Really?  Chelsea Clinton claims she left a Baptist church as a child because they started talking about abortion in Sunday when she was just six years old. Chelsea made the comment at a recent fundraiser for her mother Hillary Clinton in an attempt to address evangelicals who question her mother’s faith in God and secular voters who say she’s too religious, according to The New York Post. A Democrat shared Chelsea’s speech with a Post reporter who did not specify where... Read more

From Ash Wednesday (of course). Not sure how that played with the electorate. According to the most recent figures, South Carolina is only about 9% Catholic—tying for  43rd among the “most Catholic states” in the country. Read more

Well, I saw it Tuesday night, and found it moving and inspiring. The Washington Post notes: Chances are you didn’t see John Kasich’s speech after he finished second in the New Hampshire Republican primary on Tuesday night. The Ohio governor took the stage after brighter lights like Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders had already spoken. But, if you did miss it, you shouldn’t. It was the best speech of the night — an emotional call to action for... Read more

It always surprises me that this very small sacrifice is treated like something extraordinary. The guidelines:  Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may also be taken, but not to equal a... Read more

From The White House:  Today, Michelle and I join our fellow Christians in marking Ash Wednesday.  Lent is a season of reflection, repentance and renewal, a time to rededicate ourselves to God and one another.  We remember the sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ.  We pray for all those who suffer, including those Christians who are subjected to unspeakable violence and persecution for their faith.  And we join millions here at home and around the world in giving thanks for... Read more

This didn’t get much attention when it was announced yesterday, but this seems significant to me: The director of the new theological-pastoral department of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications is Natasa Govekar, a theologian who specializes in the communication of faith through images. The Vatican announced Pope Francis’ nomination of Govekar, a Slovenian, Feb. 9. At the same time, the pope named Francesco Masci, a 37-year-old official at the Vatican Internet Office, to direct the secretariat’s technical office. The communications... Read more

From The New York Times:  “Henry VIII will be spinning in his grave!” said the headline in The Daily Mail, a British tabloid. Hampton Court Palace, where the Tudor king, Henry, broke off ties with the papacy in 1530 just to divorce his first wife and marry his mistress — with whom he was besotted and whom he later beheaded — on Tuesday held its first Roman Catholic service in more than 450 years. During the service, held in the... Read more

A significant piece of history was made Tuesday: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) may or may not make history as the first self-described democratic socialist to win a major party’s nomination, but he already notched a famous first on Tuesday night, becoming the first Jewish candidate — and the first non-Christian — to win a presidential primary. Sanders has been projected to easily beat Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary, just nine days after coming in a close second in... Read more

Most of us know it as “Mardi Gras,” but the ancient title of “Shrove Tuesday” still sticks. Wikipedia explains: Shrove Tuesday (known in some countries as Pancake Tuesday) is a day in February or March preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), which is celebrated in some countries by consuming pancakes. In others, especially those where it is called Mardi Gras or some translation thereof, this is a carnival day, and also the last day of “fat eating” or... Read more