Catholic Nutshell News: Wednesday 2/18/26
Topics include: Vatican won't participate in Gaza’s Board of Peace’; Converts from Islam to the Catholic faith; Shroud study debate returns; & The oldest images of the crucifixion
“Here was an almond tree in bloom before me”
Today's sources are the CRUX, National Catholic Register, Vatican News, The Pillar, Aleteia, and EWTN 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
The Vatican ‘will not participate in Trump’s Board of Peace’
By Walter Sánchez Silva, February 17, 2026
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, announced on Feb. 17 that the Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace,” an initiative promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump to address conflicts worldwide, including the one in Gaza. When asked about Italy’s participation as an observer on the Board of Peace, Parolin stated: “There are some points that leave one somewhat perplexed. There are critical points that need to be explained.” “The important thing is that an attempt is being made to provide an answer. However, for us, there are some critical issues that need to be resolved,” the cardinal said, according to Vatican News, adding that “one concern is that, at the international level, it is primarily the U.N. [United Nations] that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have emphasized.” Trump’s Peace Board seeks to address global conflicts, specifically the Gaza Strip, as an independent body separate from the United Nations. More than 25 countries will participate, including Argentina, El Salvador, Paraguay, Belarus, Bulgaria, the United Arab Emirates, Hungary, Egypt, and Morocco.
National Catholic Register
Lifeline to converts from Islam to the Catholic faith
By Edward Pentin, February 17, 2026
A new support network for converts to the Catholic faith from Islam is flourishing as increasing numbers of Muslims turn to Christ, with many parishes struggling to offer the catechumens the help they need. The “St. Nicholas Tavelić Network for Morisco Catholics” — TavNet for short — is a lay-run Catholic missionary network that, since 2024, has served converts living in Muslim-majority communities or societies where ordinary parish structures cannot easily reach them. Named for St. Nicholas Tavelić — a 14th‑century Croatian Franciscan friar, priest and missionary who openly proclaimed the Christian faith before Muslim authorities, refused to renounce it, and was martyred with three companions in Jerusalem on Nov. 14, 1391 — its core purpose is to provide pastoral care, the sacraments and solid catechesis to often hidden or underground communities. The idea for such a network support grew out of “the sheer depth of that need” among ex-Muslims, said Hasan, one of TavNet’s founders.
CatholicVote/Zeale
Notre Dame pro-life award recipients express ‘profound sadness’
By McKenna Snow, February 17, 2026
Several recipients of the University of Notre Dame’s Evangelium Vitae Award, which celebrates those committed to pro-life values, penned a Feb. 16 letter to the school’s president lamenting the decision to appoint a pro-abortion professor to lead one of its institutes. The award recipients described the appointment as a betrayal. “Numerous justified reactions to the tragic appointment of Professor Susan Ostermann have already reached your desk: shock, scandal, disbelief and outrage among them. We would like to add one more: profound sadness,” the signatories wrote in the open letter addressing Father Robert Dowd. Published by Notre Dame independent newspaper The Observer, the signatories note that they write “as recipients of Notre Dame’s Evangelium Vitae award, given by the university in recognition of our and the University’s shared commitment to the defense of human life from conception to natural death.”
Jerusalem Post
Jewish ad during Super Bowl falls flat, says Jewish analyst
By Daniel ‘Doni’ Fogel, February 18, 2026
A decade after a near-nonstop rise in antisemitism across North America, the Blue Square Alliance ran an ad during the Super Bowl. Its intended message — asking non-Jews to stand up in the face of Jew hatred — fell flat. And it may have even done more harm than good. In 2015, when Islamophobic flyers were thrown at the Islamic Center of Richmond, Virginia, as the director of Jewish community relations, I mobilized the community and interfaith leaders to meet outside that mosque for a unity gathering called “We Stand Together.” The following year, as headstones were desecrated at Jewish cemeteries across America, the Islamic Center orchestrated a similar gathering, under the same name, at the local Jewish cemetery. Beyond being dated, since no one says “Dirty Jew” anymore – they call us Zios, colonizers, genocidal Nazis (a perversion if ever there was one) and ZioNazis – the ad shows the prototypical Jewish teen as weak. A meek teen is bullied for being a Jew.
The Pillar
Laity, orders, & the power of governance in the life of the Church
By Ed. Condon, February 16, 2026
Pope Leo XIV confirmed on Monday the members of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, including the two women appointed by Pope Francis to the body, the first lay people to serve at the highest level for one of the most senior Vatican departments. At the same time, Leo added a third woman, Sr. Simona Brambilla, who now joins Sr. Raffaella Petrini and María Lía Zervino as a member of the dicastery. Of the three, Brambilla and Petrini also hold senior executive positions within the curia. The dicastery’s former prefect, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, argued that the openness of senior governance positions to the laity is an “ecclesiological advance,” not a “temporary concession.” A papal mandate to govern, according to Ghirlanda, is the only qualification necessary to exercise any governance in the Church. “The power of governance in the Church doesn’t come from the sacrament of Holy Orders, but from the canonical mission.”
