It's not every day I get to direct readers' attention, favorably, to an item at First Things but they posted yesterday the text of a Christmas sermon by Archbishop J. Augustine DiNoia, Op, that is well worth a read.
The editors of the New York Times call on the U.S. government to do more to avert the humanitarian crisis that is afflicting the people of Puerto Rico. Their conclusion is exactly right: "Without an orderly process to restructure its debts, Puerto Rico and its creditors could be locked in years of litigation that would benefit no one and inflict intolerable hardships on millions of Americans."
I am not sure why Bishop Robert Barron, auxiliary of Los Angeles, decided to retweet this old column about Notre Dame's decision to award an honorary degree to President Obama. Bishop Barron condemns the "fetishism of dialogue." I am not sure how he thinks we are supposed to persuade anyone who does not already agree with us on this, or any other, issue, without engaging in dialogue. Certainly, Pope Francis has commended dialogue repeatedly, not only within the Church but between the Church and the culture, and among secular political, social, economic and cultural leaders.
