Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 10/14/25
Topics include: Artisanal mining for migrants in South Africa; Trial of Marko Rupnik gets 5 judges; The bodies of dead hostages; & Gaza's ‘tsunami’ of destruction
“I’ll pray for thee from my pistachio tree”
Today's sources are the National Catholic Register, CNA, The Imaginative Conservative, CRUX, The Pillar, OSV, Big Pulpit, and MOM. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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ACI Africa
Bishop promotes artisanal mining for migrants in South Africa
By Silas Isenjia, October 13, 2025
To curb illegal mining and promote sustainable livelihoods, Bishop Victor Hlolo Phalana of South Africa’s Klerksdorp Catholic Diocese has called for the legalization and promotion of artisanal mining, particularly to empower young people in the country, to develop new and practical mechanisms to regulate the country’s widespread illegal mining activities. He said migrants and refugees “are looking for a better life. Some of them were lured into this kind of work because of a promise of a job.” According to Wikipedia, “Artisanal and small-scale mining is a blanket term for a wide variety of types of small mining that range from manual subsistence mining using simple tools to vocational mining that is semi-mechanized.” The Southern African Bishop further proposed support from the government, a permit of some kind, skills, tools to serve the purpose of regulating illegal mining and enabling the youth to participate legally in the activity.
The Pillar
Appointment of five judges in canonical trial of Marko Rupnik
By Edgar Beltrán, October 13, 2025
The Vatican announced on Oct. 13 the appointment of five judges for the canonical trial of disgraced former Jesuit Fr. Marko Rupnik, accused of sexually abusing several adult women. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) officially announced that it had appointed five judges to oversee Rupnik’s trial. It said the appointments had been made on Oct. 9. The Vatican has been criticized over the slow pace of progress in the case against Rupnik, after the first allegations against the former Jesuit became public in December 2022, with Pope Francis finally lifting the statute of limitations to try the case in October 2023, amid immense public pressure. The Vatican indicated that the panel of judges is made up of women and members of the clergy who are not part of the DDF and do not hold any office in the Roman Curia.
Times of Israel
Israel will limit aid over Hamas’s failure to return all bodies
By ToI Staff, October 14, 2025
Israel has decided not to reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt tomorrow, as demanded by the ceasefire deal, sanctioning Hamas over its failure to stand by its commitment to return the bodies of all dead hostages it is still holding in the Strip. Israel will also reduce the amount of aid flowing into Gaza as part of the sanctions against the terror group. The moves come following assessments by Israeli defense officials that Hamas has not made significant efforts to return the remaining bodies of the hostages. Yesterday, the terror group released 20 living hostages and transferred the bodies of four dead hostages, with 24 bodies still remaining in Gaza.
Related: Egyptian FM: 15 Palestinian technocrats approved to manage postwar Gaza - By AP, Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Related: Hostage families urge Witkoff ‘to pull out every stop’ to ensure Hamas returns all bodies, From the Liveblog of Tuesday, October 14, 2025 - Times of Israel
CatholicVote
US State Department condemns China for detaining pastor
By Elise Winland, October 13, 2025
The U.S. State Department condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Oct. 12 for detaining dozens of Christian leaders from the underground Zion Church, including prominent Beijing pastor Mingri “Ezra” Jin, whose family has U.S. citizenship. “This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches,” the department said in an Oct. 12 statement. Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin, told Fox News Digital that Chinese authorities detained her father and nearly 30 other Zion Church pastors and workers across Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chengdu, Beihai, Jiaxing, and Huangdao on Oct. 10. Since 2018, Jin has been under surveillance and subject to an exit ban that prevents him from leaving China and reuniting with his family members who are U.S. citizens.
Catholic News Agency
Vatican halts seminary formation in DR Congo diocese
By Jude Atemanke, October 13, 2025
The Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization has suspended the formation of seminarians in the Diocese of Wamba in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), citing a “difficult ecclesial environment,” which it says undermines priestly training. The Wamba Diocese has been experiencing a leadership crisis since the January 2024 appointment of Bishop Emmanuel Ngona Ngotsi as its local ordinary. Although he was ordained a bishop in the Congolese capital city, Kinshasa, Ngotsi has yet to take canonical possession of his episcopal see amid opposition from some members of the clergy and laity who insist that a native of the region should lead the diocese. Bishop Sosthène Ayikuli Udjuwa informed the seminarians of the dicastery’s decision, alluding to the challenge of transition. He said that the “formation of future priests in such a difficult ecclesial environment would be entirely inappropriate and has therefore ordered its suspension until further notice.”
