Catholic Nutshell News: Wednesday 9/3/25
Topics include: Late-term DC abortion facility; 7 Catholic churches attacked in Spain; Pope to receive Israeli President; & Plans for a ‘new Middle East’
“Here was an almond tree in bloom before me”
Today's sources are the CRUX, Catholic Culture, National Catholic Register, CatholicVote, The Pillar, OSV, and CNA. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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CatholicVote
Late-term DC abortion facility halts booking procedures
By Elise Winland, September 2, 2025
A late-term abortion facility in Washington, D.C., has paused scheduling abortions after pro-life activists filed a complaint against notorious abortionist Cesare Santangelo. The pro-life group called The Survivors said in a Sept. 2 press release that the Washington Surgi-Clinic has halted appointments after its members campaigned to shut down the facility. During the campaign, activists with The Survivors “had encounters” with Santangelo “that demonstrated his physical inability to practice medicine.” Activists on the ground also reported they haven’t seen Santangelo in more than three weeks, echoing a patient’s public statement from last month. The group said it will hold a prayer vigil Sept. 9 outside the office of the chief medical examiner, where the remains of five late-term babies aborted by Santangelo — known as the “D.C. five” — are awaiting autopsies.
Catholic News Agency
7 Catholic churches attacked in Spain last month
By Nicolás de Cárdenas, September 3, 2025
The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience (OLRC) in Spain decried that it was "a black August" with seven cases of vandalism and desecration against Catholic churches reported in recent weeks. On Aug. 11, black paint was spilled on a set of steps at St. Catherine parish in the town of Rute in Cordoba province, just days before the patron saint's feast day. The following day, the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Martin parish in Valencia was desecrated when a person who identifies as "trans" burst in the chapel shouting in front of the altar and then "broke the monstrance, while insulting the faithful," according to the OLRC. Five more churches have been similarly attacked. "August has been a dark month for religious freedom in our country. The succession of attacks on churches and places of worship demonstrates that violence and hatred against Christians are far from isolated cases," said OLRC president, María García.
Aleteia
Pope to receive Israeli President Isaac Herzog on September 4
By I.Media, September 3, 2024
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will be received at the Vatican on Thursday, September 4, by Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. President Herzog, who will make a day trip to Rome, will be received by Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican at around 10 a.m. He will then meet with Cardinal Parolin and visit the Vatican archives and library. Among the topics on the agenda for the visit, the Israeli presidency mentions “the release of hostages, the fight against anti-Semitism worldwide, [and] the protection of Christian communities in the Middle East,” as well as discussions “on other political issues.” At the end of Pope Francis' pontificate, relations between Israel and the Holy See had become tense due to the Argentine pontiff's statements regarding the war in Gaza.
Related: Leo makes unusual move of inviting Israeli president to visit, CRUX, By Elise Ann Allen, Sep 3, 2025
CRUX
Filipino priest suspended for blessing Masonic marker
By Joseph San Mateo, September 3, 2025
Father Libby Daños, a member of the Order of Discalced Augustinians (OAD) and one of the order’s pioneers in Asia over the past 30 years, was suspended from public ministry after blessing a Masonic marker in the central Philippine city of Ormoc. “While Father Daños has indicated that he was initially unaware of the full nature of the ceremony, we acknowledge that this action, regardless of intent, contradicts the clear and consistent teaching of the Catholic Church regarding Freemasonry and has caused scandal among the faithful,” said the OAD prior provincial, Father Luigi Kerschbamer. In suspending Daños, the order cited a centuries-old teaching that Freemasonry “is fundamentally incompatible with Catholic doctrine.” It said the Vatican reiterated this teaching as recently as November 2023.
The Pillar
Frassati’s ‘Wise Guys’ dynamic community in Italian Catholicism
By Edgar Beltrán, September 2, 2025
San Benedetto del Tronto is best known in Italy for its beaches and glorious seafood. However, this small Adriatic town is also home to one of the most dynamic communal experiences in Italian Catholicism, inspired by one of the best-known soon-to-be saints in the Church, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. The Compagnia dei Tipi Loschi was born in 1993 with a charism of evangelizing youth. It models itself after elements of Frassati’s personal group of friends, which went by the same name. Since its founding, the contemporary group has grown to include local schools with 120 students and a daycare with 30 students. The Tipi Loschi also runs a group of cooperatives — groups that help incorporate people in the workforce through employment placement, apprenticeships, and trade school. “I Tipi Loschi means something like ‘the wise guys,’ or ‘the usual suspects,’ a group of people, let’s say, that wouldn’t be advisable to frequent,” said Marco Sermarini, the group’s founder.
