Catholic Nutshell News: Tuesday 3/3/26
Topics include: U.S. ambassador defends deportation policies; Turkey’s ban on Christians; USCCB wrong about Birthright Citizenship; & Just War Theory and 'Epic Fury'
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EWTN News
U.S. ambassador defends deportation policies criticized by Pope
By Hannah Brockhaus, March 3, 2026
United States Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch has defended President Donald Trump’s deportation policies amid criticism from Pope Leo XIV and the U.S. bishops. “The larger question of immigration is something that will constantly be a source of debate and conversation between the U.S. and the Holy See,” the ambassador acknowledged in an interview with EWTN News’ Colm Flynn and Hannah Brockhaus. He added that Trump “had the courage to do something very difficult. I think people sometimes underestimate the difficulty of unwinding the chaos that had occurred” in the U.S. immigration system. Leo has called for migrants to be treated with dignity, using the word “inhuman” to refer to the immigration crackdown in the U.S. He has also supported the U.S. Catholic bishops in their statements opposing the indiscriminate mass deportation of immigrants who lack legal status.
Related: The late Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, in 2000, offers guidance to Italy that many will find strikingly pertinent to the United States today - Catholic Vote - CV News Feed on February 4, 2026
ACI Africa
Togo’s Bishops forbid unauthorized Holy Mass in private homes
By Jude Atemanke, March 1, 2026
Members of the Episcopal Conference of Togo (CET) have prohibited the celebration of Holy Mass in private homes and families without formal authorization, insisting on strict adherence to Church norms governing the Eucharist. They cite the General Presentation of the Roman Missal and Canon 932 of the Code of Canon Law, reiterating that “the Eucharistic celebration will be held in a sacred place unless, in a particular case, the need requires something else.” CET members warn, “A church is a sacred place, a house of prayer where Christians come to meet God, in particular Jesus Christ, in the Holy Eucharist. It is also the place for worship, the place of gathering of the Christian community. The Eucharistic assembly is not selective according to the criteria of affinity or sensitivity. On the contrary, it is open to all without exception.” [Editor’s Note: The concern likely reflects ongoing religious persecution in Togo, and incorporation of Voodoo practitioners in the Eucharist.”]
The Pillar
Is the number of adults becoming Catholic still rising?
By Edgar Beltrán, March 3, 2026
Unfortunately, only a small proportion of the world’s dioceses publish reports on the ceremony known as the Rite of Election on Easter, a crucial stage in the initiation process in which they publicly manifest their desire to become Catholics. Those seeking baptism are known as “catechumens” before the rite and as “the elect” afterward. Those already baptized are called “candidates.” Many dioceses bring both groups together at a single ceremony. Others hold two ceremonies: a Rite of Election for catechumens and a Call to Continuing Conversion for candidates. To a statistician, the numbers presented probably mean very little. The reasons why more adults are seeking baptism and reception in the Church seem elusive. New adult Catholics’ stories are often complex, and it’s hard to identify commonalities. Also, the publication process is self-selecting. Dioceses may choose to release the figures, hoping they will encourage those already within the flock. Dioceses seeing a drop in new adult Catholics have little motivation to share the news.
Zenit
Guinness record for The Chosen: Translated into most languages
By ZENIT Staff, March 1, 2026
On February 23, 2026, an unlikely television project rooted in crowdfunding and faith-based storytelling reached a milestone few global media giants can rival. The Chosen, the American series that dramatizes the life of Jesus and his first followers, was officially recognized for the second time by Guinness World Records as the most translated television series in history. Its first season alone is now available in 125 languages, a figure that places it far beyond the reach of conventional international distribution models. The announcement was made during ChosenCon, an international gathering held from February 19 to 21 that brought together thousands of fans, cast members, and creators to reflect on the series’ expanding global footprint. More than a fan event, the convention functioned as a snapshot of a cultural phenomenon that has reshaped how religious content circulates across borders.
CatholicVote
U.S. Religious Freedom Commission: Turkey’s ban on Christians
By Elizabeth Weiss, March 2, 2026
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a statement Feb. 27 condemning the targeted expulsion of Christians from Turkey and urged the U.S. State Department to place the country on its Special Watch List for violations of religious freedom. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) said Turkish authorities have issued internal security codes labeling foreign Christian missionaries a “threat to public order and security,” including those with no criminal record, effectively barring them from re-entering the country or renewing residence permits. The European Court of Human Rights has taken up 20 cases involving Christians who were designated national security threats and expelled from the country, according to the statement. USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler said the expulsions are intended to suppress the Christian community and interfere with their ability to practice their faith.
