Thursday, April 9, 2026

TRUMP THREATENS POPE LEO XIV

Apr 9, 2026 The MeidasTouch Podcast

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the shocking details of the Trump administration threatening the Pope for speaking out against Trump and Meiselas speaks with Christopher Hale who runs the popular Catholic Substack newsletter called Letters fro Leo.

Writing is a human act, one that AI should not supplant

Russell Moore responds to President Donald Trump’s recent threats to Iran and notes that warfare in the Old Testament doesn’t justify war crimes but points to the Cross.

Nigerian Christians hope for justice after the government arraigned nine men responsible for a massacre in Benue state last year that killed 150 people.

Writing is a human act, one that AI should not supplant, argues Nadya Williams.

What happens when the state punishes the parents of school shooters?

Behind the Story

From deputy editor Bonnie Kristian: Perhaps you saw the recent report about a New York Times article that was found to have been produced substantially with generative artificial intelligence. The author of the column told The Atlantic that she "hadn’t copied and pasted language from an AI model into her work" but had used at least five different AI programs for things like "help[ing] her stay on topic in a paragraph."

This kind of AI use is increasingly accepted. At CT, we disagree. Our house style guide, which contains policies shaping all our journalism, has long been clear on this point: We do not write with AI.

What does that mean, concretely? I’m emailing more detailed guidance to our writers, but here are some highlights:

CT writers may use AI as a souped-up search engine, provided they are extremely careful about checking its sources. That means personally verifying texts and claims every time by clicking through to the source link or independently searching.
CT writers may use AI to transcribe interviews, videos, or dictations of their own ideas. But they must read through the transcripts themselves and manually verify accuracy, make selections to quote, or edit for concision and clarity.
CT writers may not use AI in any aspect of the planning and writing process, including but not limited to pitching, outlining, arguing, or phrasing. Helping with all this is exactly the purpose of (human!) editors. Writers should ask us, not Claude.
CT writers may not use Grammarly or similar AI copyediting programs, including Copilot in Microsoft Word. We have wonderful copy editors at CT, and writers are also welcome to continue using long-standing, pre-AI features like spell-check.
If a writer files an article that we believe violates our AI use policy, we can and will cancel the commission. We recognize that programs purporting to detect AI-generated language are fallible, and we will always assume the best of our writers. We ask them to trust us in the work of crafting strong writing without artificial input.

For more on writing and AI, read today’s essay from editor and writing professor Nadya Williams.

In Other News

An Israeli airstrike killed a Lebanese Christian party official known for his anti-Hezbollah stance in Beirut. His wife and a houseguest were also killed.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement freed a US Army sergeant's wife whom authorities detained last week after she arrived at a base in Louisiana to begin the process to receive spousal military benefits and get her green card. Annie Ramos, who was born in Honduras, is a Sunday school teacher and biochemistry major.
A church in Virginia is donating $1 million to pay off outstanding balances for hundreds of households facing potential evictions.

Pentagon-Vatican meeting latest flash point in Trump's clash with religious leaders

Pentagon-Vatican meeting latest flash point in Trump's clash with religious leaders
RNS: The increase in faith-fueled militaristic rhetoric is pitting the president against a growing list of faith leaders, ranging from local clergy to the pope.

Church of England expected to formally apologize for its role in forced adoptions
The Guardian: Survivors of the UK’s mother and baby home scandal – in which hundreds of thousands of children were forcibly separated from their mothers – have welcomed the news after years of campaigning for recognition.

How an ‘agnostic atheist’ got students to scrutinize their faith*
The Assembly: Bart Ehrman dissected the Bible at UNC-Chapel Hill for four decades. He wanted his students to think seriously about what it means to believe — and they did.

The quiet witness and prodigious career of pioneering gay Adventist pastor Leif Lind
Spectrum: In this interview, Leif Lind says his career is an institutional anomaly that proves that faith does not need all the answers to survive, but requires the practice of justice and mercy.

AI religious objections at work emerge as new employer concern
Bloomberg Law: Artificial intelligence in the workplace has employers grappling with a new legal issue: whether to accommodate employees seeking exemptions from using the technology because of their religion.

Military Archbishop Broglio relieved by U.S.-Iran ceasefire

Military Archbishop Broglio relieved by U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but concerns loom

Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio spoke about his support for the ceasefire agreement and his wish that Lebanon was included.

