Where the Rubber Hits the Road

Joe Biden reportedly denied Communion at a South Carolina church because of his stance on abortion - The Washington Post

Dechristianity by the numbers | Damian Thompson | Standpoint :

Three reasons the narrative of rapid secularization is incomplete. Opinion | The Overstated Collapse of American Christianity - The New York Times :

Synod-2019 cast in sharp relief the grave doctrinal and theological issues facing the Church. LETTERS FROM THE SYNOD-2019: #9 | Xavier Rynne II | First Things :

The plan seeks to address a priest shortage in the Amazon region. But it touches on core traditions of the church. Roman Catholic bishops propose opening priesthood to married deacons in the Amazon region - The Washington Post :

When Canada's medical assistance in dying law was passed in 2016, the widespread assumption was that it excluded those with a dementia diagnosis. But Gayle Garlock decided to challenge that assumption and to test the limits of the law. B.C. man is one of the first Canadians with dementia to die with medical assistance | CBC Radio :

Dutch EAS doctors use past statements to determine what demented patients want. Researchers cast spotlight on euthanasia for dementia in the Netherlands :

The journal Nature has been following Rebrikov’s experiments closely. BioEdge: Russian biologist still plans to edit human genome :

BioEdge: Texas divorce case opposes two views of child transgenders :

What the Pew Survey Reveals About Belief in the Real Presence. Lack of Eucharistic Belief: Faithful Affected by Secularism’s Strong Pull :

Participant says debate on ordination distracted synod from more important issues

New complaint filed against Indianapolis archdiocese in gay marriage case

François Ozon's coolly devastating drama 'By the Grace of God' follows survivors of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest in Lyon, France. Review: 'By the Grace of God' explores France's Catholic Church scandal - Los Angeles Times :

About the election, three observations: one about history, another about campaigns, and the third about religion. Losing Our Faith in Political History by Raymond J. de Souza - Convivium Magazine :

Charles Lewis: When does a baby become an ‘it’? :

John XXIII knew that the Church’s evangelical mission would only meet the needs of the day if it were anchored in the ancient, abiding truths bequeathed to it. The Ideological Hijacking of Pope St. John XXIII | George Weigel | First Things :

Final synod document expected to mention female deacons - Religion News Service

'Border Church' and 'Border Mosque' team up for prayer service - Religion News Service

It made a great difference to the future of Christianity that the first Christians turned left rather than right when leaving the Holy Land on mission. Letters From the Synod-2019: #8 | Xavier Rynne II | First Things :

LETTERS FROM THE SYNOD-2019: #7 | Xavier Rynne II | First Things :

Leaked documents detail $200 million Vatican deal for swanky London property :

One could make the argument that the Vatican II figure to whom Pope Francis is closest actually isn’t John XXIII but rather Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro of Bologna, Italy, the council’s leading apostle of the “option for the poor.” Vatican II's forgotten apostle of the poor stages comeback at Amazon synod :

Click to Pray eRosary: Vatican releases 'official prayer app of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network' - The Washington Post :

 Judging from Friday’s reports, the Oct. 6-27 Synod on the Amazon, there’s overwhelming consensus on most points, such as Pope Francis’s call for an “integral ecology.” Yet even within that climate of basic harmony, there were also scattered notes of dissent on two hot-button questions: Married priests and women deacons. Amazon synod reports support, dissent on married priests and women deacons :

The conversation at Synod-2019 drinks more deeply from the wells of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Margaret Mead than from the living waters of biblical revelation. Letters From the Synod-2019: #6 | Xavier Rynne II | First Things :

If the Catholic Church were Microsoft or Walmart, it would have implemented a plan a long time ago to shift personnel to where its markets are growing. Instead, it’s effectively doing the opposite. In synod's married priests debate, somebody finally names elephant in the room :

The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip, with both Protestantism and Catholicism experiencing losses of population share. In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace | Pew Research Center :

Contrary to both traditionalist and progressive misconceptions, Catholicism was not a placid institution, free of controversy and contention, prior to Vatican II. Historical Clarity and Today’s Catholic Contentions | George Weigel | First Things :

Letters From the Synod–2019: #5 | Xavier Rynne II | First Things :

Peddling the idea that any Christian pro-life group has the will to undemocratically infiltrate our government is irresponsible journalism. Barbara Kay: Stop the conspiracy theories about Canadian Catholics in government | National Post :

