Catholic Nutshell News: Wednesday 4/30/25
Topics include: U.S. and Canada cardinals in the Conclave, U.S. and Canada cardinals, Record number of baptisms, & Conclave intrigue & secret plots
“Here was an almond tree in bloom before me”
Today's sources are the National Catholic Register, CNA, Aleteia, CatholicVote, The Pillar, OSV, The Imaginative Conservative, and CNA. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
Click here to view this email on the Catholic Nutshell News website. Today’s Catholic Nutshell News audio podcast is available on the Substack App.
Catholic News Agency
U.S. and Canada cardinals participating in the conclave
By Francesca Pollio Fenton, April 30, 2025
Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 135 cardinal electors. Fourteen cardinals represent the U.S. and Canada — 10 from the U.S, and four from Canada.
U.S. cardinals include: Robert Prevost, OSA, prefect for the Dicastery for Bishops; Daniel DiNardo, former archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston; Raymond Leo Burke, former prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York; James Michael Harvey, archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome; Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago; Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey; Wilton Gregory, former archbishop of Washington, D.C.; Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington D.C.; and Kevin Farrell, camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.
Canada’s cardinals: Thomas Collins, former archbishop of Toronto; Gérald Lacroix, ISPX, archbishop of Quebec; Frank Leo, archbishop of Toronto; and Michael Czerny, SJ, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
CatholicVote
China refused to send a delegation to Pope Francis’ funeral
By McKenna Snow, April 29, 2025
China did not send any delegation to Pope Francis’ funeral, a fact that carries heavy potential consequences and implications in light of the late pope’s efforts to engage with the communist country, according to one Catholic anthropologist. The country’s decision to not send anyone to the April 26 funeral was akin to “a slap to Pope Francis,” wrote Michael Chambon in an April 28 op-ed for Union of Catholic Asia (UCA) News. “From the very beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis showed particular attention to China,” Chambon wrote. Pope Francis “never gave up on China — even when its leaders remained distant and unpredictable,” Chambon wrote. “And this commitment wasn’t only for the benefit of Chinese Catholics; for Francis, it was also about acknowledging China’s role and contributions to the world.”
Aleteia
England, France, & Los Angeles’ record number of baptisms
By Christine Rousselle, April 29, 2025
More than 10,000 adults were baptized in France this Easter, a 45% increase over the number of adults who entered the Church in 2023. In England, dioceses recorded decades-high numbers of people who were either baptized or received into the Catholic Church. In France, 10,384 adult baptisms on the Easter Vigil. Additionally, 7,400 baptisms of children aged 11 to 17. The United Kingdom saw a similar increase in adults, particularly young men. In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, more than 5,000 people were received into full communion with the Catholic Church during the Easter season. “We usually see a 10% increase from the year before,” said Fr. Juan Ochoa, an archdiocese director. “This year, it was about 45%. That’s significant.”
CRUX
Stories on Conclave intrigue & secret plots will continue
By Charles Collins, April 30, 2025
Raymond Arroyo said on X that the “delayed start [of the Conclave] suggests that the Cardinals are asserting their authority over the Vatican insiders who were hoping for an expedited Conclave.” Austen Ivereigh, famous for his work on Pope Francis, responded by saying, “What tosh. Every cardinal I’ve spoken to says they need more time to get to know each other. Ultimately, they’re only starting one day later than regulations allowed, and four days before they had to.” This was just on the day they announced when the Conclave was taking place! Journalists will scour the city of Rome to see who is speaking to whom, which person is paying for the wine, and what plots are supposedly taking place. Any real intrigue has been taking place for years. Take the media hype with a grain of salt.
The Pillar
Politics, secrecy, and excommunication in a conclave
By Ed. Condon, April 28, 2025
The conclave to elect a new pope is one of the most famous secret processes in the world. Promising favors and appointments for votes is a crime in canon law, and no one can ever discuss what happens in the election process; the rules and laws are as detailed as the actual balloting process.