Trump administration to issue guidance to religious nonprofits on Johnson Amendment

The Johnson Amendment remains in effect for now, though the new guidance, expected later this year, could offer churches more clarity on permissible political speech during religious services.

U.S. dioceses report elevated numbers of Easter baptisms and confirmations

The average American diocese saw about 38% more people joining the Church in 2026 compared with 2025, according to an analysis of data released by Hallow.

Bishop expresses solidarity with victims as rebels kill 43 in Democratic Republic of Congo

Bishop Melchisedec Sikuli Paluku in the Democratic Republic of Congo has expressed sorrow following a deadly attack by rebels that reportedly left 43 people dead in the northeastern province of Ituri.

Friar Jean-Claude Chupin, co-founder of the Community of the Lamb, passed away on Easter

The friar leaves behind a lasting legacy of service of the poor with a life modeled on St. Francis of Assisi. The community he co-founded has a presence in both Europe and the Americas.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

EASTER BREAKS EVERY BARRIER

EASTER BREAKS EVERY BARRIER

By: Bishop Susan Brown Snook

On Holy Monday, a group of Episcopalians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and others joined together at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church for a Service of Lament and Witness. From Good Sam, we walked to the nearby trolley station, which connects all the way south to the US-Mexico border, for a time of public witness there. We witnessed to God’s love for every human being and God’s hope for a renewed and transformed world.

Sadly, though, that transformation seems far away, because we live in a world of barriers between human beings, built to exclude and separate and break down relationships. If you cross the border into Tijuana and look at the border wall, you will see high, slatted fences that go right out into God’s ocean. That wall stretching out into the shining ocean seems to me to be a symbol of all the ways humans enforce exclusion, distance, and difference, and fail to create space for inclusion, compassion, and love.

During Holy Week and Easter, we Christians remember that Jesus came to break down barriers – barriers between God and human beings, and barriers that separate people from each other. Jesus commanded us to love God and love our neighbors. He lived a life of justice, peace, healing, and reconciliation. Read More

Is Christianity making a comeback?

Is Christianity making a comeback?*
New York Times: Some see Easter Sunday’s packed pews and overflowing chapels as a sign of a religious revival. But experts are urging caution.
Religion News Service: Why we are not in a Catholic revival — despite increase in adult baptisms

Faith has always gone to space. Artemis II shows how much it has changed.
Religion News Service: Both Apollo 8 and Artemis II missions included public references to religion, but astronauts aboard the Artemis’ Orion spacecraft struck a broader, more global tone.

New Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit is the real deal*
Christianity Today: After an embarrassing snafu in 2020, the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., celebrates an authentic documents display.‌

Texas interfaith coalition speaks up for Muslims’ religious freedom
Baptist News Global: As Republican elected leaders in Texas seek to limit the activities of Muslim organizations, an interfaith coalition has issued a plea to defend Muslim neighbors and their religious freedom.

A project to save rural synagogues grows from Maine to Montana
AP: Rabbi Rachel Isaacs is leading a movement to strengthen rural synagogues and Jewish communities around the country. They’ve reached dozens, and they’re hoping for many more.

Dead Sea Scrolls has a new exhibit showing the real biblical documents

The Museum of the Bible, which once unknowingly displayed fake fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, has a new exhibit showing the real biblical documents.

Pastors are divided on Trump’s deportations. But a large majority oppose splitting families, blocking refugees, and deporting persecuted Christians.

Near the start of the Ronald Reagan era, CT wrote about the risks of partisan politics, the energy crisis, a Bob Dylan album, and the popular soap opera Dallas.

The legal team behind the landmark court ruling against Meta share how the gospel—and the story of the Good Samaritan—informs their work.

Join Russell Moore and Karen Swallow Prior on April 15 at 1:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time for a discussion of Karen’s latest CT article on infertility, childlessness, and Christian identity. Members can register to attend. Not a member? You can sign up now to get 25% off your first year and event access.

Behind the Story

From Clarissa Moll, executive editor of news and moderator of The Bulletin: As an undergraduate student rediscovering her faith, I took a course in Koine Greek. I wanted to get as close as I could to this ancient text that had recaptured my affection. After three semesters of taking classes, I sat for a final exam where I translated the book of 1 John into (admittedly rudimentary) English. It was hard, and I loved it! In my course of study, faith had come, as the apostle Paul wrote, "by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17, KJV).

