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Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. Today's sources include The Pillar, EWTN, Catholic Stand, Big Pulpit, Aleteia, and Zeale. Please support their ministries and apostolates. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise their Catholic News Muscle)
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EWTN News
Vatican criticizes list of unconvicted priests as sexually abusive
By Hannah Brockhaus, November 9, 2026
The Vatican’s highest appeals court has strongly condemned the practice of publishing online lists of priests supposedly “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of minors, but who have not been convicted or brought to trial. The June 2025 decision — on an action for defamation — was made available in English in October through St. Paul University's canon law journal in Ottawa. It has become increasingly common for Catholic dioceses and religious orders, especially in the United States, to publish lists of clerics accused of the abuse of minors, apart from judicial processes to determine guilt. In some cases, they have also included the names of deceased clerics. The Tribunal of the Roman Rota criticized this practice in a June 26, 2025, decision, in which a powerful institution announced, “to the whole world that a determined private person has committed a grave delict of which that person has never been convicted nor even accused in a trial.”
Zeale
Justice Department will join Texas Planned Parenthood fraud case
By David Uebbing, November 9, 2026
The Department of Justice (DOJ) told a federal court it plans to ask to intervene in Texas’s Medicaid fraud lawsuit against Planned Parenthood by Nov. 13, days after voters elected a Democrat to succeed Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who brought Texas into the case. Democratic Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson, who takes office in January, said Nov. 8 that he is reviewing the action closely and will take appropriate action in the state's interest. He has not said how he will handle the case. Johnson has also pledged to end Paxton’s practice of suing out-of-state doctors who mail abortion pills into Texas, potentially conflicting with the state’s pro-life laws. Texas bans nearly all abortions, enforcing the ban through both state penalties and private lawsuits, including under a 2025 law that allows any person to sue someone who provides abortion pills to a mother.
The Pillar
Armenian bishops trial postponed, hinders their ability to travel
By Edgar Beltrán, November 9, 2026
An Armenian court has postponed the trial of the Armenian Church’s Patriarch Karekin II and five bishops after the prosecutors failed to appear before the court on Nov. 9. Catholicos Karekin II, the Armenian Apostolic Church’s primate, is on trial along with five other Armenian bishops for obstruction of justice, after he refused to reinstate a laicized and excommunicated bishop despite a court order to do so amid a dispute with the government. The trial is the high point of a years-long conflict between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the country’s government, headed by Nikol Pashinyan, who was elected as prime minister in 2018. If found guilty, the bishops could face two years in prison. The bishops’ defense attorney, Ara Zohrabyan, accused the prosecution on Nov. 9 of deliberately delaying the proceedings, as one prosecutor was on a business trip and another was in a different court hearing and did not arrange a replacement. The postponement prevents Karekin II and the other bishops from leaving Armenia for pastoral visits to the Armenian diaspora, as they are under a travel ban for the duration of the trial.
CBCP News
Bishop says Church’s silence fueled misinformation, calls on laity
By Norman Dequia, November 7, 2026
A Catholic bishop said the Church’s silence helped misinformation spread in the Philippines, including historical distortions about the Martial Law era, and urged laypeople to take a more active role in defending the truth. “Historical distortion and misinformation are now part of our reality, and they are also part of our mission,” he said. Speaking at the First National Laity Congress, Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. of Balanga said the Church wrongly assumed people already knew the truth and failed to challenge false narratives. The bishop called for stronger lay involvement in social justice, environmental protection, education and family support. “We presumed that everyone already knew the truth. We did not explain it, proclaim it, or defend it. Our silence and complacency allowed misinformation to dominate,” Sescon told more than 200 delegates in his keynote address.
Fides News Agency
40 years later, Pakistan Christian-Muslim dialogue is a network
By Paolo Affatato, November 10, 2026
Forty years of Christian-Muslim dialogue in Pakistan, marked by difficulties, challenges and tangible achievements. Established in 1985 within the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the National Commission for Christian-Muslim Dialogue, known as the “Rabita” Commission, has accompanied the Pakistani Church for four decades in its efforts to build relationships with the Muslim community and other religious traditions in the “Land of the Pure.” Dominican Father James Channan OP, former Executive Secretary of the Rabita, said, ”Today, dialogue is no longer confined to a few experts or individual initiatives. There is now a network of people and institutions actively promoting it.” Interreligious dialogue in Pakistan has developed into a broad and widely recognized network: the government has established Interreligious Harmony Commissions at both federal and provincial levels; the principles of harmony have been incorporated into school curricula; and interreligious conferences and initiatives are being promoted country-wide.
