Extra, extra! News and views for May 3, 2023

A Spiritual Crisis – “By the end of a tumultuous 2020 I felt like I might be going a bit mad. It seemed to me that we were clearly living through revolutionary times: politically, ideologically, technologically, even geopolitically . . . ” Thoughts on Today’s Upheaval and Its Implications (What We Need Now)

The Taliban – “Religious oppression in Afghanistan, China, Nigeria, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka — among dozens of other nations — took center stage Monday as the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 2023 Annual Report . . . ” Religious freedom commission calls on Blinken to admonish China, Nicaragua, others (Washington Times)

Inclusive Christianity – “While neither Hungary’s Viktor Orbán nor his most prominent guest this weekend, Pope Francis, have appeared anxious to play up their differences, there’s no getting around the fact that the two men represent contrasting versions of Christianity . . . ” Competing versions of Christianity between Pope, Hungary’s Orban on display (Crux)

German Exodus – “An increasing number of practicing German Catholics don’t want to fund the local Church’s controversial trajectory in the wake of the Synodal Way; but the only way to not pay the ‘church tax’ is to officially disaffiliate from the Catholic Church in Germany — and risk losing access to the sacraments.” ‘Leaving the Church to Stay Catholic’? German Faithful Face Church Tax Dilemma (National Catholic Register)

Discarded Old Ring – “During the Mass, Stika reportedly realized that he wasn’t wearing his episcopal ring, and began asking the people to pray. He reportedly thought he might have left it at a gas station, on the way to the parish where he celebrated the Mass.” Bishop Stika’s ‘miracle’ gold ring (The Pillar)

“Detransition” – “Democrats are muscling through a bill on ‘gender-affirming care’ that they may come to regret.” Oregon’s Reckless Medicine (City Journal)

Tykocinski’s “like” List – “The chief executive officer of Thomas Jefferson University said he was ‘disappointed’ in president Mark Tykocinski’s ‘careless use’ of his Twitter account in which he ‘liked’ tweets that question the science of COVID-19 vaccines.” Thomas Jefferson president ‘should have known better,’ says the CEO in a note to the system’s community (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Defending Mr. Carlson – “The whole world is commenting on and speculating about the abrupt departure of former Fox commentator Tucker Carlson from that network.” The Crime of “Talking to Tucker Carlson” (Outspoken with Dr Naomi Wolf)

Criticizing Catholic Teaching? – “But is capital punishment different?  Are papal prudential judgments on that topic binding on Catholics in a way prudential judgments about the application of just war theory are not?” The Catechism and Capital Punishment: A Reply to Annett (Edward Feser)

The Immaculata – After a fire burned down the original Immaculata of the Society of St. Pius X in St. Marys in 1978 the church began fundraising efforts to build a new facility which is set to open its doors for its first service the first week of May. 45 Years in the Making: Consecration set for new Catholic church in St. Marys (13 WIBW)

Soft Imperialism – The State Department in Washington DC provide funding for “civil society” groups in Hungary, for example. Such groups are actively seeking to overturn Orbán’s heavy restrictions on LGBT campaigning and activism. Why Pope Francis chose Hungary for his speech on ‘ideological colonisation’ (Catholic Herald)

Over 190 Catholic Sites – “Starting with the unrest in many American cities in May of 2020, criminals have attacked more than 190 Catholic sites, mostly churches and even a few schools, and often committing multiple crimes.” A Lutheran Plea to End the Attack on Roman Catholic Churches (National Catholic Register)

Corvada, New Mexico – “The fight is on to save historic structures with elaborate altarpieces honoring santos, or saints, threatened by depopulation, dwindling congregations and costs.” New Mexico Spanish descendants work to preserve 400-year-old adobe churches (NBC News)

(*The posting of any particular news item or essay is not an endorsement of the content and perspective of said news item or essay.)

Catholic World Report