Vatican News
On plans for a ‘new Middle East’ without the Palestinian people
By Andrea Tornielli, September 2, 2025
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict has long been a source of debate and polarization. The war now raging in Gaza, and the controversies surrounding it, have made this phenomenon even more extreme, if that were possible. Intense—at times extreme—polarizations run through much of civil society in many countries around the world. As always, there is no shortage of manipulation, simplification, and approximation which, in such a complex context, risk misleading and doing harm. Beyond the response to the massacre of October 7, there are other objectives as well. The expansion of settlements, the continual and unpunished assaults by settlers, the public statements of some Israeli government ministers who hope for the end of the Palestinian Authority, the annexation of all the territories, and the deportation of Palestinians all lead one to think that the objective goes far beyond the elimination of Hamas or the guarantee of security for the State of Israel.
Agenzia Fides
Priest in Sierra Leone church in Kenema murdered in his home
By Agenzia Fides, September 2, 2025
The parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Church in Kenema (Sierra Leone) has been murdered. Father Augustine Dauda Amadu was robbed in his home in the Burma 3 neighborhood on the outskirts of Kenema on the night of August 30. According to police, a parishioner called the local police station at 7:45 a.m. The man reported that Father Amadu had been attacked by unknown armed men in his rectory during the night. Officers who immediately arrived found the priest's body. Investigators reported that the attackers forced their way into the house through a window. According to police, the priest was killed between 2 and 3 a.m. on the night of August 29-30. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the burglars stole anything from the house. The situation remains unclear, and no suspect has yet been arrested.
National Catholic Register
Catholic tradition is back: Couples walk down the aisle together
By Jonathan Liedl, September 3, 2025
At the start of an Aug. 23 Catholic wedding in St. Paul, Minnesota, eyes turned to the back of the church when Liz Holman, the bride, would process down the aisle with her father. Instead, the bride was locked arm in arm with her groom, Greg Westerhaus. As the choir sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, the couple walked to the altar. The move might strike some as a modernity-motivated break from religious tradition. But contrary to popular belief, the father-of-the-bride escorting and then “giving away” his daughter at the altar is not called for by the Catholic Church — it’s merely an American cultural convention. “We wanted to enter marriage together,” explained Liz, who had seen the practice at a friend’s wedding and was drawn to its deep symbolism. “We marry each other, and so live as signs of God’s covenant,” explained Terence Sweeney, a Villanova University theologian who processed up the aisle with his wife Jess at their 2019 wedding.
From Loop & Agency to Comedy for 9/3/25
CatholicVote: Daily 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.” CatholicVote’s advertised mission is “To inspire every Catholic in America to live out the truths of our faith in public life.”
ANNUNCIATION PASTOR PREACHES AFTER SHOOTING - In the first Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church since the deadly shooting, Father Dennis Zehren, pastor, preached on the hope brought by Jesus amid the darkness – but not before making a deeply human acknowledgement to his flock: “We are in a lower place than we could have ever imagined.”
BISHOP CONFRONTS OFFICIALS WHO DISMISS PRAYER AFTER TRAGEDY - Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, recently took to task "public officials and media personalities" who "dismiss the power of prayer" after the anti-Catholic shooting in Minneapolis. “We must never tire of praying fervently for the precious gift of peace that our world, nation, and communities need in abundance,” Bishop Burbidge wrote.
BRING BACK SHOP CLASS - The future is not all AI and coding, says Mike Rowe. In reality, people are overwhelmingly looking to the trades for future work stability. And that's why there's a strong case to be made for bringing shop class back to schools.
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — September 3, 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.
Update: Legionaries of Christ comment on HBO series exposing sordid life of founder - September 2, 2025 - By Diego López Marina, Walter Sánchez Silva - An HBO series on Marcial Maciel has once again brought the spotlight to the founder of the Legionaries of Christ.
New Jersey bishop mourns for priest who committed suicide - Sep 2, 2025 - By Walter Sánchez Silva - The bishop of Paterson, New Jersey, Kevin Sweeney, mourned the suicide of Father Rafael Ciro, a Colombian-born priest who served as pastor of St. Stephen's Church.
