Catholic Nutshell News: Wednesday 7/15/26
Catholics should know: Plans to expand IVF insurance; ‘Heaven Is Real’ - Micah's miracles; Canada may restrict euthanasia; & Surrogate mother won't abort gay couple's baby
“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
Bishops urge Labor Department to reject expanding IVF insurance
By Tyler Arnold, July 14, 2026
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and other Catholic organizations submitted public comments urging the Labor Department to reject a proposed regulation that would expand insurance coverage opportunities for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Regulators will consider a rule change that would create a category of limited excepted benefits that covers IVF and other fertility-related treatments. It does not impose mandates but rather creates more opportunities for employers to offer the coverage. In a 17-page letter submitted by the USCCB’s legal counsel, the bishops expressed support for expanding fertility-related coverage that respects unborn embryonic human life and the natural procreation process — but strongly discouraged any inclusion of IVF. “IVF, especially as practiced in the U.S., kills or freezes at least as many preborn children as abortion — at a magnitude of hundreds of thousands or perhaps over a million per year,” the bishops’ comment noted.
OSV News
Chicago priest and social activist under investigation for abuse
By Gina Christian, July 14, 2026
A Chicago priest known for his longtime social justice ministry has been placed on leave, following an abuse allegation for an incident said to have taken place some three decades ago. In a July 11 letter, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago informed the archdiocese’s Faith Community of St. Sabina that senior pastor Father Michael L. Pfleger had been accused of the sexual abuse of a minor — a claim the priest has “strongly denied,” said the cardinal. “The abuse is alleged to have occurred at St. Sabina more than 30 years ago,” said Cardinal Cupich. “In keeping with our child protection policies, I have asked Father Pfleger to step aside from ministry and live away from the parish while the allegation is investigated.” In a July 11 statement sent to multiple media outlets, including OSV News, Father Pfleger denounced the allegations as “an absolute lie.”
National Catholic Register
‘Heaven Is Real’: Paul J. Kim’s son Micah and the ‘Miracles’
By Alyssa Murphy, July 14, 2026
For Catholic speaker and father Paul J. Kim, the devastating loss of his 5-year-old son, Micah, did not mark the end of a story. Instead, it tore the veil wide open. It has been six months since the little boy lay in a hospital, suffering from fatal complications of the flu. Despite countless Catholics around the world keeping vigil for him, Micah died on Dec. 31, 2025. Now, the family’s private nightmare in a Texas pediatric ICU has inspired prayer among Catholics devoted to Micah’s memory. At the urging of friends, Paul wrote a prayer for private devotion, convinced his son was before the throne of Jesus. Since then, Paul says he has received hundreds of messages describing what their authors believe were favors granted through Micah’s intercession. The family’s devastating loss has prompted a global prayer phenomenon, accompanied by hundreds of reported favors, rapid medical healings and sudden conversions attributed to the intercession of a little boy who loved St. Michael the Archangel.
Zeale News
Parliamentary committee recommends a restriction on euthanasia
By McKenna Snow, July 14, 2026
Since legalizing euthanasia in 2016, Canada has expanded its eligibility parameters for the program, called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), even allowing for people with non-terminal illnesses to “qualify.” This summer, however, a special parliamentary committee recommended that people whose only illness is a mental one should be “indefinitely” excluded from MAiD eligibility — a rare advisory to restrict MAiD access, rather than expand it. The committee issued a final report on June 17, recommending that the Criminal Code have this “indefinite exclusion,” according to Global News. Earlier this year, the committee, composed of Members of Parliament and senators, listened to dozens of witnesses, which included some psychiatrists, weigh in on the issue. “It’s literally the first time we’ve seen in the last 10 years that the government expresses any reservations about further expansion,” said Trudo Lemmens, a University of Toronto law professor and MAiD critic.
The PIllar
Switzerland ends exemptions to military service for clergy
By Michelle La Rosa, July 14, 2026
A new law in Switzerland that will end military service exemptions for clergy has drawn criticism from Christian groups in the country. Switzerland requires all able-bodied men to complete about eight months of military service, typically between ages 18 and 30. Members of the clergy have long been exempt from mandatory military service in the country because they were designated as essential workers in the civilian population. But revisions to the nation’s military law, which took effect June 1, removed these exemptions for priests, monks, and members of religious orders. The new regulation has prompted criticism from a variety of Christian leaders in the country, including Bishop Alain de Raemy, auxiliary bishop of Lugano and head of military chaplaincy for the Swiss bishops’ conference. The bishop said the new legislation shows “a lack of respect for the population.”
