Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 7/17/25
Topics include: Abortions in Ireland up 300%; Effects of vaccines got a hearing; Protect clergy due process; ‘You are gods’ making a comeback
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Today's sources include Aleteia, OSV, CNA, National Catholic Register, The Pillar, CatholicVote, John Eldredge, and The Babylon Bee. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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Catholic News Agency
Abortions in Ireland up 300% since 2018 referendum
By Patrick J. Passmore, July 17, 2025
One in 6 unborn children’s lives now end in abortion in the Republic of Ireland, according to the Irish Department of Health statistics, which reports 10,852 abortions in 2024 — the highest number on record since the law changed in 2019 following the 2018 referendum. Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy speaking to CNA said: “That’s a truly horrifying figure, and it’s the opposite of what senior politicians promised the public would happen if they voted for repeal in 2018,” she added. During the 2018 referendum, pro-life voices warned that abortion numbers would increase dramatically if access to abortion were widened. “Members of the media in Ireland were accusing the pro-life side of scaremongering, and were trying to disprove those figures, and saying that that was never going to happen in Ireland,” Mulroy said.
CatholicVote
Truth regarding the effects of vaccines got a hearing Tuesday
By Susan Berry, Ph.D., July 16, 2025
Grieving Americans who have either experienced a debilitating injury themselves or a loved one’s illness or death as a result of a drug they were told would prevent disease were finally given a platform to tell their devastating stories to members of the US Senate. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin continued his quest for the truth regarding the effects of vaccines as he held a hearing Tuesday under the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The hearing was titled “Voices of the Vaccine Injured.” “We all fear death and disease,” the senator said. “The appeal of a simple shot that can prevent both is obvious and powerful.” But the strength of that appeal appears to have “overridden critical thinking and prevented rigorous cost-benefit analysis from being done,” he added. Some public health officials had defended their “vaccine policies” and the drugs they called “vaccines” with a “religious-like zeal.”
Crux
Catholic priest says 92-year-old president is ‘mocking’ Cameroon
By Ngala Killian Chimtom, July 17, 2025
A Cameroonian priest has blasted President Paul Biya for seeking an eighth consecutive term of office. The 92-year-old Cameroon president, who has been in power for 43 years, announced on X that he will seek re-election when Cameroonians go to the polls on October 12. In a July 15 open letter, Father Paul Ajong, a priest of the Diocese of Mamfe serving in New York Archdiocese in the United States, blasted the president for that decision, saying that by choosing to run again, Biya was “mocking our pain and insulting our intelligence.” Under Biya’s watch, the priest said, “hope has been systematically crushed. He has ruled through fear and repression, jailing political opponents, silencing activists, and disappearing critics.”
National Catholic Reporter
Priests' group urges Pope Leo to protect clergy due process
By Ryan Di Corpo, July 17, 2025
The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests, formed outside of Chicago in 2011, asked Pope Leo XIV earlier this month to encourage churchwide obedience to canon law, which holds that accused persons are assumed innocent until facts demonstrate otherwise and that religious superiors "must start a judicial or administrative procedure" to discipline priests. Leo, a canon lawyer by training, has repeatedly urged a "firm and decisive" response from church leaders in clergy sex abuse cases while facing questions about his handling of abuse allegations in Chicago and Peru. The priests' group says that some priests facing misconduct allegations have been restricted in their ministry without compelling evidence of wrongdoing and have been publicly named as accused before investigations were finished.
Related: The Association of US Catholic Priests: Fighting for Heterodoxy, with Support from Bishops, 1Peter5, Michael Hichborn, July 9, 2018
National Catholic Register
‘You are gods’: The ancient theology that’s making a comeback
By Jonathan Liedl, July 16, 2025
The Franciscan University undergrad Grace Simcox was debating her now-boyfriend, an Eastern Orthodox catechumen, and wasn’t sure if his constant emphasis on how the Christian life was aimed at theosis, or becoming like God, squared with her Catholic commitments — or if it did at all. “At first, it seemed provocative and borderline mythological,” she said. But after turning to Scripture, the Church Fathers, and especially the medieval Catholic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, Simcox discovered that deification wasn’t merely compatible with her Catholic faith — it was one of its most profound and essential truths. Over three decades, the Catholic Church has undergone a recovery of the theology of deification, or divinization. The ancient approach to the Christian life emphasizes that salvation isn’t merely about being freed from sin, but is more fundamentally about being united to God and sharing in his divine life.
