Catholic Nutshell News: Wednesday 5/27/26
What Catholics should know: Argentina faces ‘social breakdown’; Leo’s new encyclical ‘profound’; Fret over Peter’s Pence papal collection; & ‘just in case’ abortion pills
“Here was an almond tree in bloom before me”
Your 5-minute Catholic briefing for busy faithful. Today's sources are the CRUX, National Catholic Register, Vatican News, The Pillar, Aleteia, 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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The Pillar recommends:
Archbishop warns Argentina faces ‘social breakdown’
By Benos Aires Times, May 19, 2026
Jorge García Cuerva, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, warned President Javier Milei’s government on Monday that Argentina is on the verge of “social breakdown” as he delivered the annual ‘Te Deum’ service at the Metropolitan Cathedral. The Catholic leader urged Argentina’s political class to embrace dialogue and consensus to overcome what he described as national “paralysis.” The annual religious service commemorates the events of 1810 that paved the way for Argentina’s independence from the Spanish Crown. “What we lack is a leadership class willing to draw strength from those people and commit to dialogue and unity, doing so for those who can no longer cope, for those suffering from a lack of work, education, and opportunities,” said Archbishop Cuerva. The Catholic Church’s message comes amid mounting social tensions following two years of severe economic adjustment, declining purchasing power, increasingly precarious employment, and a slowdown in economic activity, despite falling inflation.
OSV News
Vance: Leo’s new encyclical ‘profound,’ welcomes just war ‘rethink’
By Kate Scanlon, May 26, 2026
Vice President JD Vance said in a new interview with NBC News that while he has not yet fully read Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” what he has read of it “sounds very profound.” “Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence” addressed human dignity concerns posed by artificial intelligence and a “culture of power,” with Pope Leo calling for a renewed commitment to build a “civilization of love.” In the document, Pope Leo also addressed the just war theory, largely formulated by St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, which has been accepted by the Church for centuries to determine whether warfare can be morally justified under strict conditions. He argued the theory has become increasingly insufficient in modern conditions, in part due to the rise of AI, and “is now outdated.”
National Catholic Register
SC won’t intervene in lawsuit over Peter’s Pence papal collection
By Daniel Payne/EWTN News, May 26, 2026
The U.S. bishops will continue to face a lawsuit over millions of dollars in contested papal donations after the U.S. Supreme Court on May 26 refused to weigh in on the case. The decision represents a blow for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which was seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed on religious liberty grounds. The high court did not explain its reason for rejecting the petition from the U.S. bishops, issuing the decision as part of a larger order list. Rhode Island resident David OʼConnell filed the class action suit against the bishops in January 2020, alleging that the prelates had misled Catholics about the nature of the annual Peterʼs Pence papal collection. OʼConnell claimed he had been led to believe that the offering — which dates back centuries and which is used to help fund the popeʼs charitable initiatives — was strictly for emergency assistance to victims of war and poverty; OʼConnell said he subsequently found out it was used in part to “defray Vatican administrative expenses.”
CatholicVote/Zeale
Planned Parenthood to offer ‘just in case’ abortion pills
By Elise Winland, May 26, 2026
Planned Parenthood has launched a new program in Washington state and Hawaii that allows women to obtain chemical abortion drugs before becoming pregnant, marking what appears to be the first initiative of its kind within the organization. The program, called “Just In Case Abortion Pills,” provides adult patients prescriptions for the two-drug regimen through telehealth appointments or in-person visits at any of the affiliate’s 16 health centers in those states. The pills can be stored for future use, so patients can “have them on hand if and when they need them,” according to a May 21 press release from Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. NPR reported that it is the first time a Planned Parenthood organization has prescribed abortion drugs to patients who are not pregnant. The affiliate said in its release that it is “proud to offer safe, simple, effective medication abortion for future use.”
EWTN News
Pope urges priests to respect ‘norms of the liturgy’
By Victoria Cardiel, May 27, 2026
At the general audience on May 27, Pope Leo XIV urged priests to respect the “norms of the liturgy” and not to make changes to the Mass “on their own initiative,” in order to avoid confusing the faithful. “I encourage all priests to respect the texts and norms of the liturgy with openness, humility, trust in God’s greatness and with sincere fidelity to ecclesial communion,” the pope said in remarks in St. Peterʼs Square. The Second Vatican Council “affirmed that legitimate progress in the liturgy must also preserve sound tradition, and that certain elements of the liturgy can never change because they are divinely instituted,” he said. Leo XIV said that the progress referred to by Sacrosanctum Concilium “in no way compromises ecclesial communion: rather, it seeks to confirm and foster it.” He emphasized that “changes of this type have taken place constantly over the centuries in order to enable the faithful to participate fruitfully, through ritual actions, in the Paschal Mystery of Christ, the foundation of the Christian faith.”
