Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 4/9/26
Topics include: Trump speed-ran a major war; Ugandan bill proposes Sharia courts; Pastors bless Trump for war victory; & Conflict between African Muslims & Christians
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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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C&C News
The buried headline: President Trump speed-ran a major war
By Jeff Childers, April 8, 2026
The 39 days from launch to the first cease-fire is a modern record. It took Afghanistan 20 years to reach its first ceasefire—the Doha Accords. After a dramatic weekend buildup wherein the President threatened to “wipe out” Iran’s civilization, standing next to a rabbit mascot, dropped an F-bomb, and after B-52s were launched and on their way, Iran came to the table at the last minute. Iranian ally Pakistan brokered the two-week ceasefire. In 2025, Trump made individual trade deals with most major Middle Eastern countries. At the beginning of this year —after ending the ugly Israel-Hamas war— he formed the Board of Peace and funded it with $10 billion dollars. Long before Trump launched Operation Epic Fury, he stitched up all of Iran’s neighbors. Trump’s “transactional real-estate approach,” which the experts and trad-media relentlessly mocked as unsophisticated, produced a $10 billion multilateral peace framework, a 25-nation coalition built without the UN, a ceasefire in 39 days, and Pakistan volunteering as a mediator.
Related: Archbishop Broglio relieved by ceasefire, but concerns loom - EWTN News - By Tyler Arnold, April 8, 2026
CatholicVote
Ugandan bill proposes Sharia courts
By Hannah Hiester, April 8, 2026
Uganda is proposing a bill that would establish Sharia courts across the country, a move that legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International is expecting to have concerning implications for Christians and religious freedom in the nation. According to ADF International, the bill would give the courts — known as “Qadhi courts” in Uganda — mandatory and exclusive jurisdiction over personal matters, including marriage, divorce, custody, and inheritance. While the courts would primarily be for Muslims, they would also encompass Christians or people of other religions in some circumstances, ADF International said. “Uganda’s proposed Sharia courts bill would subject Christians and other non-Muslims to Islamic law, while undermining fundamental rights — especially for women, children, and religious converts,” Kelsey Zorzi, ADF International director of advocacy for global religious freedom, stated in a press release.
Crux
Pastors bless Trump and ask God for war victory
By Fionn Shiner, April 9, 2026
A Spanish bishop has said the recent images of evangelical pastors blessing Donald Trump and asking God for victory in the U.S. said it is important not “To take God’s name in vain.” Speaking to Crux Now, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of Orihuela-Alicante said that the Catholic Church in recent years is the Christian denomination that “unequivocally positions itself against war, proclaiming a message of peace and forgiveness. The difference in positioning between the Catholic Church and much of the evangelical churches is very significant. Something similar occurs with certain statements by some Orthodox churches regarding the war in Ukraine. Images of evangelical pastors blessing Trump and asking God for victory were shameful,” he said. “The Catholic Church appears as the only one that, in a cohesive way, unequivocally positions itself against war, proclaiming a message of peace and forgiveness.”
Related: Archbishop Weisenburger: Do Catholics listen to what popes say about war? - The Detroit Catholic, Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger, April 5, 2026
The Pillar
Nuns released after new Indian railway incident
By Luke Coppen, April 8, 2026
Bishop Thomas Mathew, an Indian bishop, has expressed relief after 10 members of a religious congregation were released after being briefly detained at a railway station in response to an allegation of human trafficking. “It could have turned out to be much worse, but we are grateful to God that it was resolved,” the Bishop of Indore told the Indian Catholic website Catholic Connect, which first reported the group’s release. The party consisted of two sisters and eight candidates, who are discerning their vocation within the Syro-Malabar religious congregation. The candidates were scheduled to take a train from Indore to Odisha, an eastern Indian state, to spend a vacation with their families. The group was able to alert the Church authorities and their families during the incident. “Some of the Fathers in the diocese, including the procurator, were contacted and they, in turn, reached out to higher railway police officials,” the bishop explained.
