Tuesday's News & Ideas - 5/6/2025
- Geographically diverse conclave
- Claiborne arrested at Capitol
- Popemobile given to Gaza charity
- Worldly institution of church
- RFK Jr.’s view of autistic people
- David Attenborough at 99
The conclave to choose the next pope will be the most geographically diverse in history
The Associated Press: There is no rule that cardinals electing a new pope vote a certain way according to their nationality or region. But understanding their makeup in geographic terms can help explain some of their priorities as they open the conclave Wednesday.
Shane Claiborne, four other faith activists arrested while protesting GOP budget bill
Religion News Service: “Stir the conscience of our nation. Let justice rise up on these very steps, let truth trouble the chambers of the Capitol,” Shane Claiborne said as he prayed.
Francis’s popemobile to become a mobile clinic for children in Gaza
The Guardian: The Catholic charity says the late pontiff endorsed the idea of creating a “vehicle of hope” to deliver medical aid.
The Catholic Church has always been a worldly institution
Jacobin: The extraordinary longevity of the Catholic Church could make it seem like a body that floats above the everyday world of political and economic life. In reality, the Church has always been firmly linked to structures of power and property.
Why RFK Jr. doesn’t see the image of God in autistic people
Sojourners: On Wednesday of Holy Week, while most Christians were preparing to proclaim the resurrection of Christ, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a proclamation of a different kind: “Autism destroys families.”
The Spark
David Attenborough at 99: ‘I will not see how the story ends’
The natural history presenter,* who turns 99 this week, has an obsession with sea life that began in boyhood. Here he reflects on his most moving marine encounters — and shares his optimism about the future of our oceans, The Times says.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
