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| WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29 |
| A “RABBIT HOLE”? Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago says the claims made by Archbishop Vigano are a “rabbit hole.” In a TV interview with the Chicago NBC affiliate, Cupich said that the pope has “got to get on with other things, of talking about the environment and protecting migrants and carrying on the work of the Church.” Cardinal Cupich also said that critics of Pope Francis were motivated by racism. “Quite frankly, they also don’t like him because he’s a Latino.” READ |
| REVIEW BOARD CALLS FOR LAY INVESTIGATION The National Review Board, which was initiated by the U.S. bishops after the 2002 sex abuse scandal, has called for a lay investigation of all misconduct claims. “The revelations of horrific incidents of abuse in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, along with the abuse perpetrated by Archbishop McCarrick point to a systemic problem within the Church that can no longer be ignored or tolerated by the episcopacy in the United States,” they said in a statement. READ |
| ATTACKING CATHOLIC MEDIA Archbishop Gänswein, who is prefect of the Pontifical Household, denied as “fake news” the assertion as reported by The New York Times, that Benedict had “confirmed Viganò’s account.” But Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register replied: “What Archbishop Gänswein said is entirely accurate: Any assertion that the Pope Emeritus had seen the entire testimony, and confirmed it, is untrue. The Register also never reported this. What we did report, given by an inside source close to Benedict in July, was that Benedict had issued sanctions against then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick but was unable to remember their precise nature. That has not been denied.” READ |
| HEALTH CARE FOR ILLEGALS California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom wants to provide government run health care for illegal immigrants. READ |
| SENATE 2018 Democrats are worried that their dreams of retaking the Senate are slipping away because Florida Democrat Bill Nelson is “choking” in his reelection bid against Gov. Rick Scott. READ |
| RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the use of “In God We Trust” on our country’s currency. Circuit Court Judge Raymond Gruender, appointed by President George W. Bush, said the Constitution lets the government celebrate “our tradition of religious freedom,” and that putting the motto on currency “comports with early understandings of the Establishment Clause” without compelling religious observance. READ |
| REFORMING THE JUDICIARY The Senate confirmed 11 more of President Trump’s judicial nominations after Republicans struck a deal with Democrats to shorten the usual vote times, in exchange for more documents on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. READ |
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| SAINT QUOTE “In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship, but to keep her on her course.” –St. Boniface |
| SAINT OF THE DAY The martyrdom of John the Baptist is one of the most gruesome stories in the New Testament. Yet it is the story of the victory of faith and loyalty over cowardice and hate. A king makes a careless promise and does not have the courage or integrity to do the right thing when his jealous wife takes advantage. This is one of those blunt stories of what living faithfully is all about. READ |
| DAILY READINGS “Blessed are those who fear the Lord.” (Ps 128:1) READ |
| BEAUTY The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia. |