Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 10/21/25
Topics include: Usury, or excessive loan interest; Diocese rejects its bishop; Jewish leaders warnings about Mamdani; & Mafia-style violence in Sicily
“I’ll pray for thee from my pistachio tree”
Today's sources are the National Catholic Register, CNA, The Imaginative Conservative, CRUX, The Pillar, 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
Usury, or excessive loan interest, called exploitation by Leo
By Walter Sanchez Silva, October 20, 2025
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday condemned usury, a practice that is sometimes an extremely grave sin that speaks to the corruption of the heart of those who see others only as “objects of exploitation.” Usury can be defined as charging too much interest on a loan, a practice that has existed since ancient times. Traditionally, the Catholic Church taught that the sin of usury was demanding any benefit or profit for the sole purpose of lending. This understanding has evolved over time, and the Church no longer condemns the general practice of lending with interest, as long as it is moderate. In his address, the pontiff stated that “the phenomenon of usury points to the corruption of the human heart. It is a painful and ancient story, already attested to in the Bible. The prophets, in fact, denounced usury, along with exploitation and every form of injustice toward the poor.”
The Pillar
Diocese rejects bishop: Congolese cardinal seeks ‘solution’
By Luke Coppen, October 20, 2025
In an Oct. 17 homily at St. Joseph Cathedral in Wamba, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo appealed to clergy to formally allow Bishop Emmanuel Ngona Ngotsi to take possession of the diocese. “We cannot manage the affairs of the Church like those of the city,” he said. Ngona Ngotsi has been unable to take canonical possession of the remote diocese due to opposition from local priests and laity, who are said to insist that a new bishop should be from the Wamba diocese. His appointment followed the 30-year tenure of Bishop Janvier Kataka Luvete, who was born in Zambia. Local Catholics held a protest against the appointment in February 2024, during which they reportedly demanded a bishop who was indigenous to Wamba. Ambongo added that Leo XIV hoped “the situation in Wamba will return to normal and the diocese will be able to function fully.”
Times of Israel
Jewish leaders issue fresh warnings about Mamdani
By Luke Tress, October 21, 2025
Jewish religious leaders and communal groups issued warnings about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani this week in the closing weeks of the campaign. Mamdani is a state assemblyman representing part of Queens, a far-left, harsh critic of Israel, and, as the Democratic Party candidate, the heavy favorite to win the November 4 mayoral race. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Upper East Side’s Conservative Park Avenue Synagogue said Mamdani “poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community” in a Shabbat sermon. Cosgrove cited Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the slogan, “Globalize the intifada,” his refusal to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, his vows to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his repeated accusations of genocide against Israel. Mamdani initially welcomed the intifada slogan, and later said he would discourage its use.
CatholicVote
Colorado parents, students denounce ‘transgender’ sports policy
By Elise Winland, October 20, 2025
Colorado students and parents are pushing back against state athletics rules that allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports, arguing the policy endangers female athletes and erases protections for women. The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) currently permits athletes to compete based on self-declared “gender identity” rather than biological sex. Its policy states that a “ transgender student shall participate in accordance with their gender identity,” defining gender identity as “an individual’s internal sense of gender.” “The current CHSAA policy does not protect the fundamental rights of our female high school athletes in Colorado,” Sarah Kent, the mother of a senior volleyball player at Liberty High School in Fort Collins, told CatholicVote. “Our daughters are being deprived of the fair and equal opportunity to participate in high school athletics that Title IX was designed to protect.” Kent said the CHSAA rule leaves schools little flexibility in how to respond when concerns about fairness or safety arise.
Catholic News Agency
Bishops denounce rising Mafia-style violence in Sicily
By Junno Arocho Esteves, October 21, 2025
The murder of a 21-year-old Italian man after trying to break up a fight has prompted two southern Italian archbishops to sound the alarm against the rise of Mafia-style killings among young people. At a prayer service Oct. 18 for Paolo Taormina, who was killed one week ago outside the family-owned bar where he worked, Archbishop Gualtiero Isacchi of Monreale, Italy, told the faithful present that their presence was “a sign of resistance and a desire for change.” “The violent, typically Mafia-like logic of oppression, which some shamefully and unconsciously praise on social media, aims to erase human conscience and dignity, to extinguish hope, and to condemn the person to the resignation of ‘nothing will ever change,’” Isacchi said, according to SIR, the news agency of the Italian bishops’ conference. Taormina’s murder is the latest in a series of gangland-style shootings related to a perceived rise in youth violence and organized crime in Monreale and Palermo.