Aleteia
70 Remain lost at sea in Easter shipwreck
By Joanne McPortland, April 8, 2025
They set out from Libya on Saturday night, the Vigil of Easter and the fourth night of the Jewish Passover. There were more than 100 of them in a small, frail boat, heading to land in Europe. Sometime on Sunday, the boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, still within a zone patrolled by Libyan authorities. Sea-Watch, a group that monitors immigrant passage through these difficult waters, captured footage of just 15 people clinging to the side of the boat. Hailing merchant ships in the area, Sea-Watch oversaw the rescue of 32 people and the recovery of two bodies. They brought the survivors to Lampedusa, the Italian island that serves as a landing point for so many attempting this journey. At least 70 people remain missing. The Community of Sant'Egidio, a worldwide advocate for refugees and immigrants headquartered in Italy, has called on authorities not to abandon search-and-rescue efforts. In a statement of condolence to the families of those lost, they said:
Angelus News
St. Francis’ Jubilee year and his influence in California
By Ann Rodgers, April 8, 2026
The Spanish missionaries who, in 1769, first christened California with the names of Christ, the Blessed Mother, and the saints, walked in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. Many, including St. Junípero Serra, were scholars who renounced an easy life for extreme hardship and isolation because they wanted to follow Christ as St. Francis did. They often named missions for Franciscan saints, including Mission San Francisco de Asis, Mission Santa Clara de Asis, Mission San Antonio de Padua, Mission San Buenaventura, and Mission San Juan Capistrano. “The City of Angels” was never a mission. In 1781, the Spanish military government established Los Angeles as a civilian pueblo, located in Tongva territory. Moral critiques have rightly charged some Franciscan interactions amid views of Indigenous Californians, and the consequent harm the Indigenous endured. Some of those critiques drew on a faulty grasp of history, such as confusing abuse committed by civil administrators at secularized 19th-century mission buildings with the actions of friars.
National Catholic Register
Catholic renewal is rising in surprising places
By John E. Corcoran, April 6, 2026
Despite widespread assumptions of decline, especially among young people, a Catholic renewal quietly takes root in surprising places — where Catholics actually gather — campus Newman centers, Eucharistic adoration chapels, and parish halls. The reality is unmistakable: Renewal is alive and growing. In South Boston, a group of young adults attracts several hundred participants each Wednesday evening for confession, talks on faith, pilgrimages, and retreats. They also offer weekly adoration. Across the U.S., Catholics of all ages are attending adoration, confession and parish events in surprising numbers. In many areas, people stay long past the end of the formal program, expressing the psalmist’s desire: “My soul thirsts for the living God” (Psalm 42:2). Digital apostolates like EWTN, Word on Fire, Hallow, Ascension, and MagisAI, along with many independent creators, now reach millions with distinctly Catholic content. New Church members reflect this momentum: 8,500 in Los Angeles, 2,500 in Atlanta, 1,700 in Washington, and 680 in Boston.
EWTN News
Growing conflict between African Muslims and Christians
By Ishmael Adibuah, April 8, 2026
When Pope Leo XIV visits Africa for the first time as pontiff next week, Catholics and others across the continent will be watching with interest for what it reveals about the pope’s agenda and priorities for their region. One of those watching will be Bishop John Niyiring of Kano, Nigeria, a fellow Augustinian and longtime friend of the pope. The pope is scheduled to visit Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon on his first apostolic journey to the continent April 13–23. Niyiring is concerned about the state of Christian-Muslim relations in Africa, particularly in Muslim-majority countries such as Algeria. Niyiring described the situation as one of fear between the two religions. His comments on the situation echo those of several African prelates who have recently voiced concern over the plight of Christians on the continent, highlighting the struggle Christians often face to practice their faith in predominantly Muslim African countries.
Angelus News, EWTN & ChurchPOP for 4/9/26
Angelus News
Angelus joins in the great work of evangelization - April 9, 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
My radio ‘career’ talking about movies may be over - Robert Brennan - It was getting increasingly difficult to come on a radio station and talk about current films as they relate to our faith, since so many of the most popular and award-winning films trample most Catholic tenets.
LA Archdiocese announces pilgrimage sites, indulgences for St. Francis Jubilee - Angelus Staff - Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed 2026 as the Jubilee Year for St. Francis. Archbishop José H. Gomez 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.
The concerns about artificial intelligence can be found in a 1970s Italian novel - Maggie Phillips - “The Twenty Days of Turin” (Liveright, $18.99), written by Italian novelist Giorgio De Maria in the 1970s, a period of domestic terror and political turmoil in his country. “Turin” is an ominous, symbolic vision of what may happen should we fail to address the dark side of innovation.
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — April 9, 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.
Concordat with Vatican halted in the Czech Republic over seal of confession - By Bohumil Petrík - a group of senators filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, which on April 1 stated that two parts of the accord are problematic. The concordat would “give Catholic Church legal entities a powerful tool to prevent their documents (archive materials) from being made available.” The second objection deals with the seal of confession.
Cardinal Porras says new era in Venezuela after Maduro ‘is not about vengeance’ - By Andrés Henríquez - Assessing the country’s current situation, the prelate emphasized that free elections and democracy simultaneously require the separation of powers, free speech, and a well-informed public. Vengeance always “causes greater division” within a society.
