Catholic Nutshell News: Thursday 9/18/25
Topics include: Catholic school students win in court; Leo - ‘My priority is the Gospel'; US depression rate still at historic high; & Pope welcomes LGBTQ Catholics, but won’t change teaching
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Today's sources include Aleteia, OSV, CNA, 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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Aleteia
Catholic school students win in court to join sports teams
By Christine Rousselle, September 18, 2021
An order filed by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled that parochial school students in Pennsylvania will be permitted to play sports for the public school teams where they live if their school lacks a team. The plaintiffs alleged religious discrimination by the PIAA, as students enrolled in charter schools, as well as those who were homeschooled, could participate in sports alongside public school students. “It is rewarding to see talented parochial school athletes finally being allowed to participate in their home school district’s athletic programs,” said Thomas Breth, Special Counsel at the Thomas More Society, who represented the families. David Aungst, one of the parents in the lawsuit, said he was "deeply grateful" that his son would now be able to play football "without us having to sacrifice our faith, values, and educational freedom."
Catholic News Agency
Leo: ‘My priority is the Gospel, not solving the world’s problems’
By Hannah Brockhaus, September 18, 2025
Pope Leo XIV said his primary role as leader of the Church is confirming Catholics in their faith and sharing the Gospel with the world, not resolving global crises. Speaking to Crux senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen in the first sit-down interview of his pontificate, Leo also said he was "trying not to continue to polarize or promote polarization in the Church.” Leo’s first formal interview as pope took place as part of the biography “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century,” by Allen, which is now available in Spanish and will be released in English next year. “I don’t see my primary role as trying to be the solver of the world’s problems. I don’t see my role as that at all, really, although I think that the Church has a voice, a message that needs to continue to be preached, to be spoken and spoken loudly,
CatholicVote
Gallup finds US depression rate still at historic high
By Hannah Hiester, September 17, 2025
The depression rate of US adults has gone up roughly 8% in the past decade, exceeding 18% for the first time in 2024 and remaining relatively unchanged in 2025, Gallup has discovered. Gallup reported that an estimated 47.8 million Americans currently have or are being treated for depression, a rate of 18.3%. In 2015, the first time Gallup measured the US depression rate, only 10.5% of adults said they were depressed or were seeking treatment for it. Gallup also found that 28.5% of adults currently say they have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime, just under the record high of 29% measured in 2023. Demographics that saw particularly startling increases included young adults aged 18-29 and adults in lower-income households. Lower-income households’ depression rate went from 22.1% to 35.1% between 2017 and 2025. Young adults’ rate doubled across the same time frame, going from 13% to 26.7%.
Crux
Pope welcomes LGBTQ Catholics, but won’t change teaching
By Elise Ann Allen, September 18, 2025
In the second of the two interviews Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen, which forms the final chapter of “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century,” Leo said that currently. he doesn’t have a specific plan for engagement of the LGBTQ+ community, but stressed the importance of inclusion while also upholding the traditional family as based on a marriage between a man and a woman. He called out what he said can be a Western “obsession” with sexuality, and for many people in other parts of the world, that’s not a primary issue. Leo said he is “trying not to continue to polarize or promote polarization in the church,” but added, “I find it highly unlikely, certainly in the near future, that the church’s doctrine in terms of what the church teaches about sexuality, what the Church teaches about marriage, [will change].” He criticized church groups in Northern Europe, who he said are already organizing ritual blessings of “people who love one another” as a means of endorsing same-sex unions.
National Catholic Reporter
Ecumenical festival in Iraq of Christians once under persecution
By OSV News, September 15, 2025
Christians in northern Iraq have marked a powerful milestone of faith and survival.
From Sept. 9-13, believers from the Chaldean, Assyrian, Syriac Catholic, and Syriac Orthodox churches joined together in Erbil for the Festival of the Cross. The multi-day celebration included candlelight processions, prayers, concerts, sports, and cultural events to mark an extended celebration of the Sept. 14 feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, who has been working with leaders from other churches to plan the events, told pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need — which helped support the celebrations — that the festival was a sign that the Islamic State group, or Daesh, that invaded the region a decade ago, did not succeed in harming the faith of Christians. "What once was meant to be silenced has become a proclamation — faith has survived, and hope is stronger than death."