Vatican News
Nobel laureates, experts discuss nuclear war and AI
By Isabella H. de Carvalho, July 14, 2026
Over 200 Nobel Prize winners, former heads of state, university representatives and experts gathered on Tuesday, July 14, among the pine trees and olive groves of the papal gardens in Castel Gandolfo to discuss artificial intelligence and nuclear war. It was the first day of the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, which will last until Thursday, July 16, and is inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. “We gather at a moment in history marked by increasingly profound geopolitical tensions, the fragmentation of the international order, and intensifying technological competition,” said Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and General Director of the Center for Higher Education at the Borgo Laudato Si’, in his introductory remarks. He highlighted how these issues are being accompanied by the rapid development of AI and autonomous technologies.
Graphs about Religion
Detroit archdiocese reckoning with massive population exodus
By Ryan Burge, July 13, 2026
On my Google Discover feed, I see this headline, “Detroit Catholic archdiocese restructures as Mass attendance drops 40%.” It’s a story from the Detroit Free Press about the future of Catholicism in what was once one of the most thriving metropolitan areas in the United States. “As part of the process, the Detroit archdiocese released information online in March about parish finances and attendance data in workbooks that provide a detailed look at the conditions of churches, showing how some are doing well with revenue while others struggle.” But now there’s a new reality — metro Detroit has actually experienced some modest growth in the last fifteen years. The six counties that make up the Archdiocese of Detroit grew by 2.2% between 2010 and 2024 — modest, but not certainly a decline. The crisis facing the Archdiocese of Detroit isn’t really about what’s happened in the last decade — it’s about an institution still reckoning with the massive population exodus of the mid-to-late 20th century.
The Jerusalem Post
Antisemitism in France has become a deeper issue since Oct. 7
By Ruby Sadikman, July 15, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron claimed that the “demons of antisemitism” remain in France during a ceremony honoring Capt. Alfred Dreyfus on Sunday. Home to the largest Jewish population in Europe, France has long faced widespread antisemitism, though incidents saw a major uptick after the October 7 Massacre. “We know that the old demons of antisemitism have never completely disappeared from our country,″ the French president said, before calling for increased vigilance in protecting people who are targeted “because of who they are.” Macron was joined by Dreyfus’ 99-year-old grandson, Charles, in erecting a statue to honor the Jewish captain. Dreyfus was wrongfully convicted of treason for trading secrets to the German military in 1894, and his case is still used as a benchmark for the rampant anti-Jewish bias in the country. “I must sadly admit that I would not have imagined, at my age, seeing antisemitism resurface with such virulence in our country,″ Charles Dreyfus said at the event.
Keep informed - 7/15/26 news for Catholics
Snippets from Loop, Fides, & The Pillar
Zeale’s LOOP
Read daily news and political impact stories at the “LOOP”
Elections and politics matter. The LOOP gives you daily gems on the news that seek “to renew our country and culture.”
POPE LEO: ‘WINDS OF WAR’ ARE BLOWING ONCE AGAIN - Pope Leo XIV warned after Sunday’s Angelus that “the winds of war are blowing once again” across the Middle East, Ukraine, and elsewhere. The Holy Father urged the world not to lose hope and renewed his appeal for dialogue and diplomacy as the only path to a just and lasting peace.
ARMED SETTLERS DETAIN US CONGRESSMAN IN WEST BANK - Armed Israeli settlers detained Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and his delegation during a West Bank fact-finding visit, surrounding their van with American-made rifles. Khanna said Israeli soldiers initially sided with the masked gunmen before police intervened, deepening tensions between the Netanyahu government and Washington.
POLICE PROBE MURDER OF CATHOLIC EX-LAWMAKER ANN WIDDECOMBE - British police arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of murder after former Conservative lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, a prominent Catholic convert and outspoken defender of Church teaching, was found dead with serious injuries at her home in Devon. Authorities said they currently have no evidence of a political motive.
Fides News Agency
Fide’s headlines — July 15, 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.
AMERICA/CUBA - New sanctions and a protracted crisis: The Church continues to stand by the Cuban people - Havana (Fides News Agency) – New U.S. sanctions against Cuba are placing additional pressure on a population already grappling with one of the country's most severe economic and social crises in recent decades.
ASIA/PAKISTAN - Collaboration between religious leaders and civil authorities averts violence in alleged blasphemy case - Karachi (Fides News Agency) – The fruitful collaboration between Muslim and Christian religious leaders, civil authorities, and security forces prevented an outbreak of sectarian violence, ensuring that a highly sensitive alleged blasphemy case was handled through the principles of justice.
