In Case You Missed It – Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Christian Nigerians ever more imperiled, 10 Commandments coming to a classroom near you, USAID paperwork found in car of Boulder terror attack suspect, a new film exploring the sacred 'Face of Jesus' – and more

If you value articles like this, sign up for our daily email newsletter and support us with a donation.  

950 locations in Nigeria’s South East now occupied by Jihadist Fulani herdsmen

[A] fresh report by the Catholic–inspired NGO – the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety – has revealed Jihadist Fulani herdsmen are now overrunning Christian communities in the country’s South East. ...

“All the strategic locations in Igbo Land have been saturated by Fulani herdsmen with the aid of the Nigerian military,” said Nigeria’s leading criminologist and head of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi.

He said the jihadist herdsmen use these locations to kidnap, disappear and even kill people, mostly Christians.

Read more at Crux

Endless violence: the Missionary Benedictine close their facilities in Kenya

The Missionary Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart Priory have closed all their facilities in Kerio Valley, Kenya, following daily violence in the region. ... The decision, reads the text signed by Sister Rosa Pascal OSB, Prioress of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters, was taken "following the murder of Father Alloy Bett, parish priest of St Mathias Mulumba ... and the continued unrest in the area.

This has negatively affected our missionary work" causing "mental, emotional and psychological trauma to our sisters" and, consequently, "the inability to run the essential services due to the lack of staff who are fleeing the area."

Read more at Fides

Anti-Christian incidents in India state of Odisha trouble Church leaders

In India, two anti-Christian incidents in the state of Odisha have disturbed the peace-loving Christian community, which has already been traumatized by harassment by rightwing extremists.

On Sunday, Sister Rachana Nayak was travelling with four women candidates and two male youths from Odisha when she was intercepted by Bajrang Dal activists on a train.

Read more at Crux

Polish religious sisters organize lay faithful to pray for priests

For 26 years, the Bethany Mission to Support Priests has united lay people and clergy to pray together for priests. Sr. Daria Tyborska says the initiative reminds the faithful that their job is to pray for priests, not just complain about them or focus on their mistakes.

[The prayer initiative] was established on 4 February 1999 on the initiative of Sister Gabriela Bassista, who listened to the joys and worries of priests and responded to them with prayer. ... Today, the mission has more than 8,800 members and is guided by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Bethany Family, whose priestly charism comes from its founder, Servant of God Fr Józef Małysiak, SDS.

Read more at Vatican News

Karol Nawrocki Wins Polish Presidential Election With Catholic Values Platform

'Poland’s strength lies in its faith and family values,' Nawrocki declared at a campaign rally, framing his presidency as a defense against secular influences. ...

Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian and former amateur boxer ... has vowed to maintain close ties between the Polish government and the Catholic Church, saying he views faith as a cornerstone of national culture. ...

The president made headlines by publicly shredding a copy of Gender Queer: A Memoir, signaling his staunch opposition to progressive social policies. He has pledged to veto any legislation liberalizing Poland’s strict abortion laws or introducing same-sex civil unions, citing the Catholic Church’s teachings on sexual ethics and the need to protect traditional family structures. 

Read more at the National Catholic Register

Globalist Polish PM Donald Tusk on the "contingency plan" to block new president

Tusk threatens to govern despite President Nawrocki's veto, saying: "A contingency plan, assuming difficult cohabitation, has been prepared. It is difficult to assume in advance what the attitude of the new president will be. If he shows a willingness to cooperate, it will be a positive surprise, to which we will respond with full openness.

If not, there is no point in waiting. We will start working regardless of the circumstances, because that is why we were elected. We will submit ready-made bills, but if necessary, we will govern and make decisions even with a president who blocks good changes."

Read more at tvn24.pl

Bannon: Either U.S. Intel Didn't Know About Ukraine Attack On Russian Bombers, Or Helped – Both Very Dangerous

Steve Bannon warned on the "War Room" podcast that Ukraine's wildly successful drone attack on Russia's strategic bomber fleet could be construed as an act of war, depending on how much help the U.S. provided to Ukraine.

