Catholic Nutshell News: Wednesday 7/29/26
Catholics should know: Defense for mosque in New Mexico; Please, 'care — not suicide’; Rise of Gen X bishops; & Shame of Auschwitz no longer protects Jews
“Here was an almond tree in bloom before me”
Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. Today's sources are the Zeale News, National Catholic Register, EWTN News, The Pillar, Zenit, and OSV 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
Archbishop Wester defends proposed mosque in New Mexico
By Tyler Arnold, July 29, 2026
Archbishop John Charles Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, voiced support for a Muslim group’s effort to build a mosque in the suburbs of Albuquerque after the plan faced some pushback from the community. The Albuquerque Islamic Center received approval for the new mosque in North Valley in a 5-1 vote by the Bernalillo County Planning Commission on July 1. The hearing lasted about five hours, with comments from the community, and the commission ultimately approved the mosque but not the proposed school to keep the project smaller and the expected traffic lighter. Wester issued a six-paragraph statement on July 27 in support of the project, saying Muslims have a right to access worship services and religious freedom extends beyond Christians. In his statement, the archbishop said he has heard “concerns from residents” about the planned mosque and felt “compelled to speak clearly and pastorally” about the tension.
OSV News
‘Care — not suicide’: Catholics and advocates push back
By Kimberley Heatherington, July 28, 2026
The bright orange and white signs told the story of the protesters holding them outside the United Nations: “We deserve care — not suicide.”
“Suicide is not medical treatment.”
“Fund services — not suicide.”
“Assisted suicide is dangerous and discriminatory.”
New York state’s Medical Aid in Dying Act — scheduled to go into effect Aug. 5 — will, as their June 11 lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York reads, “allow providers to prescribe drugs — not to alleviate pain or suffering — but to cause the death of the patient and intentionally facilitate suicide.”
Related: Bishop of Lourdes: Pope’s September Visit Will Make Shrine a Beating Heart for the Defense of Life, Solène Tadié, National Catholic Register, July 28, 2026
National Catholic Register
Rise of the Gen X bishops
By Jonathan Liedl, July 28, 2026
One East Coast bishop asked another what kind of playlist he wanted to listen to. The response was “’80s music.” And instantly, a connection was made. “I laughed, and I said, ‘Oh yeah, we must both be Gen X,’” recalled Bishop Joseph Williams of Camden, New Jersey, of his exchange with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier of St. Augustine, Florida. More deeply, they share a common set of formative factors, from the same papal hero (St. John Paul II) to a similar focus on catechesis while in seminary in the 1990s. Born between 1965 and 1980 (46-61 years old by the end of 2026), Gen X bishops already account for one-quarter of all U.S. ordinaries, the term for bishops who lead dioceses or eparchies. The figure is 28% adding auxiliary bishops. Twenty of Pope Leo’s 27 U.S. bishop appointments have been Gen Xers (74%). The rate is even higher for leaders of archdioceses. Of the four new American archbishops, three are Gen X: Archbishop James Checchio of New Orleans, 60; Archbishop James Golka of Denver, 59; and Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York, 58.
Zeale News
DOJ settlement for pro-life father prosecuted by Biden admin
By Elise Winland, July 28, 2026
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and more than 50 other Republican lawmakers are demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) complete an investigation into the deaths of five late-term aborted babies whose remains have been held by the D.C. medical examiner since 2022. In a July 20 letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, the lawmakers requested autopsies, preservation of all evidence, and a determination of whether the children were killed through an illegal partial-birth abortion or by infanticide after being born. The lawmakers also asked that the children receive “a proper and respectful burial” once the investigation is complete and any responsible parties have been brought to justice.
The PIllar
Leo revamps Vatican supreme court
By Edgar Beltrán, July 28, 2026
Pope Leo XIV appointed seven new members to the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s highest canonical court of appeal, on July 25, including the first three non-bishops ever appointed as members of the tribunal. The appointments by Leo also marked the conclusion of the five-year terms for Cardinals Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R., of Newark and Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect emeritus of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — the only two non-canonist members of the tribunal. The appointments and departures appear to close a practice by Pope Francis of appointing non-canon lawyers to the Signatura, while also bringing in the first full members who are legal experts but not bishops. Cardinals Giuseppe Versaldi, Leonardo Sandri, and Raymond Leo Burke, together with Bishop Jan Hendriks of Haarlem-Amsterdam, were confirmed for the balance of their current terms, which are due to expire between 2027 and 2028.
