Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 3/19/26
Topics include: Beware online violent radicalization; AI ethics meet war machines; Iceland priest’s comments on homosexuality; & ‘Feast of the Widowhood of Mary’
“The greatest thing since peanut butter & jelly”
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)
Please support the following Catholic (and Catholic-friendly) news services and spiritual support sites. Today’s Catholic Nutshell News audio podcast is available on the Substack App.
OSV News
Annunciation shooting likely from online violent radicalization
By Gina Christian, March 19, 2026
More than six months after the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, a law enforcement investigation remains ongoing — but security analysts report that a cluster of violent online communities played a role in the attacker’s motivation. “The Annunciation shooting was, from our perspective, a remarkably clear example of a violent attack” that reflected no “clear ideology at play,” Amy Cooter, co-founder and deputy director of the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism, told OSV News. Two children were killed and 21 other people were injured when 23-year-old Robin Westman, a former Annunciation student, opened fire during a parish school liturgy Aug. 27, 2025. Westman died on the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. Several counterterrorism experts began sounding the alarm that the Annunciation shooting appeared to be part of a rapidly emerging trend in which youth are radicalized in diffuse, online networks to commit real-world violence against others and themselves.
CatholicVote
Catholic moral theologians and ethicists support AI company
By Hannah Hiester, March 18, 2026
Fourteen Catholic moral theologians and ethicists filed a friend-of-the-court brief March 13 in support of artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic’s case against the U.S. Department of War, arguing that the company’s refusal to allow its AI systems to be used for surveillance and autonomous weapons shows ethical responsibility rather than a national security risk. The case in question arose after Anthropic told the Department of War it could allow the use of its AI models in all lawful circumstances except two: making unsupervised decisions that end human life or enabling mass domestic surveillance. In their amicus brief, the moral theologians and ethicists — professors at Catholic universities across the U.S. — said they do not necessarily support Anthropic or the goals of AI development. Rather, they said they wish to back a company with a “principled ethical stance on AI use” that aligns with Catholic teaching.
Crux
Icelandic police inspect priest’s comments on homosexuality
By Fionn Shiner, March 19, 2026
Icelandic police have confirmed that they are examining comments made by a Catholic priest about homosexuality that may violate the country’s laws against conversion therapy. The Reykjavik police said they would investigate the remarks made by Father Jakob Rolland to Icelandic state broadcaster RÚV in early March, to determine whether criminal proceedings should be opened against the priest, who is also the chancellor of the Catholic Church in Iceland. Rolland, a Frenchman who has been in Iceland for decades and changed his name from Jacques to Jakob to adopt a more Icelandic use of his name, said that members of the LGBTQ community lack help if they wish to “abandon this lifestyle.” His comments are being investigated to see whether they violate Iceland’s laws banning conversion therapy related to sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity that were passed in 2023.
The Pillar
What the Vatican court ruling means for papal sovereignty
By Ed. Condon, March 17, 2026
The ruling issued by the Vatican City Court of Appeal on Tuesday, believed to be the first of its kind, at least in the modern era, would appear to subject papal acts of governance to the ordinary process of judicial review in the Vatican’s city-state. If left unchallenged, it could dramatically revise how papal authority is exercised in the Vatican. In sum, the judges found that Francis may have thought he was granting special permission to do something, but they decided he actually created a new legal category of investigative action. As such, the pope needed to publicly promulgate the change — even if not making clear he was doing so with a particular case in mind, or even keeping confidential who was using the new law and why. The substance of the decision is potentially seismic, in that it appears to rule that papal acts of governance are not self-defining — that is, a rescript isn’t necessarily a rescript just because the pope says it is — and that a separate judicial authority has the power to rule them procedurally ineffective.
Aleteia
St. Joseph’s Day is ‘Feast of the Widowhood of Mary’
By Jenny Lark Snarski, March 19, 2025
“Immediately after my husband died, I looked at the Blessed Mother and said, ‘I get to be more like you.’ That was when the Lord put it on my heart that the Feast of the Holy Widowhood is the 19th of March,” Majel Braden told Aleteia, “because that’s when the Church honors St. Joseph’s coming home to the Lord.” Majel Braden and her husband, Colonel P. David Braden had been married for 30 years when he passed on October 6, 2016. Majel took this inspiration immediately to her spiritual director, Marianist Fr. George Montague. The Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers, of which David was board chairman, approved a project for both consecrated widows and single consecrated women, founded by Bishop Douglas Lucia on February 2, 2023, the World Day of Consecrated Life. With nine consecrated widows and five consecrated women, the association is already well established. This, the oldest form of dedication to God, has seen new life.
