Mid-City Christian: July 2018

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

When the cardinal sins

Sessions announces new ‘religious liberty task force’
CNN
U.S. nuns demand action to end ‘culture of silence’ on abuse
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
As rumors of sexual misdeeds swirled, Cardinal McCarrick became a powerful fundraiser for the Vatican
THE WASHINGTON POST*
Catholic University of America strips Theodore McCarrick of honorary degree
THE WASHINGTON POST*
Military Bible display at center of religious liberty tussle
RELIGION NEWS SERVICE
Carmel hate crime: Mayor asks residents to fly flags to show solidarity against anti-Semitic vandalism
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR*
Priest punched, doused in wine, beaten with bottle, police say
DELAWARE NEWS JOURNAL*
Christian camps get creative to attract youth in a tech-distracted age
RELIGION NEWS SERVICE

International Headlines

‘There’s going to be a raid’: A Chilean prosecutor forces Catholic Church to give up secrets
REUTERS
Indonesia bans Islamic State-linked terror group behind child suicide bombings
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL*
Islamic State claims southern Philippine blast that killed 11
REUTERS
ISIS claims responsibility for deadly attack on cyclists killed in Tajikistan
NPR
In a remote convent, an endangered salamander finds a shot at renewal
THE NEW YORK TIMES*
Myanmar appoints panel to probe Rohingya abuses
REUTERS
Israel’s Herzog vows to bridge Jewish divide
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Where churches have become temples of cheese, fitness and eroticism
THE NEW YORK TIMES*

Analysis & Commentary

When the cardinal sins
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL*
For many Muslim grocery shoppers, a shifting definition of ‘halal’
THE CONVERSATION
Israel’s hugely controversial ‘nation-state’ law, explained
VOX
What Richard Dawkins doesn’t get about the Muslim call to prayer
THE CONVERSATION
Redneck Muslim
THE ATLANTIC
The Azmi sisters go hard in ball hockey. Don’t act so surprised
THE NEW YORK TIMES*

* Some websites may require a paid subscription

restrictions on politicking from the pulpit

Under pressure
Commonweal: Everyone knows millennials don't trust institutions. In "Kids These Days," Malcolm Harris provides an answer why.

Seeing threat to religious freedom, Jeff Sessions announces special task force
Religion News Service: Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he is creating a religious liberty task force to challenge what he called a dangerous movement "eroding our great tradition of religious freedom."

Why would a priest or seminarian not report sexual harassment by a superior?
America: James Martin, S.J., suggests six interrelated reasons for this reluctance.

As Muslim students fight for protection, some parents battle to keep Islam out of schools
PRI: School district's plan to create anti-bullying program to protect Muslim students gets pushback from parents of other students.

Congress could declaw restrictions on politicking from the pulpit -- over the objections of many churches
The Conversation: Deactivating the tax provision known as the Johnson Amendment could increase the flow of dark money, reducing accountability in campaign finance.

A summer day at St. Francis’ shrine

U.S. bishops announce novena ahead of Supreme Court confirmation battle: Novena for the Legal Protection of Human Life will be prayed each Friday between August 3 and September 28

A summer day at St. Francis’ shrine: Visitors to North Beach holy site drawn by faith, mystery, curiosity

The Rosary Runners: Parishioners at St. Peter and Paul Parish in Alta Loma gather on Saturdays to combine exercise with prayer

The Consequences of Losing Catholic Culture

The Tyranny of Reproductive “Justice”

Regis Nicoll

Ever since Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke received her fifteen minutes of fame a few years back at the congressional hearings on the Affordable Care Act, we’ve been hearing a lot about “reproductive justice.” It’s a rather queer pairing of words, don’t you think? For what does justice have to do with a basic biological […]

Msgr. Robert Batule

One of the best essayists writing today is Joseph Epstein, the long-time faculty member in the English Department of Northwestern University and the former Editor-in-Chief of The American Scholar. Over the years, Epstein’s work has appeared in numerous places—sometimes with a select readership and sometimes with a more general readership. Epstein’s essay comparing the Chicago […]

Bishop: Marriage is for life, so choose wisely

· Honduran bishops deny 'culture of homosexuality' at national seminary

The Honduran bishops' conference on Monday denied there exists a homosexual culture at the national seminary, as suggested by a recent report from the National Catholic Register.

