Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 3/12/26
Topics include: A win for Catholic death penalty opponents; Bill to ban the abortion pill; Assisted Suicide cannot be an option for psychiatrists; & Number of religious sisters declines, but ...
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Today's sources include Aleteia, EWTN News, National Catholic Register, The Pillar, CatholicVote, John Eldredge, and ChurchPOP. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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OSV News
Catholic death penalty opponents laud commuted death sentence
by Kate Scanlon, March 11, 2026
Gov. Kay Ivey, R-Ala., announced March 10 she commuted the death sentence of Charles L. “Sonny” Burton to life in prison, a move lauded by Catholic death penalty opponents. Charles “Sonny” Burton, 75, was previously scheduled to be executed by the state of Alabama the same week in connection to the 1991 robbery of an AutoZone auto parts store in Talladega that resulted in the shooting death of a customer, Doug Battle. However, although Burton had left the store before another man, Derrick DeBruce, killed Battle, he was convicted as an accomplice. In a statement, Ivey said, although she “firmly” believes that “the death penalty is just punishment for society’s most heinous offenders,” she also believes “that a government’s most consequential action must be administered fairly and proportionately. Charles Burton did not shoot the victim … Yet Mr. Burton was set to be executed while DeBruce [who did shoot] was allowed to live out his life in prison.”
CatholicVote
Sen. Hawley’s bill to ban the abortion pill & revoke FDA approval
By CV News Feed, March 11, 2026
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has introduced a bill that would ban the widely used abortion pill Mifepristone in the United States and strip the drug of its approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), arguing the medication poses serious risks to women and should no longer be permitted on the market. Hawley unveiled the measure Feb. 11, calling the chemical abortion drug “inherently dangerous” and urging Congress to intervene while federal regulators conduct an ongoing review of its safety. The proposal, titled the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, would prohibit the use of Mifepristone for killing unborn babies nationwide. If enacted, the bill would withdraw the drug’s FDA approval and make its distribution for abortion a violation of federal law. “The science is clear: The chemical abortion drug is inherently dangerous to women and prone to abuse. Yet major companies like Danco Laboratories are making billions off it,” Hawley said in a statement.
Crux
Assisted Suicide cannot be an option for psychiatrists, expert says
By Charles Collins, March 12, 2026
As the legalization of “assisted dying” increases around the world, there are risks the practice could be expanded beyond the terminally ill to people suffering different kinds of non-terminal illness. There are at least 12 U.S. states that have legalized assisted suicide, as well as several countries that have legalized the practice, including Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, parts of Australia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. In many jurisdictions, assisted suicide is already being offered to people suffering mental illness. Dr. Mark S. Komrad, M.D. has served on the Faculty of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, Tulane, and LSU. He is a longtime advocate for safeguarding patients from “assisted dying” and notes that psychiatrists are meant to stop people from committing suicide, not help them to end their lives. He says legalization is becoming a “pathway” by which psychiatric patients would enter into eligibility for assisted suicide.
The Pillar
Excommunicated Poor Clares leave convent ahead of eviction
By Edgar Beltrán, March 11, 2026
The excommunicated Poor Clares of Belorado have left their convent just ahead of a scheduled March 12 eviction, ending a nearly two-year legal battle with the Archdiocese of Burgos in Spain. The sisters announced their split from the Catholic Church in May 2024, leading to their excommunication a month later. Since then, they have faced allegations of financial misconduct, leading to the brief arrest of the community’s superior in November 2025. In December, Spanish police transferred five older sisters to another Poor Clares’ convent who were neither excommunicated nor included in the eviction proceedings. The Archdiocese of Burgos also recently announced that two former nuns who had fled the convent have reconciled with the Catholic Church. The eviction is the latest chapter in a dispute that erupted when 10 members of the Poor Clare community signed a 70-page “Catholic Manifesto” in May 2024 describing the post-Vatican II Catholic Church as illegitimate.
Aleteia
Nicaragua prohibits priestly and diaconal ordinations
By Daniel Esparza, March 11, 2025
The government of Nicaragua has imposed a new restriction on the Catholic Church, prohibiting priestly and diaconal ordinations in four dioceses whose bishops have been forced into exile. The measure affects the Dioceses of Jinotega, Siuna, Matagalpa, and Estelí, marking another escalation in the ongoing confrontation between the regime and the Church. As read in El Debate and reported by Catholic news agencies, the decision effectively prevents seminarians who have already completed their formation from receiving the sacrament of Holy Orders. The restriction appears designed to weaken dioceses that no longer have their bishops physically present in the country. Nicaragua’s government, led by President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, has steadily tightened pressure on the Church since nationwide protests erupted in 2018.
