The rise of the Jim Crow theobros

  

by Bob Smietana 

September 24, 2026 at 2:19 p.m. ET 

(RNS) — Michael Spangler does not look like a white supremacist and antisemite.

He has no visible tattoos, no shaven head, no black overcoat or jackboots. No hood, no Confederate flag and no Nazi images appear in the background as he sits in front of a screen for a recent Zoom interview.

Instead, the soft-spoken Christian school teacher and pastor of Piedmont Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, sporting a neatly trimmed beard, was dressed in a charcoal suit and sat in front of a fish tank that seemed straight off the set of Pixar’s “Finding Nemo.”

Then he began talking about Jews. And a broad smile broke across his face. 

Belgian bishop who announced the ordination of married men for 2028

Argentina is expecting one of the largest religious gatherings in connection with the Pope’s visit: here are the details

ZENIT Staff

The Vatican released the full itinerary on September 21, alongside the mottoes and official logos for each national leg. The journey, announced on August 5 following invitations from the three countries’ civil and ecclesiastical authorities, will begin in Montevideo and conclude in Lima

AI Governance: Trump, China, and the Vatican’s Role

ZENIT Staff

Leo XIV has made the ethical governance of AI a central concern of his pontificate

The Art of Caring for the Pope’s Liturgy: How the Vestments for Pope Leo XIV’s Masses in France Were Made

Anne Van Merris

Companies, artisans, social integration workshops, religious communities, and numerous volunteers mobilized across various regions of France to create albs, stoles, altar cloths, crosses, and various liturgical ornaments and furnishings.

The Moving Prayer Leo XIV Will Recite Before Our Lady of Lourdes – Translated into English

ZENIT Staff

The prayer will take place on the evening of Saturday, September 26.

Here Are the Church’s Figures the Pope Will Find in France: The Vatican Publishes Statistics Revealing Trends from 1980 to 2026

Anne Van Merris

these figures illustrate the evolution of the Church in the country, which welcomed Saint John Paul II in 1980 and is now receiving Pope Leo XIV

What is the value of human activity in the world? Pope Leo XIV answers

ZENIT Staff

Pope’s General Audience, September 23, 2026, on the meaning of human activity in the universe

Belgian bishop who announced the ordination of married men for 2028 says he is already preparing some candidates

ZENIT Staff

Bonny’s initiative is driven, he says, by a shortage of local clergy that is increasingly affecting the Church’s ability to serve communities beyond parish life. Antwerp has fewer than 70 priests under the age of 70, according to figures cited by the bishop, and around two-thirds of them come from abroad

Director of the Recollectio-Haus, a center founded by the monk Anselm Grün: We no longer accept abusers

ZENIT Staff

She told katholisch.de that excluding abusers is necessary to protect other participants, some of whom may themselves be survivors and could be retraumatized by sharing a therapeutic setting with a perpetrator. The centre’s purpose, she stressed, is support and recovery—not treatment for people who have committed sexual abuse

Priests Carry Names of Children Killed in Gaza and Lebanon Through Rome, Urging a Return to Diplomacy

Valentina di Giorgio

The shroud, they said, commemorated children killed in the months after ceasefires were announced in Gaza and Lebanon. The network reported that more than 300 children had died in Gaza since October 2025 and around 150 in Lebanon over the previous five months.

Sex education in Catholic schools sparks a dispute between parents and the bishop of Hamburg, with the Vatican looking on

Joachin Meisner Hertz

The latest controversy concerns an internal email dated August 28, 2026, from the archdiocese’s vicar general, Father Sascha-Philipp Geißler. He characterized the parents’ campaign as an attempt to create uncertainty and discord in school communities, and advised employees not to respond to the network’s messages or enter into debate

The rise of the Jim Crow theobros

Netanyahu calls Israel’s war in Gaza ‘opposite of genocide’ in UN speech
The Guardian: Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an inflammatory address to the United Nations, decrying what he said was a global anti-Jewish conspiracy. Dozens of delegates walked out and more than 100 protestors were arrested on the streets of New York.

 

Unused tents and uneaten food: Watchdog finds ‘waste’ in immigration crackdown*
New York Times: In a report Thursday, the Government Accountability Office said the Trump administration squandered millions of dollars to expand detention.

 

The rise of the Jim Crow theobros
Religion News Service: A group of Reformed pastors and influencers preaches and sells white supremacy, antisemitism and patriarchy to angry young men. Its audience is small but growing, and their movement has ties to powerful religious and political figures.

 

Resistance to Christian nationalism could help decide midterms
Newsweek: A new joint survey report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and Johns Hopkins University finds that nearly two-thirds of Americans reject this worldview.

 

American theologian to receive the 2026 Ratzinger Prize
Vatican News: The recipient is American theologian Dr. John Cavadini, recognized for the scholarly merits of his research on Patristics, particularly his studies on St. Augustine.

