Catholic Nutshell News: Saturday 4/25/26
Topics include: UK assisted-suicide legislation fails; Iran conflict meets ‘just war’ criteria; Catholicism losing more members than it gains; & Trump is not of our tribe
“We see through new tender verdant pecan leaves”
Today's sources: National Catholic Register, EWTN News, The Pillar, Crux, First Things, Catholic World News, & 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
‘Great Victory’ as UK assisted-suicide legislation fails
By Edward Pentin, April 24, 2026
Pro‑life advocates hailed the failure of the proposed legislation to legalize assisted suicide in England and Wales on Friday as a “great victory,” marking the end — at least for now — of one of the most closely watched moral debates in the U.K. Parliament. The bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, had initially passed the House of Commons last June by a vote of 314 to 291. Observers said the legislation would have been comparable to the 1967 Abortion Act, the abolition of capital punishment, the decriminalization of homosexuality, and the introduction of same-sex “marriage.” Supporters of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill argued it would grant individuals the autonomy to end their lives in cases of terminal illness. Opponents, including pro-life campaigners and Catholic Church leaders, warned it would fundamentally undermine the dignity of human life, place vulnerable people at risk, and instead urged greater investment in palliative care.
EWTN News
Former AG Bill Barr: U.S action against Iran meets ‘just war’ criteria
By Madalaine Elhabbal, April 24, 2026
Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr made the case for Americaʼs war with Iran as meeting Catholic criteria for a just war. Barr, a Catholic, said because Iranʼs potential use of nuclear weapons posed a legitimate threat to the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, the war doesnʼt violate just war doctrine. Barr said the war in Iran doesn't clearly violate just war doctrine during an April 23 panel discussion hosted by the Napa Institute. “The traditional position of the Church was to exhort leaders to take into account all the factors, but not to say, ‘thatʼs wrong’ unless it clearly violated the just war doctrine, which this obviously doesn’t,” Barr said. Barr, a former board member at the Catholic Information Center, said the U.S. faces “difficult questions dealing with nuclear weapons” and argued that allowing the window of opportunity to dismantle Iranʼs nuclear capabilities to pass by would result in grave consequences. “Youʼre basically weighing these imponderables and risks,” he said.
Aleteia
Video from Pope on death penalty aired same day Trump expands it
By Kathleen N. Hattrup, April 25, 2026
Pope Leo sent a video message to an anniversary event at the Chicago-based DePaul University commemorating the 15th anniversary of his home state’s abolition of the death penalty. The message notes that “effective systems of detention can be and have been developed that protect citizens,” which is a fact at the heart of the Church’s development in its teaching on the death penalty. The same day the Pope’s video message was aired (April 24), US President Donald Trump signed an executive order, reintroducing the firing squad and lethal injection for executions. This was his second executive order on the death penalty. On his first day back in office, he signed a bill to reinstate capital punishment in federal prisons. Some 150 countries have abolished the death penalty; in the United States, it varies by state, with some states, such as Illinois, having abolished it and others, such as Texas, still using it. Pope Leo had visited prisoners in Equatorial Guinea, a land that has faced criticism about how inmates are treated and the conditions of prisons.
The Pillar
Catholic schools and inclusion of students with disabilities
By Michelle La Rosa, April 24, 2026
A new survey from the National Catholic Partnership on Disability found that Catholic school systems in the U.S. vary widely in their practices of including students with disabilities. Many Catholic school leaders voiced a desire for their diocesan schools to be inclusive, the NCPD said, but oftentimes a lack of funding, resources, and training has made it difficult to implement this desire effectively. The survey’s recommendations include clear guidance and policies from diocesan offices, increased opportunities for teacher training, and implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), a proactive framework for classroom education and support. “System and school leaders agree that there is not enough ongoing, consistent training for school personnel to support inclusion.” The report noted that it has been nearly 50 years since the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops published its 1978 pastoral note on persons with disabilities.
OSV News
Catholicism losing more members than it gains
By Gina Christian, April 25, 2026
A new analysis from Pew Research Center has found that Catholicism has lost more members than it has gained in most of the 24 countries surveyed, while Protestantism has seen net gains in several nations, especially Latin America. The shifts are due to religious switching, or leaving one’s childhood religious identity for another in adulthood. Pew noted the latter data included additional countries not referenced in the April 23 analysis, since the overall percentages of Christians in those nations was too small (1% or less) to statistically differentiate between Protestants and Catholics. Those who leave Catholicism “tend to join Protestantism or disaffiliate from religion altogether,” said Pew, noting that “disaffiliation is especially common in parts of Europe and Latin America.” In contrast, those who leave Protestantism “tend to become religiously unaffiliated,” said Pew, which defines “religious nones” as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.”
