Catholic Nutshell News: Wednesday 1/14/26
Topics include: Abortion is leading cause of death; Obligated to give the Church money?; Debt isn’t freedom; & Court appears likely to uphold transgender athlete bans
“Here was an almond tree in bloom before me”
Today's sources are the CRUX, Pime Asia News, National Catholic Register, Vatican News, The Pillar, Aleteia, and CNA. (Catholic Nutshell is a subscription service for faithful, hopeful, & curious Catholics willing to exercise the Catholic News Muscle)
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Christian Post
Abortion, leading cause of death worldwide - 7th consecutive year
By Ryan Foley, January 12, 2026
Abortion remains the leading cause of death worldwide for the seventh year in a row, according to statistics compiled by Worldometer. Worldometer, which keeps track of information about health, the global population and other metrics in real time, revealed that abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide in 2025. The last available screenshot of the Worldometer taken in 2025, captured by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine on Dec. 30, shows that more than 45.2 million abortions were performed in 2025. The final number of abortions performed could be higher, as the statistics don’t include pregnancies terminated on the last day of the year. The number of deaths caused by abortion was more than triple the number of fatalities caused by the second-leading cause of death in 2025: communicable diseases. The number of abortions performed worldwide has consistently hovered between 40 million and 50 million in the past seven years.
National Catholic Register
Money is tight: Still morally obligated to give to the Church?
By E. Christian Brugger, January 12, 2026
The Church’s teaching on financial support is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 2043: “The fifth precept (‘You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church’) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.” So, we are never entirely exempt from it. However, the manner and amount of our giving are conditioned by our ability. Before contributing financially to the Church, the faithful must ensure they can meet essential personal and family responsibilities. These include providing for one’s own and one’s family’s basic needs and, generally speaking, paying just debts and avoiding deeper indebtedness. In the end, a person should not consider himself entirely excused from financially supporting the Church unless he is also willing to forgo other non-necessities. Yet, if when contributing financially would require neglecting essential personal or family needs, the obligation to give monetarily does not bind.
CatholicVote
Debt isn’t freedom
By Kelsey Reinhardt, January 13, 2026
President Trump said something recently that could bring the Right and the Left together in a common cause. He wants to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for at least a year. That puts him in good company: St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. All three popes condemned excessive interest rates or, in a word, “usury.” The Church has always taught against the practice–everything from credit cards to payday loans and other schemes that trap people into high interest rates. Many lenders like to tout the freedom that comes with available credit, but scratch the surface of that freedom and you’ll find high-interest slavery for the desperate, the poor, the young, the uneducated, anyone to whom immediate access to cash seems too good to refuse. There have been congressional attempts to rein in credit cards, but they haven’t been successful. Just last year, bipartisan bills establishing a 10% cap on credit card interest rates were introduced in Congress, but did not pass.
Times of Israel
Jerusalem private schools strike over Israeli curbs on teachers
By AFP and ToI Staff, January 14, 2026
Dozens of private schools in East Jerusalem have suspended classes after an Israeli decision to limit the days on which work permits are granted for teachers from the West Bank, Palestinian officials said Tuesday. The strike was called by the General Secretariat of Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem and later joined by all private schools in East Jerusalem. The move affects around 20,000 students, including 8,500 pupils in 15 Christian schools, according to Richard Zananiri, director of the private St George’s School. The General Secretariat said 171 teachers and staff members are affected by the Israeli measure. Zananiri said this represents more than half of the roughly 300 teachers employed across all private schools in the city.
The Pillar
Pennsylvania Ukrainian Catholic church sues local government
By Jack Figge, January 13, 2026
A Ukrainian Catholic parish has filed a federal suit over new municipal restrictions, which prohibit the construction of a new chapel and regulate the celebration of memorial services. The pastor at the parish told The Pillar that the restrictions are “shocking beyond belief.” Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church, in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, filed a complaint in federal court against Collier Township on Jan. 7. The suit alleges violation of the parish’s First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion with restrictions on its cemetery property following a years-long discussion around the construction of a proposed shrine and retreat center on the property. “First, the Township’s zoning ordinances facially discriminate against religious land use by denying the Church the right to construct a church building anywhere within the Township as of right,” the lawsuit claimed. “Next, the Township has used zoning ordinances to impose a substantial burden on the Church’s religious exercise.”