National Catholic Register
Governor cites Catholic faith in support of abortion law
By Matthew McDonald, November 9, 2026
The Catholic bishops of Massachusetts have rebuked Gov. Maura Healey for enacting an unrestricted abortion bill into law, citing her Catholic faith while doing so. On Friday, Nov. 6, Healey attached an emergency preamble to an all-nine-months abortion bill she signed Aug. 10, which under the state Constitution made the new law take effect immediately. Her action also prevented pro-lifers from suspending the new abortion law pending a statewide referendum on it expected in November 2028. In a 1,400-word Substack article, Healey justified her decision to enact the abortion bill immediately, citing her Catholicism. “I am Catholic, and my faith is an important part of who I am. It has shaped my understanding of service, responsibility, and our obligation to care for others. My faith teaches me to meet people with compassion, respect their dignity, and approach suffering with humility.”
Aleteia
Americans are divided over ‘empathy’
By Daniel Esparza, November 2, 2026
A new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute, released October 20, has found a “partisan empathy gap” dividing Americans ahead of the midterm elections. Democrats (84%) and Independents (70%) see empathy as a benefit to society; Republicans are split, with 43% describing it as a danger — specifically, a danger “if it leads society away from God.” The religious breakdown is equally revealing. Among white evangelicals, only 42% name empathy a “foundational moral value for a healthy society.” The contemporary case against empathy has a surface logic. Empathy responds to visible, proximate, emotionally legible suffering; it can amplify bias and distort judgment. The psychologist Paul Bloom made this argument in Against Empathy (2016): it is a poor guide to policy because it responds to vivid individual cases rather than aggregate realities.
Crux
French bishops: Prepare to refuse assisted suicide
By Fionn Shiner, November 9, 2026
On Sunday, the French bishops wrote to the heads of Catholic-inspired healthcare institutions in their country, telling them that they must prepare to use their legal right to refuse to participate in assisted suicide and euthanasia. In July this year, France’s parliament legalized an “aid in dying” law that is set to come into force in January 2027, and the French bishops said it is imperative that Catholic healthcare providers are prepared for this. The bishops highlighted that in August, the Constitutional Council offered an interpretation of the new law that “allows health establishments not to implement ‘assisted dying’ within them, if it is contrary to their statutes or their project.” The letter referenced Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit to France, during which he reiterated the Church’s opposition to assisted suicide and called it “false compassion.”
Keep informed - 11/10/26 news for Catholics
Snippets: Pulpit, EWTN, & Aleteia
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards’ Catholic blogger site: November 10, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is an intelligent news aggregator offering insights and analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide. Here are Chief Editor Tito Edwards’ top recommendations for today.
From Sibling Rivalry to Sacred Calling: Brother & Sister Share Realities of Religious Life – Alyssa Murphy — ChurchPOP
Judging Hearts or Judging Actions? – Dom Cingoranelli at Catholic Stand Magazine
Video: The Spiritual Problem With Modern Men – Fr. Chad Ripperger via Full Sheen Ahead
How to Influence the Way the Lord Will Judge Us – Msgr. Charles Pope at Community In Mission
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — November 10, 2026
EWTN News 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.
Catholic Bible study project wins entrepreneurial award - By Nicolás de Cárdenas - The business apostolate His Way at Work (HWAW) has bestowed an award for the project “Según tu Palabra” (“According to Your Word”), an initiative by a young Spaniard, Yael Moreno, that aims to facilitate Bible study among Catholics.·
Pope Leo XIV calls for religious and social unity in Argentina - By Francis X. Rocca - Since the start of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has made it clear that he seeks to be a pope of unity. On Monday, Nov. 9, he brought that message to Argentina in speeches on economic relations, interfaith dialogue, and the Church's leadership.
U.S. Catholic bishops urge world leaders to take decisive climate action at COP31 - By Francesca Pollio Fenton - “As leaders gather at COP31, we recognize the need for decisive action that will protect and promote human flourishing and our common home. The global Church continues to witness the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,” they wrote. “We accompany those most impacted by a changing climate and the resulting extreme weather, rising seas, and biodiversity loss.”
Aleteia
Aleteia’s global network reports for November 10, 2026
Aleteia (aleteia.org) is an online publication distributed in six languages (English, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Slovenian). Launched in 2013, it is one of the world’s leading news websites with content free from ideological influences.
