Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 5/15/25
Topics include: Review of abortion drug, Women’s health centers outnumber abortion centers, Bolivia’s culture & society destroyed, & One journalist predicted Prevost as pope
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Today's sources are Aleteia, OSV, CNA, National Catholic Register, 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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CatholicVote
HHS Sec Kennedy pledges to review FDA approval of abortion drug
By CV News Feed, May 14, 2025
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said Wednesday that he has ordered a top-down review of the abortion drug mifepristone in light of “alarming” research showing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved pill does far more harm to women than previously reported. The latest research is “alarming,” Kennedy said during a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “And clearly it indicates at the very least the [FDA] label should be changed.” Dr. Susan Berry reported for CatholicVote April 28, a “bombshell study” by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) “revealed nearly 11% of women experience severe or life-threatening complications after an abortion via the drug mifepristone – a rate that is 22 times higher than indicated on the drug’s label.
Catholic News Agency
Women’s health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood 15 to 1
By Kate Quiñones, May 14, 2025
In a recently released report, Charlotte Lozier Institute found that life-affirming women’s health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood locations 15 to 1. As pro-lifers look to federally defund Planned Parenthood, the policy and research institute developed a comprehensive report of life-affirming community health centers across the country. The institute, which is the research arm of Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, launched “Real Choices,” which documents the number of federal qualified health centers in each state. Designed to highlight the work of life-affirming clinics, the webpage reflects the reality that these clinics outnumber Planned Parenthood locations.
Crux
Bolivia’s cultural and social identities have been destroyed
By Eduardo Campos Lima, May 14, 2025
As Bolivia prepares for the upcoming August elections and relevant politicians confirm their will to run for president, the nation’s episcopate has decided to take a stance against the left-wing party that has ruled for 20 years. On May 6, the Bishops’ Conference released a public letter to the Bolivian people harshly criticizing Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS, or Movement towards Socialism), the party that ruled the South American country with Evo Morales (between 2005-2019) and with current President Luis Arce (since 2020). Arce said Tuesday he would withdraw from the race. It is unclear who will replace him as his party’s candidate. The bishops referred to MAS as dedicated to the “signals of death,” part of Bolivian reality, and said Bolivia’s cultural and social identities have been destroyed.
Our Sunday Visitor
There was at least one journalist who predicted Prevost for pope
by Father Patrick Briscoe, OP, May 14, 2025
Just days ago, I sat in a Roman café with veteran Vatican journalist Jesús Colina. “This is not at all what we were expecting,” I told Colina as we met again to reflect on the surprising election of Pope Leo XIV. “Yes,” Colina said, smiling. “But in January 2023, I wrote an article, and in the headline I wrote: ‘Prevost is the next papabile.’ So, I did see the possibility.” He recalled that moment vividly. “When he was nominated as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and I wrote his bio, I said: this is a probability. He had everything you want in a pope. Yes, he was American but he had this missionary vision in Peru. He was a son of Augustine, which makes him an incredibly deep mind. And he was advising the pope on who would be the next bishops — the next pastors. So, it was clear.”
National Catholic Register
Social media claims ‘Catholic æsthetics are unrivalled’
By Solène Tadié, May 14, 2025
The long cortege of crimson-clad cardinals following in silence, the weight of centuries upon their shoulders, and the solemn procession of the 133 cardinal-electors captivated both believers and nonbelievers worldwide, sparking a renewed admiration for the beauty inherent in Catholicism. Posts and comments proliferated on X and Instagram, paying tribute to the spectacle generated by the Catholic Church’s ages-old traditions. A growing number of voices were making a bolder claim that no other religion is superior in aesthetics. Posts and comments proliferated on X and Instagram, paying tribute to the spectacle generated by the Catholic Church’s ages-old traditions. At the heart of this renewed fascination is the instinct that Catholic beauty is not merely incidental or decorative but objectively revelatory.
