Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 11/11/25
Topics include: New leadership of the USCCB today; Violence in Nigeria; American priest successfully sues Vatican; & War is not just about war
“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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Catholic News Agency
Archbishop Broglio’s leadership of the USCCB ends today, Nov. 11
By Tyler Arnold, November 11, 2025
Archbishop Timothy Broglio’s leadership of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) comes to an end Nov. 11 after a three-year term. Broglio, the archbishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, was elected to the office of president in November 2022. In his time, the USCCB has defended religious freedom and the right to life, opposed gender ideology, defended migrants, and promoted international peace. The USCCB voting guide continued to highlight abortion as its “preeminent priority” through the Broglio presidency. Because the conference represents the Church in Washington, D.C., this led to tension with the presidency of Joe Biden, which overlapped with Broglio’s tenure.
Related: 10 bishops stand for election for president of U.S. Conference of Catholic, by Tyler Arnold, CNA Newsroom, Nov 10, 2025
ACI Africa
Catholic archbishop decries religious violence in Nigeria
By Sabrine Amboka, November 10, 2025
Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has condemned the ongoing wave of religious-based violence in the West African nation, saying that God does not demand bloodshed or the cruel killing of innocent people. “When you know true peace derived from true religious practice, you can never erect artificial boundaries of hatred,” he said during the event where he administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 188 candidates. In his homily, Archbishop Kaigama called upon all Nigerian leaders to emulate Emperor Constantine, who used religion to spread peace. The Local Ordinary of Abuja Archdiocese, since November 2019, has called for renewal by identifying and naming those who practice and fund evil deeds in the West African country to curb the ongoing religious violence and other forms of violence in Nigeria.
The Pillar
American priest successful in suing Vatican ‘Rota’ for false claim
By The Pillar, November 10, 2025
The Church’s highest canonical trial court has ruled in favor of an American priest who sued the religious order that released his name in a list of religious “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of minors, according to an Italian media report. A Nov. 9 report published by La Repubblica said that the unnamed priest had successfully brought a claim for defamation before the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, under the norms of canon 220 of the Code of Canon Law, which bars the “illegitimate harm” of a person’s good reputation — a potentially landmark ruling with sweeping effects for how U.S. dioceses handle accusations of abuse. The Rota functions as the ordinary appellate court for judicial proceedings, and as the court of first instance in cases involving senior-level Church institutions and heads of state.
Times of Israel
Freed hostage prayed to God regularly in Hamas captivity
By ToI Staff, November 10, 2025
The Trump administration’s draft United Nations Security Council resolution on establishing an international force in Gaza would reportedly give the US and other participating countries a broad two-year mandate Released Israeli hostage Bar Kuperstein says he managed to survive two years in a cramped Hamas tunnel in Gaza with no sunlight, little food and regular beatings by clinging to his belief that he was in God’s hands the entire time. Kuperstein, 23, was released on October 13 along with the remaining 19 living hostages as part of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has largely halted two years of devastating war. Kuperstein was a soldier on leave working as an usher at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, when rockets began raining down and Hamas terrorists came storming in from Gaza, killing 364 partygoers. He was dragged to Gaza as he was trying to rescue revelers, and images of him bound on a floor emerged on social media soon after his abduction.
CatholicVote
War is not just about war: It breeds injustices in many arenas
By CV News Feed, November 10, 2025
As tensions escalate in more and more complex ways throughout the world, it’s tempting for ordinary Americans to dismiss questions of war as above our pay grade. But sometimes things are simpler than they seem. It doesn’t take a mastery of the Just War Tradition to grasp this simple fact: War is not just about war. There are numerous violations of human dignity that often immediately accompany the outbreak of war, and Catholics should take these threats seriously before shrugging at whether their government will or won’t take military action. The World Food Programme is currently warning that hunger is on the rise in many parts of the world — and the number one contributing factor is war. “Out of 690 million people facing hunger around the world, 60% live in countries affected by violence and conflict,” the organization states. A 2024 report from UNICEF stated that “[more] than 79 million girls and women—over 1 in 5—across sub-Saharan Africa have experienced rape or sexual assault before turning 18.”