The Pillar
Vatican official jailed for child pornography returns to work
By The Pillar, July 18, 2025
Father Carlo Alberto Capella, formerly a high-ranking diplomat in the apostolic nunciature in Washington, D.C., was sentenced in 2018 to five years in prison by a Vatican City court for “possession and distribution of child pornography with the aggravating circumstance of its large quantity.” After serving his sentence in Vatican City, in a cell in the barracks of the Vatican gendarmerie, The Pillar confirmed he has remained in Vatican City and was allowed to resume work in the second section of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, the diplomatic department. News of Capella’s rehabilitation surfaced Saturday, when the InfoVaticana website reported the priest had been seen in the Vatican and was “probably active in ‘internal tasks.’” An official said after Capella’s release from prison, the priest “had to go somewhere, and has to do something,” allowing him to resume work as “a kind of Christian charity.”
Our Sunday Visitor
Do I have to sing at Mass?
By Father John LoCoco, July 16, 2025
When the opening hymn rings out at Mass, it is not uncommon in parishes today to see many in the congregation stand, hymnals in hand, yet remain tight-lipped, their voices silent. The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy emphasizes the importance of sacred music, so much so that it states: “Bishops and other pastors of souls must be at pains to ensure that, whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightly theirs” (No. 114). In other words, the Church understands that singing is not something accidental to the liturgy but is a necessary component of what it means to worship. Be prudent in the confidence with which you join a song, yet join in nonetheless. Your voice, even offered in quiet humility, lifts up the prayer of the Church.
DigitalIronDome.Org
Taking abused children out of home is not the mental health issue
By Tara Kennedy, July 17, 2025
Research by the Australian Catholic University has found that the most significant impact on children’s mental health is not taking them out of the home after incidences of abuse, but the abuse itself. The study, led by ACU Institute of Child Protection Studies Research Fellow Lottie Harris, showed that when comparing children with similar intensity of maltreatment experiences, children who are taken into out-of-home care had similar rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress compared to those who remained at home. Harris matched up individual experiences with abused children who had remained in their homes to compare the outcomes. She said the data showed maltreatment, not rehoming a child after abuse, was the cause of mental health issues, with participants’ data indicating that being taken out of the house as a child did not make a significant impact.
CatholicVote, CNA & Satire for 7/17/2025
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.”
ABORTION INDUSTRY'S BACKUP PLAN - If mifepristone faces restrictions under the Trump administration, pro-abortion clinicians are prepared to pivot to misoprostol-only abortions — despite reports showing higher risk of medical complications and harm to women.
WORLD'S #1 GOLFER SAYS HE'S A FATHER FIRST - At a July 15 press conference, the world's No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler made it clear that no matter how many trophies he collects, nothing in his career compares to the joy and responsibility of family life. “I would much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer,” he said.
CHRISTIAN TEEN ESCAPES CAPTIVITY IN PAKISTAN - A 16-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan escaped captivity last month after enduring more than two years of reported sexual abuse, forced conversion, and coercion under a Muslim family that kidnapped her when she was just 14.
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — July 17, 2025
The Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, and up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and the happenings of the Holy See to anyone with internet access.
South Korean priests undergo AI training - Jul 17, 2025 - By Diego López Marina - The Diocese of Suwon, South Korea brought together priests to learn about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
Jerusalem church leaders visit Taybeh: Christians’ presence in the Holy Land is at risk - Jul 16, 2025 - By Sanad Sahelia - The delegation to the West Bank was led by Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch.
Contemplating a crucifix led to conversion of young Chinese atheist - Jul 16, 2025 - By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú - A young Chinese mother shares the testimony of her conversion from atheism to Catholicism.
