Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 9/30/25
Topics include: Muslims head Nigeria's Christian regions; Leo’s plan to depolarize the liturgy; Hamas has ‘three or four days’; Beijing to tighten control of Catholic church in Hong Kong
“I’ll pray for thee from my pistachio tree”
Today's sources are the National Catholic Register, CNA, The Imaginative Conservative, CRUX, The Pillar, OSV, 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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ACI Africa
Muslims head military in Nigeria’s predominantly Christian regions
By Agnes Aineah, September 29, 2025
Researchers at the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) have called on the Nigerian government to stop appointing Muslims to top military positions in the country’s South-East region, which they say is 95 percent Christian. The researchers express concern that senior military officers from the vastly Muslim northern Nigerian region are being sent to man military formations in the Southern regions. The trend, the Christian-based NGO says, robs the South-Easterners a sense of belonging, confidence and trust in matters of security and safety of their lives. “Military must stop distrustful northernization of South-East military formations,” reads in part the Intersociety statement shared with ACI Africa on September 28.
The Pillar
Will U.S. bishops go with Leo’s plan for depolarizing the liturgy?
By Ed. Condon, September 23, 2025
In a recently published interview, Pope Leo XIV addressed the Latin Church’s roiling liturgical disputes, and the subject of the traditional Latin Mass. In his remarks, the pope lamented “politicization” and “polarization” of the Church’s liturgy, including the celebration of the ordinary form. Leo noted that “there’s no problem” with celebrating the ordinary form of the liturgy in Latin, and also noted “abuse” of the ordinary form of the liturgy as a potential driver of popularity of the extraordinary form. In some senses, the pope seemed to suggest that while he has been lobbied on loosening the restrictions of Traditionis custodes, he could be more interested in broader liturgical reform and renewal as a means of de-escalating the polarization in the liturgy. “Again, we’ve become polarized, so that instead of being able to say, well, if we celebrate the Vatican II liturgy in a proper way, do you really find that much difference between this experience and that experience?”
Times of Israel
Hamas has ‘three or four days’ to respond to Gaza peace plan
By ToI Staff, September 30, 2025
US President Donald Trump says he will give the Hamas terror group “three or four days” to agree to his Gaza peace plan. “We’re just waiting for Hamas,” he said. “Hamas is either going to be doing it or not, and if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.” Asked if there is room for negotiations on the peace plan, Trump says: “Not much.” The plan, unveiled yesterday, would see all the hostages released within 72 hours, and the Strip demilitarized and handed over to a transitional, “technocratic” government. Hamas members who give up their arms would be granted amnesty. Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors. According to the plan, Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end.
Related: Netanyahu secured key edits to Trump plan, slowing and limiting IDF’s Gaza withdrawal, by Jacob Magid, The Times of Israel - The army will only pull back when specific benchmarks met and buffer zone to be established, after earlier version was more vague on Israel’s red lines. Sept. 30, 2025
CatholicVote
Beijing to tighten control of Catholic church in Hong Kong
By Rachel Quackenbush, September 29, 2025
In a report published Sept. 27, Daily Compass editor Riccardo Cascioli warned that Beijing is taking advantage of the transition to a new papacy to push for the appointment of a bishop who would “please Beijing.” According to Cascioli, Father Peter Choi Wai-man, one of Hong Kong’s three vicars general, is at the center of the effort. He is expected to meet Pope Leo XIV in October, accompanied by Cardinal John Tong Hon, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. “The purpose of the audience scheduled for 4 October, at which Choi will accompany Cardinal Tong — who is also known for surrendering to Beijing — is likely to be this,” Cascioli wrote. “Tong intends to present Peter Choi to the Pope by sponsoring his candidacy for the position of auxiliary bishop, which would be a significant gift to the Chinese regime.”
Catholic News Agency
Are modern Bible translations always better?
By Jonah McKeown, September 30, 2025
Most people know that St. Jerome — whose feast day the Catholic Church celebrates on Sept. 30 — is famous for translating the entire Bible into Latin in the fourth century A.D., creating a widely read edition later known as the Vulgate. But fewer people probably realize how groundbreaking — and how enduring — Jerome’s work truly is. The Vulgate became the predominantly used Bible of the Middle Ages and has endured to this day as a translation that at least one prominent linguist considers one of the very best available. “I don’t know any other translation, either ancient or modern, so good as the Vulgate,” Christophe Rico, a Catholic linguist living and working in Jerusalem, told CNA. “If you have a doubt about the soundness of a modern translation, go to the Vulgate; especially for the New Testament,” he advised, adding that the Old Testament translation in the Vulgate also is “excellent.”