Trump administration to issue guidance to religious nonprofits on Johnson Amendment - By Amira Abuzeid - The Johnson Amendment remains in effect for now, though the new guidance, expected later this year, could offer churches more clarity on permissible political speech during religious services.
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - April 9, 2026
“We publish inspiring daily stories, fun and shareable faith-centered infographics, prayers, Church history, and more.”
How to Cleanse Your Soul of All Sin & Punishment on Divine Mercy Sunday, As Jesus Revealed to St. Faustina - “Jesus says on this one day, you can be forgiven not only of all sin, but also of all punishment. It is wiped clean...”
The Hidden Christian Meaning of the Easter Lily, an ‘Icon of the Resurrection’ - Did you know there’s an incredible, and even supernatural, meaning behind the Easter Lily? Read further for the ancient Christian symbolism.
‘I’m Literally Home’: Beautiful Conversion Stories of Catholics Who Entered the Church This Easter “I felt something I had never felt in any Protestant church: the True Presence of Our Lord. It was like a switch was flipped in my brain...”
Nutshell reflections for 4/9/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection - VIDEO - April 9, 2026
Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Church Life Journal
The world is in flames: Ave Crux, Spes Unica!
By Edith Stein, March 27, 2026
On September 14, 1939, two weeks after Germany invaded Poland and started World War II, she wrote the following to encourage her fellow sisters to deeper faith and hope in the fire-quenching love of God. “Hail, cross, our only hope!—this is what the holy church summons us to exclaim during the time for contemplating the bitter suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . The Savior looks at us today, solemnly probing us, and asks each one of us: Will you remain faithful to the Crucified? Consider carefully! The world is in flames, the battle between Christ and the Antichrist has broken into the open. If you decide for Christ, it could cost you your life. Carefully consider what you promise. Taking and renewing vows is a dreadfully serious business. You make a promise to the Lord of heaven and earth. If you are not deadly serious about your will to fulfill it, you fall into the hands of the living God.
The Christian Science Monitor
In Lebanon, has force alone brought security?
By Shoshanna Solomon, April 8, 2026
Avi Ashkenazi was a deputy battalion commander in Israel’s 1982 war in Lebanon, fighting with his tank unit. When his commander was killed in action, Mr. Ashkenazi took over. That was when Israel, to push the Palestine Liberation Organization away from its northern border and halt years of PLO attacks on its northern residents, sent its forces all the way to Beirut. The war against Syrian army forces, then occupying Lebanon, and Palestinian guerrilla fighters enjoying Syria’s protection, lasted just three months, ending with the evacuation of the PLO leadership from Lebanon, at the cost to Israel of some 370 soldiers’ lives. But Israel stayed for another 18 years, pulling back in 1985 to a security zone it established in the south. During that time, the Shiite Lebanese militia Hezbollah emerged, and another 700 Israeli soldiers were killed. Now, as Israel once again sends forces into Lebanon to battle Iran-allied Hezbollah, Mr. Ashkenazi has a sense of déjà vu.
Providence
Faith, revolution, and the American creed
By Cole Claybourn & Joshua Claybourn, April 9, 2026
In the 17th century, a minister telling civil authorities that the government owed its existence to the governed, by God’s design, was seditious. Hooker grounded his argument in scripture and Puritan covenant theology. Consent was God’s idea first. The notion spread through New England Congregationalists, whose approach to church governance was already relatively democratic. Congregations elected their own pastors and elders. All believers, not just a clerical elite, had a say under God. In practice and preaching, the colonists were rehearsing for 1776 by applying biblical principles to governance long before Jefferson and the Founders memorialized them in the Declaration. Arguably the most influential of these was Rev. John Wise of Massachusetts, a Congregationalist minister who fought tyranny in his own life. For his trouble, he was jailed by the Crown yet was not silenced.
Wild at Heart
A beauty worth pursuing
By Stasi Eldredge, April 9, 2026
The desire to be beautiful is an ageless longing. Beauty has been extolled and worshiped and kept just out of reach for most of us. (Do you like having your picture taken? Do you like seeing those pictures later? How do you feel when people ask you your age? This issue of beauty runs deep!) For others, beauty has been shamed, used, and abused. Some of you have learned that possessing beauty can be dangerous. And yet— and this is just astounding— in spite of all the pain and distress that beauty has caused us as women, the desire remains. And it's not just the desire for an outward beauty, but more — a desire to be captivating in the depths of who you are. Ruth may have been a lovely, strong woman, but it is to her unrelenting courage, vulnerability, and faith in God that Boaz is drawn. We want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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