The Angelus
Catholic devotions, a sticking point for Protestants, can be healthy
By Father Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, October 16, 2025
Beginning with the reaction of Martin Luther and the great Protestant reformers, they feared two things in devotions. Some devotions were unbridled and bad theology (famously, selling indulgences). Second, devotions were not necessarily bad in themselves, but often displaced Jesus and God’s Word as our center and main focus. So, they distanced themselves from all Roman Catholic devotions, the unbridled as well as the healthy. That Protestant and Evangelical distrust of Roman Catholic devotions has come down to our own day. Devotions can replace Scripture. Mary can replace Jesus as the center, and certain ritual practices make God seem like a puppet on a string. However, devotions can be a rich, healthy supplement in our essential diet of Word and Eucharist. The late Wendy Wright, in her book “Sacred Heart: Gateway to God,” wrote that the divine-human heart is the passageway between earth and heaven.
CRUX
Leo XIV meets with global survivor advocacy group
By Elise Ann Allen, October 21, 2025
Pope Leo XIV met with the leadership of the Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) advocacy organization on Monday in the Vatican, Leo’s first official meeting with survivors of abuse since his election in May, and the first-ever meeting between a pope and a global rights and advocacy group for survivors of clerical sexual abuse. Speaking at an Oct. 20 press conference after the meeting, Gemma Hickey, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse from Canada and ECA board president, said, “We come as bridge-builders ready to walk together toward truth, justice and healing.” “Because the times are so polarized,” Hickey said of ECA’s decision to meet the pope, “the most radical act we can engage in right now is sitting down and having a conversation.” Part of the statement they read insisted that as an advocacy group, “we come here not in anger, but in hope: hope for accountability, healing, and lasting change…”
Our Sunday Visitor
French senators urge action against rising anti-Christian attacks
By Solène Tadié/CNA, October 20, 2025
In an unprecedented initiative, 86 French senators have signed a public appeal denouncing the alarming rise of anti-Christian acts in France and urging the government to take concrete measures to protect believers and places of worship. The statement, led by Sen. Sylviane Noël of Haute-Savoie (southeastern France) and published on the conservative website “Boulevard Voltaire,” paints a grave picture of growing violence against churches and Christians across the country — and of what the signatories describe as a culpable indifference from public authorities. “Not a week goes by without the regional daily press or social media informing us of these attacks, ranging from desecration and arson to physical assault,” the appeal warns. According to data cited in the text, 322 anti-Christian acts were recorded in the first five months of 2025 alone.
From Pulpit & CNA to Fides for 10/21/25
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards Catholic blogger site: October 21, 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.
France: Civil War By 2030: Scenario France’s Top Counterterrorism Advisers – Rod Dreher
The Spiritual Fruits of Summorum Pontificum & the TLM are Astonishing – Rorate Cæli
Papal Clericalism? The Ever Changing Landscape Of The Papal Altar. . . – Fr. A.J. McDonald
Enhancing Understanding For Authentic Worship – A Treasure To Be Shared
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — October 21, 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.
Most Catholics say religion has a positive influence on American life, poll shows - Oct 20, 2025 - By Tyler Arnold - The data, published Oct. 20, found that 71% of Catholics believe religion has a net positive influence on society.
Chicago priest removed amid allegations of sexual misconduct with seminarians - Oct 20, 2025 - By Tessa Gervasini - The Archdiocese of Chicago has removed Father Xamie Reyes from Little Flower Parish in Waukegan, Illinois. Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich, shared “the difficult news” in an Oct. 18 letter, writing that the archdiocese “has received allegations against Father Reyes of grooming and sexual misconduct.”
Vatican recognizes Australian bishop’s synodal plan - Oct 20, 2025 - By Madalaine Elhabbal - The pastoral planning cycle will also be implemented on a parish level, “adapted to the circumstances of each community,” Kennedy said, noting: “It is intended that the 2025 revised statuses for parish pastoral and finance councils will assist.”