Babylon Bee’s (Satire) News
Satan Announces Hell's Game Of The Day Once Again 'The Floor Is Lava'
By Theology Staff, July 16, 2022
Satan announced over Hell's public address system this morning that game of the day would once again be "The Floor Is Lava." The game, initially started on earth as a children's game where kids jump from object to object to avoid touching the floor, has become a favorite of Lucifer. "Alright, all you damned souls out there, guess what today's game is? The FLOOR. IS. LAVA!" said Satan, cackling with glee. "Oh, it's turned up extra hot today, folks. It's gonna be a great one. See you all at three." According to Grufflebeard, a junior assistant devil, an increasing number of souls have begun complaining about Hell's signature game. "Those wretches are really ungrateful. All they want to do is gripe about how much it burns when they fall in. Such crybabies." Satan announced that Hell's residents could also play Chutes and Ladders, but no one took him up on the offer.
Nutshell reflections for 7/17/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection - AUDIO - July 17, 2025
Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Aleteia
Sicily’s ‘flying’ almond cookies invented by monks
By V. M. Traverso, July 10, 2025
The almond-based cookies called “Passavolanti di Vicari” (Vicari's Flywheels) were invented by monks in the 17th century. The town of Vicari, a picturesque medieval hamlet situated on top of a hill approximately 18 miles from Palermo, is renowned for its almond production. Almond trees are an ubiquitous sight along the road that connects Palermo with Agrigento through Vicari. Almonds are a natural “superfood,” rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, protein, and fiber, with dishes like cubaita, a brittle nougat made of caramelized sugar, honey, and almonds, and atuppatedelu, pasta tossed with pesto and almond flakes. But the true star of Vicari’s almond-based gastronomy is “Passavolanti di Vicari,” a type of thin, cracker-like cookie made with almonds, sugar, eggs, flour, and cinnamon. Like many of Sicily’s delicious sweets, these centuries-old treats were invented by monks.
St. Anthony Messenger
Beatitudes: The essence of a Christian lifestyle
By Richard B. Patterson, PhD, July/August Issue, 2025
Christianity is in the news regularly these days. Where I live, in Texas, there is increasing pressure to legislate teaching the Bible in public schools. I find myself wondering what Jesus would think of the modern version of the religion and teachings named after him. I wonder if he would even recognize it. In my own distress over the current state of Christianity, I return to the core of Jesus’ teachings—the beatitudes—to see what light they would offer me. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he outlines the essence of a Christian lifestyle. It is more than a guide for how to treat others; it is a reference point for all of us in assessing ourselves as Christians. But the beatitudes are most important in helping me assess my own progress as a Christian. The beatitudes can indeed be the lamp unto my feet if I embrace them.
Caeli
Daily tasks: An opportunity for communion with God
By Victoria Cardona, July 15, 2025
I used to rush through chores — laundry, dishes, tidying corners day after day — just to get to the “real” part of my spiritual life: journaling and praying in the chapel. I didn’t realize that God was already speaking to me in the quiet, repetitive work I was eager to be done with. It’s during those busy weeks when laundry piles up, dishes are stacked high in the sink, and a grocery list is half-formed, that I suddenly feel the presence of Christ. As I spend my days doing laundry and helping my mom prepare meals, I’m pouring myself out to Jesus, because he is here and he has called me here. How heartbreaking would it be to get to heaven and look back and see all the ordinary moments I rushed through, when Christ was standing quietly by, designing my daily tasks to be an opportunity for communion with him?
Wild at Heart
‘I can restore your soul’
By John Eldredge, July 17, 2025
"And I would heal them." That's a different offer from: "And I would forgive them." It's a different offer from: "And I will give them a place in heaven." No, Jesus is offering healing to us. Look at what he does to people who are broken. How does he handle them? The blind are able to see like a hawk. The deaf are able to hear a pin drop. The lame do hurdles. The corroding skin of the leper is cleansed and made new. The woman with the issue of blood stops hemorrhaging. The paralyzed servant hops out of bed. They are, every last one of them, healed. Now follow this closely: everything Jesus did was to illustrate what he was trying to say. Here — look at this — this is what I'm offering to do for you. Not just for your body, but more important, for your soul. I can heal your heart. I can restore your soul.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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