VVEDNESDAY EDITION

What a U.S. Troop Pullout Means for Syria’s Christians

U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the partisan divide accused the president of quitting the fight to vanquish ISIS before it had been won. ☩ Joan Frawley Desmond of National Catholic Register

Springs in the Desert: Infertility, Accompaniment & Fruitfulness

In a world that simultaneously prizes an autonomy that embraces a “child-free by choice” lifestyle and indulges celebrations of baby bumps and clever “gender reveals,” it is the childless couple, longing to conceive, that often experiences “how difficult it is to live.” ☩ Kimberly Henkel, Ph.D., & Ann Koshute of Humanum

A Three-day Meeting in Rome to Do What?

(the) suggestions seem to be aimed at fixing problems and damage control after the abuse is done. They do not get to the cause of the sexual abuse itself. ☩ Fr. Regis Scanlon, O.F.M. Cap., of Crisis Magazine

Who Chose the Books of the Bible? Are the Books “Self-authenticating”?

. . .or was the Catholic Church Necessary to Define the Canon of Scripture? ☩ Steve Ray of Defenders of the Catholic Faith

Why Are There Sex Hormones in the Water?

Perhaps our society is not ready for the message that various estrogen products, not least the artificial estrogens used in hormonal birth control, are not filtered from the water we drink. . . ☩ Mary Shivanandan, S.T.L. S.T.D., of Humanum

A new year of challenges for the Church in Africa

2018 was a difficult year for the Church in Africa, and 2019—the 50th anniversary of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar—will almost certainly be another. ☩ Allen Ottaro of The Dispatch at The Catholic World Report

Those Empty Pews: Thoughts on Mass Attendance

“Once we have grasped what the Mass is, there is an exhilaration in thinking about it.” ☩ Rick Becker of National Catholic Register

Pope Francis & Mirages of Fraternity

Pope Francis’ Christmas message, clotted with the word fraternity, was such a brew of pernicious banality that it is hard to know where to start. ☩ Maureen Mullarkey of Studio Matters

Seven Spirit-Building Exercises for 2019

☩ Richard Van Kirk of Catholic Stand

Written in our chromosomes; anchored in our bodies

☩ Celia Wolf-Devine, Ph.D., of Mercatornet

Analysis: Their retreat accomplished, the U.S. bishops remain under siege

☩ J.D. Flynn, J.C.L., of CNA via Catholic Herald

A Failing Papacy

☩ R.R. Reno, Ph.D., of First Things

Why You Should Go to Rome This Winter

☩ Lyndsey Matthews of AFAR

Confession in America

In the 2013 Joseph Gordon-­Levitt romantic comedy Don Jon, the porn-obsessed title character hits the confessional, reels off his ­usual list of sins against chastity, and then cheerfully heads to the gym to pray his Hail Marys while doing pull-ups. ☩ Eve Tushnet of First Things

Sex Scandal & Cover-Up

U.S. Head of Opus Dei Confirms Misconduct Settlement Against Popular DC Priest

Opus Dei announced Monday that it had paid a settlement following accusations of misconduct against a priest of the society made in 2002. ☩ Catholic News Agency via National Catholic Register

Books

Review of The Anti-Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity, by Dr Carrie Gress

Anyone seeking to understand just how powerful and detrimental to modern society the feminist movement has been, and the reasons. for this should read this book. ☩ David Clayton of New Liturgical Movement

God & Caesar

Lawsuit Claims SPLC Abetted Theft, Spread Lies to Destroy Lawyer for ‘Thought Crime’

In December 2018, a Baltimore lawyer filed a devastating lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center & 2 of its employees. SPLC targeted Glen Keith Allen over his former ties to the National Alliance, a white nationalist group. . . ☩ Tyler O'Neil of PJ Media

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