Jerusalem Post
Opinion: The regime that hangs protesters is now a Gen Z mascot
By Andrew Fox, April 18, 2026
There is an obscenity here. The Islamic Republic of Iran fills prisons, gallows, and morgues with its own citizens. Rights groups recorded at least 1,639 executions in 2025, the highest since 1989, and Amnesty warns that protesters and dissidents still face death following torture-tainted trials. January’s crackdown probably killed tens of thousands, yet parts of the West have granted the regime false victimhood. A state that shoots, hangs, censors, and terrorizes Iranians is being reframed online as the underdog resisting America and Israel. This did not happen by accident. Tehran has piggybacked on two years of anti-Israel sentiment and the collapse of moral vocabulary around Gaza. Once Israel is cast as the master villain, Iran can appear, absurdly, as part of a global resistance front. Its own victims – women beaten for showing their hair, teenagers hanged for protesting, minorities, dissidents, and students – vanish. The propaganda is more sophisticated than Western officials realize. Tehran and its sympathizers no longer rely solely on state television or clerical bombast. The new material is native to the Internet.
Zeale
Congress pressed to defund Planned Parenthood
By Elise Winland, April 24, 2026
Americans United for Life (AUL), joined by Family Policy Alliance, is urging House Republicans to refuse to advance a federal budget package unless it includes provisions to defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. calling for an extension of existing federal restrictions on Medicaid funding for abortion providers, according to an AUL press release. The current restriction on funding for abortion providers was enacted under the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” funding package in 2025 and is set to expire on July 4. The letter comes shortly after the Senate voted early April 23 to advance a budget blueprint that could allocate up to $70 billion for immigration enforcement. The measure, S. Con. Res. 33, now heads to the House. Its passage followed an overnight “vote-a-rama,” during which lawmakers rejected several amendments on various issues. As Zeale News previously reported, one of the amendments that failed was a pro-life measure filed by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that sought to block federal funding for abortion providers.
CRUX
Spanish far-right party leader criticized by bishop for ‘slander’
By Fionn Shiner, April 25, 2026
Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain’s far-right party, has again implied that the Spanish Church’s support for immigration is partly explained by government funding—an implication that has been described as “slander” by a high-ranking member of the bishops’ conference. “There are statements that not only do not reflect reality, but also fall into the realm of pure ideological positioning, because they are not based on truth, but on falsehood, even on slander. Because to say there is enrichment where there is none enters into a delicate area,” said Bishop García Magán, the secretary general of the Spanish bishops’ conference. Last summer, Abascal accused the Spanish bishops of being neutered by government grants and the fallout of the sexual abuse crisis, also implying the bishops profit from “revenue received as a result of the system of aid for illegal immigration.”
EWTN News, aciafrica, & CWR for 4/25/26
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — April 25, 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.
Melkite priest finds consecrated host intact after 47 days in damaged church - By Romy Haber - “Jesus was waiting for us,” a priest in southern Lebanon said after returning to his damaged church in the town of Tbenine following the ceasefire on April 17. Some called it a “miracle” that St. George Church offered renewed hope and reminded parishioners that Christ’s presence does not fade, even in war.
Israeli, Polish foreign ministers spar on X about destroyed Jesus statue - By Madalaine Elhabbal - The online confrontation began after Sikorski responded to Sa’ar’s post apologizing for the destruction of the statue, which he called “grave and disgraceful.” Sikorski wrote that the IDF soldier “should be punished” and that “IDF soldiers themselves admit to war crimes. They killed not only civilian Palestinians but even their own hostages.”
Nebraska pro-life ministry brings ultrasounds to classrooms across the U.S - By Madalaine Elhabbal - Heart of a Child Ministries, based in Omaha, is expanding by training pro-life leaders to present fetal development education in schools across the country. The ministryʼs initial sale of a pro-life pillow raised roughly $40,000 shortly after they began, Nikki Schaefer told EWTN News.
aciafrica
aciafrica’s top headlines — April 25, 2026
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.
Kenyan Catholic Bishop Encourages “single mothers” to Address Impediments Blocking them from Holy Eucharistic - Apr 23, 2026 - By Sabrine Amboka - The Bishop of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Bungoma has encouraged “single mothers” in the East African country to approach the Holy Eucharist without fear
Italian-born Bishop Feted for Promoting Peace in South Sudan, Calls for Renewed Solidarity with Embattled Communities - Apr 24, 2026 - By Sabrine Amboka - Bishop Christian Carlassare of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Bentiu has been awarded the prestigious Giorgio La Pira Prize, for his commitment to peace in the embattled east-central African
Catholic Youths in Nigeria Urged to Use Creative Ability to Evangelize and Promote Catechesis - Apr 22, 2026 - By Abah Anthony John - The founder of Catholic Creatives Nigeria has called on Catholic youths in Nigeria to deploy their creative talents as tools for evangelization, catechesis, and positive social influence
Catholic World Report
CWR’s Columns, Analysis, & Features - April 25, 2026
Catholic World Report is a free online magazine that examines the news from a faithful Catholic perspective.