Related: San Francisco’s Cordileone, Kalamazoo’s Lohse join Church’s top tribunal, by Walter Sanchez Silva | Catholic News Agency - Jul 27, 2026
Vatican News
Medjugorje condemns vandalism, urges prayer and forgiveness
By Vatican News, July 22, 2026
The parish of Medjugorje has condemned acts of vandalism that damaged several of its places of prayer overnight and has invited the faithful to respond with “prayer, fasting, and forgiveness.” “It is with great sadness that we received the news of the act of vandalism,” the Medjugorje Parish Office said in a statement on Tuesday. It added that cleaning and repairs began immediately so the affected areas could once again be properly prepared for prayer. The parish thanked everyone who assisted with the work, saying their efforts were helping the shrine remain “a place of encounter with God, a place of peace.” Rather than responding with anger, the parish urged Catholics to pray for those responsible. Police in Bosnia and Herzegovina received the first report at about 4:30 a.m., after the face and hands of the image of Our Lady on Apparition Hill, or Podbrdo, were found covered in black paint and offensive messages were discovered nearby. About half an hour later, officers were informed of a fire at the outdoor altar of St. James Church.
Graphs about Religion
More likely churchgoers: High school diploma or graduate degree?
By Ryan Burge, July 23, 2026
“Who is more likely to go to church this weekend — a person who earned no more than a high school diploma or someone with a graduate degree?” I bet that the vast majority of those being quizzed would choose the person with less education. However, an individual with a graduate degree is 4 percentage points more likely to attend a house of worship weekly than someone who stopped at high school. In the General Social Survey, there’s not a clear pattern at all. It’s 24% among high school grads compared to 25% among those with a graduate degree. That’s inside the margin of error. Among the most highly educated in Pew’s sample, 28% go to a house of worship on a weekly basis. It’s empirically false to claim that people with less education attend church more often. There’s zero evidence of that in the best data we have. In addition, those whose education stopped at high school, 20.3% say that they watch a service online every week. The college-educated crowd is much less inclined to participate this way: 11.6%.
The Jerusalem Post
The shame of Auschwitz no longer protects Jews
By Alex Carson, July 29, 2026
The year 2025 marked the deadliest year for antisemitic violence in the Jewish Diaspora since the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, according to a new report by the J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism. The report, released on Wednesday, documented 20 lives lost to targeted antisemitic attacks across the globe in 2025. From the Hanukkah massacre at Bondi Beach in Sydney that left 15 dead to shootings at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, and two killed at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, as well as one killed in Boulder, Colorado. The J7 task force, which unites major Jewish organizations representing over 90% of the Jewish Diaspora outside Israel across Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US, tracked over 23,000 antisemitic incidents in 2025 alone. While total incidents dipped slightly in a few nations compared to record highs in 2024, overall figures remain up 136%, and violent incidents up 97%, compared to the baseline year of 2022.
Keep informed - 7/29/26 news for Catholics
Snippets from Loop, Fides, & The Pillar
Zeale’s LOOP
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FAUCI FACES SENATE GRILLING AS PRIVATE JOURNALS REVIVE LAB-LEAK SCANDAL - Dr. Anthony Fauci is scheduled to testify before Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s committee today after Paul released more than 1,100 pages of the COVID policy architect’s journals. Paul says the entries show contradictions between Fauci’s private knowledge and public statements on the lab leak, dangerous research, and the government response.
RISING SOCIALISTS AIM TO DISMANTLE AMERICA - CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt warned that an Ivy-educated class of Democratic Socialist candidates has “turned the ladder it climbed into a weapon against the country that provided it.” She is urging voters to defeat them at the polls and rebuild the culture in schools, parishes, and homes.
BIDEN TAPES: ‘I JUST FOUND ALL THE CLASSIFIED STUFF DOWNSTAIRS’ - Newly released recordings capture former President Joe Biden warning his ghostwriter that notes “may be classified” and later saying he had found “all the classified stuff downstairs.” Special Counsel Robert Hur’s 2024 report found evidence Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified material after leaving office but declined to charge him.
Fides News Agency
Fides headlines — July 29, 2026
Fides was created on 5 June, 1927, by order 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, serving to inform and promote missionary activity.
AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE - "The final word belongs not to violence or death, but to God, the Lord of life": Church renews hope while awaiting justice - Nampula (Fides News Agency) – The Catholic community continues to keep alive the memory of Bishop Osório Citora Afonso, Bishop of Quelimane and Apostolic Administrator of Beira, who was brutally killed at his episcopal residence on June 6.
ASIA/PAKISTAN - Christian couple lynched: "An emblematic case highlighting the difficulties in prosecuting mob violence," says lawyer Anthony - Lahore (Fides News Agency) – The case of the lynching of Christian couple Shama and Shahzad Masih, a case linked to mob violence triggered by blasphemy allegations and brought to a close with the acquittal of the last three defendants, “highlighting the difficulties in prosecuting mob violence."