· UK court decision will mean vulnerable patients' starvation, critic says

· Detroit celebrates the first feast of the 'approachably holy' Blessed Solanus Casey

· Cardinal Mueller: To lead in Europe, Germany must recover moral strength

· Cardinal Tobin: McCarrick's resignation necessary for accountability

· Chilean bishops meet to discuss sexual abuse scandal

· Albany bishop: Clerical sex abuse a 'profoundly spiritual crisis'

· Bishop: Marriage is for life, so choose wisely

· Pope accepts resignation of Australian archbishop convicted of not reporting abuse

· Daily Readings

· Saint of the Day

Monday, July 30, 2018

Violence diminishes the humanity of all

Why the World Cup still matters

According to the Vatican, soccer is more than just a game.

Violence diminishes the humanity of all

More violence in Gaza will only add to the anger and hopelessness of people on both sides of the border fence.

What makes something popular?

Popularity isn't how many friends you have but the mark you make on another's life.

Fasting Together

Rediscovering the ancient discipline changed my life, and the life of my church.

Katherine Callahan-Howell

I never expected to reenergize my practice of fasting by reading Harper's Magazine. It started when I spotted the cover of the March 2012 issue. It featured a three-frame illustration of an overweight, sedentary man becoming thin and active. The title of the cover story: "Starving Your Way ...

Book Review | CT Magazine

You Can’t Have Racial Justice Without a Bloody Cross

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s necessary rebuke on race rests on a sadly truncated gospel.

Daniel Darling

In 1846, the abolitionist Samuel Brooke published a book called Slavery, and the Slaveholder’s Religion; as Opposed to Christianity, in which he condemned human bondage as “the violation of every principle of human brotherhood, of natural right, of justice, of humanity, of Christianity, of love to God and to man.”

Like so many of his fellow abolitionists, Brooke wanted to prick the conscience of a religious tradition that sang songs of praise to God on Sunday and whipped slaves ...

Why the US and Turkey are fighting over a US pastor

No question, Pope Francis made history Saturday on McCarrick
Crux: Though the full meaning of Saturday's turning point will be unpacked for some time to come, here are three quick take-aways from John Allen about what it means.

Where churches have become temples of cheese, fitness and eroticism
The New York Times: After a sharp decline in attendance, dozens of churches across Quebec have been transformed -- into university reading rooms, luxury condominiums, cheese emporiums and upmarket fitness centers.

The Trump administration convenes the 'Super Bowl' of religious freedom
The Atlantic: The event has sent a strong message that the U.S. wants to spread democratic values -- if only the president will cooperate.

Knowing your neighbor's faith is path toward peace, understanding
ARDA: An Algerian journalist asked people all over the world what they would most like people to know about their faith. The recurring themes: Peace, universal love in this life and the next, mutual respect.

Why the US and Turkey are fighting over a US pastor
Vox: "Washington's been doing the right things on the Brunson case for kind of the wrong reasons," an expert says.

Losing Their Religion

William Kilpatrick

From time to time, readers of my articles will ask: “What do you want to do—go to war with 1.7 billion Muslims?” The question implies that any criticism of Islam will force the members of this “peaceful religion” to respond with massive violence. More or less the same argument was used during the Cold War. […]

Nicholas Senz

With the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy and the nomination and all-but-certain appointment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in his place, pro-lifers feel much more hope in realizing their dream: the reversal of Roe v. Wade and the deconstruction of one of the world’s most permissive and destructive abortion regimes. Yet some legal scholars argue that, […]

Amy Fahey

“Pray that I may love God more. It seems to me that if I can learn to love God more passionately, more constantly, without distractions, that absolutely nothing else can matter…. I receive Holy Communion every morning, so it ought to be all the easier for me to attain this object of my prayers. I […]

Faith is measured by one's treatment of the poor

· Bishops announce nine-week novena ahead of Supreme Court confirmation

A Novena for the Legal Protection of Human Life is being led by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catholics are being encouraged to take part ahead of the Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

· After McCarrick resigns, DC archdiocese praises abuse victims' courage

· Learning to 'love your enemy' in a Soviet labor camp

· Pope Francis: Faith is measured by one's treatment of the poor

· US bishops to honor three people with 'People of Life' award

· Texas bishop: hold McCarrick and his enablers accountable

· Wuerl was not informed about McCarrick settlements, DC letter claims

· Dozens protests in favor of abortion rights in Argentina

· Pope Francis accepts resignation of McCarrick from College of Cardinals

· Catholic counseling group in Ireland offers services to same-sex couples

· Pa. Supreme Court orders release of redacted grand jury report

· Oklahoma celebrates the first feast day of Blessed Stanley Rother

· How CRS is changing life for disabled children in Vietnam