Tenuous unity and problematic blessings in an age of bourgeois love - Carl E. Olson April 23, 2026 - “Indeed it is through chastity that we are gathered together and led back to the unity from which we were fragmented into multiplicity.” — Saint Augustine, Confessions (quoted in CCC 2340).
“God is alive and well in the modern medical center” - Paul Senz April 22, 2026 - The medical profession naturally involves encountering people at their most vulnerable and dealing with some of the most profound suffering that humans face. But it can also be an experience of profound joy.
Opinion: Democrats Pretend to Be on “Team Pope” - David Paul Deavel April 20, 2026 - Editor’s note: This essay originally appeared in slightly different form on AMAC’s “Newsline” and is reposted here with kind permission, as liberal elites are currently attempting to drive a wedge between Catholics and Evangelicals.
Nutshell reflections for 4/25/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection: AUDIO - April 25, 2026
Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist
Catholic Stand
A personal account affirming the existence of Purgatory
By Deacon Frank, April 25, 2026
My grandfather, who helped raise me, was in the final months of his life. His body was riddled with cancer. As his death approached, I had a strong intuition that on his deathbed, my grandfather would see his mother, who had died thirty years prior, and that my father would witness it. A couple of weeks after I had this intuition, I received a call from my father at three o’clock in the morning that my grandfather had died. He told me that my grandfather sat up in bed with his arms outstretched and said “Momma, Momma, Momma” just before he died. Then lying back down on his bed he rolled over, squeezed my grandmother’s hand, and died peacefully. My grandfather was by no means a saint, though I believe his mother lived a simple, holy, and virtuous life. After his death, I prayed for his soul, believing that the events of that night may have portended his salvation. But I knew that if he had been saved, he was most assuredly in purgatory. I had a vivid dream that this was true.
Here’s the thing
Trump is not of our tribe
By Austin Ruse, April 24, 2026
Trump ought not to go after Leo, and he ought to understand that Catholics of all stripes will defend Leo. I am not sure how true this was under Francis, but more Catholics are claiming Leo as their own than ever did under Francis. To be sure, we wish the pope would also refrain from saying certain things. The problem for Trump is that he is not of our tribe. There is this effort to make Catholicism weird again, what with Catholics processing through secular streets wearing funny clothes with incense filling the air. These customs tie us together. So, what you see all across our country are families, clans, and then the Tribe. We are part of a Tribe that stretches across the country, from shore to shore, border to border. What Trump has inadvertently done is go after our Tribe. And he put up that meme of him as a healing Christ. Good grief. Talk about an own goal. At least he admitted it in his own way by taking it down and dissembling about it. Part of the problem is that he is not one of us. Christianity is not his native tongue. The bottom line for me is that I like Trump and I like Leo, and they ought to knock it off.
First Things
Birthright Citizenship: Catholic bishops’ empty moralizing
By R. R. Reno, April 24, 2025
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops made an ill-considered intervention in the legal battle over birthright citizenship. After taking office in 2025, Donald Trump issued an executive order stipulating that those in residence in the United States illegally are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States, and thus their children do not qualify for birthright citizenship. The executive order was challenged in court. The Supreme Court will soon rule on the issue (Trump v. Barbara). The USCCB submitted an amicus brief in the case, urging the court to rule against Trump’s executive order. The USCCB brief cites the modern Catholic magisterium’s affirmation of the inviolable dignity of every person. The USCCB goes on to say that birthright citizenship is “consistent with Catholic teaching.” That’s true as well. Many approaches to citizenship are consistent with Catholic teaching. Then the brief takes a bizarre turn. It insists that any restriction on birthright citizenship is “immoral and contrary to the Catholic Church’s fundamental beliefs and teachings …” This is a strange claim.
The Catholic Thing
The fact that corners you
By Nick Palmer, April 25, 2026
There are things I did during my wife’s final illness that, had you asked me beforehand, I would have said I could never do. Not would not, could not. The distinction matters. When the time came, I did them. Not heroically – there was nothing heroic about it. I did them because her clear need, fully accepted, left me no honest alternative. Kierkegaard put it with characteristic bluntness: the basest form of scandal is to leave the problem of Christ without a solution. That Christianity has been announced to you means you must take a position. He himself, or the fact that He existed, is the one decision to be made in life. Notice the structure. Once you have genuinely heard the claim – not processed it as background noise, not filed it among interesting ideas – the decision space narrows. Acceptance or evasion. It is possible to live inside the forms of Christianity while having never actually accepted the Fact of Jesus Christ. To have heard the claim and left it, as Kierkegaard says, without a solution. That is not neutrality. It is an answer.
Image of Coconut by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay
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