The Angelus
LA Catholic schools report shows success in literacy & teachers
By Mike Cisneros, October 10, 2025
With wildfires displacing students and teachers, and immigration raids upending the lives of local families, it’s been a tumultuous 2025 for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Catholic schools, to say the least. But while this year has brought challenges, school officials said it’s also presented many opportunities for growth, resilience, and innovation. That resolve is highlighted in the archdiocese’s Department of Catholic Schools’ (DCS) first Impact Report that spotlights areas of academic progress, challenges, goals, and investments for the archdiocese’s 252 schools and more than 65,000 students. “We wanted to tell our story, and I think it’s a really great example of a coalition of educators and philanthropists, and the entire Catholic community really rallying behind our schools,” said Paul Escala, superintendent of DCS.
CRUX
Pope’s comments on ‘pro-life’ were common sense, but …
By Joseph San Mateo, October 7, 2025
Italian Archbishop Pietro Sambi, who at the time was the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States said, “To be pro-life, you must be against abortion,” he said. “But being against abortion is not enough to be pro-life.” Sambi’s point was that, in his experience, a not inconsiderable number of American Catholics seem to have a hard time understanding that point. That memory came back this week, watching Americans react to comments by Pope Leo XIV on what it means to be pro-life in a brief session Tuesday evening with reporters outside his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. “Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion,’ but says, ‘I’m in favor of the death penalty,’ is not really pro-life,” the pontiff said. Stunned American Catholic commentators have spent most of the past week parsing and spinning those comments. The Catholic right has been divided between those inclined to try to explain away the pope’s language, and those insisting he was just flat wrong.
Our Sunday Visitor
Gaza pastor reflects on ‘tsunami’ of destruction after historic deal
By Paulina Guzik, October 13, 2025
Historic momentum is felt across the Middle East as thousands gathered Oct. 11 in Tel Aviv, Israel, for the last mass gathering before the hostage on Oct. 13, and tens of thousands of Palestinians started to make their way back to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip. But those Palestinians have returned to see mostly rubble left, with Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of Gaza City’s Catholic parish, saying the entire enclave has experienced a “tsunami” of destruction. Hundreds of aid trucks slowly made their way out of a gigantic Rafah crossing queue into Gaza early morning Oct. 12 -- a territory exhausted, starving, and flattened after a two-year war that started after Hamas, the Palestinian militant group ruling Gaza, carried out a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people in massacres.
From Pulpit & CNA to Fides for 10/14/25
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards Catholic blogger site: October 14, 2025
The Big Pulpit website is an intelligent news aggregator offering quality insight & analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide. Here are Chief Editor Tito Edward’s top recommendations for today.
The Nigerian Christian Genocide No One Names – John Mac Ghlionn at Courage Media
Exposing Lie that Upholding Tradition & Sound Doctrine Makes Division & Disunity – Ed Pentin
A Reaction to Kwasniewski’s Appearance on Pints with Aquinas – Rorate Cæli
Four Superb 17th Century Chalice Veils From the Cathedral of Florence – Liturgical Arts Journal
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — October 14, 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.
Pope Leo XIV sends antibiotics to children in Gaza - Oct 14, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - Pope Leo XIV has sent 5,000 doses of antibiotics to Gaza following the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace deal. The distribution was carried out through Caritas’ network of medical centers in Gaza.
Cardinal presides over act of reparation in St. Peter’s following desecration of altar - Oct 13, 2025 - By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú, Walter Sánchez Silva - Cardinal Mauro Gambetti presided over a penitential rite of reparation at the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica following an unidentified man who urinated on the altar while tourists looked on in astonishment.
At U.S. ‘supermax’ prison, foreign-born Muslim with no arms files religious liberty suit - Oct 13, 2025 - By Daniel Payne - The case underscores just how extensively the principles of religious liberty have been applied in the United States.
Agenzia Fides
Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies - 10/14/25
Fides News Agency (Fides) was established in 1927, at the direction of the Council Superior General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, as the first Missionary Agency of the Church and among the first agencies in the world.