The Indian Express
Kenya Sisters confront human trafficking in the digital age
By Sr. Christine Masivo, CPS, March 12, 2026
Traffickers have embraced the digital age globally. Religious sisters are at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking, a profitable and technologically sophisticated trade, through Talitha Kum Kenya, an international network under the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), headquartered in Rome. Talitha Kum Kenya was established in February 2016 to reach out to those living in and affected by human trafficking under the direction of Sr. Mercy Mwai (FSJ), a Franciscan sister of St. Joseph. The initiative took shape in 2022, funded by the Conrad Hilton Foundation. It operates as a charitable organization connected to the global Talitha Kum Network, coordinating a broader membership that includes religious men and women, young people, and lay associates across Kenya, helping to respond to trafficking in villages, border regions, urban settlements, and online spaces. Special attention is given to Kenyan border regions with Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.
National Catholic Register
Number of religious sisters declines, but still focused on mission
By Tessa Gervasini/EWTN News, March 11, 2026
Research over the past six decades reveals that the number of Catholic sisters has steadily declined, but they remain committed to what they believe matters most — expanding ministries and serving more people. Based on findings from the Official Catholic Directory, the Vatican’s Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, and other research from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the number of religious sisters has plummeted since 1965. In 1965, there were 178,740 religious sisters in the U.S. By 1985,115,386, and in 2000, only 79,814. Based on the latest reports, in 2025, there were only 33,135 sisters in the U.S., representing an 82% decrease over the past 60 years. “The goal of Catholic sisters is to always have more missions. Not necessarily more sisters,” Sister Teresa Maya, CCVI, senior director of theology and sponsorship at the Catholic Health Association of the United States, told EWTN News.
Related: 2026 Catholic Sisters Week: - #LikeaCatholicSister — Stories of Hope and Heart - March 8-14, 2026
Related: The religious sisters in Vatican leadership - The percentage of Vatican employees who are women grew from 19.2% to 23.4% - By Hannah Brockhaus, March 11, 2026
EWTN News
More than 80 scientists sign Vatican peace manifesto
By Victoria Cardiel, March 12, 2026
The Pontifical Academy for Life launched the initiative Scientists for Peace, an appeal to scientists, researchers, and academics worldwide to promote the concrete pursuit of peace through scientific research and international cooperation. The project, promoted under the auspices of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, was announced amid global tensions and armed conflicts that, according to the organizers, threaten not only the affected populations but also freedom and cooperation in scientific research. In a press release, the Vatican body recalled that its mission is to study, from an interdisciplinary perspective, issues related to the promotion and defense of human life. Within this framework, a central question arises: “Can scientific research, in its methods and objects of study, contribute to the pursuit of peace?”
Angelus News, EWTN & ChurchPOP for 3/12/26
Angelus News
Angelus joins in the great work of evangelization - March 12, 2026
The mission of Angelus is to provide our readers with the best in Catholic news, first-rate analysis of events and trends shaping the Church and the world
Keys to reading the US-Iran war through a Catholic lens - Inés San Martín, Crux Now, Mar 11, 2026 - But since the U.S. and Israel launched an attack that began with the killing of Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei and has expanded into a regional conflict, what’s at stake for Catholics? Here are four different lenses worth considering.
How to untie — or simply cut — the knots that make us unhappy - Grazie Pozo Christie Mar 12, 2026 - The sword that slices through those cords is the sharp sword of Divine Love. It’s not a love that comes naturally to any of us, but if just one combatant in a struggle can find the humility to grasp its hilt, the awful battlefield will be transformed quite suddenly into a garden.
Right or wrong, the viral TikTok ‘baby formula’ test made churches think - Patrick Koroly, Mar 11, 2026 - Waverly Church of the Nazarene is no megachurch. It sits in a small town in Tennessee with a population of around 4,000. It doesn’t have the largest following, but its 350 weekly attendees are devout. Unwillingly, this local church was recently pulled into the national spotlight.
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — March 12, 2026
Formerly known as Catholic News Agency, EWTN provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and the activities of the Holy See, and is available to anyone with internet access.
Church steps in to rebuild homes months after deadly floods in Sumatra, Indonesia - By Bryan Lawrence Gonsalves - Caritas Indonesia has launched a multimillion-dollar program to build permanent homes for families still displaced months after catastrophic floods struck Sumatra. The initiative comes in response to the floods and landslides that struck Sumatra in late November 2025, severely damaging 158,088 homes across three provinces.
