent
By PIME asianews, December 12, 2025
In Cambodia, three bishops issued a joint appeal as air strikes and artillery fire continue for the sixth consecutive day along the 800-kilometre Thai-Cambodian border. “We pray for all the victims” and “affirm the closeness of our hearts to all displaced families, and especially children, the sick, and vulnerable people,” reads their statement. Meanwhile, in Thailand, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference is mobilising to help the communities affected by the fighting. Even though Thailand’s parliament was dissolved today (with elections potentially set for 8 February), recriminations continue in Bangkok with the Thai military accusing the Cambodian air force of using “Ukrainian-style drones.” In Phnom Penh Cambodian authorities blame Thailand for the escalation, reporting at least 11 Cambodian civilians killed and more than 300,000 displaced.
CRUX
Evidence of targeted Christian violence is ‘incontrovertible’
By Ngala Killian Chimtom, December 13, 2025
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto state in Nigeria doubled down and told Crux that the Trump administration has escalated claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria. “This is what they used to muscle their way in, but I no longer want to be dragged into this. It is a distraction. My position is simple: By whatever name, stop the killings,” the bishop told Crux. The Nigerian prelate has been under severe criticism over statements he made, which many interpreted as a denial of what many have called genocide against Nigeria’s Christians. “People say there is genocide in Nigeria,” he said. “My argument is that it is not accurate to claim there is genocide or martyrdom in Nigeria,” he added, noting that Muslims are also frequently killed by extremist groups. Douglas Burton, Managing Editor of Truth Nigeria, told Crux that Kukah’s “integrity as a truth teller is over. And we at TruthNigeria lament it, because for years, he spoke otherwise.” “The evidence of targeted Christian violence is incontrovertible,” he said.
Related: “Persecuted and thriving”: Catholic Priest on Resilience of Christians in Nigeria - Dec 12, 2025, by ACI Africa Staff
Vatican News
25 years later: Anti-trafficking experts call for more action
By Christine Seuss and Linda Bordoni, December 13, 2025
Twenty-five years after the adoption of the Palermo Protocol—established to prevent, suppress, and punish the trafficking of persons, especially women and children—human trafficking remains widespread and is even expanding. According to the 2023 Global Slavery Index, an estimated 50 million people are trafficked globally, generating more than USD 236 billion in criminal profit each year. Marking this anniversary on 10 December, the Sovereign Order of Malta, Praeveni Global, the Santa Marta Group, and the Institute of Anthropology of the Pontifical Gregorian University convened a high-level conference in Rome to examine how to strengthen the implementation of existing legal standards and how to mobilise greater resources for concrete, on-the-ground action to eradicate this global crime. Mama Fatima Singateh, UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children, said, “The Church has a very important role in supporting communities… raising awareness on the vulnerability of children and the dangers that exist.”
CNA, aciafrica, & CWR for 12/13/25
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — December 13, 2025
Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, with updates on the words of the Holy Father and the Holy See.
Caritas Lithuania launches program to help those struggling with pornography addiction - Dec 13, 2025 - By Bryan Lawrence Gonsalves - The program provides counseling not only for those battling compulsive sexual behaviors but also for spouses and family members affected.
Cupid goes Catholic: New faith-based dating show brings faith and matchmaking together - Dec 13, 2025 - By Francesca Pollio Fenton - Earlier this year, CatholicMatch released a new platform called “Relate,” which now includes “The Catholic Dating Show.”
‘Holiness of family life’: A look behind the icon depicting a mother of 8 - Dec 13, 2025 - By Kate Quiñones - FOCCUS Marriage Ministries, a Catholic marriage ministry, invited priest-iconographer Father Richard Reiser to make a unique icon of St. Bridget.
aciafrica
aciafrica’s top headlines — December 13, 2025
ACI Africa was founded in 2019 to provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, with particular emphasis on the words of the Holy Father and the activities of the Holy See.
Catholic Bishop in South Sudan Appeals for Peace, Reconciliation amid Surge in Violence in Eastern Equatoria State - Dec 13, 2025 - By Jude Atemanke - The Local Ordinary of the Catholic Diocese of Torit in South Sudan has appealed for peace, dialogue, and reconciliation following a surge in violence across Eastern Equatoria State.
Today, December 13, We Celebrate St. Lucy - Dec 13, 2025 - By ACI Africa - St. Lucy is a virgin and martyr of Syracuse in Sicily, whose feast is celebrated on December 13th. According to tradition, Saint Lucy was born to rich and noble parents in the year 283.
Catholic Archbishop in Sierra Leone Proposes Creation of Environmental Clubs to Foster “care for our common home” - Dec 12, 2025 - By Agnes Aineah - Sierra Leone’s Catholic Archdiocese of Freetown has launched its 2025/2026 Pastoral Year with a call on the Metropolitan See’s pastoral units to establish environmental clubs.