Iraqi prime minister reopens two historic Catholic churches in Mosul - Sep 2, 2025 - By Georgena Habbaba - In the city of Mosul, Iraq, an official celebration was held on Monday, Sept. 1 to mark the reopening of the churches of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception known as Al-Tahera Church (for Syriac Catholics) and Our Lady of the Hour ((within the Dominican Monastery), after their full restoration.
The Catholic Man Show
Cheers to Jesus
The Catholic Man Show is the perfect blend of fun and philosophical, and you're sure to learn something new every time. Podcasts are available on the website.
Just Do It: Fulton Sheen and the Mystery of Love - 22 August 2025 - Adam and David wrestle with advice, masculinity, and the struggle for holiness. Drawing from the wisdom of Venerable Fulton Sheen, they explore the three causes of love, the mystery of prayer, and why real men must go beyond “average” to pursue heroic virtue.
Restraining the Instinct: Purifying Memory and Guarding the Heart - 20 August 2025 - Adam and Dave start with a lighthearted story about a suspicious liquor store and end up diving into one of the most serious struggles facing men today: restraining our instincts.
The Power of Virtue, Memory, and a Free BBQ Sandwich - 8 August 2025 - Adam shares a powerful story about his son, a food truck, and an unexpected act of virtue that left a lasting impact — not only on his son, but on him as a father. It’s not a flex… but it kind of is. What does it mean to live virtuously in public?
Nutshell reflections for 9/3/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection Audio - September 3, 2025
Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Catholic Culture
Pray to avoid stupidities
By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, September 1, 2025
Jesus says, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Lk. 14:11) Humility is a virtue that avoids arrogant self-estimation. Integral prayer helps us to know our limitations. The Gospel reveals Jesus’ ceaseless prayers to the Father. Jesus is meek and humble of heart (cf. Mt 11:29). Though Divine, He knew His limitations (sic!) in obedience to the Father. St. Paul explains (Philippians 2:6-11): [Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. He loves us. We’re smart, but not as smart as we think we are. When we recognize our limitations before God and others, we paradoxically discover our freedom. Prayer helps us avoid stupidities, such as ruining our lives and families with neglectful parents, absentee fathers, and rebellious children, or ruining our culture with Godlessness.
Busted Halo
Feel overwhelmed by your list of prayer Intentions?
By Team Busted Halo, September 2, 2025
“The best thing about prayer, and particularly intercessions, is that God knows the hearts of all these [people],” said Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP, Executive Director of Busted Halo. “In fact, we just had the reading from Saint Paul, Romans Chapter 8, where he says we don’t know how to pray; the Spirit intercedes for us. So God knows all of these intentions, you’re not failing these people if you don’t mention them all.” He added, “When I get to the end of the Rosary, I’m done. Maybe I haven’t mentioned every single person that I did last time, maybe there was somebody that I didn’t pray for, but I’m going to put that on the Holy Spirit and not me; I’m going to release myself from the guilt. That may sound like a cop out, but it’s not. You’re not skipping your prayers that day; you just have so many prayers that it becomes untenable in some ways. God is not limited by our time or the number of rosary beads that are in my hand. God embraces all of these intentions.”
Vatican News
God has plans for us in the kingdom
By Bishop Robert Barron, September 3, 2025
Friends, in our Gospel today, we see Jesus in action. He is always hurrying from one place to another, always on the go. Today, Luke gives us a sort of “day in the life” of Jesus. And it is quite a day! In the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, in an attempt to make Jesus more palatable to rationalists and “realists,” theologians put great stress on Jesus’s preaching, especially his ethical teaching. But this is not the Jesus that Luke presents. Rather, he is a healer—Soter, rendered in Latin as salvator, which just means “the bearer of the salus” or health. Jesus is portrayed as a healer, a savior. In him, divinity and humanity have come together; in him, the divine life and divine power are breaking through. God’s deepest intentions for his beloved creatures appear—what God plans for us in the kingdom to come is now historically anticipated.
Missio Dei
All are called to attain the heights of the spiritual life
By Andrew McGovern, Th.D., September 3, 2025
In the Catholic Spiritual tradition, the great spiritual writers all agree that the way of contemplation is the normative way of sanctity, and all are called to it. This means that all men are called to attain the heights of the spiritual life, ascending through the purgative way, through the dark night of the senses, and into the illuminative way to infused contemplation. This infused contemplation prepares one for the dark night of the soul and finally, the unitive way. This infused contemplation is a gift from God in which we enter into the interior wine cellar of our souls, and our outward sense experience withdraws from the outside world. Contemplation places the object of love before our mind and places our attention on divine things.
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