Aleteia
Catholic law firm threatens Illinois over assisted suicide bill
By Christine Rousselle, November 6, 2025
The Thomas More Society said it would sue the state of Illinois if Governor Jay Pritzker signs a bill legalizing assisted suicide into law, saying the bill would trample on the religious freedom rights of healthcare providers. “Doctors should never be forced to support or participate in a deadly act that violates the deepest principles of their faith and their calling to heal,” said Peter Breen, executive vice president and head of litigation at Thomas More Society in a statement provided to Aleteia. The Illinois senate passed the bill on October 31. It’s been sitting on Pritzker’s desk for his signature since then. Doctors and other healthcare professionals who do not wish to prescribe lethal doses of medication to patients will be forced to refer them to providers who will, said the Thomas More Society. This, said the firm, is a violation of their religious liberty.
CRUX
India court: To bar Christians from villages not unconstitutional
By Nirmala Carvalho, November 7, 2025
A petition seeking the removal of billboards from at least eight villages in India’s Chhattisgarh state that prohibit the entry of pastors and “converted Christians” was refused by the state’s High Court. The court said the billboards, which prevented the forcible conversion by way of allurement or fraudulent means, cannot be deemed as unconstitutional. A petition filed by Kanker resident Digbal Tandi sought the removal of the billboards, arguing that they segregate the Christian community and its leaders from the broader village population. Chhattisgarh has a population of 30 million people, and over 93% are Hindu. Less than 2% of the people are Christian. Incidents of harassment against Christians and other religious minorities have increased across India, with various Christians being detained or arrested for “attempted conversion,” and places of worship being vandalized.
National Catholic Register
Key safeguards rejected in Scotland’s assisted suicide bill
By Andy Drozdziak/CNA, November 11, 2025
Scotland’s Catholic bishops and pro-life groups have raised alarms about the effects a proposed assisted suicide bill may have on disabled and vulnerable people after several key amendments were rejected. Assisted suicide is currently illegal in Scotland, but if Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill becomes law, terminally ill adults will be given assistance to end their own lives. Bishop John Keenan of Paisley told CNA: “Almost [all of the] vulnerable groups in Scotland representing the disabled, elderly, and mentally ill are against the [bill] and continue to point out how it puts them at greater risk.” One of the rejected amendments would have restricted eligibility to those with six months or less to live. Another requirement is that people seeking an assisted death get a fully funded palliative care support plan. Both amendments were rejected.
From Pulpit & CNA to Fides for 11/11/25
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards Catholic blogger site: November 11, 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.
Why It’s Fashionable to Be Catholic: The Rise in Adult Baptisms in the Catholic Church – TFP
Bishop Athanasius Schneider Responds to the Vatican’s New Doctrinal Note – Diane Montagna
How the Classical Education Movement Is Rescuing a Lost Generation – The American Spectator
The Stricter the Smartphone Policy, the Happier the Teacher, Research Finds – Ed Surge
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — November 11, 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 activities of the Holy See, available to anyone with internet access.
Cardinal Müller calls for overcoming ideological divisions in the Church - Nov 11, 2025 - By Nicolás de Cárdenas - The Catholic Church has experienced divisions “because of these false doctrines, heresies, or pagan ideologies” and thus proposed that “everyone has to be aware that one is following Jesus Christ and not ideologies.”
Catholic leader urges support for school choice, state aid amid voucher debate - Nov 11, 2025 - By Amira Abuzeid - School vouchers in Texas face pushback from unlikely allies: rural residents, home-schoolers, Democrats, and teachers’ unions.
‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ among Pope Leo XIV’s favorite films - Nov 10, 2025 - By Walter Sánchez Silva - The Vatican has revealed the names of Pope Leo XIV’s favorite films upon announcing the Holy Father’s upcoming meeting with the world’s cardinals.
Agenzia Fides
Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies - 11/11/25
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.
ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Catholic teacher killed: local church community demands truth and justice - Laur (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic community of the Diocese of Cabanatuan in the province of Nueva Ecija in central Luzon is demanding “justice and truth” following the murder of Mark Christian Malaca.
ASIA/CHINA - Seminarians in Beijing critically examine the possibilities and risks of Artificial Intelligence - Beijing - (Agenzia Fides) – Seminarians of the Diocesan Seminary of Beijing debated: Does “progress” herald the arrival of unlimited freedom or does it lead to new forms of servitude and manipulation?
ASIA/JAPAN - A journey in the footsteps of the “hidden Christians” - Nagasaki (Agenzia Fides) – “The Way of the Gospel” is the name of the new pilgrimage route to be established in southern Japan, in the places where the first missionaries worked and where the extraordinary history of the “hidden Christians” developed.
Nutshell reflections for 11/11/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - November 11, 2025
Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
OSV News
The end is near — exercise patience
By Father Joshua J. Whitfield, November 10, 2025
To know the end is near, to watch for the end, St. Augustine taught that the fruit of such knowledge and vigilance is patience. Instead of anxiety, instead of chaos and overactivity, rather, calm should rest the soul of the believer. The readings this Sunday are indeed about the end. “Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,” the passage from Malachi begins (Mal 3:19). Like Jeremiah before him, Jesus speaks about the destruction of the temple; after this, he’ll discuss the destruction of Jerusalem. Yet what he fully means by “the end” is bigger than that (Lk 21:5-24). Jesus here is talking apocalyptically. That is, reading all this, we can’t help but think of the ultimate end. Of that inevitable future, these passages are meant to remind us. We are being spiritually prepared in these readings for the season of Advent, prepared even for that reality beyond all Advents, for the final advent of Christ the Lord.
Imaginative Conservative
After war — the inability to turn off ‘fight or flight’
By Glenn Arbery, November 10, 2025
It’s good on Veteran’s Day to recollect both the debt of gratitude we owe and the toll of war on many. A decade ago, the poet Marvin Bell presented a precise image of PTSD in a poem called “Veterans of the Seventies.”
He sat mute
at the round table where the trip-wire veterans
ate breakfast. They were foxhole buddies
who went stateside without leaving the war.
They had the look of men who held their breath
and now their tongues.
The phenomenon of “hyperarousal”—the inability to turn off the “fight or flight” response to danger—means that soldiers might come home without leaving the war. Yet, to emphasize the toll too much can actually detract from our gratitude in this therapeutic age, rather than increasing it.
Catholic Mom
‘Christmas at the Cabin’: A movie with a message
By Maria V. Gallagher, November 11, 2025
It is hard for me to resist a Christmas movie. I am enchanted by the twinkling lights, the presents by the fireplace, and the walks through the snow. This year, I experienced the treat of previewing the new Yuletide-inspired theatrical film, Christmas at the Cabin. While the movie includes humor and a certain amount of whimsy, it also contains some important truths about releasing anger, forging reconciliation, and finding redemption. In a touching way, it addresses serious topics such as addiction and religious faith through characters I came to really care about. The movie is also distinguished by the sheer number of Biblical references it contains. Scripture is taken seriously, although the characters do encounter challenges to their faith. These challenges are handled in a respectful manner that honors both God and the characters involved.
Catholic Stand
Love of the Father leads to emotional healing
By Deacon Steve Greco, November 11, 2025
We are emotional beings. No matter how much we try to bury them, our emotions find a way of surfacing. We need healing to avoid animosity and a lack of forgiveness in our lives. What is healing? It is a process of spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical restoration, guided by the Holy Spirit. The need for emotional forgiveness can occur in many ways. It can be from childhood, school, friends, love relationships, work, and a variety of situations. It often occurs in our relationships with our parents. My father was one of 11 children. He believed in being a good provider. Children were to be seen and not heard. In fact, he usually ate alone. If we were there, we were forbidden to talk. I was always trying to win the approval of my parents, especially my father. Nothing seemed to work, no matter what I achieved. It wasn’t until I discovered the love of my Father in heaven that I was on the road to healing.
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