Pope Leo scores a first on Sports Illustrated - A new face appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and he happens to lead the Catholic Church. Pope Leo has appeared on the magazine's digital cover, looking very at home with a golden basketball in his hands. The headline? Well, it just had to be: "When in Rome."
Henry Cavill’s touching Remembrance Sunday tribute - The ‘Superman’ actor shared a family outing to a beautiful basilica, along with a heartfelt message of gratitude. Cavill, who grew up Catholic on the island of Jersey, has previously spoken fondly of his school chapel and his love of traditional Christian hymns.
1st time out of Italy: Relics of St. Francis are in San Francisco - An exhibition that includes relics and artistic masterpieces that have left Italy for the first time in 800 years, opened October 16 at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, California. Continuing through November 28, the exhibit is free and open to the public during specified hours.
November 10, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE or read HERE:
Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Dominicana Journal
What Plato has to say about your music
By Br. Peter Goyette, O.P., November 7, 2026
An ancient image depicts the human creature as a sort of puppet pulled in various directions by strings (Plato, Laws, 644c-645b). One string is a fine golden thread. The remaining strings are strong iron sinews. Unfortunately, the strong iron sinews pull the puppet downward, against the golden thread's attempt to pull him upward. Aligning the iron sinews of the passions with the golden thread of reason is the proximate goal of the moral life. How can such a goal be achieved? One way is through music. Music is widely popular. Nearly everyone listens to music. Everyone likes music. And not only in the present age, but down through the centuries. Music has always been enjoyable. Not unrelatedly, music is formative. Music shapes you. We are impressionable beings; while we listen, and even after we hear it, the character of a piece of music stays with us. For good. . . or for ill.
Missio Dei Catholic
The ungraspable willed to be grasped
By Deacon Michael Halbrook, November 10, 2026
What Saint Leo the Great (Bishop of Rome from 440 to 461) left behind is not a monument to Leo. It is a monument to the faith he was given to guard. His great theological contribution was the Tome - a letter to Flavian, Bishop of Constantinople, written in 449, which became the doctrinal foundation of the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The question at stake was whether Christ’s divinity and humanity were truly united or whether one had absorbed the other. The heresy of Eutyches held that after the Incarnation there was only one nature — the human had been, in effect, swallowed by the divine, like a drop of honey dissolved in the sea. Leo would not allow it. The two natures, he insisted, remain distinct even in their union: “Each nature keeps its proper character without loss.” Christ can say both “I and the Father are one” and “The Father is greater than I” - because these statements come from different natures in one person.
The Obscure, Forgotten, and Undiscovered
‘Materially great and materially wise, and nothing else’
By James K. Hanna, November 9, 2026
The Dick Tracy watch/two-way radio is a well-known 1946 prophecy of technology: eighty years later iWatches are wrapped around the wrists of many millions. Robert A. Heinlein, another prophet, in 1950 wrote, “Your personal telephone will be small enough to carry in your handbag. Your house telephone will record messages, answer simple inquiries, and transmit vision.” In 1980 Heinlein predicted “Zoom (meetings).” Last year, we wrote about his holovideostereophones. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, Jr. is a 1959 retrospective, a view of the 32nd Century, an age of darkness, a time of ignorance and genetic monsters in the unholy aftermath of the “Flame Deluge,” where all recorded history has been destroyed but survivors search for meaning, truth, and hope while humanity teeters on the edge of an abyss. Thon Taddeo, a scientist and scholar, a skeptic of history, in conversation with Monsignor Marcus Apollo. “How can a great and wise civilization have destroyed itself so completely?” “Perhaps,” said Apollo, “by being materially great and materially wise, and nothing else.”
Catholic Stand
Judging hearts or judging actions?
By Dom Cingoranelli, November 9, 2026
When we meet our Judge, what will we have to answer for? The question is highly personal, and responses will vary from individual to individual. One issue many of us may need to answer for, however, is judging others' hearts, intentions, or motives. What is wrong with judging others? Didn’t God give us an intellect to discern and decide between just and unjust, between right and wrong? He did indeed. But He didn’t equip us to read souls. That’s His job, not ours. “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” St. Paul echoes these words in Romans 2 and 14. We’ve probably all read these, maybe even meditated on them, multiple times. Yet we may still struggle with the sin the Lord’s telling us to avoid. Yet, we let our imaginations and tongues run wild with assumptions and inferences.
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