Aleteia
Shroud study debate returns to spotlight
By Daniel Esparza, February 18, 2026
The scientific debate surrounding the Shroud of Turin has entered a new chapter. In recent days, the journal Archaeometry published a detailed rebuttal to a hypothesis proposing that the cloth’s image was produced in the Middle Ages using a bas-relief. Last summer, Brazilian researcher Cicero Moraes argued that a three-dimensional digital reconstruction supported the idea of a medieval artistic technique. Now, three specialists —Tristan Casabianca, Emanuela Marinelli, and Alessandro Piana— have challenged that conclusion in the same journal that originally published Moraes’s article. What gives this exchange particular weight is that both the argument and the rebuttal appear in Archaeometry, a respected academic forum. In 1989, carbon-14 dating published in Nature suggested a medieval origin (1260–1390). Yet in 2019, a reanalysis of the raw data—also published in Archaeometry—called into question aspects of that testing.
Vatican News
Vatican hosts workshop on how to make healthcare for all
By Vatican News, February 17, 2026
The Pontifical Academy for Life’s Plenary Assembly this year has centered around a workshop organized by the Academy from February 16-17 on the theme “Healthcare for all: Sustainability and equity.” Pope Leo noted that, in a world consumed by conflicts, we must dedicate time and resources to promote life and health and address inequalities by strengthening our understanding of the common good. Leo explained how universal coverage means everyone is included, with special protection for children, who should receive free care as a social good. And private insurance can coexist with strong public systems, provided it does not drain essential staff or resources and instead strengthens the overall system, as seen, for example, in countries like Ethiopia. High-quality care, he said, depends on prioritizing children and addressing common health challenges such as chronic diseases, maternal and infant health issues, infectious diseases, and conditions like hypertension and diabetes.
Crux
Africa: ‘Nostalgia, measured optimism, and a forlorn feeling’
By Ngala Killian Chimtom, February 17, 2026
Thirty years after Pope Saint John Paul II’s landmark Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa, the document remains both a beacon of hope and a mirror reflecting the continent’s unfinished journey. That’s according to Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto in Nigeria, a leading prelate in the country who has served as the head of the Church in his diocese since 2011 and was appointed a member of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development in 2020. In a candid interview with Crux, Kukah offers a nuanced perspective on the document’s legacy, acknowledging the “incredible light of hope” it cast while frankly confronting the “miserably slow pace of developments” that continue to challenge Africa. “I feel some nostalgia, measured optimism, and at one level, a forlorn feeling about the miserably slow pace of developments across the continent.”
From Loop & EWTN to Pillar Post for 2/18/26
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Detransitioner Soren Aldaco predicts a cultural shift toward facing reality of gender ideology - Detransitioner Soren Aldaco’s lawsuit against her former therapist reached the Texas Supreme Court last week as she seeks justice after undergoing a surgical “transition” at 19 at the therapist’s recommendation. In an exclusive interview with Zeale News, she shared updates on her case and said she’s hopeful that the cultural tide is turning away from gender ideology.
Students from the desecrated Catholic school in California meet Pope Leo -
Just weeks after their school was vandalized by people seemingly intent on destroying sacred objects, the senior class at Holy Innocents Catholic School in Long Beach, California, met Pope Leo XIV Feb. 11. Benefactors raised $225,000 to help the school recover from the damage. One anonymous benefactor arranged for the senior class to attend the Pope’s Feb. 11 audience during the class trip to Rome.
Christian leaders welcome new party leadership in Bangladesh - Christian leaders in Bangladesh welcomed the victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the Feb. 12 parliamentary elections, expressing cautious hope that the new government will restore stability after months of unrest and attacks on minority communities in the Muslim-majority nation. They called on the incoming administration to safeguard minority rights, security, and equal treatment under the law.
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — February 18, 2026
EWTN News provides reliable, free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Universal Church, emphasizing the words of the Holy Father and the activities of the Holy See, and is available to anyone with internet access.
Arkansas Catholic school adopts AI gun-detection security system: ‘It’s time. We need it.’ - By Daniel Payne - A Catholic school in Arkansas has adopted next-gen AI technology to help spot potential shooters and alert law enforcement before a shooting takes place. The system uses artificial intelligence to detect shooters and alert school officials and law enforcement.
Nicaraguan dictatorship expels another priest: 309 religious forced to leave so far - By Walter Sánchez Silva - The Nicaraguan dictatorship has expelled Father José Concepción Reyes Mairena of the Diocese of León, bringing the total number of religious forced to leave the Central American country to 309. “With this expulsion, the number of priests and nuns who have been exiled, expelled, or denied entry has reached 309. More than 95% are Nicaraguan,” said researcher Martha Patricia Molina.