Aleteia
At 83, Harrison Ford calls Life Achievement Award, ‘A bit early’
By Cerith Gardiner, March 2, 2026
There is something slightly absurd, and wonderfully human, about awarding a “lifetime achievement” to someone who insists (with a little glint in his eye) that he’s still in the middle of life’s work. At the Actor Awards on March 1, Harrison Ford brought his trademark dryness to the stage while accepting the Life Achievement Award. The Indiana Jones star observed that it felt “a little weird to be getting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the half-point of my career. It’s a little early. I’m still a working actor.” He followed that playful twist with an even broader perspective on life and work, saying: “I’m in a room of actors, many of whom are here because they’ve been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I’m here to receive a prize for being alive.” It’s not the fact that he’s 83 that matters, but that he’s still thinking, still working, still joking, still grateful. From a Catholic perspective, there’s an echo in that attitude. Catholic spirituality doesn’t consign growth or meaning to youth alone.
First Things
What the USCCB gets wrong about Birthright Citizenship
By Michael A. Fragoso, March 2, 2026
That the USCCB came out against President Trump’s efforts to restrict birthright citizenship should come as no surprise. The USCCB is notoriously left-wing when it comes to immigration and the border. For example, in 2024, they opposed the Border Act, a bill I helped negotiate alongside Democrats Chris Murphy and Chuck Schumer, arguing that it was too severe. When you come down to the left of those two on immigration, you’re well outside the mainstream. In legislative cases like the Border Act, though, the USCCB is simply expressing a policy position to elected representatives, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. One may disagree with the prudential application of their theological principles, but no one should begrudge them their religious witness. Birthright citizenship is different. This is a legal case about the proper interpretation of the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment legislative process. It is a legal question to be resolved through legal analysis. It’s not policy advocacy.
Related: Catholic bishops to Supreme Court: Abandoning birthright citizenship ‘immoral’ - By Tyler Arnold, February 27, 2026
OSV News
Honolulu Diocese expands downtown, purchases historic building
By Celia K. Downes, March 3, 2026
The Diocese of Honolulu is expanding its footprint in downtown Honolulu by purchasing a historic building on Fort Street Mall. The sale of the Model Progress Building to the diocese by a subsidiary of the Alexander C. Waterhouse Sr. Foundation closed Feb. 13 for $5.8 million, according to Michael Yee, director of real estate for the diocese. The purchase will be “an investment in the future ministries of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and of the Diocese of Honolulu,” Bishop Larry Silva told the Hawaii Catholic Herald, the diocesan news outlet. The ongoing top-to-bottom renovation of the cathedral basilica in downtown Honolulu will include the addition of a reliquary chapel for a relic of St. Damien and the remains of St. Marianne Cope, Bishop Silva said. As a result of the new chapel, “we anticipate that it (the cathedral basilica) will become a very active pilgrimage site for local people and pilgrims from all over the world.”
Pulpit, EWTN, & Fides News for 3/3/26
BIG PULPIT
Tito Edwards Catholic blogger site: March 3, 2026
The Big Pulpit website is an intelligent news aggregator offering quality insight & analysis on the Catholic Church worldwide. Here are Chief Editor Tito Edward’s top recommendations for today.
SCOTUS Smashes California’s Hidden Gender Transition Rules for Kids – Thomas More Society
Quantifying the Catholic Revolution: What Vatican II Caused – James R. Green at Grain Of Wheat
Helping Almsgivers Discern: Launch of the Catholic Charity Finder Directory – Edward Pentin
Let Me Confirm What Leo Told Bp Schneider, the Young are Drawn to the TLM – Fr. A. McDonald
Leo’s Lenten Retreat Provides Further Insight Into His Pontificate – Fr. R.J. de Souza, M.Phil.
EWTN News
EWTN’s top headlines — March 3, 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.
Pope sends more humanitarian aid to Ukraine - By Victoria Cardiel - Pope Leo XIV has sent a humanitarian shipment to Ukraine containing urgently needed medicines and more than 1,000 electric radiators to assist people affected by the war. According to the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, the shipment responds to a “desperate request” made by several bishops amid the grave situation caused by the latest Russian airstrikes
Vatican, Microsoft launch digital font inspired by Michelangelo’s handwriting - By Victoria Cardiel - Writing with the distinctive hand of one of the Renaissance’s greatest geniuses is now possible. Marking the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican and Microsoft have introduced “Michelangelus,” a new digital typeface faithfully modeled on Michelangelo Buonarroti’s handwriting.
2 laicized nuns in Spain return to Catholic communion after leaving schismatic group - By Nicolás de Cárdenas - Archbishop Mario Iceta of Burgos, Spain, lifted the excommunication of two of the 10 former Poor Clare nuns of Belorado on Ash Wednesday, following a process of personal conversion that culminated in their return to the Catholic Church. The schism unfolded in May 2024.
