Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 3/13/25
Topics include: Legatus transforming culture, Pope’s chest x-ray, Win for religious freedom in Colorado, & Nicaragua out of U.N. rights council
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Today's sources are Aleteia, OSV, CNA, National Catholic Register, Crux, What We Need Now, The Pillar, John Eldredge, & Babylon Bee. (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
Legatus: Catholic business people transform culture
By Emily Chaffins, March 13, 2025
In today’s culture, often hostile to expressions of faith, many Catholics struggle with how to hold true to their values within the workplace. That’s why, in 1987, Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan started the Catholic organization Legatus. From the Latin word for “ambassador,” Legatus aims to empower Catholic presidents, CEOs, and managing partners to become what St. Paul coined “ambassadors for Christ,” explained Stephen Henley, president of Legatus. Offering peer support groups, networking, speakers, pilgrimages, and an annual international summit, Legatus’ goal is to “inspire members to live out their faith in all aspects of their life.” There are currently about 90 Legatus chapters in North America.
Catholic World Report
A win for religious freedom in Colorado
By Charles J. Russo, March 12, 2025
For the second time in less than a year, another federal trial court judge in Colorado upheld religious freedom in education. On February 24th, in Darren Patterson Christian Academy v. Roy, Judge Daniel D. Domenico permanently enjoined state officials from denying the preschool the chance to participate in the state’s Universal Pre-School Program (UPK). Litigation arose when Colorado officials excluded the Academy from the UPK due to its hiring practices for individuals who are LGBT+ and subjecting students to rules determined by biological sex rather than gender identities. In 2020, Colorado voters approved a referendum to fund preschools. Two years later, in 2022, its legislature codified this initiative as its UPK. The UPK relies on public and private funds to provide fifteen hours of free preschool per week for qualified children.
Our Sunday Visitor
Pope’s chest x-ray confirms his improvement, doctors say
By Cindy Wooden, March 12, 2025
Pope Francis’ condition continues to be stable and a chest x-ray “confirmed the improvements recorded in the previous days,” his doctors said, but without saying his double pneumonia had cleared up completely. The 88-year-pope is still using high-flow oxygen through a nasal tube during the day and “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” with a mask overnight, said the medical bulletin published March 12 by the Vatican press office. In their bulletin of March 10, the pope’s doctors had said that the pope’s continued stability and incremental improvements in his breathing and blood tests had led them to lift their “guarded” prognosis, although they insisted he continued to need hospitalization. The bulletin March 12 continued to speak of the “complexity” of the pope’s illness. The physicians leading the team of doctors treating Pope Francis have met reporters only once and that was Feb. 21.
Related: Aleteia - Francis nearing average length of pontificates since 1800, I.Media - March 13, 2025
Aleteia
Nicaragua exits U.N. rights council after damning report
By Daniel Esparza, March 9, 2025
Nicaragua’s government, under President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, has withdrawn from the United Nations Human Rights Council following a damning U.N. report on its human rights violations. This move, announced last Friday, comes just two days after U.N. experts strongly condemned Ortega’s regime for its systematic crackdown on democratic freedoms and religious groups. Since his re-election earlier this year, Ortega has further consolidated control, officially naming Murillo as “co-president” and bringing Nicaragua’s legislative and judicial branches firmly under his authority. Critics say this move cements his authoritarian rule and eliminates any meaningful political opposition. The regime has dismissed international criticism as "foreign interference."
Catholic Weekly
French bishops publish study to boost interest in faith, churches
By Caroline de Sury, March 13, 2025
After publishing the results of the General Estates on Religious Heritage project, French bishops navigate the restoration of historic churches not only to help preserve crumbling architectural pearls but also draw people closer to faith. On 2 February, a new construction project began in Marseille, focusing on restoring the towering statue of the Virgin Mary atop the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde. Under France’s 1905 law separating church and state, churches are the property of the state, with the church being their assignee. But the basilica of Marseille is an exception and is owned by the archdiocese. In a more provincial example, on 1 March, residents of Saint-Biez-en-Belin in Normandy, celebrated the reopening of their church after restoration work was carried out by the municipality.