Related:
Does the Holy Spirit guarantee a good pope? - by Msgr. Charles Pope - OSV - April 29, 2025
Why the Upcoming Conclave Will Be a Decisive Step for Europe - by Solène Tadié, Vatican - National Catholic Register - April 29, 2025
Cardinal Woelki expects longer papal conclave than swift election of Pope Francis - By Martin Bürger - CNA - April 30, 2025
Our Sunday Visitor
Short story collection explores purpose behind suffering
By Madelyn Reichert, April 28, 2024
Although the image of the wine press never appears in any of the stories, the feeling of being “pressed” — or perhaps oppressed — is the enduring theme of Joshua Hren’s “In the Wine Press: Short Stories.” The characters suffer, and few of Hren’s stories offer them much of a salve. Mass shootings, suicides, joblessness, overwork, euthanasia and three cases of clergy sexual abuse are among topics addressed. Thus, this reviewer gives the book a content advisory warning. Hren uses his lyricism like beautiful flourishes for a cold iron gate. The final story of the collection, “Proof of the Immortality of the Soul, with Reference to Beeswax Soap,” elevates this to an artform, using a Joycean stream of consciousness to illustrate the fluorescent hell of stopping at a corner store too late at night.
UCA News
Millions of Vietnamese revel in 50 years of unification
Millions of Vietnamese took to the streets of old Saigon on April 30 as Hanoi marked 50 years of communist “liberation” amid an unprecedented display of military parades, dazzling laser light shows and pop concerts, in a tour de force designed to reinforce notions of a united country. The turnout was helped by a five-day national holiday, encouraging families from across the country to travel to the southern capital, which fell to North Vietnamese forces on April 30, 1975, signaling the end of a brutal war that claimed more than 1.7 million lives. Catholic nuns joined Buddhist monks and others in a parade marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War in Ho Chi Minh City on April 30, in what is billed as the biggest celebration in Vietnam since the end of the war 50 years ago.
CatholicVote
1700 years since the first ecumenical council
By Dr Mario Baghos, April 30, 2025
The first Christian ecumenical or universal council, held at Nicaea in 325 AD, over a decade after the Roman emperor Constantine legalised Christianity, was a watershed in the history of the Catholic Church. Presided over by a bishop, St Hosius of Cordova, Hosius maintained the distinction between church and empire even as the two collaborated at the dawn of Christendom. 318 bishops—many of whom had been persecuted and maimed by the imperial authorities in previous decades—gathered near what would become the new imperial capital of Constantinople. It would have been an impressive sight. But perhaps even more significant was Nicaea’s common witness of the Church’s belief that Jesus, the Son of God, is truly divine—homoousios—of “one essence” with God the Father. This profound doctrinal statement is recited at every Mass in the Nicene Creed.
From Loop & Agency to Satire for 4/30/25
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.” Today’s Wednesday topics from the LOOP include:
BURCH CONFIRMATION WEDNESDAY - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on the confirmation of CatholicVote President Brian Burch as the next US ambassador to the Holy See today at 10 a.m. If approved, Burch’s nomination will advance to the full Senate.
STUDY: PRO-LIFE STATES SAW OB-GYN NUMBERS RISE - A new study found OB-GYN numbers rose in states with pro-life laws after Roe v. Wade was repealed, countering claims that abortion restrictions would drive doctors away and worsen healthcare access for pregnant women.
HINDU MAN WHO BURNED CHRISTIAN FAMILY ALIVE RECEIVES HERO’S WELCOME IN INDIA - A man who burned a missionary father and his 6- and 10-year-old sons alive in 1999 was released April 16 and received a “hero’s welcome,” according to Morning Star News. Mahendra Hembram was greeted with garland and the chant “Jai Shri Ram [Hail lord Rama]”
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — April 30, 2025
Catholic News Agency provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See to anyone with access to the internet.
Cardinals chime in about conclave, expectations of next pope - Apr 30, 2025 - By CNA Staff - Follow here for live updates of the latest news Read more.
Catholic group in Utah raises $1.5 million for refugee program after government cuts - Apr 29, 2025 - By Tessa Gervasini - The organization said it will no longer be forced to close the refugee program or end its support for Utah-based immigrant families.
Canada elects Liberal Party prime minister; life issues fall by wayside - Apr 29, 2025 - By Madalaine Elhabbal - While Carney is a practicing Catholic, he dissents from the Church’s teaching on abortion. On the campaign trail he stated that his faith would not lead him to interfere in “a woman’s right to choose,” which he has said he supports “absolutely, unreservedly.”
