Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 5/26/26
What Catholics should know: AI needs to be ‘disarmed’; More fatal attacks in Nigeria; Iran's unhelpful, deceptive ‘noise’; & AI has a bias toward Catholicism
“I’ll pray for thee from my pistachio tree”
Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. Today's sources are OSV News, EWTN, First Things, Big Pulpit, ACI Africa, RNS, and Angelus News. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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EWTN News
A key warning of Magnifica Humanitas, Leo’s 1st encyclical
By Victoria Cardiel, May 25, 2026
Pope Leo XIV devotes a substantial portion of his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, to the impact of the digital revolution on education and family life. The pontiff acknowledges that “rapid technological transformations reveal just how unprepared we are on the educational level.” He warned that “the pervasiveness of digital media fosters a culture of immediacy and hyper-stimulation, which gives rise to fatigue, boredom, and apathy concerning the effort required for seeking the truth.” In response, he emphasized that education “is a long journey requiring patience and therefore needs time for development and for engagement with reality beyond appearances,” something he considers “fundamental,” because — as he recalls — every technology “shapes those who use it.” Leo XIV did not offer ready-made answers or an easy list of tips. Rather, he issued a broad call to rethink what it means to educate people in the use of artificial intelligence and its implications.
Related: ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ explores being human in the age of artificial intelligence - Our Sunday Visitor, by Bishop John P. Dolan, May 25, 2026
ACI Africa
Five killed, several abducted from latest attacks in Nigeria
By Jude Atemanke, May 4, 2026
The Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna in Nigeria has condemned a fresh wave of terrorist attacks on Christian communities under the pastoral care of Sts. Peter and Paul Kurmin Parish, located in Dangana District of Kaduna State, following deadly raids that left at least five people dead, several others injured, and many abducted. According to Fr. Christian Okewu Emmanuel, the latest attack occurred on Thursday, May 21, in the outstation of Kurmin Bongo. “The terrorist struck between 10:00 pm and 1:00 am, during heavy rainfall. In spite of the efforts of the vigilante group, five persons were killed, while ten others were abducted, out of which two were rescued through the efforts of the vigilante group,” Fr. Okewu said in the letter dated May 22. He explained that the attack on Kurmin Bongo outstation was the latest in a series of assaults on Catholic communities in the area.
National Catholic Register
Iran agreement battered by unhelpful, deceptive ‘noise’
By Alberto M. Fernandez, May 26, 2026
It seems clear that, despite the rhetoric, there is some sort of agreement on 90-95% of the issues. Those that remain are some of the most contentious. President Trump is, almost simultaneously, signaling a warm peace with Iran (something that would seem to go against a basic premise of the regime, enmity towards America), or a draconian one where Iran takes several significant actions and then is rewarded, or a return to war. The Iranian regime’s messaging is even more triumphant and blustering than that of Trump. There is a lot of noise on a possible peace accord right now, and most of it is unhelpful and deceptive. The Americans have signaled that it may take several days to iron out some of the last kinks in the MOU, given the slow Iranian decision-making process. Hajj season, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, ends this week, and pilgrims have to leave Saudi Arabia no later than May 30. If there is more conflict, it could happen after the Hajj.
Our Sunday Visitor
The reality of the abortion pill
By Katie Yoder, May 21, 2026
Not all women who take the abortion pill see their baby’s body, but abortion is an act that intentionally ends human life in the womb. Every pregnancy involves two lives — two bodies — even in the earliest stages. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first approved mifepristone, which is paired with another drug called misoprostol, for earlier abortions in 2000. Permitted for use through 10 weeks of gestation, the abortion pill goes by many names including chemical abortion, medication abortion or telemedicine abortion. Today, this type of abortion is responsible for nearly two-thirds of all clinician-provided abortions in the U.S., according to the Guttmacher Institute. The abortion pill’s two-step process begins when a woman swallows Mifepristone. This drug blocks a hormone called progesterone. After 24 to 48 hours have passed, the woman takes a second drug, misoprostol, by inserting pills in her cheeks. While the Supreme Court orders it can still be delivered by mail, the abortion pill is not safe. The decision to take it or avoid it determines whether a baby lives.
Religion News Service (RNS)
AI has a bias toward Catholicism, researchers say
By Jack Jenkins, May 26, 2026
Most popular artificial intelligence models are biased toward Catholicism and against a number of other religious traditions when asked about converting to a faith, according to new research assembled by a group of religious colleges. The findings were unveiled on May 26 alongside a speech by Elder Gerrit W. Gong, one of the 12 apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, delivered to attendees of an AI ethics summit taking place this week in Athens, Greece. “As AI amplifies and compounds religious bias at scale, more users may misunderstand the contribution faith, and belief can make to moral and ethical AI grounding,” Gong said, according to his prepared remarks, referring to the new research. The Consortium for Evaluating Faith and Ethics in AI (CEFE-AI) studied 14 AI models, including OpenAI’s GPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini. The models were put through a series of tests the group refers to as the “AllFaith Benchmark,” “one of the first multi-faith sets of tests that examines how AI systems engage with a plurality of religions,”
Aleteia
AI’s Anthropic cofounder spoke at the encyclical presentation
By Kathleen N. Hattrup, May 25, 2026
Sitting before a room full of cardinals and monsignors, at the last spot on a long table with Pope Leo in the elevated middle seat, the Canadian computer scientist and Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah probably had a sensation of surprise. Pope Leo specifically thanked the scientist for his presence and his presentation. Olah began by acknowledging the "incentives and constraints" AI developers face, which "sometimes conflict with doing the right thing": the pressure to stay commercially viable, to stay at the forefront of research, geopolitical pressures, and "the older, plainer pressures" of pride and ambition. He said that developers have found a common conviction: "If this technology is coming, it must go well" — well for our common home, and for the children to come. Olah said that computer scientists are not the people to handle these questions. Rather, "how it ought to interact with the world" are questions for the "humanities, for religions, for philosophy, for society at large."
The Pillar
Pope Leo: AI needs to be ‘disarmed’
By Edgar Beltrán, May 25, 2026
Pope Leo made an impassioned call to “disarm” AI and to free it “from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death” as he presented his first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, on May 25. Leo criticized the “increasingly autonomous weapons systems practically beyond any human reach to govern them effectively.” During his speech, the pope spoke of the ongoing dialogue between the Vatican and AI companies such as Anthropic. “What a great sign of hope that, with our differences, we can listen to one another,” the pope said. “This interchange clearly speaks to the gravity of the moment, as well as confidence that, together, we can discern the major questions of our time, and so, the future of humanity.” The pope said he drew inspiration from Leo XIII, who “observed the situation of factory workers, their families uprooted and new forms of poverty generated by rapid industrial transformation. He understood that the Church could not remain distant.”
Angelus News
Without St. Barnabas, we might not have St. Paul, or the Church
By Scott Hahn, May 26, 2026
On June 11, the Church celebrates a saint who rarely stands at center stage, but without whom the story would be very different: St. Barnabas. Scripture remembers him simply as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24). Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus. When the early Christian community in Jerusalem was in need, he sold a piece of land and laid the proceeds at the apostles' feet (Acts 4:36–37). They gave him a new name: Barnabas, “son of encouragement.” That gift appears most clearly in his relationship with St. Paul, who came to Jerusalem after his conversion. Christians were afraid of him. His change seemed too sudden to trust. Barnabas stepped forward. He took Paul to the apostles, told his story, and vouched for him (Acts 9:27). Without Barnabas, humanly speaking, Paul might have remained on the margins.
Keep informed - 5/26/26 news for Catholics
Snippets: Pulpit, EWTN, & Fides News for 5/26/26
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards’ Catholic blogger site: May 26, 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.
The Real Spirit of Vatican II – H.W. Crocker, III, M.A., at Crisis Magazine
The Legacy of Mary’s Motherhood from Guadalupe to the Vatican – Manolito S. Jaldon, Jr., D.Min.
In Encyclical, Pope Apologizes For Slavery – AP via Spirit Daily Blog
Ask Father: Is It a Sin to Take a 15 Minute Leave During a Terrible Homily? – Fr. Z’s Blog
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — May 26, 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.
From the Vatican to Australia: Sistine Chapel exhibit debuts in Sydney - By Ishmael Adibuah - The exhibit will enable visitors to experience Michelangeloʼs world-famous Renaissance frescoes beyond the Vatican ahead of the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028.
Rubio pays homage at Mother Teresa’s tomb, bringing ‘joy’ to her nuns - By Anto Akkara - The unprecedented visit of Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state, to the mother house of the Missionaries of Charity (MC), commencing his May 23–26 trip to India, met with the congregation founded by Mother Teresa, canonized as St. Teresa of Kolkata in 2016.
Polish initiative aims to ensure every euro reaches Lebanese families in need - By Romy Haber - Lebanon in Need combines European financial regulation with Church and humanitarian expertise on the ground, seeking to ensure that aid reaches Lebanese families quickly, transparently, and credibly.
Agenzia Fides
Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies - 5/26/26
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/MYANMAR - Radio Veritas speaks two new languages: the "Good News" for ethnic minorities, amid displacement and uncertainty - Yangon (Fides News Agency) - “Radio Veritas Asia” (RVA), the radio station of the Catholic communities on the Asian continent, is expanding its language coverage in Myanmar and launching broadcasts in Akha and Kayan.
ASIA/INDIA - Instability, roadblocks, and protests in Manipur: high tensions and hostage crisis continue - Imphal (Fides News Agency) - There is no peace in Manipur. According to local Fides sources, the state is experiencing a new escalation of instability and protests demanding the release of 14 Kuki and 6 Naga hostages.
"Why are you here?": The legacy of a Korean missionary in Mongolia - by Marie-Lucile Kubacki Ulaanbaatar (Fides News Agency) - Three years after his death on May 26, 2023, the figure of Father Stephen Kim SeongHueon remains very much alive in the memory of the Church in Mongolia.
Take time for today’s USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE - May 26, 2026 - or READ:
Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest
Today’s Catholic commentary:
The Imaginative Conservative
When Mother Teresa came to Washington
By Barbara J. Elliott, March 19 2026
It was utterly ludicrous, stepping out of a chauffeured White House limousine to go hear Mother Teresa. Even then, I recognized that, as a twenty-something working at the locus of political power. Her simple sari and sandals were incongruous among the tailored suits and silk ties of the people who styled themselves as Masters of the Universe. The crowd was large, and the photographers and reporters jostled each other aggressively to get near the woman popularly believed to be a living saint. She seemed uncomfortable, not as much from the noise and shoving as from the praise she received. She fixed her glance to the floor as Senator James Buckley introduced her. Mother Teresa spoke quietly to several hundred perfectly still listeners. Every small gesture she made provoked a swarm of photographic clicks like a cloud of gnats around her. But the sound of the milling photographers soon dissipated in a consciousness riveted on her joyous face. Now we know that we were gazing on the face of a saint who would be canonized in September 2016.
Missio Dei Catholic
‘We have given up everything and followed you’
By Deacon Michael Halbrook, May 26, 2026
Peter has done the math, and he wants credit. “We have given up everything and followed you.” It is not quite a complaint — the life has been worth it, and Peter knows this - but it is an accounting. He has left nets, a boat, a house, a father. He is presenting the ledger and waiting to see what Jesus makes of it. Jesus does not rebuke him. He receives the accounting and returns it with interest so excessive it becomes almost comic: “There is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.” Not eventually — not in the age to come only. Now. In this present age. And then, before moving to the eternal life that waits in the age to come, Jesus adds something in almost the same breath, in a clause so quiet it is easy to miss: “with persecutions.”
The Stand
A single line in an old song contains a painful truth about grief
By Dennis Dillon, May 26, 2026
Some songs entertain us for a few moments, while others seem to carry the weight of human suffering in their lyrics. The song “Ol’ Man River” belongs to the second category. Written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1927 musical “Show Boat,” the song has endured for generations. It speaks to something timeless: the weary human journey through pain, injustice, loss, and perseverance. At first hearing, the song may seem to describe only the endless labor and suffering of poor workers along the Mississippi River. Yet many people hear something deeper. The river becomes a metaphor for life itself. Human beings suffer, struggle, bury loved ones, and cry tears in the night, and yet the river keeps flowing. Life moves onward whether we are ready or not. The song says, “Ol’ man river, he just keeps rolling along.” That single line contains a painful truth about grief.
First Things
Catholics and modern anti-Semitism
By John Lamont, May 25, 2026
For certain personalities, drugs such as methamphetamine have an almost irresistible appeal. Only later does it turn out that an addictive substance can take over your life, enslaving the intellect and the moral sense. Anti-Semitism works in a similar way. The evidence is all around us, in the resurgence of anti-Semitic ideologies and conspiracy theories on both the left and the right. Strikingly, much contemporary anti-Semitism comes from Christians—perhaps the two most prominent anti-Semites, Nicholas Fuentes and Candace Owens, are Catholics—and it sometimes justifies itself by appealing to Christian theology and history. Yet the real roots of modern anti-Semitism are not in orthodox Catholicism, but in the anti-Christian thinkers of the Enlightenment.
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