National Catholic Register
Mark Carney, Catholic, is Canada’s new prime minister
By Tom McFeely, March 12, 2025
Banker-turned-politician Mark Carney’s rise to Canada’s highest elected office arrives at a pivotal moment for America’s northern neighbor’s economy and its relationship with the U.S. Carney will become Canada’s prime minister as soon as he is sworn into office on Friday by Canadian Governor General Mary Simon. Throughout his professional life Carney has been a proponent of globalism, which advocates for international economic and political institutions and strategies rather than an exclusive or primary reliance on national actions. Mark Carney was born March 16, 1965, into a Catholic family in the remote Canadian community of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. He is a graduate of both Harvard and Oxford, and his first career was as an investment banker with U.S.-based Goldman Sachs. He currently serves as the U.N.’s special envoy for climate action and finance.
The Pillar
Iowa priest charged with ‘fake missionary’ fraud and theft
By The Pillar, March 12, 2025
Fr. Tom Thakadipuram, 61, an Iowa priest, pleaded not guilty to criminal theft, after he was arrested last month on charges of stealing $164,000 from his rural parish. According to court records, the priest deposited parish money into a bank account he created for a fake missionary organization, and from there transferred it into his own bank account. He is facing six counts of theft. An expert in parish theft says the arrest is a reminder for dioceses to set clear policies about financial management, and to audit compliance regularly. “The defendant on or about the 2nd day of January, 2025, removed CDs in cash funds from the bank in the amount of $24,000.00, relocating them to a false bank account to a missionary group where the account signer was himself,” said an Iowa police officer in a Feb. 20 affidavit.
CatholicVote
EPA removes ‘Electric Vehicle mandate’ in deregulation push
By CV News Feed, March 13, 2025
In what has been described as “the biggest day of deregulation in American history,” President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun rolling back vehicle fuel efficiency standards enacted during the Biden administration. As CatholicVote.org recently reported, a survey by consulting firm EY found that only 34% of U.S. consumers planned to purchase an EV as their next car, a significant drop from 48% in the previous year. The percentage of those considering a fully electric vehicle specifically fell from 22% to just 11%. With skepticism growing (and those who want an EV already owning one), the EPA’s rollback of Biden’s EV policies could be seen as a response to both industry concerns and shifting public sentiment. The Trump administration’s approach signals a major shift away from aggressive climate regulations toward a deregulation-focused economic policy.
CatholicVote, CNA & Satire for 3/13/2025
CatholicVote - The Loop
Read daily news and political impact stories at the “LOOP”
Elections and politics matter. The LOOP gives you daily gems on the news that seek “to renew our country and culture.” CatholicVote’s advertised mission is “To inspire every Catholic in America to live out the truths of our faith in public life.” Today’s topics from the LOOP include:
LENTEN LESSONS: WHAT MAKES A SACRAMENT VALID? - Sacraments can be invalid if certain elements are missing. Discover what makes Baptism valid and what can render it void. Watch and learn today with Lenten Lessons on the Sacraments from Relevant Radio.
TRUMP SENDS BRIAN BURCH NOMINATION TO SENATE - President Donald Trump has formally submitted to the Senate his nomination of CatholicVote President Brian Burch as US Ambassador to the Holy See. "Brian loves his Church and the United States," Trump has said. "He will make us all proud."
CUBA RELEASES PRISONERS IN VATICAN-BROKERED DEAL - Cuba's communist regime has released 553 prisoners as part of a Vatican-brokered agreement. The news comes shortly after the Trump administration reinstated Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — March 13, 2025
Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See to anyone with access to the internet.
Catholic university in Miami plans major expansion to fill Florida’s nursing gap - Mar 13, 2025 - By Kate Quiñones - St. Thomas University in Miami, with a 100% nursing exam pass rate, aims to train 2,000 nurses by 2026.
John Paul II’s biographer says late pope is a model for Catholics in fighting antisemitism - Mar 13, 2025 - By Madalaine Elhabbal - Speaking at a conference on Monday, George Weigel reflected on John Paul II’s “distinctly personal” relationship with the Jewish people.
Holy See’s delegation to the UN to address scourge of internet pornography - Mar 13, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - This event will address the social impact resulting from the widespread availability of pornographic content on the internet.
Babylon Bee’s (Satire) News
Latest Church Recruiting Pitch: Volunteer For Parking Lot Ministry And You'll Never Have To Hear Another Sermon For The Rest Of Your Days
By Church Staff, March 12, 2025
Check out this recruiting pitch, my church brethren! Clever, and it works!