Pope Francis continues to champion the importance of science in our world. Having the head of the Catholic Church support various scientific movements is a win for us all. Pope Francis and the Catholic church continue to look towards science, and that can only be a good thing :

New “secret” documents expose Justin Trudeau’s role in barring children’s camps from Canada Summer Jobs grants - Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms | Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms :

To give Alzheimer’s patient Mary Wilson the death she sought, her physicians had to make a tough decision in a short time – and risked going to prison if they got it wrong. Now they’ve been cleared of wrongdoing in a decision that could have wide-reaching implications for tens of thousands of Canadians. Wide reaching implications indeed! This is another step down that infamous 'slippery slope' diminishing the value of life. Why? Because with this decision life has now been reduced to one's cognitive capabilities. That should worry all Canadians a great deal imho. Alas though, I doubt that it will. From dementia to medically assisted death: A Canadian woman’s journey, and the dilemma of the doctors who helped - The Globe and Mail :

Vatican Inculturation Document Sets Limits on Amazonian Rite Proposal :

Bishop José Luís Azcona is among the minority of Brazilian prelates to raise concerns about the synod, calling the Vatican meeting’s preparatory document “weak and inconsistent.” Lonely voice in Brazilian episcopate speaks against synod document :

Pope says Newman an example of everyday sainthood at canonization Mass :

Domenico Giani resigned after being unable to identify the source of a leak of a confidential Vatican security notice connected to ongoing financial investigations. Head of Vatican security resigns following news leak connected to internal financial investigation | America Magazine :

Letters From the Synod–2019: #4 | Xavier Rynne II | First Things :

Book review: "Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World" | Entertainment | roanoke.com :

Why are young men still choosing to become Catholic priests? It’s a fair enough question to ask any trainee priest in the current Australian climate: who, today, is choosing to devote their entire lives to the Catholic Church? Catholic Church: Why young men are still choosing to be priests :

Bishop Barron on St. John Henry Newman :

Why the Catholic Church’s new saint John Henry Newman is surprisingly relevant in a Pope Francis era - The Washington Post :

The Dark Side of the Dallas Charter | Thomas G. Guarino | First Things

Cardinal Newman a saint for the modern age, expert says

Think You're Catholic? Let This Checklist Confirm It – EpicPew

Catholics are growing dispirited by a Church that increasingly presents itself as a global NGO whose primary concerns are political rather than spiritual. Letters From the Synod–2019: #2 | Xavier Rynne II | First Things :

Catholicism and modernity, reconsidered and “renarrativized” – Catholic World Report

10 Ways We Can Heal a Wounded Church :

Synod's day one features ecology, married priests, an Amazon rite and blowback :

Archeologists say they have found a 5,000-year-old city in Israel | CTV News :

Letters From the Synod-2019: #1 | Xavier Rynne II | First Things :

'Daring Prudence'? That's one of those oxymorons like 'Jumbo Shrimp'. It will be interesting to see how the Synod responds to such a confusing paradigm to work out. Pope Francis Prays for ‘Daring Prudence’ During Amazon Synod :

Catholic Church: Leaner, but Not in Decline - WSJ

BOOK REVIEW: 'The Irony of Modern Catholic History' - Washington Times :

Vatican gathering on the Amazon stirs backlash over debate on allowing married priests - The Washington Post

Vatican Raid on Secretariat of State a Portent of Things to Come?

Think You're Catholic? Let This Checklist Confirm It – EpicPew

Cardinal Marc Ouellet Defends Priestly Celibacy Ahead of Pan-Amazon Synod

Bishop Barron: What I learned talking with thousands of skeptics on Reddit

"At the Vatican on Wednesday, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced authoritarian regimes and autocrats, naming Cuba, Iran, China and Syria as the roots of religious repression, because they fail to acknowledge a power higher than their own." I was with him until he said Iran. Maybe someone should explain the good Secretary that Iran is a full-fledged theocracy! It's because they believe that their God is the higher than the non-Islamic nations that they have organized their country into a 20/21st century version of 'Christendom' - a worldview long eschewed  by the Christian faith. Such theocracies are in dire need of their own 'Enlightenment' if they truly want to respect the full panoply of human rights and freedoms that exist in most of the world today. At Vatican, Pompeo says authoritarian regimes see God as a threat :

The Model New Evangelization Bishop | George Weigel | First Things :