Vatican News
Pope: Sense of belonging more important than numbers
By Vatican News, January 14, 2026
“I sow seeds, but the seedlings struggle to grow. Children and families prefer sports and parties,” wrote a 50-year-old Swiss catechist named Nunzia to Pope Leo, adding how families are often indifferent to religious practice, and Churches seem to be increasingly emptier or populated by the elderly. Nunzia ends her letter by asking Pope Leo XIV to pray for the young people entrusted to her care and for herself, so that she may not be discouraged. Pope Leo acknowledged Nunzia’s concerns and placed them in a wider context: “The situation in which you live is no different from that of other countries with ancient Christian traditions.” The Pope said to look beyond the numbers of attendance: “The hours dedicated to catechesis are never wasted, even if there are very few participants.” Pope Leo said his appeal is rooted in the legacy of Paul VI: “What we can do is bear witness to the joy of Christ's Gospel, the joy of rebirth and resurrection.”
Catholic Culture
Supreme Court appears likely to uphold transgender athlete bans
By Amy Howe, January 13, 2026
The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed likely to uphold laws that prohibit transgender women and girls from competing on women’s and girls’ school sports teams. After nearly three-and-a-half hours of arguments in a pair of cases from Idaho and West Virginia, a majority of the justices appeared to agree with the states that the laws can remain in place, even if it was not clear how broadly their ruling might sweep. The court’s three Democratic appointees appeared to recognize that the challengers faced an uphill battle. They seemed to devote much of their efforts to mitigating their losses – either by getting one case thrown out or by limiting the court’s decision to a narrow one. Idaho adopted its law in 2020; West Virginia followed one year later. Lindsay Hecox, now 24, went to federal court in Idaho to challenge that state’s law. Hecox is a transgender woman who wanted to try out for the women’s track and cross-country teams at Boise State University; she did not make those teams but later played club sports.
Crux
Gaza’s living conditions worsen amid strong winds & hypothermia
By Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, AP, January 14, 2026
Strong winter winds collapsed walls onto flimsy tents for Palestinians displaced by war in Gaza, killing at least four, hospital authorities said Tuesday. Dangerous living conditions persist in Gaza after more than two years of devastating Israeli bombardment and aid shortfalls. A ceasefire has been in effect since Oct. 10. But aid groups say that Palestinians broadly lack the shelter necessary to withstand frequent winter storms. The dead include two women—a girl and a man, according to Shifa Hospital, Gaza City’s largest, which received the bodies. Meanwhile, the child death toll in Gaza ticked up. The Gaza Health Ministry said Tuesday a 1-year-old boy died of hypothermia overnight, while the spokesman for the U.N.’s children agency said over 100 children and teenagers have been killed by “military means” since the ceasefire began.
From Loop & Agency to Pillar Post for 1/14/26
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.”
ADMIN MOVES TO END SOMALIS' TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS - The Trump administration this week announced it will not renew Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals. TPS was first granted to Somali nationals in 1991 and has been renewed under both Republican and Democratic administrations ever since. Under the new decision, those living in the U.S. under that status must leave the country by March 17.
GALLUP: HISTORIC NUMBERS NOW IDENTIFY AS INDEPENDENT - Historic numbers of U.S. adults identified as independents in 2025 instead of adhering to the Republican or Democratic parties, a recent Gallup report discovered. With 45% of U.S. adults identifying as independents, the percentage is the highest since Gallup began tracking party affiliation in 1988.
CATHOLICVOTE CALLS TO END ABORTION TAX DEDUCTION - When Roe v. Wade cleared the way for abortion, the IRS unilaterally made abortion expenses eligible for a tax deduction. CatholicVote is now asking people to go to the CatholicVote Action Center, where they can send a message to Trump, urging him to rescind that eligibility.
Catholic News Agency
CNA’s top headlines — January 14, 2026
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 activities of the Holy See, available to anyone with internet access.
Over 45,000 youths to make pilgrimage to Christ the King monument in Mexico - Jan 14, 2026 - More than 45,000 young people from all over Mexico will participate on Jan. 31 in the National Youth March to the monument to Christ the King on Cubilete Hill in Guanajuato state.
Greenland Catholics ‘do not wish to become Americans’ amid U.S. efforts at acquisition - Jan 14, 2026 - By Daniel Payne - Greenlandic Catholics are reportedly expressing opposition to U.S. plans to acquire the territory while Nordic Catholic leaders are waiting to see how the situation develops amid potential U.S. military intervention.
Nicaraguan researcher urges religious freedom commission to refocus attention on abuses - Jan 13, 2026 - By Tessa Gervasini - Impose economic sanctions on Nicaragua, bring Daniel Ortega and his wife to justice, and prosecute them for crimes against humanity.