National Catholic Register
FBI admits ‘terminations’ related to 2023 anti-Catholic memo
By Tyler Arnold/CNA, September 18, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a U.S. Senate hearing that there have been “terminations” and “resignations” of employees related to a 2023 anti-Catholic memo produced by Richmond, Virginia’s, field office, and the agency has made policy adjustments. He did not specify how many people were terminated or what their roles were in drafting the memo. “We are doing our investigation simultaneously with Congress,” Patel said. “Just to put it in perspective, we provided 700 documents on the Richmond Catholic memo, specifically to this committee, whereas my predecessor provided 19 pages.” The 2023 memo detailed an investigation into “radical traditionalist” Catholics and purported ties to “the far-right white nationalist movement.” It suggested “opportunities for threat mitigation” through “trip wire or source development” within parishes that celebrate the Latin Mass and within “radical-traditionalist” Catholic online communities.
The Pillar
Mass attendance rises and Church ‘exits’ fall in Austria
By Luke Coppen & Brendan Hodge, September 17, 2025
The Austrian bishops’ conference said Sept. 17 that the number of Massgoers “increased significantly” last year. The Church measures Mass attendance by conducting a headcount on two Sundays in the year, known as Zählsonntage (Counting Sundays). These typically occur on a Sunday in Lent, in the spring, and on the feast of Christ the King, in the fall. This two-part count found there were 309,000 worshipers on the first Sunday and 366,000 on the second Sunday in 2022, 321,821 and 347,891 in 2023, and 366,210 and 378,797 in 2024, indicating a steady rise in attendance. Mass attendance is recovering after a sharp drop caused by the COVID-19 crisis, but the numbers remain below pre-pandemic figures, when around half a million people attended Mass. The new statistics also confirmed an ongoing decline in the number of formal Church “exits,” where individuals formally disaffiliate from the Catholic Church.
Our Sunday Visitor
Pronatalism: Three types of thinking on having babies
By Kimberley Heatherington, September 17, 2025
Depending on the context, the concept of pronatalism — encouraging people to have children, or the promotion of childbearing — can either be cause to celebrate the critical role of the family in society; a techno-elitist vision of a future populated by humans engineered for specific traits; or a cringe-worthy expression of anti-immigrant nativism. “Fundamentally, when we talk about pronatalism, we are talking about people who think it’s not great that fertility is so low. So if you think it would be nice if we had more babies, you are a pronatalist,” explained Lyman Stone, senior fellow and director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies. He said the third kind of pronatalism is “individualist pronatalism.” “It basically says the reason it’s a problem that fertility is low is because people want more kids than they’re having, and they’re clearly having barriers to having that. And,” Stone concluded. “ That’s just intrinsically bad.”
CatholicVote, CNA & ChurchPOP for 9/18/25
CatholicVote - The Loop
Read daily news and political impact stories at the “LOOP”
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LILA ROSE ATTENDS ABORTION DEBATE AT YALE AND ‘WINS!’ - After initially turning down an invitation to debate abortion at Yale University, pro-life advocate Lila Rose changed course this week — citing the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk as the reason she felt compelled to go. By the end of the night, the room swung pro-life. “We won,” Rose said. “The room voted for the pro-life side. Yale organizer was shocked. Change is here.”
CHRISTIAN SINGER ‘DOESN’T CARE’ THAT HE LOST 30K FOLLOWERS - Christian singer Forrest Frank released a video mourning the assassination of Charlie Kirk and begging his followers to turn to Jesus. He lost 30,000 followers over the video. In a follow-up video, he stated, “I don’t care anymore. I just want you to know that Jesus Christ is here and He loves you.”
OP-ED: BRUTAL EXECUTION AND HEARTLESS CRUEL RESPONSE FROM SO MANY - Christians are particularly affected by Charlie Kirk’s assassination because “his loss registers as a personal attack on one of our own who died defending what we believe,” and underscores a harrowing broader reality for believers, a senior fellow with The Catholic Association argued in a Sept. 12 New York Post op-ed.
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — September 18, 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.
Kenyan bishop lauds courage of seminarians choosing dangerous missionary work - Sep 18, 2025 - By Agnes Aineah - Bishop John Oballa Owaa lauded nine young members of the Mill Hill Missionaries congregation for not allowing anything to stand in their way.
