Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 4/16/26
Topics include: Bills aimed at expanding, normalizing abortion; Gen Z women are losing their religion; China pressing underground Catholics; & ‘Culture of Death’ is committing suicide
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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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CatholicVote
Illinois’ 5 bills aimed at expanding, normalizing abortion
By Hannah Hiester, April 15, 2026
The Illinois Legislature is considering five bills that, if passed, would reduce state monitoring of abortions and abortion pills, require foster parents to support abortions, and establish a public fund to pay for abortions. The first bill, HB 4834, excludes abortion pills and hormonal prescriptions, such as testosterone and estrogen, from the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program. Bill HB 4839 aims to eliminate the requirement for fetal death certificates to be issued for babies who die or are aborted before 20 weeks. Under HB 4966, pro-abortion ideologies would be forced upon foster families giving homes to children from out-of-state, requiring families to “maintain an environment” that is “supportive” of their foster child’s “reproductive health decisions.” HB 5295 would allow health care providers to exclude abortion-related information from women’s medical histories to keep the records private from out-of-state entities. The final bill, HB 5408, would establish an “Abortion Access Fund Grant Program” using taxpayer dollars, which would pay for women to have abortions if their insurance does not cover them.
Religion News Service
Gen Z women are losing their religion
By Bob Smietana, April 15, 2026
Women have long been the backbone of religion in America. They are more likely than men to identify as religious, say faith is important in their lives, attend services, and pray. That’s especially true among older women, according to data from the Pew Research Center. But times are changing. And more young women seem to be giving up on God — or at least organized religion. A new report released Wednesday (April 15) from Washington, D.C.-based Public Religion Research Institute found that 43% of adult women under 30 identify as “none” — those who claim no religious identity. That’s up from 29% in 2013. PRRI found that unaffiliated young women outnumber unaffiliated men (35%). Overall, PRRI found that 39% of Americans under 30 identify as “none.” The findings conflict with claims of a religious boom among young Americans. Pew found that only 57% of young women and 58% of young men identify with a religion — a virtual tie. Deckman said the data reflects political and social realities. Young women, she said, aren’t interested in the kind of traditional gender roles that conservative religious groups are promoting.
Crux
China pressing underground Catholics to join the ‘official’ church
By David Crary, AP, April 16, 2026
Chinese authorities are increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled official church while tightening surveillance and travel restrictions on all of China’s estimated 12 million Catholics, a rights group said Wednesday. China’s Catholics have been divided between an official, state-controlled church that didn’t recognize papal authority and an underground church that remained loyal to Rome through decades of persecution. In 2018, Pope Francis sought to ease Vatican-China tensions with a deal that gave the state-controlled church a say in naming bishops — a task traditionally exclusive to the pope. Despite that deal, “Catholics in China face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms,” said Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Pope Leo XIV should urgently review the agreement and press Beijing to end the persecution and intimidation of underground churches, clergy, and worshippers.”
The Pillar
Leo encounters ‘the now-adult Church in Africa’
By Edgar Beltrán, April 10, 2026
The Pillar spoke about the significance of the pope’s first trip to Africa with Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the section of first evangelization and new particular churches of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization. Pope Leo XIV will be visiting Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, and Cameroon from April 13 to April 23. “In these countries, you have four or five of the major languages spoken throughout the African continent. English and French are spoken in Cameroon, Portuguese in Angola, Spanish in Equatorial Guinea, and Arabic in Algeria. So, from the linguistic point of view, all these countries represent the entire African continent,” said Nwachukwu. He added that Algeria is in the Maghreb, Northern Africa. Cameroon sits at a very strategic position, the meeting point between the Western and Eastern central parts of Africa. Further south, you have Angola, and Equatorial Guinea represents insular Africa, because the capital, Malabo, is on an island. “The thing is that while political parties and social groups quite often operate with different platforms, we Christians operate with a common platform, Jesus Christ, the word of God.”
Aleteia
AI writes faster than we can think — that’s a problem
By Daniel Esparza, April 16, 2025
Evil has always appeared in brutally recognizable forms: war, cruelty, contempt for the weak, the gradual hardening of the heart. Yet Hannah Arendt discerned a quieter danger alongside them. Evil can take root where people no longer think carefully about what they say and do. It passes through formulas, habits, clichés, and the easy shelter of borrowed language. That insight feels urgent in the age of artificial intelligence. That is where the deeper concern lies. AI can help with routine tasks. It can lighten repetitive work. It can support research, medicine, and communication when guided by sound judgment. Pope Leo has said as much, while also arguing that every evaluation of AI must keep the full good of the human person in view, materially, intellectually, and spiritually. Still, language formed at machine speed can weaken a discipline that moral life depends on: the patient testing of words. The real issue, then, is larger than writing. It is the work of thinking.