Related: The lesser-known role of the conclave in today’s world - Aleteia, Cerith Gardiner - published on 05/07/25
The Pillar
UK mandatory reporting law will apply to confessional
By Luke Coppen, May 14, 2025
The U.K. government said Tuesday there were no exceptions to a new mandatory reporting law, including the sacramental seal of confession. In a May 13 letter, the U.K. Home Office — equivalent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — said it was not contemplating “any kind of exception to the mandatory reporting duty for religious institutions,” adding, “The duty will apply to all individuals undertaking relevant activity with children, including within religious and faith-based settings. There are no exceptions on the basis of where disclosures are received, including confessionals.” No evidence exists that mandatory reporting by priests from confession would do anything to reduce child abuse, said David Paton, a Catholic academic who submitted written evidence to a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the bill. “And in any case, priests will still be forbidden by canon law from breaking the seal, so there could be no practical benefit anyway.”
CatholicVote
Charges dropped against pro-life advocate arrested for preaching
By Hannah Hiester, May 14, 2025
Prosecutors dropped charges May 9 against an Ohio pro-life advocate who was arrested in December for providing a Christian witness with a megaphone outside an abortion facility. CatholicVote previously reported that Zack Knotts was on a public sidewalk outside a Cuyahoga Falls abortion facility using a megaphone to advocate for the unborn and to tell women, “There’s hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all of you.” Knotts appeared in court Jan. 2 and pleaded not guilty to the charges of “disorderly conduct” that caused “inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm” to those around him. Represented by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), he stood trial May 9. The prosecutors ultimately dismissed the charges. Pro-abortion advocates outside the clinic had been loudly shouting violent threats at Knotts and his wife, Lindsay Davis-Knotts, but the police targeted him instead.
The Times of Israel
Documentary about campus antisemitism canceled in Chicago
By Grace Gilson, May 15, 2025
Facets, a Chicago theater, canceled an advance screening of “Bring the Family Home,” a documentary about campus antisemitism, four hours before its showtime, citing “the safety and well-being of our community.” Rami Even-Esh, an Israeli-American Jewish rapper who uses the stage name Kosha Dillz, created the still-unfinished documentary about his music and life on college campuses after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel in which invaders killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza. The screening was also to feature a panel discussion with Kosha Dillz and Michael Kaminsky, a Jewish student who was assaulted last November in an alleged hate crime at the nearby DePaul University. The Chicago Jewish Alliance, which helped organize the screening, lambasted the decision. “Facets shut down a perspective, denied shared humanity, and excluded Jews.”
CatholicVote, CNA & Satire for 5/15/2025
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.”
BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS TO HONOR POPE - Catholic Congressman Rep. Riley Moore, R-WV, this week introduced a resolution officially congratulating Pope Leo XIV on his election as the first American-born pope in history.
POLL: DEMOCRATIC VOTERS PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THEIR PARTY - A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Wednesday found just one-third of Democratic voters say they are optimistic about the future of their party, down from nearly 60% last July.
'SO MUCH CONSOLATION FOR MY WIFE AND MY DAUGHTERS' A picture book, Jellybean, titled after a baby taken by God while still in Mom’s belly, reveals to children the vital role lost siblings still play in their families. Nearly 1/3 of women suffer miscarriage or infant loss. Jellybean reminds us of God’s Hand in this pain, consoling siblings, parents, and grandparents, and is in its 3rd printing in less than a year.
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — May 15, 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.
Pope Leo XIV expected to live in traditional papal apartment unused by Pope Francis - May 15, 2025 - By Hannah Brockhaus - The papal apartment, wrapping around the Vatican’s Sixtus V Courtyard, was the traditional home of pontiffs for over a century before Pope Francis chose a suite in the Vatican’s guesthouse, the Casa Santa Marta.
Wars, climate disasters lead to record-high number of internally displaced people - May 15, 2025 - By Madalaine Elhabbal - The global number of internally displaced people worldwide skyrocketed to a record high of 83.4 million in 2024, according to the Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID).
Pope Leo XIV, Ocáriz discuss process of revising Opus Dei’s statutes - May 15, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel -Pope Francis placed Opus Dei under the direction of the Dicastery for the Clergy rather than the Dicastery for Bishops. He ended the practice of elevating the prelate of Opus Dei to the rank of bishop.