Vatican News
Leo XIV decries recent intensification of attacks in Ukraine
By Deborah Castellano Lubov, May 27, 2026
“I follow with concern the war in Ukraine, which has sharply intensified in recent days. I wish to express my closeness to all those suffering because of the recent attacks, including those against civilians.” Pope Leo XIV gave this reassurance at the conclusion of his Wednesday General Audience on May 27, following a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine. “War,” the Pope appealed, “does not solve problems; it worsens them. It does not build security but multiplies suffering and hatred.” “Wherever missiles and drones fall, hopes also collapse; homes and places of worship are destroyed, and innocent lives are shattered,” he said, entrusting all peoples wounded by war to the protection of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace. "With her help," the Holy Father urged Poles to protect in their homeland "the life of every person from conception to natural death. I bless you all!"
Aleteia
For Eastern Catholics, Pentecost lasts a full week
By Philip Kosloski, May 26, 2026
For many centuries, the entire Church, both East and West, extended the feast of Pentecost past the Sunday that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. This meant that Pentecost didn’t end on Sunday but continued for at least seven or eight days. It was called the “Octave of Pentecost“ in the Roman Rite (still maintained by those who attend the Latin Mass), and the “Afterfeast of Pentecost“ by Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. Many Eastern Churches continue this tradition, reflected in their liturgical calendar, but also in their devotional practice. In the Byzantine tradition, all major feasts of the liturgical year have what are called “afterfeasts,” which are natural extensions of a particular feast. They are similar to the Roman tradition of an “octave,” with the Octave of Easter as the prime example. Both octaves and afterfeasts continue the celebration, meditating on the spiritual themes of a feast for a full week.
Zenit News
Freemasonry behind campaign against Leo XIV’s visit to Spain
By ZENIT Staff, May 26, 2026
Long before Pope Leo XIV arrives in Spain, his anticipated visit is already reshaping public conversations. What might once have been treated primarily as a pastoral journey is increasingly becoming a mirror reflecting some of the deepest tensions in contemporary Spanish society: secularism and religious identity, faith and politics. Two developments unfolding in Barcelona and Madrid illustrate how the same papal visit can be interpreted through very different lenses. In Barcelona, a coalition of secularist organizations has launched a campaign under the slogan “I Do Not Wait for You,” calling for a boycott of the Pope’s visit. Madrid’s city council has found itself in disagreement over how to formally welcome Leo XIV. The relationship between the Catholic Church and Freemasonry has a long, contentious history in Spain. Since the eighteenth century, several Popes expressed concerns that Masonic principles promoted positions incompatible with Catholic doctrine, particularly regarding religious relativism and the role of religion in public life.
Keep informed - 5/27/26 news for Catholics
Snippets from Loop, Aleteia, & Pillar
CatholicVote: Zeale’s LOOP
Read daily news and political impact stories at the “LOOP”
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ANTI-CATHOLIC DISCRIMINATION IN WASHINGTON NATIONALS? - A senior Washington Nationals executive was caught on hidden camera saying the baseball team sidelines pitcher Trevor Williams from team social media content because of his Catholic faith and past public criticism of anti-Catholic mockery. Williams famously took a stand against the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence," an anti-Catholic hate group, being honored at Dodger Stadium. READ
DEM ATTORNEYS GENERAL SKIP VANCE ANTI-FRAUD MEETING - Vice President JD Vance convened a May 26 roundtable on combating fraud in federal programs with Republican state attorneys general, while a coalition of 23 Democratic attorneys general declined to attend. READ
SSPX NAMES 4 FUTURE BISHOPS DESPITE SCHISM WARNING - The Priestly Society of Saint Pius X yesterday announced the names of four priests set to be ordained bishops on July 1 without papal approval, weeks after the Vatican warned their ordinations would constitute a schismatic act. READ
Aleteia News
Aleteia’s headlines — May 27, 2026
Aleteia (aleteia.org) is an online publication distributed in six languages (English, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Slovenian). Aleteia reaches more than 10 million readers per month.
Young pilgrims taking Eucharist along the route of 13 original colonies - Theresa Civantos Barber - 05/23/26 - Memorial Day to Independence Day, nine young adults will carry the Eucharist up the Eastern seaboard on a 2,000-mile pilgrimage to Philadelphia — arriving just in time for America's 250th birthday on July 4.
U.S. Bishops stand with Mali after terror attacks - Daniel Esparza - 05/22/26 - As Mali reels from one of the deadliest waves of violence in its recent history, the Catholic Church in the United States has reached across continents to offer comfort and solidarity to its sister Church in West Africa.
