Category Archives: Church & State

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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Pope Francis: Seeing What He Wants To See

Pope Francis on Good Friday: The Guardian: Pope Francis decried what he called Europe’s “indifferent and anaesthetised conscience” over refugees, during Good Friday prayers in Rome during which he also criticised pedophile priests, arms dealers and fundamentalists. Tens of thousands … Continue reading

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The Vatican and Brexit

The Roman Catholic Church has always been somewhat suspicious of the nation-state, an institution it regards as an obstacle to its own claims of universal authority, so this story from the Daily Telegraph comes as no surprise: The Vatican wants … Continue reading

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Free Speech is not a ‘European Value’

The Local (Spain): [Three Spanish feminists] are facing charges for crimes against religion for mimicking Spain’s Easter processions – replacing the Virgin Mary with a giant plastic vagina. Three women who carried a giant plastic vagina during a march to … Continue reading

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Jerry Brown Gets It Right

Credit where’s credit is due: I am not exactly a member of the Jerry Brown fan club, but the California Governor’s decision to sign his state’s cautiously drafted assisted suicide law (perhaps too cautiously: to take one example, those with … Continue reading

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Towards a more Balkanized America: Kim Davis & The Flight Attendant

While there is something more than a little unattractive about the relish with which the jailing of Kim Davis, the errant county clerk (a Democrat, as it happens) unwilling to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples, has been celebrated … Continue reading

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The Encyclical – Old Nonsense in New (Green) Clothing

Writing in Reason, Brendan O’Neill takes a more secular look at the Pope’s eco-encyclical: Here’s an extract: [W]hat will be the end result of our wicked urge to own things? Mayhem, of course. All the pollution produced in the making … Continue reading

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John Fisher, Again

Writing in The American Conservative, Rod Dreher refers, by implication approvingly, to St. John Fisher, “the English Catholic bishop who went to his death rather than conform to the king’s dictates.” Say what you will, but Fisher was no defender … Continue reading

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Jamila Bey at CPAC

Atheist Group Makes CPAC Debut: Jamila Bey is a mom, a business owner, a Pittsburgh native—and a board member of the group American Atheists. She also, apparently, identifies as conservative. After introducing herself to the crowd, Bey used her three-minute … Continue reading

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Against Sauron, Mini-Skirts and Alien/Devil Confusion

Take some superstition, throw in a hint of xenophobia and add a savvy PR touch… USA Today: MOSCOW — Russian fans of the writer J.R.R. Tolkien were disappointed Wednesday after a local art group abandoned plans to install a flaming … Continue reading

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