Yes, it's true. If you volunteer for the Parking Lot Ministry at your local church, then you'll never have to hear another sermon again. Let's break down how the pitch works. First, you sign up for the Parking Lot Ministry. Then, you go to church on Sunday, but instead of sitting through a sermon — you get to stand outside! There are no sermons outside (we checked). All you have to do is help people park and then walk old ladies to the church entrance. And you get to wear a vest! Cool! But wait, aren't sermons good? Sure! But they're also long and boring sometimes. Plus, it's so pretty outside right now. You can get out in the fresh air, serve the Lord, and get out of having to sit through the sermon, all in one fell stroke. What a deal!
Nutshell reflections for 3/13/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection - AUDIO & VIDEO - March 13, 2025
Thursday of the First Week in Lent
What We Need Now
The psychological makeup of the Catholic liberal
By Dr. Gavin Ashenden, March 11, 2025
History has brought us to a crossroads in the life of the Catholic Church. The civil war in the Church between progressive and traditionalists, between liberals and conservatives plays an ever more important role. Western Society, a little inebriated by its own technological and scientific success, has convinced itself that it walks the road of progress. There is no obvious or inevitable link between technological skill and learning to love your neighbor, or finding a more meaningful relationship with God. Staying in tune with a liberal society that has no clear idea of what it is moving forward to, doesn’t necessarily constitute being prophetic. The Christian critique of secular utopianism is that it represents a misdirected quest for heaven. Why wait for heaven if you can create heaven on earth? The liberal (Catholic) mindset finds the empirical and political more convincing than the spiritual and the metaphysical.
National Catholic Register
Colleges dispense ‘morning-After’ pills in vending machines
By Kathy Schiffer, March 11, 2025
The University of Connecticut has just installed a “Plan B” vending machine in the basement of the Student Union “in an effort to expand access to contraception.” Plan B is a recent development, a form of emergency contraception that is used within 72 hours after having unprotected sex. I discovered that there are at least 39 other universities across the United States that have vending machines that offer Plan B, condoms and other “reproductive wellness” products — thus protecting their female students from inconvenient pregnancy, while stopping short of protecting the babies they might have conceived. Vending machine packages typically range from roughly $10 to $30. Many pharmacies — fearing a lawsuits — still impose restrictions, such as underage women have a signed parental consent before they can purchase the drug. There is no such age restriction governing who can push the button on a vending machine.
Aleteia
Store owner’s remarkable act for customer with Down syndrome
By Cerith Gardiner, March 12, 2025
A beautiful story featured in The Washington Post recently reminds us each act of kindness can mean the world to someone. David Kraning’ Video Stop in Pocatello, Idaho, was the last video rental store in town, and like other rental stores it struggled under rising expenses and falling profits. Christina Cavanaugh, a woman with Down syndrome, and her mother Toni made the weekly ritual of selecting movies a cherished tradition for more than 15 years. Kraning found a way to continue offering her a slice of normalcy. Instead of saying a final goodbye, he repurposed a corner of the neighboring K & B Kwik Stop convenience store into a mini rental haven — a space affectionately dubbed “Christina’s Corner.” Here, nearly 200 DVDs were carefully arranged, including her favorite Disney classics, ensuring that her weekly escape into the world of storytelling would persist.
Meanwhile: CDC to ‘leave no stone unturned’ in mission to study why autism rate has ‘skyrocketed’ - CatholicVote, Susan Berry, Ph.D. on March 13, 2025
Wild at Heart
We need to allow Jesus to heal our story of love
By John Eldredge, March 13, 2025
Love is something we are going to have to firmly protect. Now here is the problem—as soon as I say the word “love,” many different things come to your heart and mind. We all have a story of love, how we learned love in the world. Most of those lessons confused our hearts and souls about the nature of love. We need to allow Jesus to heal our story of love as we take refuge in his love. So when I say we need to protect love, I am only talking about love as we see modeled in Jesus Christ. He has the ability to move toward people, move against people, and move away from people as true love guides him. Protecting love in your heart includes your love for God. Satan hates your love for Jesus and your Father; he will try to poison it.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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