Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 8/13/26
What Catholics should know: Calls for Healey's excommunication; Church doctrine, not courts, defines confession; Contrary versions of God; & Replace pride flags with rainbow symbol?
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Zeale News
Zeale head calls for excommunication of Mass. Governor Healey
By Zeale News, August 12, 2026
CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt is calling on Massachusetts' Catholic bishops to publicly state that Gov. Maura Healey incurred automatic excommunication by signing legislation that expands legal protections for abortion until the moment of birth, arguing that the Church must respond more forcefully to what the bishops have described as a radical expansion of late-term abortion access. Reinhardt expressed gratitude for the bishops’ unambiguous description of the consequences of Healey, a professed Catholic, signing H. 5595 into law. “We are writing to ask you to follow that clarity to its logical and canonical conclusion,” Reinhardt continued. Reinhardt emphasized that H. 5595 is antithetical to natural law and Christian revelation by allowing the direct killing of defenseless human life. She appealed to Canon 1397 of the Code of Canon Law, which imposes an automatic excommunication (or latae sententiae excommunication), “incurred by the very commission of the act, upon anyone who procures a completed abortion.” Canon 1329 also imposes an automatic excommunication on accomplices.
Related: Abortion is never a real choice, By Massimiliano Menichetti, Vatican News, August 13, 2026
Our Sunday Visitor
Arizona S.C.: Church doctrine, not courts, defines confession
By Tony Gutiérrez, August 12, 2026
In a unanimous decision, Arizona’s Supreme Court upheld a broad definition of clergy-penitent privilege July 30. While the case involved the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, the ruling has implications for the Catholic Church’s defense of the seal of the confessional. The Catholic dioceses of Arizona — Phoenix, Tucson and Gallup, New Mexico (which includes part of Arizona) — filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with other groups including the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Arizona Association for Justice and Becket, a religious liberty firm. “Allowing a secular factfinder to evaluate the sincerity of a confession’s ‘confidentiality'’” or whether it is a valid confession under a particular church’s teaching violates the church autonomy doctrine. Plus, said Becket, it would burden the free exercise of religion, forcing priests to choose which law to obey.
Crux
Last fully Christian village in Palestine closed by Israeli military
By Crux Now Staff, August 13, 2026
Bishop James Curry, auxiliary of Westminster and Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW), said he is “deeply alarmed” by the Israeli military’s decision to declare the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh a closed military zone after a series of settler attacks on the village. Taybeh has been declared a closed military zone prohibiting Israelis, foreign nationals, and journalists from entering. “It is claimed that this is designed to prevent attacks on residents by Israeli settlers, but it is far from clear that this move will achieve that objective,” Curry said. “The problem of settler intimidation is a very real one. When I visited the village as part of the Holy Land Coordination in January, the community reported ongoing attacks and intimidation, a growing number of checkpoints and endless financial pressures.”
Religion News Service
Paxton, Talarico tap contrary versions of God & Christianity
By Ellie Ashby, August 13, 2026
In Texas — where two-thirds of the adult population identifies as Christian and 45% say religion is “very important” in their life — the candidates are asking voters to choose between two dramatically different views of Christianity. Paxton’s version insists conservative Christian values — such as protecting the unborn and preserving the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage — must prevail. Talarico’s Christianity celebrates pluralism, affirms LGBTQ+ individuals, and believes God transcends all partisan divisions. Paxton critiques Talarico’s faith, stating the Democratic nominee had said that God is nonbinary and that supporting the oil and gas industry is un-Christian. Talarico has dismissed the criticism, saying his statements were taken out of context, but the Republican continues to assail his opponent’s faith, implying and outright stating that Talarico cannot be considered a Christian. Many Paxton-supported policies, according to Talarico, advance a Christian nationalism agenda.
Aleteia
Pope urges US nuns to find ways to show youth how they live
By Kathleen N. Hattrup, August 13, 2025
Pope Leo XVI sent a video message to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States, urging them to “seek ways to introduce [young people] to your way of life, and help them to hear the voice of the Lord, who speaks to us in the depths of our hearts.” The message marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States. “The Church needs you and all of the diversity and richness of the forms of consecration and ministry that you represent, for with your vitality and the witness of a life centered on Jesus, you can contribute to waking up the world,” he stressed. The Holy Father highlighted how the religious are models for the Church, particularly in their experience of community life.