The Pillar
Pillar Stories for Tuesday, 1/14/26
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:
Vatican City’s highest appellate court rejected an appeal from the Vatican City’s chief prosecutor in the sprawling financial crimes trial that concluded at the Vatican more than two years ago. The decision means that future appeals will not focus on efforts to reduce the charges and sentences against convicted defendants, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
Pope Leo XIV made his first episcopal appointment in South Africa on Friday — and it was a notable one. Why? Because the Archdiocese of Cape Town, which got a new bishop, is a study in sharp contrasts: It is home to striking affluence and to desperate poverty. Thrown in the mix is corruption and stark social division.
In June 2018, Sr. Ranit Pallassery alleged that she had been raped and assaulted 13 times by Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Indian diocese of Jalandhar. After she made a police report alleging the rape, her sisters — and other religious sisters — protested publicly to demand that the bishop be arrested, drawing international attention to the case. Mulakkal was arrested eventually, and in 2022, he was acquitted of the rape. His resignation from office was soon accepted.
Nutshell reflections for 1/14/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection Audio - January 14, 2026
Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
George Weigel
Semiquincentennial Prep: ‘John Adams’ in HBO series
By George Weigel, January 7, 2026
Having recently lamented in this space that book reading is on life support in these United States, I find myself in the awkward position of recommending a made-for-television series as good preparation for the nation’s 250th birthday, which will soon be upon us. In fact, though, if you’re going to do just one thing over the next six months to recollect what a marvel the birth of this country was—not to mention its survival into adolescence—you can’t do better than watching, or rewatching, the HBO miniseries, “John Adams,” based on David McCullough’s eponymous (and wonderful) book. Directed by Tom Hooper, who won the Academy Award for “The King’s Speech,” “John Adams” has to rank with the best television series ever made. The acting is superb. Paul Giamatti’s Adams captures the complex personality of one of the greatest, if typically least regarded, of the Founders.
Aleteia
HHS official condemns practice of organ donation from euthanasia
By Christine Rousselle, January 14, 2026
Canada's practice of taking donor organs from people who have been euthanized is a "strange new horror," said an official from the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O’Neill, who is also the acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Washington Examiner that Canada’s use of its Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) procedures to secure donor organs was far worse than anything he had seen in the United States. “We thought we’d seen all the possible horrors, you know, in America, and then Canada had this strange new horror that was really just shocking,” O’Neill told the publication. A study of organ donation in Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain, where euthanasia is legal, found that in the year 2022, there were 286 people who donated their organs following their death by euthanasia. Of that figure, 136 were from Canada, reported the Washington Examiner.
Catholic Exchange
Things divorced Catholics want you to know
By Phillip Campbell, January 14, 2026
With upwards of a third of Catholics having experienced divorce—and around 9-15% currently going through divorce at any given time—chances are you will run into a divorced Catholic. In fact, you’re running into one now, as I myself am one of them. There is a lot of discourse on divorce within the Church today, but so much of it exists on the “culture war” plane, either defending or dissenting from Church teaching. Important as these discussions are, divorced Catholics themselves often get lost in the tussle, becoming mere tokens in an ideological back and forth. Unless you are family or very close friends with someone going through divorce, what exactly happened is simply none of your business. One thing that drives me nuts is hearing people who have never been through divorce say that divorcees took “the easy way out.” It is difficult to see in what sense divorce is “easy.” Divorce is always a tragic thing. But that does not mean we want to always be the objects of pity. We need compassion and friendship, not distance and nosy questioning.
Crisis Magazine
A puzzle with no solution - none of the pieces fit
By Donald DeMarco, January 14, 2026
Notre Dame University found the situation of Ash Williams, an abortion doula, intriguing enough to invite her to deliver a “reproductive justice” talk. Her talk drew an audience of approximately 105 listeners. Here is a jigsaw puzzle in which none of the pieces fit into any other piece. Ash Williams is genetically a woman, but she claims she is a man who has had two abortions. Can men have abortions? She does not regard abortion as ending the life of the unborn child but as a “type of birth.” The act of disposing of one’s uterine child is a source of pride and should be advertised in the form of a forearm tattoo. Notre Dame, ostensibly a Catholic university, by linking Williams to “justice,” is violating its own creed. Moreover, an institution dedicated to Our Lady, Mother of Jesus, in no way should be promoting abortion. This is a puzzle with no solution. None of the pieces fit.
Image of Almonds by Monfocus from Pixabay
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