Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 1/13/26
Topics include: British Columbia challenged on euthanasia; Priests warned of ‘deceptive doctrinal currents’; Fulton Sheen beatification to be announced; & Generation Z Catholics outnumber Protestants
“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 CatholicVote. (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
British Columbia challenged on euthanasia at faith-based hospitals
By Canadian Catholic News, January 12, 2026
In a case with implications for religious freedom, institutional autonomy, and health care access across Canada, a British Columbia Supreme Court trial starting Jan. 12 will consider whether faith-based hospitals can be forced to provide euthanasia on site. The case arises from the death of a terminally ill woman who sought medical assistance in dying (MAID) while receiving care at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. Because St. Paul’s is a Catholic facility that does not provide assisted suicide, the patient was transferred to another health care facility that offered MAID. Her family and co-plaintiffs allege the transfer caused “unnecessary pain and distress.” While the legality of MAID itself is not being challenged, the court must decide whether publicly funded, faith-based hospitals can maintain MAID-free spaces.
ACI Africa
New Anglola priests warned of ‘deceptive doctrinal currents’
By ACI Africa Staff, January 3, 2026
Bishop Emílio Sumbelelo of Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Viana has urged the two Deacons and a Seminarian he ordained to guard their ministry against misleading teachings that pose a serious threat to the faith and to the people entrusted to their care. The Angolan Catholic Bishop warned against “the deceptive doctrinal currents of our time,” noting that a Priest must remain firm in revealed truth and never consent to erroneous doctrine. At last year’s ordination Mass, Bishop Sumbelelo spoke specifically about “Secularism, along with its doctrines, [which] continues to infiltrate all social classes, including among us here.” He has expressed concern about the growing secularization of Christians, noting that many are adopting secular values without realizing it. “A significant number of Christians are becoming increasingly secularized, unaware of this shift. As watchmen of the Lord, we must guide our faithful in resisting secularism, which is the antichrist of modern times,” he said.
The Pillar
‘Back on the air’ - Fulton Sheen beatification to be announced
By The Pillar, January 12, 2026
The Holy See is expected to announce in the coming weeks a date for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the Emmy-winning American prelate known for catechetical television programs in the 1950s and 1960s. Sheen, who came within three weeks of a scheduled beatification in 2019, is expected to be formally beatified in September, according to sources close to the process. Announcement of the beatification will come after the Diocese of Rochester saw resolved its six-year bankruptcy process, and established a settlement fund for abuse survivors of more than $250 million. Sheen’s scheduled December 2019 beatification was delayed after Rochester Bishop Salvatore Matano asked the Vatican to postpone the process, over concerns that Sheen — who served as Rochester’s diocesan bishop from 1966 to 1969 — might be accused of mishandling cases of sexual abuse or misconduct.
Zenit
Generation Z Catholics outnumber Protestants in the United States
By Tim Daniels, January 12, 2026
For the first time in modern American history, a generational line has been crossed that few demographers expected to see. Among Generation Z—those born from the mid-1990s onward—Catholics now outnumber Protestants. The shift is modest in raw percentages, but profound in its symbolic and historical implications for a country long defined by Protestant majorities. According to data from the 2023 Cooperative Election Study (CES), 21% of Gen Z adults identify as Catholic, compared with 19% who describe themselves as Protestant. It is a narrow margin, but enough to invert a demographic pattern that dominated the United States for centuries. In no previous generation—not among Baby Boomers, not among Generation X, not even among Millennials—had Catholic identification surpassed Protestant affiliation.
CatholicVote
The two SCOTUS cases shaping the future of women’s sports
By Hannah Hiester, January 12, 2026
On Jan. 13, the Court will hear oral arguments in two key cases: Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., both of which challenge state laws that protect girls’ and women’s sports from “transgender” participation. Idaho’s and West Virginia’s laws bar biological males from competing in female sports at public schools. The challenges were brought by male athletes Lindsay Hecox and B.P.J., who identify as “transgender” and argue they should be allowed to compete on girls’ teams. The athletes argue the states’ laws violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause (and, in the West Virginia case, Title IX), while the states argue the laws are based on biological sex and are necessary to protect fairness, safety, and equal opportunities for female athletes. Riley Gaines and CatholicVote’s Kelsey Reinhardt say the rulings will determine whether states are constitutionally allowed to protect women’s sports, with broad implications for girls’ safety, privacy, and athletic opportunities nationwide.
Aleteia
97% Catholic and one of smallest states in the world
By I.Media, January 13, 2026
The two Captains Regent of San Marino, Matteo Rossi and Lorenzo Bugli, were received by Pope Leo XIV and officials from the Secretariat of State of the Holy See on January 12, 2026. This small landlocked country in northeastern Italy enjoys privileged relations with the Vatican. This country, which is 97% Catholic, has a population of about 34,000 and an area of 23.6 square miles, making it the fifth smallest independent state in the world. During Italian unification, this small territory was not incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy because Garibaldi had taken refuge there during the war against the Austrians. Its neutrality has always been respected throughout successive wars. This small territory has long been considered a lever for Russian influence in Europe, due to the presence of Russian capital in its banks. However, since 2022, due to the war in Ukraine, San Marino has aligned itself with the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russian assets. This has led Moscow to classify this small country as a “hostile” state.
CRUX
‘Catastrophic’ turn in Somalia’s prolonged food crisis is imminent
By Ngala Killian Chimtom January 13, 2026
As more than 4.6 million people in Somalia are reeling from one of the worst droughts in decades, the executive director of Caritas in the war-torn and ecologically ravaged Horn of Africa country says the protracted humanitarian crisis is reaching a critical tipping point. Converging factors have created the crisis: a climate emergency intensified by recurring cycles of failed rains, decades of conflict, and ongoing political instability. In an exclusive interview with Crux, Sara Ben Rached of Caritas Somalia described the nation’s plight as “among the most complex in the world.” Rached told Crux the crisis is being dramatically worsened by the recent suspension of U.S. government assistance, which has crippled the humanitarian response just as needs are escalating. A U.N. planned solution is only 26% funded, and Sached warns that without immediate, flexible funding, the situation will deteriorate from a crisis to a “catastrophic” one, forcing more families into displacement and pushing entire regions into emergency levels of hunger.
X.com
Scott Adams dies, just days after converting to Christianity
By Scott Adams Says, January 13, 2026
President Donald Trump sent a message upon today’s announcement of the death of Scott Adams. “Sadly, the Great Influencer, Scott Adams, has passed away. He bravely fought a long battle against a terrible disease. My condolences go family, and all of his many friends and listeners. He will be truly missed. God bless you, Scott!“ In a final letter to his podcast viewers, Adams explained his deathbed conversion. “Many of my Christian friends have asked me to find Jesus before I go. I’m not a believer, but I have to admit the risk-reward calculation for doing so looks attractive. So, here I go: I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, and I look forward to spending an eternity with him. The part about me not being a believer should be quickly resolved if I wake up in heaven. I won’t need any more convincing than that. And I hope I am still qualified for entry.”
From Pulpit & CNA to Fides for 1/13/26
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards Catholic blogger site: January 13, 2026
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.
Pope Leo XIV Calls for Pro-Life Policies & ‘Protection of Every Unborn Child’ – Live Action News
The Story Behind Pope Leo XIV’s New Papal Staff – CNA via National Catholic Register
Holiness Is Possible This Year: A Catholic Approach to Resolutions – Scepter Blog
Pope Condemns Restrictions on Free Speech in West – Catholic Arena
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — January 13, 2026
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.
Czech bishop declares Year of Reconciliation 80 years after World War II expulsions - Jan 13, 2026 - By Bohumil Petrík - Bishop Stanislav Přibyl of Litoměřice declared a Year of Reconciliation marking 80 years since the end of World War II, which “brought not just joy and relief but also reckoning with people and the past.” The war’s aftermath caused displacement and resettlement of populations across Central Europe.
Dozens of Charlotte priests query Vatican over bishop’s move to abolish altar rails, kneelers - Jan 13, 2026 - By Amira Abuzeid - 31 of the diocese’s priests have signed a letter to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Legislative Texts containing a set of questions, or “dubia,” related to the matter.
Order of Malta seeks greater UN role as hospital in Bethlehem faces operational constraints - Jan 13, 2026 - By Bohumil Petrík- Fra’ John Dunlap of the Order of Malta, a 900-year-old Catholic order, runs The Order of Malta’s Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, which is facing severe operational constraints, and its mobile clinics remain unable to reach Bedouin villages in the West Bank due to movement restrictions and violence.
Agenzia Fides
Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies - 1/13/26
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/CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - More than 30,000 displaced people, with nothing, on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo - Bangui (Agenzia Fides) – The humanitarian situation in the Zémio area of the Central African Republic has reached alarming proportions, according to Msgr. Aurelio Gazzera, Coadjutor Bishop of Bangassou.
ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Archbishop of Cebu: Celebrations for the Feast of Santo Niño should not be financed by sponsors linked to the gambling industry - Cebu City (Agenzia Fides) – The celebrations for the Feast of the Santo Niño, which culminate on January 18 in the Archdiocese of Cebu, should not be financed by sponsors and donations from entities associated with gambling.
Uganda goes to the polls amid promises of economic development and accusations of repression - Kampala (Agenzia Fides) – Uganda is preparing to hold presidential elections on January 15. As in other countries on the continent, the Ugandan election is marked by the confrontation between the president and a political opponent.
Nutshell reflections for 1/13/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - January 13, 2026
Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
National Catholic Register
Just-War case for removing Venezuela’s Maduro argued
By Zelda Caldwell, January 13, 2026
The U.S. military’s successful capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ignited a fierce political debate over the Trump administration’s legal authority to conduct such an operation. While President Trump did not justify the mission solely on humanitarian grounds, the operation succeeded in removing a repressive dictator, who inflicted widespread suffering, committed serious human rights abuses and maintained his grip on power by manipulating elections for the past 26 years. Some Catholic analysts, particularly on the use of military force, doubt a “just war” premise according to Catholic teaching. The action falls short on moral and ethical grounds. “They’re really stretching self-defense,” said Greg Reichberg, a professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo. “Maduro is responsible for very little of the drug trade.” Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, appearing on EWTN News In Depth, said that the Trump administration’s case for removing Maduro was persuasive, and could be justified under Catholic just war doctrine.
Imaginative Conservative
C.S. Lewis believed science fiction wasn’t ‘science’ at all
By Joseph Pearce, January 5, 2026
Out of the Silent Planet, first published in 1938, was Lewis’s second work of fiction, the first being The Pilgrim’s Regress, a quasi-autobiographical formal allegory depicting the protagonist’s path to religious conversion, published five years earlier. Superficially, in the broadest and blandest sense, Out of the Silent Planet could be said to belong to the genre of science fiction. It involves a voyage to Mars and an encounter with strange alien creatures. It was inspired by earlier works of “sci-fi” by H. G. Wells, David Lindsay, and Olaf Stapledon, but was very different in spirit. It exposes the fiction that science fiction has anything to do with science. Whereas Wells, Lindsay, and Stapledon had used the medium of “science” to smuggle their own philosophical perspectives into their fiction, Lewis used the same medium to counter these perspectives.
The Obscure, Forgotten, and Undiscovered
Mary, according to artists, was a bookworm
By James K. Hanna, January 12, 2026
On a panel from the 15th-century Ghent Altarpiece, by the Dutch master Jan van Eyck, the Virgin Mary, crowned as queen of heaven, is shown reading an ancient manuscript. It’s just one of many fascinating works of art that show Mary as a student of the written word. Zena Hitz, in her outstanding book Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of the Intellectual Life (Princeton, 2020), names others, including Bertram’s 14th-century Grabow Altarpiece. Many Annunciation scenes depict Mary with a manuscript, sometimes holding a small Psalter. Said Hitz, “According to a tradition first attested by the ancient Bible commentator Origin (Homilies on Luke 6:7), Mary was learned in the Hebrew scriptures; she had studied the law and meditated daily on the prophets. So she understood that the angel’s message that she would bear a son was part of God’s plan for salvation. Her wisdom and learning explain the subtlety with which she responds to the angel’s announcement in the Gospel of Luke.”
Catholic Mom
Why the Rosary helps with anxiety
By Catherine DiNuzzo, January 13, 2026
If you’ve ever battled anxiety, you know it can feel like your brain is hijacked — spinning with thoughts you can’t seem to stop, flooded with emotions you didn’t invite. You may even feel like your body is working against you. But in the middle of all that chaos, the Rosary offers something astonishingly gentle and effective: peace. Not just a moment of calm, but real, neurological, heart-level peace. As a Catholic therapist, I’ve had the privilege of walking with many individuals through their struggles with anxiety. I’ve seen how combining faith and neuroscience can be powerfully healing, and the Rosary is a beautiful example of this integration. The Rosary’s repetition isn’t vain, nor mindless — it’s medicinal. The Rosary grounds you in the present moment. Prayer rewires your brain. In the Rosary, we place ourselves in Mary’s presence. We walk beside her, letting her mother us, comfort us, and bring us to her Son, Jesus.
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