National Catholic Register
Ross Douthat, a Catholic, leaves NY Times for ‘60 Minutes’
By The Editors, August 12, 2026
This past Sunday marked the end of an era: Catholic journalist Ross Douthat wrote his final column as a staffer for The New York Times, as he departs for a new role with CBS’ 60 Minutes. Douthat had been a regular for the Times since 2009, when at age 29 he was hired as the newspaper’s youngest regular opinion columnist. As Jesuit Father Bill McCormick has rightly noted, Douthat’s nearly two-decade-long tenure at “The Gray Lady” was spent demonstrating “that Catholicism remains an intellectually serious way of understanding the world.” as a religious conservative writing and podcasting for a largely secular progressive audience, Douthat’s tenure at the Times modeled a journalistic version of a papally approved mode of evangelistic outreach: the art of accompaniment. Instead of settling for simplistic caricatures, he has always gone to great lengths to understand the views of the secular audience with whom he often disagreed.
Zenit
Israel/Jordan celebrate bi-millennium Baptism of Jesus Christ
By Rafael Llanes, August 10, 2026
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has established a task force to prepare for the 2,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Jesus. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, also reported on preparations for the celebrations. Sa’ar said, “We believe that the year 2030 will be an opportunity for Christians from around the world to come to the Holy Land, connect with the roots of their faith, and experience the place where the history of Christianity began.” A post by the Ministry on X notes that the task force will help “deepen dialogue with Churches and Christian leaders worldwide and prepare for the arrival of millions of Christian pilgrims.” Although the baptismal sites on the Jordan River in Israel attract thousands of Christian pilgrims each year, this initiative represents a broader effort in anticipation of the upcoming celebration.
EWTN News
California Catholic school replaces pride flags with rainbow symbol
By Madalaine Elhabbal, August 13, 2026
Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, California, has opted to take down its pride and progress flags for the upcoming school year, replacing them with a custom rainbow “Inclusive O” symbol. Bishop O’Dowd High School is a diocesan school that operates under the Diocese of Oakland and the Superintendent of Catholic Schools. Local news outlet KQED reported that the new symbol came after the diocese asked the school to take down its pride flag after someone informed Bishop Michael Barber about it. Barber spoke out about sex and gender issues in a joint letter with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco in 2023, calling on Catholics to respond to gender ideology with “truth and charity.” “Our Inclusive O now appears in lieu of the Pride and Progress flags that had previously been displayed in some classrooms, and is now displayed campus-wide,” she said.
Keep informed - 8/13/26 news for Catholics
Snippets from OSV, EWTN News, & ChurchPOP
OSV News
OSV’s seasoned reporters - August 13, 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.
In West Virginia mountains, over 2,000 Catholic Scouts gather for Mass ‘filled with joy, hope’ - Every four years, thousands of Catholic Scouts from across the U.S. gather for Sunday Mass in the mountains of West Virginia. “For the church, seeing so many young people is always a sign of hope.” The Scouts, said Bishop Evelio Menjívar of Wheeling-Charleston, are devout, willing to serve, and pledge to honor God and country.
Sainthood cause takes step forward for Rhoda Wise, an Ohio housewife, mystic and stigmatist - Ohio resident Rhoda Wise was a laywoman, a wife and an adoptive mother — but she was also a mystic, stigmatist, and now the candidate for sainthood could be declared venerable by the Church.
Desecration of Madrid tabernacles, relic prompts court filing by Christian legal group - A nonprofit foundation comprised of Spanish Christian lawyers announced that it filed a formal court complaint following an apparent church robbery that led to the desecration of two tabernacles and a relic of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Madrid.
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — August 13, 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.
Lilly Endowment awards $5 million grant to Notre Dame - By Madalaine Elhabbal - The Lilly Endowment has given the University of Notre Dame a $5 million grant to support the Department of Theology’s Master of Arts and Master of Divinity programs.
German bishop: Vatican case against lay preaching ‘not entirely consistent’ - By EWTN News Staff - The Vatican rejected a request from the German bishops in June arising from the Synodal Way for permission to let a commissioned layperson preach in place of the homily at Mass in exceptional cases.
