Friday's News & Ideas - 1/13/2023

Dispute over abuse hotline reveals how far the SBC still has to go
Religion News Service: A group of Southern Baptist leaders is working to implement a set of reforms to respond better to sexual abuse. But many survivors still distrust them.

‘Catastrophe’: Cardinal Pell’s secret memo blasts Francis
Associated Press: Revelations emerge of the Australian prelate’s growing concern about what he considered the “disaster” and “catastrophe” of the papacy under Francis.

In Brazil, Benedict XVI’s legacy inevitably becomes political
Crux: Pope Benedict XVI’s death on December 31 was almost immediately politicized in Brazil, where the atmosphere remains charged more than two months after left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated right-winger Jair Bolsonaro.

‘He didn’t even look me in the eye’: one survivor on how George Pell chose the church over children
The Guardian: Abused by a priest as an altar boy, then re-traumatised when he tried to sue the Catholic church, John Ellis is in a unique position to assess the cardinal’s character.

Albert Reichmann, real estate mogul who aided Jewish causes, dies at 93*
The Washington Post: Reichmann was a fiercely publicity-shy mogul who helped build landmark sites — including Canary Wharf and Manhattan’s former World Financial Center.

The Spark

How should we think about our different styles of thinking?
Some people say their thought takes place in images, some in words. But our mental processes* are more mysterious than we realize, The New Yorker says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers