Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 4/21/26
Topics include: Hundreds to be ordained; Emmaus disciples mirror Angola’s struggles; Religious preschools hearing at Supreme Court; & 1.12 million U.S. abortions not the whole picture
“I’ll pray for thee from my pistachio tree”
Today's sources are OSV News, EWTN, First Things, Big Pulpit, Zenit, and CatholicVote. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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EWTN News
Hundreds of men to be ordained in U.S. in 2026
By Tessa Gervasini, April 20, 2026
More than 400 men will be ordained to the priesthood in the U.S. this year, and on average, they are 33 years old and are lifelong Catholics, according to an annual CARA survey. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) released its 2026 national survey of seminarians who are scheduled for ordination this year. The survey was administered between Feb. 12 and March 20. Of the 428 ordinands invited to participate, 334 responded to the survey, for a response rate of 78%. The responding ordinands represent 110 U.S. dioceses and eparchies, as well as 34 religious institutes. Four in 5 (81%) are preparing for ordination to a diocese or eparchy, and 19% are preparing for religious institutes. Most 2026 ordinands are white (62%), with others identifying as Hispanic or Latino (17%), Asian or Pacific Islander (11%), and Black or African American (5%). While most respondents reported being born in the United States (74%), others were born in Vietnam (5%), Mexico (3%), Colombia (2%), or elsewhere (16%).
ACI Africa
Opening scene of Emmaus disciples mirrors Angola’s struggles
By ACI Africa Staff, April 19, 2026
Presiding over Holy Mass at Kilamba in Angola’s capital city, Luanda, Pope Leo said that the risen Christ continues to accompany His people in their suffering and hope. “I see a reflection of the history of Angola, of this beautiful yet wounded country, which hungers and thirsts for hope, peace, and fraternity.” Drawing on the Gospel passage (Lk 24:13–35), Pope Leo XIV compared Angola’s historical experience, marked by a prolonged civil war and lingering divisions, to the grief and confusion that Cleopas and his companion felt as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus. “When one is long immersed in a history so characterized by pain, one can risk losing hope and remaining paralyzed by discouragement, just like the two disciples,” he has said during Holy Mass in Luanda that is part of his April 13-23 four-nation Apostolic Journey to Africa.
National Catholic Reporter
Religious preschools challenge taxpayer-funded program ruling
By Lindsay Whitehurst, April 20, 2026
The Supreme Court will hear from Catholic preschools that say it’s unconstitutional to exclude them from a state-funded program because they won’t admit kids from LGBTQ+ families. In the latest religious rights case, the justices will hear from Colorado’s St. Mary Catholic Parish and the Archdiocese of Denver, which are supported by the Republican Trump administration. The schools argue that Colorado is violating their religious rights by barring them from the taxpayer-funded universal preschool program over their faith-based admission policies. They say the state has allowed other preschools to prioritize children with disabilities or those from low-income families, so admission based on religious beliefs about gender and same-sex marriage should be allowed, too. The plaintiffs are represented by the group Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which applauded the high court's decision to take up the case. The justices last month ruled against another law in Colorado that banned "conversion therapy" for LGBTQ+ kids after the measure was challenged by a Christian counselor.
Zenit
Jesus Christ AI: God ‘transformed’ into Artificial Intelligence
By Jorge Enrique Mújica, April 20, 2026
A new frontier between technology and religion has emerged with the launch of a digital platform that allows users to converse, for a fee, with an artificial intelligence modeled on Jesus Christ. The initiative, developed by the technology company Just Like Me, is rapidly becoming a focal point for debate not only about innovation, but about the nature of faith itself. The service is priced at $1.99 per minute, with subscription packages such as 45 minutes per month for $49.99. According to the company, the objective is not to promote any specific doctrine but to provide “guidance, compassion, and healing” to individuals experiencing loneliness, stress, or uncertainty. Christian traditions understand the relationship with Christ not as a generalized emotional support, but as a concrete encounter mediated through prayer, Scripture, and sacramental life. A previous experiment in Switzerland, where an AI interface simulated Christ in a confessional setting, illustrated the risks. Asked about assisted suicide, the system responded with general empathetic questions but omitted core moral teachings that are central to Catholic doctrine.
CatholicVote
Pro-life group asks California to end attack on abortion pill reversal
By Hannah Hiester, April 20, 2026
A California court heard a motion for summary judgment on April 17 from Heartbeat International, a pro-life group that asked the court to allow it to provide abortion pill reversal (APR) services without state restrictions in light of the fact that the state has failed to show evidence of harm. California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Heartbeat International and another pro-life group in 2023, alleging that APR has not been shown to be effective or safe and potentially carries health risks, according to court documents. The suit sought to restrict the pro-life organizations’ ability to advertise and share information about APR, claiming the service is harmful to the people of California. Thomas More Society, which represents Heartbeat International, said the state “has failed to produce a single consumer complaint, any evidence of harm, or a sufficient legal basis to restrict constitutionally protected speech.” Studies claim that APR has an effectiveness rate of up to 68%.
Aleteia
England has three doctors of the Church
By Philip Kosloski, April 21, 2026
Out of the 38 doctors of the Church, three of them spent most of their lives and ministry in England, providing the Church with important developments in a variety of fields. In the 13th century, popes began singling out saints who were exemplary teachers of theology and spirituality, granting them the official title of “Doctor,” derived from the Latin docere, meaning “to teach.” St. Bede the Venerable, born in the 7th century in Northumbria, is best known for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People. St. Anselm, born in the 11th century in France, felt called to the monastic life at an early age and entered a local monastery. He had a remarkable intellect and spent much of his time developing his philosophical ideas. Born in the 19th century, St. John Henry Newman was a convert from the Anglican Church and became an influential cardinal in the Catholic Church. He joined the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri and founded the first Oratory in England. Pope Benedict XVI beatified Newman in 2010.
National Catholic Register
We missed it: The Pope returned to St. Augustine’s homeland
By Brendan Towell, April 20, 2026
On April 14, Pope Leo XIV stood in Annaba, in the shadow of the Basilica of St. Augustine, on ground that has carried the memory of one of the Church’s greatest voices for more than 15 centuries. And for a moment, the noise of the week fell away. It should have been one of the defining images of these days: an Augustinian Pope returning to Hippo, to the place where St. Augustine lived most of his life, preached, and died. Instead, it passed almost quietly, eclipsed by headlines that will not last. But something happened there that we should not miss. When the Holy Father spoke in Algeria, he returned again and again to a simple theme: the search for God, the search for truth, and the dignity of every human person. Preaching in the Basilica of St. Augustine, he spoke of a world in need of renewal, insisting that “the divine Word pervades history and renews it,” and that even now, in the midst of uncertainty and struggle, something new remains possible. To modern eyes, Algeria can seem distant from the story of Western Christianity. But in Augustine’s time, Roman North Africa was anything but peripheral.
OSV News
1.12 million U.S. abortions in 2025 — actual figures likely higher
By Gina Christian, April 20, 2026
New data estimates show the number of abortions in the U.S. remained stable in 2025, totaling some 1.126 million, with apparent declines in out-of-state travel for abortions offset by increasing access to telehealth abortions. The actual number of abortions is likely higher, given certain exclusions in the estimates, amid the lack of a mandatory, federal-level reporting system, said researcher Mia Steupert of the Charlotte Lozier Institute. The 2025 estimate marks a 21% increase from 2020, which Guttmacher said was “the last year of comprehensive national estimates” before the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case overturned the 1973 rulings that legalized abortion in the U.S. Guttmacher clarified that its data “does not include self-managed abortions” — for example, those involving drugs sourced from community networks or acquired from outside of the U.S. Guttmacher said its estimates exclude “advance provision” of chemical abortion pills, the “limited number” of abortions performed as exceptions to full bans and abortions.
Pulpit, EWTN, & Fides News for 4/21/26
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards Catholic blogger site: April 21, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is an intelligent news aggregator offering insights and analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide. Here are Chief Editor Tito Edward’s top recommendations for today.
From Censorship to Catholicism – Sarah Cain at Homefront Crusade
‘Springs in the Desert’: Growing Movement Breaks Silence on Infertility – Alyssa Murphy
10 Weeks to Spiritual Advancement with St. Ignatius – Fr. Ed Broom, O.M.V., at Catholic Exchange
The Priest Shortage is Man-Made, & Not a God-Ordained Calamity – The American Catholic
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — April 21, 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.
Former abortion clinic director exposes Planned Parenthood in new book - By David Ramos - In a new book, Mayra Rodríguez, who worked for Planned Parenthood for 15 years, tells the story of her conversion from abortion clinic director to pro-life advocate — “the mindset of a Catholic within the reproductive rights movement,” saying it is something “that is profoundly impacting our Hispanic culture.”
Pope Leo XIV arrives in Catholic-majority Equatorial Guinea — Day 9 of his visit to Africa By EWTN News Staff - Leaving Angola on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV began the last leg of his Africa trip, landing in Catholic-majority Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich country where many live in poverty.
‘For the Lord, age is no barrier’: Chilean religious ordained at 64 - By Julieta Villar - Prompted by others and feeling a stirring within himself, Brother Juan Daza, after 40 years of service as a religious, responded to a call to the priesthood and was ordained to the priesthood at 64.
Agenzia Fides
Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies - 4/21/26
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.
ASIA/LAOS - Two new Laotian priests, the first Redemptorists - Thakhek (Fides News Agency) - The small Catholic community of Laos will celebrate the priestly ordination of two Redemptorist deacons on April 22 at St. Louis Cathedral in Thakhek, Khammouane Province.
AFRICA/TOGO - The “Ahonhon Center,” an advanced center for the treatment of brain disorders, has been inaugurated by the Togolese Province of the Society of African Missions - Yokoè (Fides News Agency) – In Togo, cognitive disorders continue to be treated somewhat superficially, despite their serious impact on the lives of patients and their families: loss of autonomy and social isolation.
ASIA/HONG KONG - Diocese celebrates 80th anniversary: Mission and charitable service to the most vulnerable - Hong Kong (Fides News Agency) – “Eighty years ago, on this very day, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the elevation of Hong Kong from an Apostolic Vicariate to the rank of a diocese. We are grateful for the selfless dedication of so many of our predecessors.”
Nutshell reflections for 4/21/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - April 21, 2026
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
The Imaginative Conservative
This Mortal Coil: Poems of DNA
By Barbara J. Elliott, April 20, 2026
In This Mortal Coil: Poems of DNA, Eric Forsbergh wrestles with the essence of what it means to be human. These poems reflect on the human condition, using DNA as a touchstone to affirm the uniqueness of each person. Although Dr. Forsbergh did not set out to write an explicitly religious book, his poems are shot through with the reflected light that Gerard Manley Hopkins describes as the “grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil.” In some mysterious way, God writes unique code for each human person in their DNA, with precise details delineating each person’s aptitudes, even before they come into the world and begin to unfold the chemical origami in their individual way. Dr. Forsbergh spent many hours in laboratories pursuing a double major in microbiology and zoology, so when he writes about the chemical compounds that make up DNA, he is speaking a language in which he is fluent.
Catholic World Report
St. Anselm: Sounding the charge for religious freedom
By Sean Fitzpatrick, April 20, 2026
Catholics often find themselves in the middle of the argument, which Anselm found himself in—between what is right and what is legal. With the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, Congress prohibited “the federal government from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion unless it demonstrates that doing so both furthers a compelling governmental interest and represents the least restrictive means of furthering that interest.” But as the American tradition of religious freedom is overthrown for the American religion of political correctness, many Catholics in America are looking to our bishops for guidance. And it is sometimes difficult to find the leadership so sorely wanted and needed. In this ongoing theater, marked by ineptitude, confusion, and a lack of clarity, there is no better saint to look to for inspiration to claim and cling to our religious freedoms than St. Anselm of Canterbury, whose feast day is celebrated on April 21st.
The PILLAR
What was the Avignon Papacy?
By Luke Coppen, April 10, 2026
On a rocky outcrop on the river’s left bank stands a Gothic building that is one of the most important papal edifices outside of Rome. It is the Palace of the Popes, where seven successive French pontiffs resided during the 14th century. This was the headquarters of the Avignon Papacy, a phenomenon that became an unlikely talking point [last] week. It began with a questionable report on a January meeting between Pentagon staff and the then-nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre. “As tensions escalated, one U.S. official went so far as to invoke the Avignon Papacy, the period in the 1300s when the French Crown leveraged its military power to dominate the papal authority,” it said. As the cardinals were divided into pro- and anti-French factions, they struggled to agree on a candidate. They opted for a non-cardinal: Raymond de Got, the archbishop of Bordeaux, who took the name Pope Clement V. Clement V’s pontificate had an unsettled start. He moved from Bordeaux to Poitiers to Toulouse, before arriving in 1309 at a Dominican priory in Avignon — the start of the Avignon papacy.
First Things
Trump, Leo, and the death of ‘Integralism’
By Stephen Daisley, April 20, 2026
There is a Yiddish witticism, Der Mensch tracht, un Gott lacht (“Man plans, and God laughs”), and recent events suggest the divine has a particularly puckish sense of humor. No sooner had his political lobbyists begun to gain traction with their proposals to form a postliberal Catholic order than their plans were hit by an almighty twofer. First up was Donald Trump’s vulgar dismissal of Pope Leo XIV’s pronouncements on the morality of war. Then there was the sweeping electoral defeat of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, bringing to an end the pinup regime of nominally Christian postliberalism. At first blush, the two episodes might seem unconnected. However, the concurrence of these events draws attention to philosophical and practical flaws in the school of thought known as integralism, or the arrangement that represents “the best way to protect and shelter the localities in which genuinely human community, imbued with grace, can flourish.” With the state and Church remaining distinct entities.
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