Wildfires in Spain: “People have allowed themselves to be embraced”: parishes and Caritas stand alongside evacuees - Laura Gómez Ruiz Madrid (Fides News Agency) – More than 150,000 hectares of land destroyed by flames and over 79,000 people evacuated or forced to remain indoors illustrate the scale of the emergency that has struck several regions of Spain.
The Pillar
Pillar Stories from the July calendar, 7/29/26
The Pillar offers a news summary and a capsule take on Catholic News. Here are news stories from the past few weeks in the Pillar Post:
Twenty-six priests in Germany’s Archdiocese of Munich and Freising have reportedly written to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, saying that his request for them to follow national guidelines on blessings has created a loyalty conflict because the Vatican has criticized the guidance. He asks them to choose between obedience to the German rubric and obedience to the universal Church.
The criminal trial of 76-year-old Australian Bishop Christopher Saunders on historic sexual abuse charges began this week, with the bishop facing the prospect of lengthy incarceration if convicted. Saunders served as Bishop of Broome, Western Australia, from 1996 until his resignation in 2021. He faces 26 charges of sexual offenses against three young Aboriginal men.
Pope Leo is set to visit his “other” home country in November: Peru, where the pontiff is a citizen. When the pope touches down in Lima, he’ll walk into a sticky ecclesiastical situation, where questions about who should be the next archbishop are roiling local ecclesiastical leaders, especially amid numerous scandals in the region.
July 29, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE or read HERE:
Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Crisis Magazine
The real scandal is Heaven, not Hell
By Philip Primeau, July 29, 2026
In recent years, many clerics and intellectuals have labored to evade, qualify, minimize, and deny the eternal punishment of the wicked, supposing that this doctrine, as traditionally articulated, proves a stumbling block to Modern Man, that famous creature. Which is most strange, considering that a far more disturbing doctrine has attracted negligible critical attention: I mean, of course, the eternal reward of the wicked. As thoughtful souls have noted before, the scandal of heaven easily exceeds the scandal of hell. Even in an age of relativism and therapeutic spirituality, few ordinary people resist in principle the fundamental logic of damnation: evildoers should endure a post-mortem penalty for their trespasses, up to and including exclusion from the felicity of heaven. By contrast, the notion that evildoers should enjoy bliss in the next life is terribly startling, liable to arouse a storm of indignation if dwelt upon with any seriousness.
The Catholic Weekly
Going back to where you came from
By Dr Philippa Martyr, July 29, 2026
At the risk of causing even more trouble than usual, I went to see Christopher Nolan’s version of The Odyssey last week. What’s worse is that I enjoyed it immensely. But that’s because I know the story – or rather, the series of stories that makes up what we call “The Odyssey”. Knowing the original stories is part of whether you enjoy this movie. If you don’t, the movie will be harder to follow, as there are flashbacks and stories within stories. You may choose to compensate for this by getting pompous about what you consider to be woke casting decisions. Or you could just sit back, relax, and enjoy the spectacular scenery, epic battles, and truly awful monsters. There are major themes in the movie that are consistent with what the original stories were trying to say. These include the fact that human beings are a rum lot, we do terrible things sometimes, and that you should always be wary of Robert Pattinson.
Zenit
Is Pope Leo revitalizing the Church in Europe?
By Laura Marchais & Matthew Green, July 29, 2026
Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Spain has had a surprisingly powerful positive impact. This isn’t just a general impression; a survey commissioned by the Spanish Episcopal Conference has highlighted the effects of his apostolic journey. What does this mean for his future visits to the rest of Europe? French Catholics are next up, preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV from September 25 to 28. According to the collected data, nearly all respondents (98%) view the trip positively or very positively. Furthermore, 98% say they currently have a positive or very positive image of the Pontiff. Throughout his travels — which took him from Rome to Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands — Leo XIV successfully made himself better known. Before his arrival, 57% of respondents admitted having limited knowledge about his “figure, biography, and message.” Following his visit, that figure dropped to just 14%.
The Catholic Gentleman
What marriage makes you
By C.A Rumore, July 27, 2026
I was engaged to be married when I was 22, which I understood to be the achievement of manhood. The better part of my teenage years were spent preparing for that moment. This was it, I told myself, I was finally going to be a man. I was ready. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready for marriage, and I didn’t understand what it took to be a husband. I didn’t see this reality then, but I know that our Lord did. He gave me the gift of humility, because the next thing I knew the engagement was broken, and the relationship ended. I was left with many questions, doubts, and an abundance of advice. But I was certain of one thing: I needed to mature. I didn’t know how to receive God’s love, and I didn’t know how to give it. I had set before myself an image, a goal, and an achievement. This kept me from seeing the reality of what was about to take place in my life if my engagement had come to fruition. This would only happen when I met the woman who would become my wife.
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