News & Ideas

Thursday's News & Ideas - 2/20/2020

  • Democrats lost white Christians
  • Vatican summit did little on abuse
  • Abyssinian pastor on Bloomberg
  • Pius XII archives opening
  • Decriminalizing polygamy
  • Who runs Honduras?

Democrats lost white Christians. Can they win them back?
Religion News Service: Trump's success with white Christians, both evangelical and mainline, outpaces most other Republican presidential candidates in recent memory.

Little progress since Vatican's sexual abuse summit, say activists
The Guardian: Pope yet to implement crucial reforms to canon law one year on from summit.

Their pastor endorsed Bloomberg. Some Harlem congregants say that was a mistake
Gothamist: Explaining his continued loyalty to Bloomberg, Reverend Calvin Butts, the pastor at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, told Politico: “He used his money, which is one of the reasons I continue to support him, to express his sincerity.”

Pius XII faces moment of truth as opening of Vatican archives nears
Crux: For years controversy surrounding the figure of Pope Pius XII has been a sore point for the Holy See, but Vatican will be seeking to set the record straight when the archives open the doors to researchers who will scrutinize all documentation related to the World War II-era pope.

Utah senate unanimously moves to decriminalize polygamy
Reuters: Sponsor says bill would help otherwise law-abiding polygamists gain access to critical services, but critics say polygamy is harmful.

The Spark

Pay or die
MS-13 and 18th Street gangsters want to run Honduras.* Cutting off American aid isn’t going to stop them, The New York Times says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers

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