Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was prominent in the Church’s response to the clergy sex abuse crisis the United States. That was early days in the crisis. Pope John Paul II was pope, and the Vatican was still sniffing and tutting and dismissing the scandal as an overheated “American problem.” Former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating was asked to head the lay oversight commission. Governor Keating had been an FBI agent, and was a former state senator who served with me the... Read more
Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered and I will turn my hand against the little ones. Zechariah. You will all fall away. For it is written, strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. Jesus Christ The evidence is piling up that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is a long-standing sexual predator. It appears that this was an open secret inside upper-level Church circles, but the boys in black kept mum and covered for him. Evidently, at least one... Read more
They’re itty bitty as moons go. A couple of them have even been called “irregular.” But they are there and we’ve found ’em. Jupiter has 10 new moons that nobody knew about before. From Science: Jupiter’s orbital family has just rapidly expanded, with scientists today announcing the discovery of 10 new miniature moons around the gas giant. That brings its total known satellites to 79, the most in the solar system. The new moons, pictured as circles above, were discovered... Read more
I’m taking today off for prayer. The clergy sex abuse scandal has left me needing a spiritual fill-up. Read more
A move financed and pushed by a persistent California billionaire has finally made it onto the November ballot. This is the third attempt by venture capitalist Tim Draper to get his idea of dividing California into several smaller states onto the ballot for a vote of the people. His earlier petition attempts, which would have called for a vote to divide the state into six smaller states, failed to meet signature requirements. The version which will be voted on in... Read more
The America/Korea Summit came and went in a flash. The result was a letter of agreement (which was obviously mostly drafted in advance) between the two nations. So far as I can see — and this is a very quick take — what we really gained was a better relationship with North Korea. The major benefit to the American people in this agreement is that war is now off the table. The rest of it is a letter of intent... Read more
Fashion designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain committed suicide this week. Both of them chose the painful and often slow method of hanging themselves to end their lives, and both of them left young daughters behind to deal with what their parents had done. I cannot fathom how someone with children could kill themselves. I remember when my first baby was born. I prayed prayers of gratitude almost nonstop for the first two days of my precious newborn’s life.... Read more
Pope Francis’ prayer intention for June is prayer for inclusive social networks. From Vatican News: The Internet is a gift of God, but it is also a great responsibility. Communication technology, its places, its instruments have brought with it a lengthening of horizons, a widening, for so many people. It can offer immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. May the digital network not be a place of alienation. May it be a concrete place, a place rich in humanity. Let... Read more
First Amendment protections of religious freedom were affirmed in a narrowly drafted decision today. The decision is a welcome move by the Court. But we should not confuse it with a landmark of any sort. The Court rejected the state of Colorado’s attempt to force Jack Phillips, owner operator of Masterpiece Bakeshops to bake a wedding cake with a congratulatory message on it for a same-sex wedding. This is good news for those of us who support separation of Church... Read more
We lost the vote on legal abortion in Ireland. In fact, we lost by a landslide. The vote was more than 2 to 1 to legalize abortion. I don’t know anything about the inner workings of how the vote shaped up. To know that, you must be on the ground with that intuitive understanding of the people who are voting which some people call “political instinct.” Polls won’t tell you what really happened. I also don’t know anything about Irish... Read more
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