Angelus News
Blessing of Animals: Once blessing cows, now poodles & iguanas
By Isabel González, April 15, 2026
A day before Easter, on Holy Saturday, the historic district in Los Angeles transformed into a chaotic, joyful intersection of daily life and faith as the area hosted the annual Blessing of the Animals led by Archbishop José H. Gomez. “According to ancient traditions, it was the animals who were the first to recognize the resurrection of Christ,” Archbishop Gomez said. “Today we honor that witness by asking God’s blessing, that we may share in the beauty of creation and in the mystery of redemption and worship.” Back when Los Angeles was still an agricultural pueblo, priests from the nearby La Placita Church would walk out to bless local farmers’ livestock. Today, livestock has mostly given way to household pets, a sign of modern times. But the intention these days is the same: entrusting what we love to God’s care.
National Catholic Register
Is the ‘Culture of Death’ committing suicide?
By Joseph Pearce, April 4, 2026
If you give the devil enough rope, he’ll hang himself. This is true, but it’s not the whole truth. The problem is that he’ll hang you first. The devil hangs his own disciples, which is tragic enough, but he also hangs the innocent. These timeless cautionary thoughts should be kept in mind as we survey the way that the culture of death in the decadent West is collapsing in its own hedonistic too-muchness. Like most countries in the collapsing, decadent Europe, Icelanders are following the Nazis through the practice of eugenics to exterminate the “unfit.” 85% of expectant mothers undergo prenatal testing, and close to 100% of them choose to kill their child if he or she is diagnosed with Down syndrome. Iceland is not an isolated example, an idiosyncratic anomaly, but a microcosmic representative of what is happening throughout the decadent West in general and the European Union in particular. All nations that have adopted the culture of death are on the same suicidal path.
EWTN News
Bishops reaffirm just war limits amid Vance’s pushback
By EWTN News Staff, April 15, 2026
The U.S. bishops’ chair for doctrine issued a clarification on April 15, reaffirming that Catholic just war theory imposes strict moral limits on the use of military force and emphasizing that it is not a political endorsement of war but a moral framework. The statement came as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, the latter a Catholic, have taken issue with papal remarks claiming that “anyone who is a disciple of Christ” is “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” Speaking at an April 14 event hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA, Vance publicly criticized Pope Leo on his anti-war remarks, asking: “How can you say God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?” Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop James Massa's statement on the subject underscored that Christians are obliged to critically evaluate claims in favor of armed conflict rather than assume their moral legitimacy. AVance said he likes it when the pope comments on public issues — including immigration, abortion, and war and peace — because it “invites a conversation,” even when there is disagreement.
Angelus News, EWTN & ChurchPOP for 4/16/26
Angelus News
Angelus joins in the great work of evangelization - April 16, 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
LA Archdiocese announces pilgrimage sites, indulgences for St. Francis Jubilee - Angelus Staff - Apr 07, 2026 - Pope Leo XIV proclaimed 2026 as the Jubilee Year for St. Francis. Archbishop José H. Gomez has declared 15 sites in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as pilgrimage destinations, ensuring that LA Catholics don’t have to travel all the way to Assisi to participate in the commemoration.
Why do we try to control who gets to receive God’s mercy? - Father Ronald Rolheiser, OMI - Apr 07, 2026 -After 50 years in ministry, I’m inclined to the old priest’s advice: We need to risk more of God’s mercy. The place of justice and truth should never be ignored — letting the infinite, unbounded, unconditional, undeserved mercy of God flow more freely. The mercy of God is as accessible as the nearest water tap. Like Isaiah, proclaim a mercy that has no price tag
A ‘typo’ actually makes a bishop’s role and place clearer - Scott Hahn | Letter and Spirit - Apr 14, 2026 - “Your bishop presides in the place of God,” said Ignatius of Antioch, around A.D. 107. Did Ignatius mean “place” in the sense of location? Or did he mean place in the sense that the bishop is the agent of God’s will? I learned that the answer is — both!
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — April 16, 2026
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.
Pope Leo XIV in Cameroon urges Christians and Muslims to heal wounds of conflict - By Marco Mancini and Veronica Giacometti - During the interreligious peace gathering, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda said the popeʼs presence was consoling for the people. The meeting included testimonies from local people, including Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims.
Lawmaker calls for allowing crucifix symbol on veterans’ headstones - By Madalaine Elhabbal - Nearly 50 lawmakers, including Rep. Greg Steube, R-Florida, are urging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to make the change. Catholic veterans do not currently have the option to select a crucifix, an emblem of belief that most accurately represents the faith of nearly 20% of all veterans.