The Evangelization Power of Rome

A ‘porter’ who led others to Christ: Abp Fulton Sheen declared ‘blessed’ By Jonah McKeown on Sep 24, 2026 06:13 pm Pope Leo XIV announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. [...] Read in browser » When the State becomes the parent: On Massachusetts and the Kutzko case By Anne Hendershott on Sep 24, 2026 06:02 pm In recent decades, the state has increasingly inserted itself into domains once reserved for parents, often overriding parental judgment and values. Schools, social-service agencies, and an elaborate therapeutic bureaucracy have weakened the ability of parents—especially [...] Read in browser » ‘A powerful heavenly friend and intercessor’: Bishop Barron reflects on Fulton Sheen By EWTN News on Sep 24, 2026 11:42 am ST. LOUIS — Families with young children, religious sisters and brothers, and pilgrims who had traveled to St. Louis filled the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Sept. 23 for evening prayer on the eve of [...] Read in browser » Bishop baptized by Fulton Sheen reflects on his legacy ahead of beatification By Francesca Pollio Fenton on Sep 23, 2026 08:00 pm In “The Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and the Mission of the Catholic Church in the 21st Century,” Bishop John O. Barres reflected on Sheen’s life and teachings. [...] Read in browser » Contemplating the astounding power of Padre Pio’s ministry, gifts, and trials By Dawn Beutner on Sep 23, 2026 04:20 am Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968) was famous during his lifetime. He wasn’t a brilliant theologian, an innovative religious founder, a martyr, a bishop, a cardinal, or a pope. He was a Capuchin Franciscan friar who [...] Read in browser » The Dead End of the Partisan Church By George Weigel on Sep 23, 2026 04:00 am Route 132 along the north shore of Québec’s Gaspé Peninsula offers one of the most scenic vistas in North America. To one’s left, the extraordinary St. Lawrence River can create the illusion of driving along [...] Read in browser » Director of Misereor describes crises, courage, and faith South Sudan By Ngala Killian Chimtom on Sep 23, 2026 03:30 am South Sudan is frequently defined by international headlines about conflict, displacement, and hunger. These crises have displaced over 2 million people within South Sudan itself, and forced 2,5 million others to seek refuge in neighboring [...] Read in browser » Extra, extra! News and views for Wednesday, September 23, 2026 By CWR Staff on Sep 23, 2026 03:00 am The end of literacy isn’t here … yet | Opinion (USA Today): “Even as we must be on the forefront of innovation and conversations around the ethics of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, we [...] Read in browser » “If by ‘capitalism’…” By Ronald L. Jelinek, Ph.D. on Sep 22, 2026 05:27 am Over the past sixteen years, Gallup has tracked Americans’ perceptions of capitalism and socialism. A year ago, some news was made when the percentage of Americans with positive views of capitalism fell to 54%, marking its lowest [...] Read in browser » How the Mass helped to shape Western civilization By Dr. Gregory Slysz on Sep 22, 2026 04:00 am There is no shortage of recent literature across the political spectrum warning of the profound cultural crisis confronting the West and the erosion of the moral assumptions that once bound society together. Douglas Murray writes [...] Read in browser » Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and the child called “only scar tissue” By Brooke Stanton on Sep 21, 2026 01:23 pm On September 24 in St. Louis, the Catholic Church will beatify Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the bishop whose Life Is Worth Living once filled American living rooms. More than fifty years after Roe v. [...] Read in browser » On the good news given us by St. Matthew By Peter M.J. Stravinskas on Sep 21, 2026 08:00 am Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Matthew, author of the first Gospel. In the New Testament, he has two names, Levi and Matthew. It was not uncommon for Jews of the first century [...] Read in browser » History is not enough: Women deacons and the unity of holy orders By Deacon Dominic Cerrato, Ph.D. on Sep 21, 2026 04:00 am In four recent articles, Phyllis Zagano has renewed her long-standing argument for admitting women to the ordained diaconate. Writing in America, The Tablet, Religion News Service, and Commonweal, she presses a consistent claim: the historical [...] Read in browser » God does not make disposable people By Patrick Novecosky on Sep 20, 2026 08:10 am Nick Vujicic’s life is a powerful witness to a truth Catholics hold at the heart of our faith: Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses a dignity that [..] Read in browser » Cosmic Covenant is a robust, orthodox presentation of a theology of creation By Casey Chalk on Sep 20, 2026 06:00 am When my family lived in Panama, we had both garbage and recycling collection. The running joke was that the “recycling” was a charade, and that the trucks were taking everything to the same landfill—only about [...] Read in browser » The 23 Eastern Catholic Churches: Ancient traditions in communion with Rome By Victoria Cardiel on Sep 20, 2026 06:00 am While the Catholic Church is often viewed from a Latin rite prism, it also includes 23 Eastern Churches that are in full communion as part of the one Catholic fold. [...] Read in browser » Hollow Culture, Brittle Relationships, and Spiritual Poverty By Monica Seeley on Sep 19, 2026 05:09 pm Noelle Mering’s new book, titled No Contact: How a Seductive Ideology Broke Families and Friendships and How We Can Repair Them, looks at the distressing rise of family estrangement. It’s a phenomenon the author compares [..] Read in browser » From proselytism to politics: Bishop Barron addresses hot-button issues on EWTN By Alyssa Murphy on Sep 19, 2026 01:17 pm The Word on Fire founder clarifies the call to evangelize, defends his nonpartisan advisory role on religious liberty, and warns of resurgent communism. [...] Read in browser » “No one who murmurs receives the kingdom of heaven…” By Carl E. Olson on Sep 19, 2026 10:30 am Readings: • Isa 55:6-9 • Psa 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 • Phil 1:20c-24, 27a • Mt 20:1-16a The parable of the workers in the vineyard has been interpreted in varying ways, reflecting the parable’s complexity and [...] Read in browser » Oregon officials back off ‘gender ideology mandate’ for mom seeking to adopt By Tyler Arnold on Sep 18, 2026 08:40 am The legal settlement ensures that Jessica Bates’ religious views will not be a factor in determining whether she can adopt children. [...] Read in browser » The Evangelization Power of Rome By Jayd Henricks on Sep 18, 2026 08:07 am In centuries past, the great missionaries of the Church—many now canonized saints—traveled to the far ends of the earth to bring Christ to those the Church once called pagans. The dangers were not exaggerated. Months [...] Read in browser »