Catholic Rep. Salazar promotes legislation to update ‘archaic’ immigration laws - By Tyler Arnold - Catholic Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Florida, is calling for updating “archaic” immigration laws and enacting legislation to provide protections for people lacking legal immigration status in the U.S. “We need to start a national conversation as to what [we are] going to do …”
‘Massports’ initiative urges kids to attend Mass during Lent - By Malea Hargett - Children at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, instituted an incentive program called Massports during Advent in 2025 and brought it back for Lent this year. All children from 3 years old to eighth grade are encouraged to bring their passport booklets to Mass each weekend to receive a sticker after Mass
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - March 12, 2026
“We publish inspiring daily stories, fun and shareable faith-centered infographics, prayers, Church history, and more.”
‘I Want God to Use Me’: Singer Gwen Stefani Wants Christ’s Light to Shine Through Her Talents - While sharing her Catholic faith journey, Gwen Stefani says, “The only thing that’s important in life is your relationship with God.” She believes her talents are a gift from God and she has a responsibility to use them for His glory.
8 Powerful Christ-Centered Movies to Watch This Lent in Preparation for Holy Week - These powerful films can inspire prayer and help us encounter Jesus more deeply as we spiritually prepare for Holy Week.
How a Catholic Invented McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish & Saved His Failing Franchise - Did you know that McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish was invented by a Catholic? Here’s the amazing story! It was created by an entrepreneurial Catholic, Lou Groen, who had a big problem and won a legendary wager. The story goes back to 1962.
Nutshell reflections for 3/12/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection - VIDEO - March 12, 2026
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Church Life Journal
King David’s confession and the nature of Biblical forgiveness
By Gary A. Anderson, March 12, 2026
After considering first Psalm 51 and then Saul's contrition in 1 Samuel 15, today we consider David’s sin with Bathsheba and his attempt to conceal it by having Uriah murdered. By any standard, this is among the most grievous transgressions in scripture. While David’s adultery is a grave sin, his premeditated murder of an innocent man is far worse. The chapter then concludes (vv. 26-27) with a brief notice of David taking Bathsheba into his house and the birth of their son. What is most striking is that this entire sequence is narrated from a “horizontal” or secular frame; there is no reference to divine agency or judgment. This is a deliberate literary choice. It is crucial to understand what David is consenting to when he offers his confession. When David replies, “I have sinned against the Lord,” he is not merely admitting to the act; he is accepting full responsibility for the consequences that follow. David’s own son, Absalom, evicts him from the throne and forces him to flee for his life.
The Pillar
Is conclave secrecy dead – and does it matter?
By Ed. Condon, March 5, 2026
A new book, “The Election of Pope Leo XIV,” published March 1, purports to pull back the curtain on the papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV last year. The book offers details of the four voting rounds that returned Cardinal Robert Prevost as the successor to Pope Francis, as well as specific instances within the closely guarded process — including the moment an elderly cardinal was discovered to have accidentally left a mobile phone in his pocket during screenings ahead of a session. The book is the latest in a series of works reporting on the inner deliberations of the papal election process, which is meant to be protected by the strictest legal secrecy under canon law. The extent to which after-the-fact reporting on papal voting has become commonplace belies the ongoing legal requirements of total secrecy imposed by canon law, and the speed and detail with which such reporting emerges after an election seems to be increasing with each passing conclave.
Catholic Gentlemen
The Gospels do not portray Jesus as a partisan
By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, March 9, 2026
Politics is the art of the possible, requiring the careful application of enduring principles to everyday circumstances. Catholic doctrine—unchanging moral truths applying to all tribes and nations—must remain sharply distinct from the prudential judgments required for political action. Prudence bridges universal truths to local circumstances. The queen of all virtues guides political choices but never replaces Christ’s ultimate rule of life, entrusted to the Church for our salvation. Jesus did not engage in politics as commonly understood. The Gospels do not portray Him as a partisan or an advocate of specific economic or foreign policies. Authentic prudence remains faithful to binding truths and soberly assesses facts. We argue reasonably, garner sufficient facts, and never violate the principles that direct moral action. Church teaching protects the dignity of human freedom and the responsibility of conscience.
Wild at Heart
Let’s return to love
By John Eldredge, March 12, 2026
“For you bless the godly, O LORD; you surround them with your shield of love”
– King David. You are safe and secure in the refuge of God. That is the major theme. The minor theme is the war raging outside, which we do need to take seriously. The enemy is arrogant, and he loves to intimidate us by making the war seem like the major theme. It is not. So let’s return to love. “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect” (1 John 4:15–17). This is breathtakingly beautiful. God, our refuge, is unassailable love; as we intentionally choose to live in love, we secure ourselves within God and his refuge. “All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.”
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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