Thursday's News & Ideas - 12/14/2023

The pope says he wants to be buried in the Rome basilica, not in the Vatican
The Associated Press: Pope Francis says he wants to be buried in the Rome basilica of St. Mary Major, not in the grottoes of the Vatican like other popes, so he can be near his favorite icon of the Madonna.

Far-right Polish politician puts out menorah with fire extinguisher*
The Washington Post: A white haze filled the air of Poland’s Parliament in Warsaw after a right-wing lawmaker extinguished the candles of a menorah Tuesday after it had been lit in celebration of Hanukkah.

How Trump netted evangelical votes in Iowa, with help from a young Christian operative
Reuters: Evangelical voters make up more than half of the Republican electorate in Iowa, whose population is around 90% white.

China’s Christian population appears to have stopped growing after rising rapidly in the 1980s and ’90s
Pew Research Center: The Chinese government banned religion during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and ’70s. And although Christianity and other religions bounced back in the 1980s and ’90s as restrictions were lifted, the size of China’s Christian population now appears to have leveled off.

Abilene Christian University to revisit sexuality policy after ‘Holy Sexuality Week’
Religion News Service: Over 2,000 students, alumni and friends of the university signed a letter claiming the event included one-sided, exclusionary messages about LGBTQ people.

The Spark

We’re all addicted to cheap stuff — and Temu knows it
The new shopping site came from seemingly nowhere and is changing the way we shop, Vox says.

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