Links for 09/30/15 | National Catholic Reporter

Links for 09/30/15 | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: I am not sure Silk is correct in his analysis that the Pope's have never addressed politics.  Any affirmation of the unions or of social welfare seems to imply some kind of politics, and politics for people at that.  I liked how this Pope talked about campaign finance reform as something essential.  Whether he met with Kim Davis or not, it would been nice if he had met with Senator Sanders.  Of course, politics has its limits and Francis does not seem to realize how these work in the United States - where rights are not determined legislatively but are constitutionalized, with the rights the Church does not agree with existing beyond the political process.



Thanks to Dominguez and Durazo for highlighting why the Pope's comments are entirely relevant.



Woodcock Tentler offers an interesting contrast of the Catholic Church of the nineteenth century, where the imperial papacy still had its probably just reactions, to now where pluralism and freedom of thought, as least poliltically, is heralded - although in the Church discussions of voting for bishops, ordaining women and dealing with abortion in the U.S. with a more realistic constitutional understanding - but I suspect the Pope may know of these shortcomings.  Even if he isn't, how these issues play out will force he and the bishops to do so and they will find, though we cheer him as heartily as we cheer British royals, that the people in the pews will be the ones demanding a new mindset on these issues and attitudes.