Catholic bishops urge compassion, access to care be reflected in Medicaid rule - By Tyler Arnold - U.S. bishops are encouraging changes to the rule that enforces work requirements for Medicaid recipients to ensure that people in need do not lose coverage.
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - August 13, 2026
“We publish inspiring daily stories, fun and shareable faith-centered infographics, prayers, Church history, and more.”
European Soccer Club Dedicates New Jersey to St. Rose of Lima: The Story Behind the Beautiful Tribute - The result is a jersey that unites soccer, history, and faith in an uncommon tribute to the first saint of the Americas.
Poland prepares to unveil Europe’s tallest Marian statue on the Assumption - As Catholics around the world celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15, a small village in Poland.
The Little Saint Who “Obtains Whatever You Ask”: Meet Saint Philomena - Did you know that Saint Philomena is the only person recognized as a saint solely on the basis of her intercessory miracles?
August 13, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE — or read HERE:
Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Exaudi News
Virtual presence does not replace active participation in Mass
By Pope Leo (General Audience), August 12, 2026
The Church proposes rediscovering the liturgical year and the value of in-person Mass as a living encounter with Christ, while also sending gestures of closeness to various global communities. Within this temporal cycle, Sunday is positioned as the “foundation and core of the liturgical year” and the “primordial feast.” In the assembly, the community makes visible its communion and belonging to the Church. Mere virtual presence or merely passive attendance does not replace active participation in the encounter with the Risen One. However, due to work and other impossibilities, dioceses are urged to seek the best possible conditions so that those who are forced to work on Sunday can have access to Mass.
Related: What if I cannot go to Sunday Mass due to illness? Can I attend Mass online? - by Admin, August 23, 2023, Ask Fr. Francis
The Andrew Klavan Show
We are in need of mercy and forgiveness
By Andrew Klavan, August 7, 2026
God’s judgment and his mercy are perfect. Any judgment that I replace with my judgment is going to be less than perfect. Right? So you want to let God do the judging. He doesn’t want us to judge. But he doesn’t want us to forget. He doesn’t want us to forget the truth about who we are. And the truth about who we are is not that gay people are sinful. It’s that you’re sinful. I’m sinful. We are all sinful, including gay people. We are in need of mercy and forgiveness. We have to tell people the bad news. We have to teach people the bad news before we can teach them the good news. The good news is you’re forgiven. The bad news is you are sinful and broken. That’s the thing that has been left out. We have forgotten these things as we’ve left God behind. We have forgotten what people are. Human beings are the makers of language. Language speaks their humanity, and their humanity is made in the image of God. When we stop talking about God, we leave people free to declare that language could mean anything we said it meant.
The Pillar
The Church and vile temptations found with a couple of swipes
By JD Flynn, August 11, 2026
We’ve built a world where we expect to be able to order up even the most vile temptations with a couple of swipes, and the Church must now form people to live in that world with purity of heart and deep awareness of their own temptations. We are only beginning to unpack the moral and anthropological repercussions of the mortal sin machines we carry in our pockets. I do not mean to be alarmist, but we have already unleashed technology over which a great many people have almost no control, and confessors can tell you well the degree to which that is decimating families, and relationships, and hearts. The response of the Church should be penance and mortification, offered for all those harmed by the scourge of abuse, which can have devastating life-long consequences. May God have mercy on those who might exploit people who are innocent or vulnerable, and thus closest to the Lord’s own heart.
Related: A Baltimore deacon charged with sexually tracking & soliciting a minor, The Pillar, August 07, 2026
Wild at Heart
What Elijah did: You can do it too
By John Eldredge, August 13, 2026
There is an overlooked passage late in the New Testament that is going to begin to connect some dots for us in a wild way. It comes from the book of James, and he brings us back around to the old man, Elijah, praying on the mountain: “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (5:16–18). James is trying to disarm that religious posture that so often poisons the value of biblical stories: Well, sure, that was so-and-so [in this case Elijah], and they were different than us. Nope. Not the case. Actually, James makes it very clear: Elijah was a human being just like you. In other words, you can do it too.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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