Historic Irish Confirmation Pledge updated to include vaping and smoking - By Patrick J. Passmore - To mark Temperance Sunday and the Lenten season, Armagh Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Michael Router welcomed the rewording of Ireland’s traditional Confirmation Pledge to explicitly include vaping and cigarette smoking. The renewal comes directly from feedback from school pupils to the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative.
The Pillar
Pillar Stories for Tuesday, 2/18/26
The Pillar offers a news summary and a capsule take on Catholic News. Here are news stories from the past week in the Pillar Post:
To listen better to the Word of God, consider Sunday School, our weekly Sunday readings podcast with Dr. Scott Powell. Every week, I learn far more about Sacred Scripture than I expect to. You can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
While the big 206 event for the U.S. Catholic Church will be the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the TV prelate is not the only person slated to be beatified this year. Salvador Valera Parra, Jan Świerc and companions, Jan Bula and Václav Drbol, Francis Xavier Truong Buu Diep, and Elia Comini, Ubaldo Marchioni, and Nicola Capelli are the other venerables figures who will be beatified in 2026.
A conflict between Church and state in Armenia is reaching a critical juncture, after prosecutors opened a criminal case against the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and barred him from leaving the country. This is a sharp conflict in a troubled region, especially for Christians — likely one in which the Holy See will be able to play a role, both because Armenians tend to reject outside intervention in domestic affairs, and because the Holy See is unpopular in the country
Nutshell reflections for 2/18/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection Audio - February 18, 2026
Ash Wednesday
CBCPNEWS
Cardinal urges Filipinos to confront complicity in corruption
By Norman Dequia, February 17, 2026
On Ash Wednesday, Cardinal Jose Advincula urged Catholics to confront personal and collective responsibility, saying that repentance must include acknowledging complicity in corruption and injustice. Speaking during his homily at the Arzobispado chapel in Intramuros, the Manila archbishop pointed to the beginning of Lent as a call to moral honesty beyond ritual observance. “We confess that we are sinners, not only as individuals, but also as a people,” Advincula told the faithful gathered for the liturgy. “We dare to face the corruption, injustice, and compromises that afflict our nation and become aware of our own participation in them, whether by action, silence, or indifference,” the cardinal said. Advincula warned that moral failure is not limited to overt wrongdoing but also includes passive participation in systems that perpetuate suffering and inequality.
Aleteia
Churches with the oldest images of crucifixion
By Kathleen N. Hattrup, February 18, 2026
When Pope Leo begins his first Lent as pontiff this afternoon, he will follow an ancient tradition that sees the Successor of Peter process between two churches on the Aventine Hill. Writing for the Diocese of South Bend, Indiana, Dominican Father Patrick Briscoe notes that the basilica’s grand antique carved cypress doors date to A.D. 432. And in the upper left corner, on a small panel measuring 16 inches wide and 12 inches high, hangs Our Lord between two thieves, which has the oldest known depiction of the crucifixion. The St. Catherine icon from the 6th Century, located in the Greek Orthodox Holy Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai in Egypt, is the oldest depiction of Jesus Christ with a crown of thorns, and includes the names of the two crucified robbers, "Gestas" and "Dimas,” known from the New Testament. The artist has also portrayed the emotions of the surrounding figures, such as the grief-stricken Virgin Mary and the anguished John the Evangelist, with striking realism, capturing the scene's raw emotion.
Catholic Exchange
Remember your death so that you live well
By M.C. Holbrook, February 18, 2026
Death is frightening! The idea that one day, we will simply cease to be? Who wants to contemplate this? The thought of my own death doesn’t scare me so much as it used to; perhaps as I grow older, I am learning to trust in the mercy of my Savior. But what does indeed scare me is imagining the death of someone I love. The thought that I might be made to live the rest of my own earthly years without their physical presence is more than I can bear. Consider a daily devotional titled Memento Mori, a book of meditations on death. Memento mori is translated from Latin: “remember your death.” It is not a call to contemplatethe thought of someone else’s death. Nor does it ask us to worry about the grief and suffering which we may or may not be made to endure in the future. For this, we must entrust ourselves to the God who will give us the grace we need when we need it—and we certainly don’t need the grace to endure something we are not presently enduring!
Crisis Magazine
Meditating on death is critical to a good life
By Casey Chalk, February 18, 2026
Though it’s not always the case, it does seem that those who live a good life, one of heroic virtue, usually experience a good death as well. “That man lives badly who does not know how to die well,” asserted the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca. And, of course, no one exemplifies that truth better than Jesus of Nazareth, who “committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips,” and in whom “all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell” (1 Peter 2:22; Colossians 1:19). And who else suffered a more perfect death, one that not only exemplified incredible heroism and was suffused with spiritual meaning but that also won our salvation? This is precisely what many of the most brilliant minds of the Church have taught over the centuries about the Seven Last Words. But there is another approach to interpreting Jesus’ final statements from the Cross, one with an ancient pedigree: to study the Seven Last Words as insights into the good life, into how to be holy and righteous.
Image of Almonds by Monfocus from Pixabay
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