The Angelus
Augustine’s ‘City of God’ could shape Pope Leo’s pontificate
By Mike Aquilina, September 29, 2025
Political divisions have legislatures deadlocked and stalled — not just in the United States, but also in Europe, where populist movements are gaining ground. Meeting with 200 members of the International Catholic Legislators Network on Aug. 23, Pope Leo XIV proposed a way forward — by looking backward, “to that towering figure of St. Augustine of Hippo.” As a leading voice of the Church in the late Roman era, Augustine “witnessed immense upheavals and social disintegration.” The impossible had happened: Rome, the capital of the world, had been invaded and pillaged, its wealth hauled away with hostages from the aristocracy and the emperor’s own family. St. Augustine would spend the next 14 years writing his sprawling response, the “City of God.” Augustine, according to Leo, “encouraged Christians to infuse the earthly society with the values of God’s kingdom, thereby directing history toward its ultimate fulfilment in God, while also allowing for authentic human flourishing in this life.”
CRUX
Catholic college activists go underground to provide contraception
By Associated Press, September 30, 2025
DePaul, a Catholic school in Chicago, prohibits the distribution of any kind of birth control on its campus. To get around that, a student group runs a covert contraceptive delivery network called “the womb service.” The group was once the university’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, but it has been operating off campus since DePaul revoked its status as a student organization in June. At Catholic universities, which generally do not offer contraceptives on their campuses or at school-run health centers, student groups have stepped in to fill what they see as gaps in reproductive health care. It often means navigating pushback from college administrators. DePaul banished the student group over its affiliation with Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, and “reserves the right to restrict the distribution of medical or health supplies/devices items on university premises that it deems to be inappropriate from the perspective of the institution’s mission and values.”
Our Sunday Visitor
‘Go and fear nothing’: Our Lady’s visit to Wisconsin
By Sara Rennekamp, September 30, 2025
I spent my childhood passing within five miles of an approved Marian Apparition, and I had no idea. In 1859, the Mother of God appeared to a young Belgian pioneer named Adele Brise in what is now known as Champion, Wisconsin. On the way home from Mass, in the same place where a woman appeared on the way to Mass, the woman appeared again. Adele fell to her knees and asked, “In the name of God, who are you and what do you want?” The woman replied, “I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same.” “How can I teach them who know so little myself?” Adele said. “Teach them,” continued Mary, brushing her objection aside, “their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing, I will help you.” As Adele’s ministry grew, so did the chapel that marked Our Lady’s appearance.
From Pulpit & Agency to Authors for 9/30/25
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards Catholic blogger site: September 30, 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.
You Will Never Be Safe Again – Denise Trull at The Inscapist
There Is a Strategy to Annihilate All Christians and Islamize Nigeria, Expert Says – The Reg
Unreal Catholic Sites in Missouri, Why Go to Confession & More – The Best In Catholic Blogging
Where is Pope Leo XIV Taking the Church? – Mary Ann Kreitzer at Les Femmes
Expert Says Pope’s Crux Interview Reflects Authenticity In Dealing w/Sex Abuse – John Allen
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — September 30, 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 happenings of the Holy See to anyone with internet access.
Religious Liberty Commission hears from teachers, coaches, school leaders - Sep 29, 2025 - By Tessa Gervasini - Speakers said there must be a fight for schools to bring back the “truth” to protect students and religious liberty.
Pope Leo XIV: ‘European institutions need people who know how to live a healthy secularism’ - Sep 29, 2025 - By Victoria Cardiel - Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 29 received the European Parliament’s Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican.
Brazil adds St. Michael the Archangel’s feast day to national calendar - Sep 29, 2025 - By Natalia Zimbrão - St. Michael the Archangel’s feast day was officially incorporated into Brazil’s national calendar following the enactment of a law approved by acting President Geraldo Alckmin.