While editing today’s piece on the new Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Museum of the Bible, I was reminded of that period of study, both the challenging task of translation and the intimate beauty of being able to read Scripture in the language of its original audience. CT writer Gordon Govier writes that most who visit the exhibit can’t read the words written on these scrolls, and he’s right. Nonetheless, I’m convinced even proximity to these ancient manuscripts can inspire faith as visitors see that God’s Word has so literally endured through the generations.

A judge has dismissed charges against a woman who was arrested on Easter Sunday after protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Church leaders in New Orleans are working to preserve a historic Black church that’s facing city fines and liens. CT has previously covered how other congregations are preserving deteriorating buildings.

More people in Belgium and the Netherlands are dying by euthanasia and other forms of assisted suicide. CT has been following the growing acceptance of assisted suicide in the US and abroad.

April 8, 1546: At its fourth session, the Council of Trent adopts Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible (called the Vulgate), completed in 405, as the only authentic Latin text of the Scriptures. It became the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church (see issue 43: How We Got Our Bible).

Threat against entire people of Iran ‘not acceptable,’ Pope Leo XIV says

Pope Leo XIV welcomes ceasefire in Iran as ‘sign of living hope’

“Only through a return to negotiation can the war come to an end,” the pope said at the end of his weekly general audience.

Eucharist stolen, faithful robbed during adoration in Mexico on Holy Saturday

In the wake of the incident, the local bishop, who will perform a rite of reparation, called for the return of the holy Eucharist and intense prayers for the conversion of the perpetrators.

Churches packed in Nicaragua for Holy Week amid restrictions and police presence

While the dictatorship in Nicaragua continues suppressing the Church through police surveillance and the prohibition of public processions, attendance at Holy Week services was strong.

Threat against entire people of Iran ‘not acceptable,’ Pope Leo XIV says

Attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law and are also a sign of hatred, division, and destruction, Pope Leo XIV said. “Let’s come back to the table,” he said.

A mission of the heart: Artemis II crew honors faith, family, and a life lost

Artemis II has captured global attention not only for its technical ambition but also for its human moments. Among them, a moving Easter message and honoring the late wife of a crew member.

UN Members to Lose Power to Secretary General

Iulia Cazan

Several governments also criticized the adoption process more broadly, noting that the UN80 resolution bypassed the usual negotiation process, in which countries carefully debate the text, also known as “line-by-line negotiation.”

The Extraordinary Restoration of the Last Judgment of the Sistine Chapel Is Completed

Rafael Llanes

The restoration began on February 1 with scaffolding on the wall that offered a reproduction in high definition of the image of the fresco, which permitted visits to the Chapel during the work of the restorers.

Radical Feminist May Soon Head United Nations

Stefano Gennarini

Bachelet is a longtime feminist who has been described as a Latin American version of Hillary Clinton. She aggressively promoted abortion, gender ideology, and climate alarmism for decades.

USA: Apparel company, Christian bookstore appeal ruling that allows Colorado to continue silencing their views

ZENIT Staff

The ruling denied the request of XX-XY Athletics and Born Again Used Books to temporarily halt enforcement of a Colorado law that restricts their ability to speak truthfully about the biological differences between men and women.

Two interpretations of the empty tomb, only one to choose: Pope Leo XIV’s reflection

ZENIT Staff

Address on the occasion of the Regina Coeli prayer on Monday, April 6, 2026

What You Don’t See About a Papal Trip: The Spanish Church and the Difficulty in Covering the Expenses

Rafael Llanes

On the official website of the Preparatory Committee for the Visit, it is stated that «The Pope’s trip will be paid for by all of us who are eager for Pope Leo XIV to visit Spain, because the visit does not receive state funding. The organization will be carried out in a sober and transparent manner, and the accounts will be audited.»

Easter 2026 is overshadowed by massacres of Christians in Nigeria

ZENIT Staff

For Christian communities on the ground, however, such distinctions offer little consolation. The repeated targeting of churches during major liturgical celebrations carries both symbolic and psychological weight, reinforcing a sense of vulnerability that extends beyond immediate casualties

Vittorio Messori, the great Catholic apologist and “reporter of the faith,” has died

ZENIT Staff

If his legacy can be reduced to a single contribution, it is this: he demonstrated that belief, in an age of skepticism, need not retreat into subjectivity. It can, instead, enter the arena of argument—exposed, contested, and, in his view, ultimately vindicated