Hawaii, 200 years of Catholic mission. It takes a seed to grow a tree - Marie-Lucile Kubacki (Fides news Agency) – “The arrival of the first missionaries in Hawaii in 1827 was not the beginning of the journey. In a very real sense, the people of Hawaii would not have known much beforehand of the arrival of the missionaries.
The Pillar
Pillar Stories from the May calendar, 7/15/26
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:
A curious thing is happening in the Kenyan Diocese of Maralal, where Bishop Hieronymus Joya has — according to local media reports — imposed a curfew on priests, prohibited the consumption of alcohol, and issued several other new disciplinary norms, some of which repeat universal rules of the Code of Canon Law, and some of which seem to come out — from way out — in left field.
Caritas Venezuela has received more than 14,700 tons of humanitarian aid for victims of the June 24 earthquakes, according to a July 7 announcement from the humanitarian arm of the Venezuelan bishops’ conference. In the wake of a major disaster, the Church in Venezuela is playing a major role in helping people recover and find stability.
Young people aged 18 to 24 in the Spanish region of Catalonia are more likely to identify as Catholics than those aged 25 to 34, according to new research by a government public opinion research agency. While that could be explained in several ways, it’s also worth noting that 18- to 24-year-olds in the country are more likely to express a high degree of trust in the Church than any other age group, except the over-65s.
July 15, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE or read HERE:
Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Crisis Magazine
Reading the Bible in Texas
By John M. Grondelski, July 15, 2026
On June 26, the Texas State Board of Education adopted reading lists for public schools across the Lone Star State. Apart from the “perhaps unprecedented” (The New York Times’word) fact that it sets a standard body of knowledge for graduates of public schools in one of the largest states in the Union, the Board’s reading list did two other shocking things. First, it mandated that each book be read “in its entirety.” Second, it stipulated excerpts from the Bible at every grade level. The usual suspects wailed. Reading from the Bible was another breach in the great wall of church-state separation. Reading the classics was subjecting a “diverse” and non-white school population to the thought of dead white European (and American) males. Like Shakespeare and Poe, Stevenson and Lincoln. And, of course, it truncated teacher “autonomy.”
The Catholic Weekly
Is docility strictly for wimps?
By Dr Philippa Martyr, July 15, 2026
So what is docility in the spiritual sense? And is it strictly for wimps? The word “docility” comes from the Latin docilis, meaning “responsive” and “teachable”. So being docile means that you are responsive to God, and that he can get a word in edgewise with you so that you can learn from him. Every teacher has met a few students who are unteachable. I certainly have. Jesus certainly had as well. And it’s not because they’re stupid. It’s because they think they already know everything. Docility goes hand in hand with other virtues like prudence, justice, and fortitude. So docility means “being able to learn” about matters of faith. But your learning shouldn’t end in high school or your RCIA class. You should have a lifelong willingness to remain responsive and to keep being taught – and corrected – about faith, love, and God.
Zenit
Gay couple sues woman for not aborting their baby
By Elizabeth Owens, July 7, 2026
A legal battle unfolding in Canada is exposing some of the most difficult ethical questions surrounding surrogacy, prenatal diagnosis, and the limits of contractual parenthood. At the center of the dispute is not a disagreement over money alone, but a far more fundamental conflict: who has the final authority when intended parents and a surrogate mother reach opposite conclusions about the life of an unborn child. The case, now before Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice, began after a same-sex couple filed a civil lawsuit seeking approximately 600,000 Canadian dollars in damages from the woman who carried their child. The surrogate refused.
They accuse the surrogate of negligence, breach of contract, invasion of privacy, and failing to keep them adequately informed about decisions affecting the pregnancy, claiming the dispute caused them significant emotional distress.
Catholic 365
Basilica burned: St Paul’s second martyrdom
By The Catholic Nurse, July 15, 2025
Of Rome’s 4 major basilicas, St. Paul Outside the Walls is a pilgrim’s favorite. It feels different—somber, monastic, apostolic, and like stepping into Scripture. It sits directly over the tomb of St. Paul and radiates spiritual gravity—heavy with his presence. Unlike St. Peter’s, which sparkles and dazzles, St. Paul’s penetrates with coercive contemplation. So how did this priceless basilica burn in 1823 without anyone’s notice? And why did action take so long? In a chain of 5 events, every link failed. In 1823, Rome’s firefighting system was a bucket brigade, a chain of men passing water from wells and cisterns. It depended on speed, proximity, and communication. That night, all three failed. Plus, there were delays. Delays were attributed to distance, communication breakdowns, and the outdated structure of Rome’s fire-response system. By the time the brigade arrived, the roof was a furnace.
Image of Almonds by Monfocus from Pixabay
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