Agenzia Fides
Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies - 9/30/25
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/CHINA - A missionary story: The Diocese of Sanyuan celebrates 400 years of apostolic work in Shaanxi Province - Sanyuan (Agenzia Fides) - The Diocese of Sanyuan, in the northwestern Chinese province of Shaanxi, is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the new beginning of the proclamation of the Gospel in Shaanxi Province.
Dis-Order of the World - Global Order and the “twilight” in which “monsters emerge” - by Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv.* Tehran (Agenzia Fides) - In his “Prison Notebooks,” the Italian politician and writer Antonio Gramsci said in the 1930s: “The old world is dying, the new world struggles to be born, and in this twilight, monsters emerge.”
AFRICA/MADAGASCAR - The country is in revolt: protesters denounce the government and demand the restoration of electricity and water supplies -Antananarivo (Agenzia Fides) – Looting and destruction in the capital, fires, school closures, and curfews – this is the scenario that has shaken one of the world’s poorest countries, where over 75% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Nutshell reflections for 9/30/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - September 30, 2025
Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Aleteia
175 years after Catholic hierarchy restored in England
By Christine Rousselle, September 30, 2025
The Diocese of Westminster recently celebrated its 175th anniversary on September 29, marking nearly two centuries of the restoration of Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales. The restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales came as the result of a papal bull called “Universalis Ecclesiae.” In the papal bull, Pope Pius IX restored 13 Catholic dioceses in England and Wales, but gave them new names as the former dioceses were being used by the Church of England. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, said, “Catholic life was slowly emerging from centuries of opposition and suppression. Only gradually did we regain a recognised place in public and political life. Together we stand before our Blessed Lord, welcoming one another, being formed into one body in Him, a visible demonstration of the universality of the Church which our forebears could never have imagined,” he said.
Imaginative Conservative
How Our Lady gave us back the color blue
By John Horvat, September 29, 2025
Christianity developed rich notions of color that differed from those of primitive and ancient peoples. The people of antiquity expressed little appreciation for the colors surrounding them. Their literature makes little mention of them. In his substack Via Medievalis, Robert Keim writes about this curious lack of color in antiquity. Comparing the times, we can see how much Christianity has improved our lives. Gladstone noted that all color was expressed imprecisely. The same word in Greek often indicates the hues and colors we call by different and distinct names because black and white prevailed. He claims the Middle Ages brought colors to life. Thus, he wrote several books, each analyzing a specific color. His book, Blue: The History of a Color, is a brilliant analysis of how the color blue evolved over time. Blue opened up a world of expression to honor and celebrate the Mother of God, to which medieval man enthusiastically responded.
Catholic Mom
Safe practices for meaningful AI-assisted prayer journaling
By Monica McConkey, September 30, 2025
I recently discovered an AI-assisted journaling app, and I have been using it consistently for 3 months: a 92-day streak. Rosebud offers prompts for Morning Intentions, a Daily Challenge, and an Evening Reflection, along with Today’s goals and tailored prompts reflecting my past entries. I’m pretty sure I’m converting it to be Catholic through carefully considered Catholic prompts, prayers, inquiries, and journal entries. I pray as I open the app, and limit my time spent using it. The app does not replace my spiritual director or my regular conversation with my spouse, family, and close friends. I limit the amount of personal information I include. I still aspire to pray unceasingly, using my own prompts to pray more often and from the heart. I enjoy the way that the app refers me to previous journal entries I have made, encouraging me when I am indeed using my own prayer prompts to pray more often and from the heart; when I’m growing in my spiritual life, living out prayer resolutions that I’ve made previously
Catholic Stand
‘Buoyed up by hope, [we are] preserved from selfishness’
By Carol Monaco, September 30, 2025
I used to be an optimist, but not anymore. I am not worried, though. I have hope. Whether my change of heart is related to this year being the Jubilee of Hope, I do not know. What I do know is as my faith and love for God deepen so does my sense of hope. Hope springs eternal; optimism does not. Hope does not disappoint us, “because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” [Romans 5:5]. With hope, I believe the grace of God will see me through each day. “Buoyed up by hope, [we are] preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity” [CCC 1818]. In other words, hope is not just a feeling but a virtue. Hope inspires us to act with love and selflessness, especially when circumstances are bleak. Hope is part of Heaven’s package, which includes faith and charity (the love of God and one's neighbor). We need all three virtues to participate in our Lord’s divine nature for the sake of our salvation.
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