Pope Leo XIV on Vatican’s finances: ‘I’m not losing sleep over it’ - Sep 18, 2025 - By Daniel Payne - The Holy Father made the remarks as part of a wide-ranging interview with Crux senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen.
Pope Leo XIV expels deacon from the clerical state for abuse of minors - Sep 17, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - Italian permanent deacon Alessandro Frateschi, who was convicted of sexual offenses against minors, has been expelled from the clerical state.
ChurchPOP Trending
ChurchPOP provides fun, informative, and authentically Catholic news and culture - September 18, 2025
We publish inspiring daily stories, fun and shareable faith-centered infographics, prayers, Church history, and more.
'The Real Cause of Violence': Father Mike Schmitz's Powerful Response to Charlie Kirk's Death - What is the real cause of violence? Father Mike Schmitz answers this question in a recent video responding to Charlie Kirk's death.
Saint Carlo Acutis’ First Parish Ever Is in Brazil—and It Holds His First-Class Skin Relic - This first-ever parish dedicated to the saint houses a powerful treasure: a first-class relic of Saint Carlo Acutis.
Priest Declares The Only Way Forward Is 'Divine Love' After String of Tragedies - "Inserting divine love isn't merely an option among others...it is the only sane path out."
Nutshell reflections for 9/18/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection - AUDIO - September 18, 2025
Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
What We Need Now
Contemplative prayer is the hope for America
By Anthony Lilles, September 16, 2023
This latest social horror is part of a disturbing pattern of other assassinations, massacres, and violent riots that have gripped our country. Confused and cowardly men vent their rage upon defenseless children and people of faith. Drugged-out gangbangers terrorize schools and neighborhoods. Deadly plots of lone wolf assassins foil safety measures and rob our society of important voices that we need to hear. Our whole social reality is unraveling, and until we return to the truth of our own humanity before God, we risk even greater horrors to come. The Catholic tradition proposes that the only adequate answer to the social horror we are witnessing is the peace of Christ, and the saints and martyrs of this tradition discovered this peace through a return to contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer as an encounter with the saving mystery of Christ is America’s only real hope.
Imaginative Conservative
The soul is a special, discrete creation by God
By Marion Montgomery, September 17, 2025
When one dares to enter the country of other men’s souls in quest of understanding about the nature of virtue, they enter a dangerous world, especially when that world is fallen or falling to an extreme from its potential good order. The mind is enabled to believe itself the ultimate cause and value of being. When that shift of perspective upon humankind becomes generally accepted, one need not be surprised to discover any number of attempts at restructuring existence by acts of the mind. We must be careful to notice that we are really engaged with a spiritual revolution, the relocation of spiritual ends in the self. Wherever two or three of us gather together in some endeavor, the temptation to restructure creation raises its serpent head. One seldom understands the soul as a special, discrete creation by God, as is the orthodox view.
Crisis Magazine
If fathers don’t step up, we won’t see a Turning Point
By Veronica Burchard, September 18, 2025
America has long been known as an “experiment” in self-government. George Washington, in 1790, reflected on the meaning of the new Constitution: “The establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment.” Note he said America was not just an experiment but the last great one. For years, we’ve been chastised by the Left that Americans are too cowardly to have a “conversation” about things like race, abortion, and so on. But Charlie Kirk had that conversation, exhibiting the patience of a saint as he let his opponents speak for themselves. And they killed him for it. They don’t want a conversation; they want lockstep unanimity. They don’t wish to debate; they want conformity. Who among us will change it? Indeed, not the fathers who let mentally ill boys take their daughters’ trophies. Least of all the fathers who let mentally ill boys into their daughters’ locker rooms.
Wild at Heart
We long for happily ever after
By John Eldredge, September 18, 2025
And they lived happily ever after. Stop for just a moment, and let it be true. They lived happily ever after. These may be the most beautiful and haunting words in the entire library of mankind. Why does the end of a great story leave us with a lump in our throats and an ache in our hearts? Because God has set eternity in our hearts. Every story we tell is our attempt to put into words and images what God has written there, on our hearts. Even if you do manage to find a little taste of Eden in this life, even if you are one of the fortunate souls who find some love and happiness in the world, you cannot hang on to it. You know this. This is written on the human heart, this longing for happily ever after.
Image of peanuts by Nicole Köhler, from Pixabay
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