Babylon Bee’s (Satire) News
LDS Theologians Confirm Apostates Will Be Sent To Outer Darkness Where There Is Only Weeping And Music From Imagine Dragons
By Church Staff, March 14, 2022
A letter issued by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has clarified what lay members have long suspected: that upon death, apostates will be sent to outer darkness where there is only weeping and the sound of Imagine Dragons. The official letter read in part, "The true nature of the outer darkness has been revealed. First things first, it is dark. Second, there is weeping, which may be because of the darkness, or maybe because Imagine Dragons is playing. A spokesperson for Imagine Dragons denied allegations that their music fills the outer darkness. "Imagine Dragons cannot be in the outer darkness. We would have been made aware of such a venue, and our lead singer would have already taken his shirt off there," the spokesperson said.
Related: For those unfamiliar with the rock band Imagine Dragons, you can read about them here.
Nutshell reflections for 5/15/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection - AUDIO & VIDEO - May 15, 2025
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
What We Need Now
Parent-Led Catechesis: The End of Sunday School
By Maria Riley, May 13, 2025
Young Catholics are leaving the Church in droves. The most recent study from Pew Research Center shows that for every new Catholic convert, eight have left the faith. Most of those who leave do so during their teens or young adulthood. Looking at these staggering numbers leads to one logical conclusion: the current faith formation model that most parishes implement isn’t cutting it for youth today. As integral as Religious Education (RE) classes are to parish life, the crux of this obligation to keep kids Catholic falls to the children’s parents. Unfortunately, between weekly RE sessions and Catholic school attendance, many parents are all too happy and willing to let someone else be responsible for the faith education of their children. Faith must be lived and experienced at home, every day, for the transformative relationship between Christ and his disciples to grow deep roots by the time the child reaches his or her teen years.
Our Sunday Visitor
Marriage ends in this life: No longer married in the next
By Jenna Marie Cooper, May 14, 2025
Although the Church teaches that we will be united with our loved ones in heaven (including spouses who have died before us) the Church does not teach that marriage lasts into eternity. That is, we as Catholics believe that marriage ends with death, full stop, which is why remarriage after the death of one’s spouse is a non-issue in the eyes of the Church. One major scriptural point of reference for the Church’s teaching on the nature of marriage can be found in Chapter 22 of the Gospel of Matthew. In this passage, the Sadducees asked Jesus whom a woman, married and widowed seven times, would be married to in the afterlife. Jesus responds. “You are misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven” (Mt 22:29-30).
Catholic Culture
When ‘intelligent’ sheep join the flock of secularism
By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, May 12, 2025
In the 1980s, a kindly bishop offered a thought-provoking contrarian homily during an ordination Mass in the upper Midwest. He said priests should not treat the people like sheep. Sheep are, well, kind of dumb. But this bishop’s advice soon became just another tired—and soon to be retired—religious fad. In the 1980s religious and cultural milieu, the Catholic press echoed the enlightened glow of the insight. Catholics are highly intelligent. Some of them even went to college. Never treat them like dumb sheep. But the real meaning of the protest eventually came into focus: Do not expect us to accept the controversial teachings of the Church like dumb sheep, because we are plenty smart. These highly educated and well-read Catholics, like sheep, promoted the new fad in unison. But they didn’t know they were sheep and members of the flock of secularism.
Wild at Heart
Sufferings: An honor I cannot begin to fathom
By John Eldredge, May 15, 2025
We've all heard the story and missed the miracle—God begins his greatest work by including us. Even though we bungled it so badly the first time, back in Eden, once again God shares in the excitement. Come with me, you have a part in this—the re-creation of the world. Everyone who hears about Jesus hears about "the Twelve" and can probably name Peter, Matthew, James, and John, certainly Judas. Jesus and "his disciples" go hand in hand. From the start, he acts like it's not all about him. He shares the stage, shares the spotlight. He shares his glory: "I have given them the glory that you gave me" (John 17:22). He even shares his suffering. The crown of thorns, the cross—is this not the noblest part of his life, the very thing we most worship him for? He offers us "the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings" (Philippians 3:10). It is an honor I cannot begin to fathom.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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