Cathlic World Report
CWR’s Columns, Analysis, & Features - December 13, 2025
Catholic World Report is a free online magazine that examines the news from a faithful Catholic perspective.
Filioque clause ‘no longer an obstacle,’ says Vatican cardinal - Cardinal Kurt Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Christian Unity, believes that two theological issues that have blocked ecumenical progress with the Orthodox churches can now be overcome. Debates over the filioque clause and papal infallibility “can be resolved in such a way that they no longer represent an obstacle” to union with the Orthodox churches, the German cardinal said.
Put Jesus first, ignore the world’s noise, Pope advises - Speaking on December 12 to a group of Latin American priests, religious, and seminarians, Pope Leo XIV said that “we need servants and disciples who announce the absolute primacy of Christ and who keep His voice clearly in their ears and hearts … When, throughout life, our vision becomes clouded, like Peter’s did in the night or amid the storms, it will be the voice of Jesus that, with loving patience, sustains us.”
Cardinal Müller weighs in on Islam and secularism, upholds Second Vatican Council - Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who served as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017, said ithat “since the 18th century, Islam has been regarded—by the philosophy of deism and of ‘natural religion’—as an ally in the struggle against Christianity. Even today, it is instrumentalized by the so-called fighters against ‘Islamophobia,’ who hope that this religion will eventually secularize itself and ultimately tolerate—against its own truth—the atheistic woke anthropology.”
Nutshell reflections for 12/13/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection: AUDIO - December 13, 2025
Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Aleteia
New magazine will have kids watching the mailbox
By Caitlin Bootsma, December 13, 2025
Magnificat has been helping the faithful access and reflect on Scripture readings for almost 30 years. Now, they’ve released a brand-new bi-monthly magazine for kids 7-12 called Magnifier, designed to spark curiosity and wonder in this generation. If you notice a family with kids that seems particularly focused on the Mass, it might just be because they have a Magnifikid subscription to follow along with the Mass and understand the readings through reflections, comics, and activities. Each magazine will center around a specific theme (the first 48-page edition centered on cathedrals) and the content will help kids to understand and appreciate a particular facet of our Catholic Church. Upcoming themes include mountains, bread, the first Christians, castles, and the Three Wise Men. With the variety of articles and activities, this publication could be a fit for siblings of different ages at once.
First Things
Catholic Confronts communism in Chile’s presidential election
By José Ignacio Palma, December 13, 2025
“I believe in God, in patriotic devotion, in the family … I also believe in freedom, in competition, and in the rule of law. As you can see, nothing very original.” The words belonged to Congressman José Antonio Kast, who had just resigned from the UDI—the traditional conservative party—accusing it of drifting toward moderation, or “Piñera-ization,” in its political, economic, and cultural commitments. The movement that once married free-market dynamism with patriotic sentiment and Christian moral intuition had by 2017 morphed into something technocratic, cosmopolitan, and politically “neutral.” Chile’s center-right had uncritically accepted the liberal myth that a stable political project could be erected without a substantive account of the person, community, and flourishing. The appropriation of Christian moral vocabulary by an anthropological project at odds with its origins is precisely what Carl Trueman has diagnosed as the moral inversion of late modernity.
The Catholic Thing
Fear – and hope – in Europe’s terrorized Christmas markets
By Michele McAloon, December 13, 2025
Advent in Germany is brightened by its world-famous Christmas markets. The smell of grilled sausage, Germany’s famous mulled gluhwein, and gingerbread (Lebkuchen) blends under multicolored lights, creating a cheerful experience in anticipation of Christ’s birth. Whether it is a two-day affair at a local monastery or the town fire station, or one of the huge metropolitan markets in Munich, Berlin, or Dresden, Christmas markets, now, as in centuries past, are an integral part of the economic and social fabric of Germany, and a potential sign of hope. Though they are also currently threatened by dark shadows. German and French authorities have now been forced to take measures to prevent repeated acts of terrorism. Thankfully, terrorism has not intimidated the people. This year, attendance at the Christmas markets is projected to break record numbers, finally returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Christian Post
Time magazine snubs Charlie Kirk, names AI ‘architects’
By Ian M. Giatti, December 13, 2025
Time magazine is facing backlash from one of conservative media’s biggest voices over its decision to snub Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk as its “Person of the Year” despite Kirk’s death marking the first major political assassination in the U.S. since the 1960s. Instead, the century-old magazine gave its annual award to a collective of tech titans leading the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, framing the year as a tipping point when the technology “roared into view” with irreversible momentum. On Thursday’s episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show,” the veteran journalist and podcaster unleashed on Time magazine’s decision. “It’s [expletive] AI. It’s AI architects. It’s not Charlie Kirk, which is so obvious,” said Kelly. “It’s as obvious as the nose on your face.” The snub raised even more questions because Kirk wasn’t even listed as an “honorable mention,” said Kelly.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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