Catholic Culture
Pope Leo needs to make better arguments against the war
By Phil Lawler, March 18, 2026
Even if they do not support Trump, most Americans will readily agree that the situation in the Middle East identifies the Iranian regime as inhuman, oppressive, and dangerous; a threat to its neighbors and to its own people. It is a chief sponsor of terrorist activities all around the world. (We cannot accept a negotiated compromise that would allow Iran to indulge in a little bit of terrorism.) It is frightening to contemplate what the Islamist government would do with nuclear weapons, and negotiations have failed to secure that government’s agreement to abandon the pursuit of nuclear weaponry. So it is easy for the Trump administration to make that case that negotiations have proven fruitless, and some more aggressive action against Iran is now necessary. If his only plea is for more “dialogue,” the Pope is not likely to change minds. To be sure, war is always a tragedy; on that much, every Roman Pontiff has agreed. But at times, an unjust peace is an even greater tragedy.
Related: God’s name can never be used to justify ‘absurd’ pursuit of war, pope says - OSV News - by Carol Glatz , March 15, 2026
National Catholic Register
Is the ‘Revival’ of Faith in Gen Z Real?
By Jonah McKeown, March 18, 2026
If the headlines are to be believed, more people are becoming Catholic these days than ever before — including many members of Generation Z, those born approximately between 1997 and 2012. “I think it's hard to deny, when you're living on a college campus, that faith is big here, even beyond the Catholic Church,” said Ashwin Mannur, 21, a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who converted in 2025. He is slated to become a FOCUS missionary. And it’s not just at colleges — ongoing research by the Register has found that in dozens of dioceses across the country, people converting through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) has grown by double-digit percentages this year. Other voices have risen to “debunk” the narrative and point out that the data doesn’t support the idea of widespread conversions to the Catholic faith among Gen Z. The Pew Research Center reports that Gen Z is the least church-attending generation in American history, with only 17% attending weekly.
EWTN News
Lebanon faces ‘catastrophic’ situation
By Madalaine Elhabbal, March 19, 2026
About 1 million people have been displaced over the past 10 days in Lebanon, where the situation continues to deteriorate, according to Marwan Sehnaoui, president of the Sovereign Order of Malta’s Lebanon chapter. “The situation in Lebanon, in Beirut, and all over Lebanon is a catastrophic situation,” Sehnaoui told “EWTN News Nightly” host Veronica Dudo on March 18. “We are a peaceful country, and here we are with shelling all over.” Sehnaoui leads the Order of Malta’s Lebanon Association, which, he said, “is all over the Lebanese territory,” with about 600 employees charged with operating more than 60 projects related to health, social, and agricultural humanitarian aid. The Order of Malta also operates 12 mobile medical centers, he said. “Around 20% of our population had to run away,” he said, noting that “where to put them” has become “a very complicated situation.” He further cited about 1,000 casualties in the region, noting the deaths of 60 people “just today.”
Related: IDF issues evacuation order for southern Lebanon, By Jerusalem Post Staff, March 19, 2026
Related: IDF strikes Hezbollah financial, military sites, Times of Israel (Lebanon residents to flee northward following Hezbollah rocket barrage on north), By Emanuel Fabian and Agencies, 18 March 2026
Angelus News, EWTN & ChurchPOP for 3/19/26
Angelus News
Angelus joins in the great work of evangelization - March 19, 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
Bishops hail Scottish lawmakers for rejecting assisted dying; UK faces pivotal abortion vote - OSV News - Mar 18 - A move shelving a measure that would have allowed eligible adults "to lawfully request, and be provided with, assistance by health professionals to end their own life."
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage registration opens; schedule released
Tessa Gervasini, EWTN News - Mar 17 - In celebration of the 2026 theme, “One Nation Under God,” and the nation’s 250th anniversary, many of the events will not only bring the faithful together in prayer but also will reflect U.S. history.
LA Archdiocese’s CRS chapters urge greater Rice Bowl donations after US cuts - Tom Hoffarth, Angelus News - Mar 16 - “Sending care packages is just one part of it. We need to keep staff members in the countries they serve. Otherwise, a lack of resources will lead to people leaving their homes out of desperation, and our immigration issues may be even greater.”
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — March 19, 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.
1 year after Papua New Guinea declared itself Christian, bishops say little has changed - By Bryan Lawrence Gonsalves - An amendment revised the constitution’s preamble to explicitly acknowledge the Trinity and recognize the Bible as a national symbol. One year later, Catholic bishops say the amendment has had little practical effect on Church life so far, while raising longer-term questions about religious freedom and Church-state relations.
Haiti at crossroads as elections approach amid uncertainty and crisis, priest warns - By Andrés Henríquez - Amid deepening political uncertainty and widespread gang violence, a Camillian missionary in Haiti said the country’s upcoming elections offer a fragile hope for renewal, even as the path toward them remains “very vague and very uncertain.”
