An open letter from a Bishop Papamanolis, OFM Cap, of Greece to the four cardinals, asking them to retract their challenge to the pope and stop causing scandal. (h/t to Rocco)
At Politico, former Congressman Harold Ford is considering a job with the Trump administration? I am willing to cut Ford some leeway. I recall then-State Sen. Barack Obama's keynote address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention and saying to a friend, "Harold Ford is the unhappiest man in the world tonight." But, not this much leeway. No Democrat should be willing to serve in an administration that includes Steve Bannon.
At the NYTimes, Mark Lilla calls for liberalism to step away from its focus on group identity and return to its pursuit of the common good. This is a very important article and one that I shall return to again next week because the Catholic left can help with this task of acknowledging and even honoring identities, but also articulating a vision of the common good.
From the category "you read it at NCR first," Travel & Leisure says San Juan, Puerto Rico is the best wintertime travel destination.
In the Washington Post, a restaurant hosts unknowingly hosts a dinner for a bunch of racists and sends the profits to the ADL. I fear these kinds of stories will be common in the months and years ahead. Maintain the sense of shock. Do not let anyone normalize this hatefulness. And, bravo to the restaurant for sending the money to an organization that has done as much as any to combat racial animus.
For this holiday, an American favorite, which like so many hymns is of Welsh origins:
