Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 5/21/26
What Catholics should know: Trump allies lead thousands in prayer; Deacon guilty of stealing $1.4 million; Catholic Extension's huge parish support; & Culture of death loses, but 'will be back'
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Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. 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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Zenit
Nigeria: Priest released after three months in captivity
By ZENIT Staff, May 19, 2026
Father Nathaniel Asuwaye was kidnapped on Saturday, 7th February, when gunmen attacked Holy Trinity Parish in Karku, Kaduna State, where he serves as Parish Priest. In a statement shared with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Kafanchan Diocese’s Chancellor, Rev Dr Jacob Shanet, announced Fr Asuwaye’s release from the kidnappers on the 12th May. He said: “With profound gratitude to God and all who supported us… We are pleased to inform you that Fr Nathaniel is now safe and receiving care. He is in a stable condition, remains in good spirits, and appreciates your prayers and support.” Fr Asuwaye was kidnapped alongside 10 other people when terrorists stormed his residence at 3.20 am. Three people were also killed in the attack. Days earlier, on 3rd February, more than 160 people were massacred in Woro, Kwara State, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Most victims were Muslim, according to media reports, killed by jihadist militants for refusing to embrace the extremists’ version of Islam.
Religion News Service
Trump allies lead thousands in prayer: ‘Rededicate’ America to God
By Jack Jenkins, Aleja Hertzler-McCain & Adelle M. Banks, May 17, 2026
As House Speaker Mike Johnson stood before a crowd of thousands on the National Mall on Sunday (May 17), he did something not altogether unusual for the outspoken Southern Baptist: He closed his eyes, bowed his head and prayed. “Just as we in the beginning dedicated this land to your most holy name, today, here, Lord, in this 250th year of American independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God,” said Johnson, a Republican, to cheers. The event featured a video of President Donald Trump reading from 2 Corinthians, which he prepared for a separate event two weeks ago. After the clip ended, Pastor Lou Engle led the crowd in chanting “Revival! Revival! Revival!” The prayers moved Michelle Calhoun of Florida, a Catholic, to tears. “I think they’re bringing on the Holy Spirit over our country, and I’m proud to be an American,” she said, voice shaking.
Related: Bishop Barron calls equality a God-given right at America 250 event, UCA News, By Kate Scanlon, OSV News, May 18, 2026
Crux
Defense of life is a cornerstone of civilization
By Fionn Shiner and Catholic Answers, May 20, 2026
Following the recent failure of the assisted suicide bill in the UK parliament, as well as the rejection of a similar bill in the French Senate, an English archbishop has said that defending life from conception to death is a key marker of a civilized society. Speaking to Crux Now, Archbishop John Wilson of the Southwark archdiocese explained that the Church has a duty to sustain the values that defend every human life. “A primary test of a civilized society is the extent to which it protects its most vulnerable members. The Lord Jesus is clear: ‘as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” In an interview with Catholic Answers recently, Wilson said, “The Archdiocese of Southwark seeks to use social media for evangelization, with a purposeful Christocentric focus and message. The Archdiocese of Southwark covers all of south London and the county of Kent: with 175 parishes and 165 Catholic schools, it includes dense urban communities and also reaches into a more rural county that stretches to the sea.”
The Pillar
Tulsa deacon pleads guilty to stealing $1.4 million
By Michelle La Rosa, May 20, 2026
A 70-year-old deacon in Tulsa pleaded guilty last week to bank fraud and unlawful monetary transactions after stealing nearly $1.5 million while working at a local Catholic parish. Deacon John Sommer, the former business manager and parish manager of Christ the King Parish, accepted a plea deal with federal prosecutors on May 13. Sommer acknowledged that from March to October 2025, he stole more than $1.4 million through more than 70 unauthorized ACH transfers from Christ the King to his own accounts. “I used the funds to advance what I believed to be certain potential romantic interests online and also fund what I believed to be investment opportunities in purported cryptocurrency-based ventures,” he said in the plea agreement. He said he kept all unauthorized ACH transfers under the $30,000 approval limit. “I also altered the Church’s accounting records to make it appear as if transfers were made to legitimate vendors.”
Aleteia
Catholic Extension Society supports 44% of US dioceses
By Jenny Lark Snarski, May 21, 2025
On Monday, May 18, Pope Leo met with the board of governors of the Catholic Extension Society in a private audience at the Vatican. As the visit took place in the days leading up to Pentecost, the Leo said, “The same zeal that moved the Christians of the early Church to share the news of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Spirit inspired your founder, Father Francis Clement Kelley, over 120 years ago.” The Society’s president, Father Jack Wall, was recognized immediately by the Pope as both men grew up in Dalton, a working-class suburb of Chicago. Laura Bowman, from Catholic Extension’s Public Relations office, told Aleteia, “Catholic Extension Society has helped build and repair more than 13,500 churches." Catholic Extension supports 44% of dioceses in the United States. Economic need is one factor for a diocese to qualify, but other qualifying conditions include Catholics representing a religious minority in the region.
Christian Science Monitor
Democrats’ support for Israel is crumbling, with major implications
By Simon Montlake, May 21, 2026
Abdul El-Sayed is midway through his stump speech, telling a crowd of about 100 in a brick-lined event hall that he won’t take corporate donations and will raise taxes on billionaires. The Democratic candidate then turns to where those tax dollars should – and should not – be spent. Taxpayer money should not go to “a country committing apartheid, at minimum genocide, over the past two years and counting,” he says. He doesn’t name the country. But he doesn’t have to. Dr. El-Sayed, a former county health director running in a competitive primary for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, is a fierce critic of Israel. Standing firm with what’s considered by some the only true democracy in the Middle East was for decades a bipartisan cause championed in Congress by both hawkish Republicans and left-leaning Democrats, many of them Jewish. That era is over. What began as a drop in support for Israel among younger Democrats has become an across-the-board collapse.
Zeale News
Them Before Us grades all 50 states on child protection
By Elise Winland, May 20, 2026
The children’s rights organization Them Before Us released a new state-by-state scorecard on May 19 that grades every state, plus Washington, D.C., on its protection of children’s fundamental right to their biological mother and father. The group, which advocates for child-centered family policy, said its interactive Children’s Rights Scorecard evaluates states across four major areas: parentage law, surrogacy, donor conception and in-vitro fertilization, and marriage and divorce law. The scorecard reviews 19 criteria and gives states credit for policies that protect children’s rights. “Them Before Us doesn’t care about political party or any other agenda beyond, ‘What does this state do to protect children?’” CatholicVote Director of Government Affairs Tom McClusky said. “The conclusion is that there is a lot of work left to do for legislators, activists, and parents to protect children better.”
EWTN News
Minnesota bishops praise new child limits on addictive social media
By Amira Abuzeid, May 20, 2026
Minnesota’s Catholic bishops are applauding the passage of a bipartisan bill this week that restricts what critics say are the addictive aspects of social media for children below age 15. The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Church in Minnesota, issued a statement May 16 saying it is “encouraged” that lawmakers in both legislative houses overwhelmingly passed the Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act. The bill is aimed at curbing the purportedly addictive design of social media for young children by imposing new requirements on large social media platforms earning $1 billion or more in global advertising revenue. It prohibits several features for accounts of children 15 and younger, including infinite scrolling, algorithmic or profile-based feeds, push notifications for new content or likes, autoplay videos, visible engagement metrics such as likes and shares, and usage-based awards, badges, or streaks.
Keep informed - see what matters to Catholics:
Snippets from OSV, EWTN News, & ChurchPOP for 5/21/26
OSV News
OSV’s seasoned reporters - May 21, 2026
OSV News — information service and evangelization partner that enables dioceses to connect and boost engagement with the faithful by sharing timely, trustworthy, and accurate content about what is happening in the Church and the world.
Pope Leo tells graduating Villanovans to uphold Augustinian values, recall US guiding principles - May 20, 2026 - by Gina Christian - Along with the core Augustinian values, Pope Leo — noting the nation will soon mark its 250th anniversary — told graduates, “I would invite you to recall in a special way the guiding principles of the foundations of our nation.”
Border bishops have ‘grave concerns’ about $72 billion immigration enforcement funding package - May 20, 2026 - by Kate Scanlon - “As pastors, we remain troubled by how immigrants, the vast majority of whom have committed no crimes and have built equities in the country, have become targets for enforcement, with their God-given human dignity and human rights being violated on a daily basis,” they wrote.
Chartres pilgrimage grows as organizers warn against renewed traditionalist divisions - May 20, 2026 - by Caroline de Sury - “This prospect reopens old wounds for us,” Philippe Darantière, president of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, said the pilgrimage to Chartres split in two years ago, following the first ordinations against Rome’s orders. He said. “We chose to remain faithful to the pope, but some of the organizers then left us.”
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — May 21, 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.
Leader of Pontifical Academy for Life offers overview of academy a year into his presidency - By Tessa Gervasini - “We realized the last 10 years, to have members that are not Catholic,” Archbishop Renzo Pegoraro said, including two Jewish members, one Muslim member, and two Greek Orthodox members. “But they confirm to agree with the basic values concerning human life, and they agree with the teaching of the Catholic Church about these topics.”
Church in Mexico calls for combating human trafficking and exploitation during 2026 World Cup - By Diego López Colín - The millions of people coming to Mexico for the World Cup represent an opportunity for human traffickers, prompting the Church in the country to raise awareness and recommend prevention measures.
Catholic bishops appeal court ruling that would mandate abortion accommodations - By Tyler Arnold - Bishops are asking the appellate court to overturn a ruling that would require employers to offer accommodations to employees who seek to obtain an abortion.
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - May 21, 2026
“We publish inspiring daily stories, fun and shareable faith-centered infographics, prayers, Church history, and more.”
‘A Man of Great Faith’: Oregon Seminarian Dies Unexpectedly After Medical Complications - “I grieve the passing of our seminarian, Tom Kloucek. Please join me in praying for the repose of his soul, and for all who mourn his loss.”
Lineman Glues Tiny Jesus Figurines on Transmission Tower for Co-Workers to Find - “Leaving Jesus for another lineman to find. Amen.” TikTok user “limitededition135” shared a video of himself carrying out his usual work among electrical wires.
The Great Power of Marian Devotion in the End Times: St. Louis de Montfort’s Striking Prophecy - “They will thunder against sin, they will storm against the world, they will strike down the devil and his followers...”
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Catholic Culture
The importance of Pope Leo’s first encyclical
By Phil Lawler, May 19, 2026
On May 18, the anniversary of Leo’s installation as Roman Pontiff, the Vatican announced that the Pope’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on artificial intelligence (AI), will be released on May 25. An encyclical’s publication is always a major event, and a Pontiff’s first effort deserves special notice. But in this case, particularly so, for several reasons. For the first time, what Pope Leo says will be judged entirely on its own merit, not with reference to what Pope Francis said or did. AI is an enormous topic, with weighty implications for our future. Most of us have barely begun to understand the ways in which AI will change our lives. These are questions on which the Church's moral guidance should be helpful. The timing of this encyclical is excellent; the Pope will weigh in before most people have formed their own opinions on the matter. His guidance could set the “gold standard” for moral analysis of AI.
Related: Vance says Pope Leo’s upcoming AI encyclical will be ‘very, very important’, By Mary Rose, Zeale, May 20, 2026
National Catholic Register
The culture of death loses one — for the moment
By George Weigel, May 20, 2026
On April 24, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill failed to gain passage in the United Kingdom’s House of Lords, thus ending, for now, the efforts to legalize assisted suicide in England and Wales. A month earlier, the Scottish Parliament, by a vote of 69-57, also rejected an “assisted dying” bill. For the moment, then, the culture of death, against which John Paul II cautioned in the 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), has suffered a major setback. The struggle, however, is far from over. Lord David Alton wrote to me, “The [House of Lords] scrutiny and especially the recent vote in the Scottish Parliament against euthanasia legislation has been an incredibly important moment. They demonstrated that, when proper consideration is given to the ethical and practical concerns, we can sometimes have the courage to defy the zeitgeist.” Charles Moore, in response to the same e-mail, told me that “the other side overreached,” but warned that “they’ll be back.” Lord Alton did not disagree.
Caeli
My son’s birth changed my relationship with the Advocate
By Ava Frecker, May 20, 2026
I knew the Holy Spirit was the third person of the Trinity. I learned about the gifts and fruits the Spirit bestows on us through the sacramental life. But it was all head knowledge. Unlike the Father and Son, I had no relationship with the Spirit and didn’t know where to start. The Holy Spirit? His symbols are not relational in the traditional sense. Fire. Wind. Water. A dove. How can I have a relationship with that? When in the middle of labor with my first child, I had no worries about my ability to give birth; God had made women to do so, after all. By the time I began active labor, I had shoved my intuition aside. My midwife asked if I would like her to pray for me. I quickly accepted, and she prayed aloud a simple, spontaneous prayer. As soon as she finished praying, I felt a release in my soul. “Come, Holy Spirit,” rushed out of my mouth, and I began repeating this prayer as the contractions surged. My son was born soon after! I wish I had leaned on the presence of the Holy Spirit throughout the process instead of at the very end.
Wild at Heart
What have our Arrows tempted us to do?
By John Eldredge, May 21, 2026
At some point, we all face the same decision—what will we do with the Arrows we’ve known? Maybe a better way to say it is, what have they tempted us to do? However they come to us, whether through a loss we experience as abandonment or some deep violation we feel as abuse, their message is always the same: Kill your heart. Divorce it, neglect it, run from it, or indulge it with some anesthetic (our various addictions). The heart cannot be managed in a detached sort of way. It feels more like an ambush, and our response is at a gut level. We may never put words to it. Our deepest convictions are formed without conscious effort, but the effect is a shift deep in our souls. If you’ll listen carefully to your life, you may begin to see how it has been shaped by the unique Arrows you’ve known and the particular convictions you’ve embraced as a result. The Arrows also taint and partially direct even our spiritual life.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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