Spurs-loving nuns are charming the internet - Cerith Gardiner - 05/26/26 - The sight of a group of nuns wearing basketball jerseys over their religious habits while enthusiastically cheering courtside was not something many people expected to see this week.
The Pillar
Pillar Stories from the May calendar, 5/27/26
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:
Luke Coppen brings you an excellent reader’s guide, which unpacks the entire encyclical chapter by chapter. If you’re not going to read the whole thing, but you want to know what it drives at, Luke’s reader’s guide is exactly what you’re looking for.
We asked a panel of AI experts and theologians to read the text and to engage in a liveblogging conversation with each other. They delivered, and then some. This is a substantive and engaged conversation between experts and with the text itself. If you’re looking for expert assessment, reading through this will give you ideas to chew on for quite a while.
It is worth noting that the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X has announced this week the names of four priests it intends to consecrate to the episcopacy, and by that, incur the penalty of schism. The consecration of the new bishops provides a sort of finality to the saga of the SSPX, which has occupied a gray area in ecclesiastical life for several decades.
May 27, 2026 - USCCB Daily Mass Readings
You can listen HERE - - or read HERE:
Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Catholic commentary:
Crisis Magazine
Toward the Third Way
By Andrew J. Peach, May 27, 2026
Americans have lost faith in either party to bring about a just economy. The Left has descended into communism, putting the means of production and the power to distribute property in the hands of the State. The Right disingenuously touts a free market while tilting the playing field toward the rich and wealthy corporations. Whatever crumbs either provides to the masses come at the cost of freedom. Both create slaves—the Left to government and the Right to the wealthy few (and government). And both the Left and the Right increase the gulf between rich and poor. There is a third way. As argued in my previous column, Hilaire Belloc’s “Propriety State” steers a path between these two failures. In An Essay on the Restoration of Property and The Servile State, Belloc champions a society in which property and the means of production are widely distributed among families. In short, it is the only Christian way of organizing society.
National Catholic Register
My Manhattan parish went viral this Easter
By Kayla Bartsch, April 13, 2026
If you’ve been reading the headlines lately, you know that urban Gen Zers are flocking to the Catholic Church in droves — mostly to a few, particular parishes. My church and the media coverage of it have attracted members of the Twitterverse and other influencers. A user by the name of “Mid Thirties Manhattan Guy” posted a photo of the line outside the door of my church on Easter, a post which has since garnered 1 million views: “Tried to go to Easter mass but they ran out of seats and standing room - Next best thing: soho house brunch with a jazz quartet - The libs have lost. Being WASPy is cool again.” All of this, shall we say, “internet discourse” has depicted my church as a hip venue full of young, hot, right-wing attendees, eager to don their Sunday best, mingle with their pew mates, and “get swol” for God. The posts fail to explain why so many Catholics are actually flocking to St. Joseph’s in Greenwich Village and to Manhattan parishes like it. They’re going to Mass to partake in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
The Obscure, Forgotten, and Undiscovered
Is baseball holy?
By James K. Hanna, May 21, 2026
“Is baseball holy?” That’s a question the character named Peter the Saint asks of a clergyman in Pull My Daisy, the 1959 film featuring Beat poets Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and Peter Orlovsky. It was adapted by Jack Kerouac from the third act of his play, Beat Generation. It’s also the title of a pamphlet-sized book written by Beat scholar Gregory Stephenson, published in 2021, and subtitled Jack Kerouac and the National Pastime. And it’s a question many have answered, as Stephenson quotes. “The magical qualities of primitive religion exist in baseball … a sport that partakes of the divine and transcendent.” — George Grella. Stephenson proposes that a baseball game may be seen as “a Christian allegory, a kind of improvised Miracle Play with eighteen actors.” In making his case, in addition to the above, he quotes Daniel McNeil’s Baseball Metaphysics, Marvin Cohen’s Baseball as Metaphysics, and David Bentley Hart’s A Perfect Game: The Metaphysical Meaning of Baseball.
Catholic Digest
Honoring our bodies
By Catholic Digest, May 26, 2025
There is something unsettling about a magazine that pats itself on the back for “having the courage” to put a size-12 model on its cover. There is something wrong when highlighting the beauty of a healthy woman with real curves is seen as a bold move. There is something rotten about a culture that demands all “flaws” be Photoshopped out of existence. Any woman who spends significant amounts of time in the checkout line of her neighborhood grocery store is well acquainted with the lies today’s magazines perpetuate. In theory, I can see through modern-day society’s rigid ideals of beauty, but the truth is that few of us are wholly immune to those destructive messages. Many stare at these magazines and think, “Am I somehow less of a woman than these cover models?” Absolutely not.
Image of Almonds by Monfocus from Pixabay
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