Extra, extra! News and views for Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Other Catholic Classics – “If we want eighteen-year-olds to have a sufficient Catholic formation, teachers should assign more readings that foster a historical understanding of the faith, a ‘Big Picture’ or ‘Grand Narrative’ of the Catholic past. Books that Should be Assigned Reading in Catholic Schools (First Things)

Skipping Al Smith Dinner – “Kamala Harris is skipping the Al Smith dinner, a Catholic Charities fundraising event hosted by the archbishop of New York at which the two presidential candidates traditionally attend … ” Kamala Harris Snubs Catholics (National Review)

Media’s Ideological Biases – “The Biden-Harris administration has gone all-in on the increasingly unpopular DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) campaigns.” The Media As Stenographers for the Ruling Class (The European Conservative)

Growth of Homeschooling – “The Diocese of San Diego made headlines this week, when The Pillar reported a new diocesan policy forbidding homeschool groups from meeting at parishes within the diocese.” Homeschool and the Church’s future (The Pillar)

Truth, Goodness, and Beauty – “The linchpin connecting its variegated topics is Patitsas’s claim that the West has elevated Truth and Goodness above what was once understood to be their co-equal transcendental: Beauty. ” Up From Hell: Timothy G. Patitsas’s The Ethics of Beauty (Front Porch Republic)

Not Just for Old White Men – “The [Folio Society] publishing house is booming thanks to sci-fi and fantasy novels – and a love of artisanal editions” TikTok meets Tolkien: how the Folio Society attracted gen Z readers (The Guardian)

Expelled for Criticizing Vatican Policies – “Why is the Vatican authorizing the expulsion of members from a lay association, without charging them with any canonical crime? And why is an American archdiocese questioning actions announced by the Peruvian episcopal conference? Something extraordinary is happening here.” Why did the Vatican punish a Catholic journalist? (Catholic Culture)

Meeting about Meetings – “As the three-year synodal process on synodality for a synodal Church limps into its final three weeks of meetings in Rome, even poking fun at it has become a bit tedious.” The Infernal Synod on Synodality (First Things)

A Controversial Convent – “Along with his wife Julie, Gonzaga’s President Thayne McCulloh is listed as a board member of the Friends of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington, which in April became the legal title holder for the Carmelite Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity.” Gonzaga president on board of Arlington nuns’ non-profit (The Pillar)

The SCV Expulsions – “Something is deeply wrong with Rome’s latest treatment of the SCV. And unless that changes, this complicated pontificate—whatever its other strengths—will be held accountable.” Rome, The SCV, and Accountability (First Things)

(*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