"This is as bold an act of war as had ever happened between the U.S. and Russia," Bannon warned. "Either, number one, they worked with the Ukrainians to get this done, which is basically impossible if that didn’t happen. However, the other one is: you're telling me that our intelligence service didn’t know about this? That the White House was totally caught blind?"

Read/see more at Real Clear Politics

Catholic universities look to support foreign students amid Trump visa crackdown

Amid the Trump administration's crackdown on foreign student visas, several Catholic universities contacted by OSV [Our Sunday Visitor] News said they are actively seeking to support affected students.

"Our international students, scholars and their families are important and vital members of our campus community, and we will continue working to ensure that they are welcomed and supported at Notre Dame," the University of Notre Dame in Indiana told OSV [Our Sunday Visitor] News in an emailed statement May 29.

Read more at the National Catholic Reporter

'USAID' paperwork found in car of Boulder terror attack suspect targeting pro-Israel group

Paperwork with the word "USAID" was found in the car of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who's accused of allegedly throwing explosives at a group in Boulder, Colorado, peacefully protesting for the release of Hamas' hostages.

The incident happened on Sunday as the pro-Israel group "Run for Their Lives" was protesting on Pearl Street. Boulder police said eight people were injured in the alleged terror attack, adding that they initially received reports of a man setting people on fire.

Read more at Fox News

Denver Archbishop Calls for Prayers After Anti-Jewish Terror Attack

In the wake of the June 1 attack, Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila called for an end to anti-Jewish violence and urged the faithful to join together in prayer for the victims.

“I’m deeply saddened this evening to hear of the attack in Boulder, especially as it seems our Jewish brothers and sisters were targeted,” Archbishop Aquila said in a statement released June 1. 

Read more at the National Catholic Register 

CNN’s Scott Jennings: The ‘Free Palestine’ Movement is a Domestic Terror Organization

Scott Jennings, the lone conservative voice on CNN, recently made an excellent point about the so-called ‘free Palestine’ movement.

Following the horrific attack in Colorado on Sunday, that left innocent people injured by a man with explosive materials, Jennings suggested that the ‘free Palestine’ movement has become nothing more than a domestic terror organization. ...

Just last week, two innocent people were gunned down outside the Israeli embassy in DC and the shooter said he did it for Gaza.

Read/watch more at the Gateway Pundit

Vatican newspaper analyzes continued failure of Gaza negotiations, calls for ‘more resolute’ US diplomacy

In a front-page article, “Negoziati senza fine e senza esito“ [Conflict without end and without outcome], L’Osservatore Romano rued the continued lack of progress toward a truce in the conflict in Gaza, which—the newspaper noted—“has already caused almost 60,000 deaths.”

“The feeling of a possible truce in Gaza lasted a few hours,” Middle East correspondent Roberto Cetera wrote in the Vatican newspaper’s June 2 edition. “This time too according to a script that has already been tried many, too many times. The mediator on duty—be it Egypt, Qatar or Washington—announces every time that a truce plan is substantially accepted by both parties, then ...

Read more at Catholic Culture

How the Muslim Brotherhood Is Capturing Europe: Essay

A new report found that, in France, Brotherhood-linked schools have distributed texts that praise Sharia law as superior to man-made law, denounce interfaith marriage, and vilify Jews.

Read more at The Free Press

Pope Leo XIV faces test of Vatican justice in Becciu meeting fallout

For the outside world, it is perhaps Pope Leo XIV’s pleas for ceasefires in Gaza and Ukraine that have drawn the most attention since his election just over three weeks ago.

For Catholic insiders, a range of papal actions have sparked reaction – from his sartorial choices to the use of sung Latin in public prayer, and even his few initial personnel moves.

For Italians, however, one moment from the new pontiff’s agenda has stood out above all: his 27 May audience with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, whose vicissitudes over the past five years – including his reluctant withdrawal from the recent conclave – have formed the Vatican’s most riveting domestic soap opera. ...

