At the Wanderer, Cardinal Raymond Burke speaks about the synod on the family and says part of the final report is "deceptive." What he means, of course, is that the synod fathers discerned something different in Familiaris Consortio from what he discerned. Why that is "deceptive" I do not know. I do know that however good or bad the cardinal is at discerning the intricacies of canon law, he is here discerning the intentions of other people, and doing so with a view towards painting those motives in the most unfavorable light. We expect that from a controversialist but not from a cardinal.
NCR's fan club at the Lepanto Insitute is at it again. As their name suggests, this is not exactly a group that has caught the Pope Francis breeze. But, it was kind of them to list all the many interviews NCR has had with members of the hierarchy. They may hate us, but they have to admit that we get more attention from the hierarchy than they do. I wonder why that is?
At Commonweal, a thoughtful article by Cathleen Kaveny on how the law shapes our values, and vice versa. I hope Kaveny will address the concept of sanctuary, which seems to bear on a lot of the Church vs. State issues we face, as well as the immediate issue of protecting refugees from the violence in Central America from being deported back to that violence.
Let's end the week with a "feel good" video: Check out the reaction of Carole King when Aretha Franklin sings one of her songs at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. Just beautiful.