Agenzia Fides
Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies - 10/21/25
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.
AMERICA/HAITI - When everything plunges into hatred and violence, the people of Pic-Makaya move forward with faith and resilience - Pourcine Pic-Makaya (Agenzia Fides) - The crisis that continues to shake the Haitian people threatens to worsen due to gang violence that displaces entire families, destroys agricultural production, and prevents humanitarian aid from reaching those in urgent need.
AFRICA/DR CONGO - Voices from eastern DRC where a people are dying in silence - Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – A predatory system hidden behind political motivations. This is how various missionary sources from North and South Kivu, the two eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are presented.
ASIA/INDONESIA - Camillian delegation in Indonesia celebrates the second priestly ordination of the year in Flores - Maumere (Agenzia Fides) – A significant milestone in the 16-year history of the Camillian mission in Indonesia was the recent ordination of four new priests at the St. Camillus Seminary in Maumere.
Nutshell reflections for 10/21/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - October 21, 2025
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Aleteia
We shouldn’t be afraid of Satan, according to St. John Paul II
By Philip Kosloski, October 14, 2025
Satan and his demonic allies can appear frightening to us, scaring us in a variety of ways. Modern horror films have done much damage in this regard, making us believe that Satan is powerful and that he can easily put us in his crosshairs. Certain media representations can even make it seem that Satan is as powerful as God. However, St. John Paul II believed that Christians should not fear Satan, provided that we fully embrace the victory of Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus conquered Satan once and for all, thereby removing our fear of him. To every generation the Church represents, as the Apostle Peter did in his discourse to Cornelius, the liberating image of Jesus of Nazareth who “went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). The true key for us in removing our fear of Satan is fully accepting that victory of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Imaginative Conservative
Rethinking a future for Christian higher education
By David Deavel, October 19, 2025
An email newsletter from The Chronicle of Higher Education, the other day began thus: “The current state of higher ed is a seemingly never-ending crisis mode.” This strikes me as both true and a good thing. “Crisis” in its original meaning is not just “a disaster”; it is an opportunity for a decision about which way to go. Universities and colleges are generally disasters and have reached the point where they must make many decisions about what to do. Many Christian colleges have become not only more expensive but also less interesting versions of what can be found elsewhere, facing a crisis similar to the rest of the field. If there is a modern need to deal with questions of human dignity in a new way, it must be met by a robust and authentically Christian response. Dr. Matthew Petrusek’s framework of dignity, equality, and solidarity based on Catholic Social Thought is a good alternative. (“Dignity, Equality, and Solidarity: A Catholic Alternative to DEI.”)
Catholic Mom
The big picture of parenting
By Charisse Tierney, October 21, 2025
When my firstborn son was little, I didn’t think he would ever be able to separate from me. I often prayed our decision to attach child and parent and treat his wants as needs would help him become a confident and independent young man someday. Sometimes I doubted it would ever happen. Then, suddenly, I was watching him walk alone into the school gym where he would spend his first night as a member of the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps. He carried everything he needed for the whole summer all by himself. Our goodbye hug ended with a clean break into young adulthood. He disappeared into the school, never once looking back. The Blue Knights had made it into the ranks of the top twelve corps. It’s incredible to see your child execute such a thing on a world stage. But even better is to hear about something your child did for the heart of just one other person. “He was my son’s bus partner,” the drum corps mama explained the next day at the end of season banquet. “He was so great. It was a tough summer, and he helped my son through.”
Catholic Stand
What if every Mass was a miracle?
By Richard Auciello, October 21, 2025
When the priest says, “Take this, all of you and eat of it, for this is my body which will be given up for you,” he is not only repeating the words of Christ, but he is also re-presenting that sacred event hidden in eternity in Persona Christi. What if during the Liturgy of the Eucharist it is our Lord Himself who changes the bread and wine into His body and blood! What if Holy Communion is literally placing Divinity into our body and soul! What if eternity finds its way upon every altar in the world during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass! Then, it is true that every Mass brings Jesus to the Altar, firstly in the person of the priest, and secondly, in the consecrated Host in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in Holy Communion. Then every Mass is a miracle, and every time I attend Mass, I am witnessing a miracle!
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