Read more at the Catholic Herald

Abortions canceled again in Missouri after ruling from state Supreme Court

Planned Parenthood halted abortions in Missouri on Tuesday after the state’s top court ordered new rulings in the tumultuous legal saga over a ban that voters struck down last November.

The state’s top court ruled that a district judge applied the wrong standard in rulings in December and February that allowed abortions to resume in the state. Nearly all abortions were halted under a ban that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Read more at AP News 

Opinion: The celebrity circus is trying to convince Americans to fund Planned Parenthood – and they aren't buying it

Last week, 250 rich, elite celebrities, alongside Planned Parenthood, took out a full-page ad in the New York Times insisting we plebeians forcibly fund Planned Parenthood through our federal tax dollars. How is that for freedom? 

This has all the awareness of the peak cringe COVID-19 Imagine celebrity sing-along. 

See more at Fox News

Texas Mandates 10 Commandments in Classrooms

Texas lawmakers voted to mandate that government schools display a copy of the Ten Commandments for students, sparking praise from many Jews, Christians, and advocates of transcendent moral truth but howls of rage and threats of lawsuits from leftists, secularists, and pagans.

The bill, known as SB 10, was adopted by an overwhelming margin this week, with 82 in favor and 46 against. Democrats sought to add amendments forcing the including of texts from Islamic and pagan traditions, but those efforts fell short in the GOP-controlled legislature. ... Texas Representative Candy Noble (R-Lucas), who sponsored the legislation ... [said], “The very way we treat others in our society come from the principles found in the Ten Commandments.”

Read more at Liberty Sentinel 

Christianity Steadily Growing in Asia Amid Persecution  

Although Christians throughout Asia are increasingly facing severe persecution, the gospel is spreading, and more people are putting their trust in Christ in many East Asian and Southeast Asian nations.  

Christian researchers, missiologists, and missions organizations have reported the increase, which is similar to International Christian Concern (ICC)’s own figures. ICC reported that in 2024, there were roughly 415 million Christians in Asia, comprising 8% of the total Asian population. In 2010, Christians made up only 3% of the population in Asia. ... [C]ommentators believe this steady increase in Asia is due to a combination of spiritual hunger amid modernization ...

Read more at International Christian Concern 

What did Jesus look like? New documentary explores 3 divine images 

Over the centuries, many people have asked: “What did Jesus look like?” A new documentary attempts to answer this question.

“The Face of Jesus” examines two acheiropoietic images of Christ — the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello, both believed to be divinely created — as well as the Vilnius image of the Divine Mercy, one of the most extraordinary hand-painted depictions of Jesus.

Jaroslaw Redziak, the film’s producer and director ... [hopes] when [people] view these images, [they] will come to see just how much Jesus loves them. 

Read more at the Catholic News Agency

Today is the feast of Sts. Charles Lwanga and his Companions

Saint Charles Lwanga and his 21 companions are revered as the Ugandan Martyrs, a group of young Christian converts who sacrificed their lives for their faith in the late 19th century. ...

Charles, inspired by the teachings [of a Catholic missionary group], converted to Christianity and was baptized on November 15, 1885 ... He became a leader among the Christian converts, teaching and protecting others in the royal court [of King Mwanga II].

King Mwanga II grew increasingly hostile toward Christianity, viewing it as a threat to his authority and traditional practices. He was a violent ruler, known for his immoral demands, including forcing himself on the young male pages in his court. When a Catholic lay catechist confronted the king about his actions, Mwanga had him beheaded on November 15, 1885. Charles Lwanga stepped into the catechist's role, continuing to instruct and shield the young pages from the king’s advances, but eventually ...

Read more @Father V on X

A photo of the young martyrs is available @Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch on X

Editor's note:

Can you step up and support us? Just once – a one-time donation is very valuable. Or, better yet, support us every month with a recurring donation. Thank you, and may God bless you.

Stephen Wynne

Editor-in-Chief, Souls and Liberty