Agenzia Fides
Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies - 3/3/26
Fides News Agency (Fides) was established in 1927, at the direction of the Council Superior General of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, as the first Missionary Agency of the Church and among the first agencies in the world.
ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Jesuit Fr. Alejo: “The spirit of EDSA calls us to a responsibility in the present” - Manila (Agenzia Fides) – “For 40 years, the Philippine education system has failed to convey the spirit of the EDSA revolution. Textbooks do not fully explain what happened during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
ASIA/MYANMAR - A new church opens amidst conflict to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus - Yangon (Agenzia Fides) - A church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus – a devotion that is gaining increasing importance in Myanmar during a time of war and suffering – was opened in the Archdiocese of Yangon.
AMERICA/MEXICO - Civil and religious authorities unite to protect the country from further violence and restore peace - Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) – A few days after the killing of the leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho’, chaos reigns throughout the country.
Nutshell reflections for 3/3/26:
USCCB Daily Reflection AUDIO - March 3, 2026
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Catholic World Report
We cannot solve global poverty, war, & tyranny by moving the poor
By James Kalb, March 2, 2026
Effectively, open borders are a bad idea. That’s true whether they result from explicit policy or from failure to enforce the law effectively. The world’s population outside the United States is 8 billion. Of that number, about 1.25 billion would like to emigrate from their home countries, with 230 million choosing the U.S. as their top destination. A great many more would no doubt accept the United States as a second, third, or fourth choice. It’s not clear what people would actually do if anyone with a ticket could hop on a plane and move here. Puerto Ricans have been able to do that as long as there have been plane tickets, and two-thirds of them now live on the mainland. It seems that open or largely open borders would bring far more immigrants here than the 50 million or so now present. Border controls often induce illegal immigrants to run great risks to evade them. If so, the answer is immigration enforcement that eliminates the reward for doing so.
Related: Catholic legal network and its allies challenge basis of government bid to bar immigrants from 75 countries, OSV News, by Kate Scanlon - February 27, 2026
CRUX
White film coating Michelangelo’s ‘The Last Judgment’ removed
By Nicole Winfield, March 2, 2026
Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgement” is getting a facial, with restorers removing a chalky white film of salt that has accumulated over the Renaissance masterpiece since its last major renovation three decades ago. The Vatican on Saturday gave the media a sneak peak to the cleaning operation, which is taking place on a floor-to-ceiling scaffolding that has obscured the imposing fresco of heaven and hell that dominates the front of the chapel. The cleaning operation is expected to be completed by Easter, in the first week of April. The public can continue to visit in the meantime, but will have to settle for a reproduction of “The Last Judgment” superimposed on a screen that covers the scaffolding. “This salt is created because, above all, when we sweat, we emit lactic acid, and unfortunately, lactic acid reacts with the calcium carbonate present on the wall,” said Fabio Moresi, in charge of the scientific research team at the Vatican Museums that is overseeing the cleaning.
First Things
Just War Theory and Epic Fury
By R. R. Reno, March 3, 2026
What is one to think of the latest round of hostilities? Just war theory is often treated as a moral checklist. This is a mistaken view. It is a tradition of thought that helps us frame the realities of war in moral terms, the better to ponder and discern the moral contours and limits of lethal violence. It is difficult to apply this principle to the present conflict. In one fashion or another, Iran has been at war with the United States and its ally Israel for decades. In view of this unhappy history, on Saturday morning, when Trump announced “major combat operations” against Iran, he was not so much declaring war as recognizing the failure of the most recent tacit ceasefire. The Pope called for “reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue.” The Trump administration can claim to have pursued exactly that path, but to no avail. The principle of last resort is prudential, not theoretical. Just war reflection accords political leaders the benefit of the doubt. They must weigh many complex factors.
Related: What the Pope actually said about Iran - Be aware: headlines rarely capture papal statements accurately - Phil Lawler, Politics & Media, March 2, 2026
Coffee & Covid
California forced teachers to keep parents in the dark for years
By Jeff Childers, March 3, 2026
The Supreme Court delivered another knockout blow to the so-called “trans movement.” The Washington Post ran the angry headline, “Supreme Court sides with Christian parents in battle over school trans policies.” It turns out that parents’ rights are greater than crazy woke progressive rights. Who knew? Once again, we see the corporate media trick of burying good news in a manure mishmash of confusing double negatives. Supreme Court blocks California law that blocked educators from telling parents about a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In plain English: California forced teachers to keep parents in the dark for years while their kids suffered from gender dysphoria. Yesterday, the Supreme Court said, “Umm, no. We’re not doing that.” Fortunately, the Court disagreed with the State of California. Parents, it said, have “primary authority with respect to the upbringing and education of children,” including “the right not to be shut out of participation in decisions regarding their children’s mental health.”