AFRICA/SUDAN - Sign language in Sudanese Arabic: Comboni missionaries’ initiative for the hard-of-hearing people - Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) - Promoting inclusion, communication, and awareness in Sudan, particularly among teachers, families, and organizations that support communities of deaf or hard-of-hearing people.
VATICAN - Pope Leo XIV on World Mission Day: “I saw first-hand how the faith, the prayer and the generosity can transform entire communities” - Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On the occasion of the 99th World Mission Day, on Sunday, October 19, Pope Leo XIV launched an appeal, released this morning through the Holy See.
AFRICA/MADAGASCAR - Madagascar is experiencing a state of uncertainty awaiting the President’s address to the nation - Antananarivo (Agenzia Fides) – “Madagascar is experiencing a state of uncertainty awaiting President Andry Rajoelina’s statements,” said Father Cosimo Alvati, a Salesian with vast missionary experience in the country.
Nutshell reflections for 10/14/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - October 14, 2025
Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Aleteia
Bachelors have a patron saint they can imitate
By Philip Kosloski, October 14, 2025
Born in the 10th century to a poor family, Guido of Anderlecht led a simple life as a farmer. Guido had a deep relationship with God. There is even a story that says angels would sometimes direct his plow so that he wasn’t distracted during prayer. While he was a devout single man, Guido didn’t pursue religious life or marriage. He left his life in God’s hands. He did what he could to help the poor and needy of the community, while living in poverty himself. St. Guido is known as the patron saint of bachelors since he lived the single life, not professing any public vows in a religious order, and never getting married. Other intercessors for bachelors are St. Benedict Joseph Labre, St. Luke the Evangelist, St. Roch, and St. Theobald. He was a bachelor with purpose, not explicitly devoting himself to God with a vow, but interiorly dedicated to serving the Church in any capacity necessary.
Imaginative Conservative
Whitefield to Kirk: Revivals that saved nations
By John Carpenter, October 13, 2025
England could have been thrown into the cauldron of civil war and bloody revolution, like that of France, if not for the Evangelical Revival, led by George Whitefield and John Wesley. We call it the “Great Awakening” in the USA, and it prepared us for our much more civil revolution, birthing the Constitution, liberty with order. The Marxists’ cultural revulsion in China prepared the way for its bloody Cultural Revolution. If the Marxists could do that to China, with such a glorious inheritance, it could happen anywhere. It almost happened here. And then, Charlie Kirk came on campus. Similar forces have been afoot in the USA over the last generation, festering, especially, in our universities. Charlie Kirk battled them head-on. He regularly went into the belly of the beast, confronting the propaganda. He wooed the youth away from the siren song of cultural Marxism. For that, they killed him.
Catholic Mom
Exploring scripture with kids
By Caitrin Bennett, October 14, 2025
There is a running joke that Catholics don’t know Scripture very well — and it is based on a grain of truth. Many of my Protestant friends studied the Bible much more than I did through their childhood and teenage years. They can quote verses they have memorized, tell you where you can find any of the famous Bible stories, and follow the thread of salvation history much better than I can. But Scripture should be extremely important to us as Catholic Christians, too! It is the Word of God, and we should keep it ever on our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts. I wanted to make sure my kids knew and loved the Bible better than I did growing up. Here are some ways that we “do” Scripture in my home. I hope one or two of them can help you make Scripture part of your family culture, too! For children older than five or so, though, I recommend getting a collection of Bible stories that does not use dumbed-down language. Kids should be hearing the actual words of Scripture as early as possible,
Catholic Stand
Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way
By Dom Cingoranelli, October 14, 2025
St. Benedict, in his rule for monasteries, tells monks, “Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way.” (RB 4: 20) That’s good advice for all Catholics to follow, whether living the monastic life or not. Written 1,500 years ago, it’s as relevant now as it ever was. Do my faith and my trust in God give me the courage and strength to stand up for my faith—to speak the truth when needed? To be a witness to the Catholic faith outside of my parish church? Just how strong is my faith? At the very least, we need to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Oblations, with reception of Holy Communion when in a state of grace. If my top priority is not my relationship with God right now, what makes me think it suddenly would be for all eternity when this temporal life is over? The world says that what’s important is steady stimulation of the senses, on-demand entertainment, and stirring up our sensual desires. It’s a state of constant distraction where we don’t enter into solitude and interior silence.
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