Babylon Bee - Satire News
Newly Discovered Third Epistle To Timothy Features Paul Warning Him Against Starting A Podcast
By Scripture Staff, April 29, 2025
An ancient document discovered in the region of Ephesus may be a long-lost third letter to Timothy, where Paul warns the young preacher not to start a podcast, say researchers. "This new letter sheds light on the prevalence of first-century podcasts and Paul's absolute hatred of them," reported Dr. Hillary Saxford, an Oxford University papyrologist on staff at the Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents. "It appears Paul thought the podcast market was oversaturated, and the very thought of Timothy starting his own was, in the apostle's own words, 'cringe'." Though only fragments of the letter survive, Paul's disapproval of podcasts is quite clear: "As I urged you in Macedonia, please do not start a podcast. Verily, it is cringe.”
Nutshell reflections for 4/30/25:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO & VIDEO - April 30, 2025
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
The Imaginative Conservative
Why should love be commanded?
By Slavoj Žižek, April 28, 2025
At its highest, love is not a spontaneous feeling. There is nothing spontaneous about an egalitarian community of comrades—it requires hard work and full commitment. There is nothing spontaneous even about sexual love, which is only ever satisfied by the proof that it is, at bottom, a free and deliberate choice: even among non-religious people, sex either tends toward something like a marriage vow or becomes spiteful, cruel, not-love. This is why love can and should be paradoxically commanded: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12). True love is a practice, a fundamental mode of dealing with another person.
Roman Catholic Truth
Vain joy and wrong sadness obstacles to peace
By Reverend M. Hamon, S.S., 1894
From Meditations for All the Days of the Year, Vol. 2
But outside this holy joy, which has its principle in God, there is another kind of joy, which has its root in the creature; and it is that which we say is incompatible with interior peace. It is a perfidious joy, which we do not distrust because of its only producing pleasure, and a pleasure which is often not criminal; because, really, the first of the wounds which it inflicts on the soul is inattention to ourselves, which prevents us from feeling the other wounds as well as the first which it inflicts. This inconsiderate joy deranges the whole economy of the interior, dissipates it within, attracts it without, makes it speak and act without reflection; it is that of which the Holy Spirit says, “The heart of fools is where there is mirth.” (Ecclesiastes 7:5)
Religion News Service
The fundamentalist strain in American Catholicism
By Mark Silk, April 29, 2025
Rev. Mark S. Massa is a Jesuit priest who teaches American religious history and runs the Boisi Center for Religion & American Public Life at Boston College. In his analysis, “Catholic Fundamentalism in America,” Catholic fundamentalism mirrors the Protestant fundamentalism of a century ago in its primitivism and sectarianism. Because Protestantism has, from the beginning, been all about establishing your own religious institutions, Protestant fundamentalists simply created churches and denominations to replace those they couldn’t take over. For Catholic fundamentalists, to break faith with the church hierarchy is to break faith with, well, the faith. A few separate from the church, voluntarily or by ecclesiastical edict, but most stay in. And because one or more of their passions has resonated in the wider, conservative Catholic world, they’ve always had their fellow travelers, their secret and not-so-secret supporters, their intellectual co-conspirators.
Missio Dei
Jesus comes down to Peter’s level, ‘Do you love me?’
By Andrew McGovern, April 30, 2025
In the Greek, the first two times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, Jesus uses the term αγαπας, which can be transliterated as agape. This word is used as a strong indication of great love, and in a Christian sense, it is a self-sacrificing love. It is the love that Christ has for man. In response, Peter replies with the Greek term φιλω. This is known as the term Philia, which is affection or friendly love. The Latin words used also shed some light on Peter’s response. In Latin, Christ uses the verb diligis, whereas Peter responds with amo. Amor is merely a movement of the appetitive power. In Latin and Greek, Our Lord calls Peter to a higher love, and he responds with the lower. The third time, Our Lord comes down to Peter’s level and asks Peter if He loves (philia) Him. Peter was distressed, realizing he had caused Christ to lessen His words. We see the imperfection of Peter and his reliance on the Lord.
Image of Almonds by Monfocus from Pixabay
Catholic Nutshell News is a subscription service hosted by SubStack. Get up to a dozen recent articles from Monday to Saturday to review regarding newsworthy issues. An easy way to browse top Catholic news and information services on the net. Edited by John Pearring.
Listen to an audio podcast of today’s Catholic Nutshell News on the Substack App!
At the top of your phone, while in the Substack app to read our post, you can press the ▶️ play button and have Catholic Nutshell News read to you daily …
