Author Archives: Andrew Stuttaford

“Paris Vaut Bien Une Messe”

Politico: Trump met with hundreds of evangelical leaders in New York earlier this week, and while some well-known figures — such as Liberty University’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr. — have endorsed the candidate, others are more hesitant to do so. … Continue reading

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The GOP: Losing Its Religion?

Writing in the Washington Post, E.J. Dionne ‘worries’ that GOP may be losing its religion Some extracts: But especially among Republicans, religious issues have taken a back seat in the party’s discourse and religious leaders are playing a diminished role … Continue reading

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Thomas Becket, Defender of Religious Privilege

Accompanied by somewhat morbid spectacle, a fragment of the elbow (!)  of Thomas Becket  (1118-70), an Archbishop of Canterbury who came to a rather sticky end, has been briefly returned to England. The BBC reports: A bone believed to be … Continue reading

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Doubt as Sin.

In the course of reading around a story about how the Portland Public Schools board has unanimously approved a resolution aimed at “eliminating doubt” about climate change and its causes in schools, I came across this quote  from Nietzsche (It’s … Continue reading

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Smashing The Spirit Level

The Guardian: When Morgan Maguire was growing up, she struggled to find a role model. As a young Catholic schoolgirl in Hanover, Pennsylvania, she was often teased about her love of history and scary stories, and when it came to … Continue reading

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Rome, Brussels and Ventotene

Cross-posted on the Corner: Writing in Britain’s Catholic Herald, Ed West reports on the attitude taken by the Vatican to Brexit. I touched on this last week in a discussion on the award to the Pope of the Charlemagne prize, … Continue reading

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The Pope, the EU and the Charlemagne Prize

Cross-posted on the Corner One thing about this pope: When it comes to political matters, he has an unerring ability to be on the wrong side of the issue. Vatican Radio: Pope Francis on Friday received the International Charlemagne Prize of … Continue reading

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Freeloading and Virtue-Signaling: Roman Catholic Opposition to ‘Just War’ Theory

National Catholic Reporter: VATICAN CITY The participants of a first-of-its-kind Vatican conference have bluntly rejected the Catholic church’s long-held teachings on just war theory, saying they have too often been used to justify violent conflicts and the global church must … Continue reading

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Francis & Bernie: Two Demagogues Meet

Crux: ROME (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said in an interview with The Associated Press that he met with Pope Francis, describing the meeting as a “real honor.” Sanders said the meeting took place Saturday morning before the … Continue reading

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Eostre Debunked?

The Guardian (from 2011): Did you know that Easter was originally a pagan festival dedicated to Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, whose consort was a hare, the forerunner of our Easter bunny? Of course you did. Every year the … Continue reading

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