Nearly 500 leaders will gather in Washington, D.C., to read the entire Bible aloud - By Tessa Gervasini - America Reads the Bible is a national Scripture-reading event and movement led by Christians Engaged, a nonprofit organization committed “to discipling Americans on biblical worldview and their responsibilities as citizens to pray, vote, and engage for the well-being of our nation.”
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - April 16, 2026
“We publish inspiring daily stories, fun and shareable faith-centered infographics, prayers, Church history, and more.”
Why the Oscar-Winning Classic ‘The Song of Bernadette’ Still Stirs the Soul: 5 Memorable Quotes - In honor of the April 15 feast of St. Bernadette, let’s revisit the inspiring, Oscar-winning “The Song of Bernadette.”
How I Met Your Mother: The Wild Catholic Classified Ad Behind Pope Benedict XVI’s Birth - Here’s a fact you probably never heard: Pope Benedict XVI’s parents met through a personal ad in a Catholic newspaper.
The Most Underrated Pope of Our Lifetime? Why Gen Z Catholics Are Falling in Love with Benedict XVI - Why are Gen Z Catholics falling in love with Pope Benedict XVI? Here are nine reasons!
Nutshell reflections for 4/16/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection - VIDEO - April 16, 2026
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
Church Life Journal
Judah’s confession: Absolution is the beginning of the journey
By Gary A. Anderson, April 16, 2026
Consider David's ancestor, Judah, in the book of Genesis. As you may recall, the patriarch Jacob had twelve sons, each representing a future tribe of Israel. Judah, the fourth son, holds particular significance because David eventually emerges from a city within Judah’s tribal territory. Since Judah serves as a "type" or "figure" for the royal line, it is fitting that he proves his leadership not through a show of power, but through a courageous display of contrition. In the brothers’ attempt to murder their brother, Joseph, Reuben intervenes for a moment, but his efforts are not completely successful. This prompts Judah to suggest that they sell Joseph into slavery. Miraculously alive, Joseph is eventually reunited with his family, but provides a test with the next favored son to be sent into slavery. By offering to take Benjamin's place—accepting a life of Egyptian servitude—Judah finally atoned for his earlier crime of selling Joseph. He effectively stands in the place of the one who had taken Joseph's place.
National Catholic Register
An open letter to Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ
By George Weigel, April 15, 2026
The question of who may be ordained is not a matter of discipline but of divine revelation and the nature of the Church itself. In an article recently published by a major German Catholic website, [Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, archbishop of Luxembourg} suggested that the question of whether the Church can ordain women has not been definitively settled: “I cannot imagine how a Church can continue to exist in the long run if half of God’s people suffer because they have no access to ordained ministry.” Are you, for example, suggesting that there has been something essentially wrong with the Catholic understanding of Holy Orders for two millennia? How would such a notion square with the Lord’s promise to preserve his Church in truth through the continual outpouring of the Holy Spirit (John 15:16, 16:13)? Did Christ get it wrong in structuring the Church and its ordained ministry as they have been structured for two millennia? Doesn’t that suggest a rather clericalist understanding of the Kingdom-life we are living now (Mark 1:15)?
Providence
As WWI fades from memory, its lessons are relevant as ever
By Sean Durns, April 15, 2026
World War I, the famed diplomat George Kennan observed, was the seminal catastrophe of the twentieth century. Once billed as the “war to end all wars,” the conflict instead birthed World War II and the Cold War. It was, in many respects, the prequel to a century of horrors. A generation that remembered the costs of industrialized warfare is no longer with us, physically or spiritually, and we are the worse for it. Before the war, it was possible to traverse through much of the known world without so much as a passport. For nearly eight decades, much of the world, and certainly the West, has experienced smaller-scale wars and insurgencies—Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The Taliban presented challenges of their own, but they are most certainly not China, an industrial superpower with 232 times America’s current shipbuilding capacity. Beijing has been engaged in one of the largest military buildups in modern history. As Mark Twain famously remarked, “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”
(A review of Odd Arne Westad's book, The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict, and Warnings from History)
Wild at Heart
God is our ‘ezer’
By John Eldredge, April 16, 2026
When God creates Eve, he calls her an ezer kenegdo. “It is not good for the man to be alone, I shall make him [an ezer kenegdo]” (Genesis 2:18 Alter). Hebrew scholar Robert Alter, who has spent years translating the book of Genesis, says that this phrase is “notoriously difficult to translate.” The various attempts in English include “helper,” “companion,” and the notorious “help meet.” Why are these translations so incredibly wimpy, boring, flat ... disappointing? What is a help meet, anyway? What little girl dances through the house singing, “One day I shall be a help meet”? Companion? A dog can be a companion. Helper? Sounds like Hamburger Helper. Alter is getting close when he translates it “sustainer beside him.” The word ezer is used only twenty other places in the entire Old Testament. And in every other instance, the person being described is God himself, when you need him to come through for you desperately.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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