Pope Leo calls bishops to Rome to discuss families, ‘Amoris Laetitia’ in October - By Hannah Brockhaus - Ten years after Pope Francis issued a controversial document on families, Pope Leo XIV will meet with bishops from around the world to discuss the text’s application for today.
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - March 19, 2026
“We publish inspiring daily stories, fun and shareable faith-centered infographics, prayers, Church history, and more.”
Did Jesus Die at 3 p.m. on April 3, A.D. 33? The Clues to His Exact Day and Hour - Did Jesus really die on this date and time—or is that just a viral claim? Here’s what we found!
Worried About Your Kids? Try These 4 Lenten Prayers for Trust, Healing, and Protection - “During Lent, let us learn to pray for our children with more faith, more trust, and less fear.”
In the Middle of War, a Massive Christ the Redeemer Statue Rises on Lebanon’s Border - No matter what challenges Lebanon faces, the country keeps its eyes on Jesus! Lebanon is building one of the biggest statues of Christ the Redeemer in the Middle East.
Nutshell reflections for 3/19/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection - VIDEO - March 19, 2026
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Church Life Journal
King David’s penance: On the process of forgiveness
By Gary A. Anderson, March 19, 2026
Readers of the David story have long marveled at the courage of the prophet Nathan. David, at the height of his powers, engages in an adulterous relationship, has the husband murdered and then returns to his normal routine as though nothing had happened. But the court prophet is undeterred by this display of cunning and raw power. After he addresses David through the medium of a parable, he openly indicts David for his transgression. David, in turn, quickly confesses, but the remarkable feature of that confession—often missed by even the most assiduous commentators—is that David accepts not only his guilt but all of the punishments that were slated to follow. To be sure, there were words of absolution: the capital punishment due for this horrendous crime had been rescinded. He will not be put to death. But some serious punishments still follow—David must face those head-on.
The Obscure, Forgotten, and Undiscovered
Galileo, his penance, and subsequent apology by the Church
By James K. Hanna, March 18, 2026
At the monastery of Santa Maria, on June 22, 1633, the years-long inquiry into Galileo’s views on heliocentrism and his purpose in writing The Dialogue (the case is more complicated) came to an end with the meeting of the Inquisition rendering its verdict: Galileo was ‘‘vehemently suspect of heresy for supporting that the sun was the center of the world and does not move from to east to west, that the earth moves and is not the center of the world, and that one may hold and defend as probable thee opinion even after it has been declared as contrary to Scripture.” He then heard his sentence read out. The Dialogue would be prohibited; he would be subject to house arrest; and a salutary penance was prescribed: he was to read and recite the Seven Penitential Psalms once a week for three years. In 1979, Pope John Paul II called for a study of the Galileo case after expressing regret at how the great scientist had been treated by the Church. He also observed that Galileo had believed that ‘the two truths of faith and science can never contradict each other.
Catholic Gentlemen
The blessing or curse a man leaves his family
By Devin Schadt, March 16, 2026
Have you ever had one of those dreams wherein you find yourself in a classroom, sitting at a desk, and suddenly you have the alarming thought, “There is an exam and I haven’t studied for it!” Or, perhaps more unsettling, you are sitting amidst an assembly when, to your complete surprise, the Master of Ceremonies summons you to give the highly anticipated keynote address—but you have no idea what the speech or the event is about. However, as disturbing and distressing as these moments are, there will be, for many a man, a moment far more stressful and lamentable—and it will not be a dream. Every man will render an account of the legacy he has imparted as a father to God’s Kingdom, his family, and the future generations of his bloodline. It is not whether a man will leave a legacy, but rather what type of legacy he will leave. Our children and children’s children will inherit something from us, but will that inheritance be something that our successors will deem worthy of inheriting? (Reprinted from The Fathers is St. Joesph.)
Wild at Heart
Genuine goodness is captivating
By John Eldredge, March 19, 2026
You can tell a lot about a person by their effect on others. What is Jesus like to be around? What is the aftertaste he leaves in your mouth? Is this someone you’d want to take a long car ride with? We saw Zacchaeus’ reaction. Here are two more, from people quite different from each other and from Zacchaeus: One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then, a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume (Luke 7:36–38 The Message Bible). What is stunning to see i is that people who knew themselves to be anything but holy found the holiness of Jesus winsome, open-armed, and utterly compelling.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
Catholic Nutshell News is a subscription service hosted by SubStack. Get up to a dozen recent articles Monday through Saturday to review regarding newsworthy issues. An easy way to browse top Catholic news and information services on the net. Edited by John Pearring.
Listen to an audio podcast of today’s Catholic Nutshell News on the Substack App!
At the top of your phone, while in the Substack app to read our post, you can press the ▶️ play button and have Catholic Nutshell News read to you daily …
