News & Ideas

Wednesday's News & Ideas - 10/21/2020

  • Francis on LGBTQ couples
  • Fighting for America’s ‘soul’
  • Helping the homeless vote
  • TEC reports show ‘dire’ future
  • Feucht’s worship tour
  • Saidiya Hartman’s retelling

Pope Francis calls for civil union law for same-sex couples, in shift from Vatican stance
Catholic News Agency: In a documentary that premiered Wednesday in Rome, Pope Francis called for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples, departing from the position of the Vatican’s doctrinal office and the pope’s predecessors on the issue.
The Washington Post: Pope Francis calls for civil union laws for same-sex couples*

Biden and Trump say they’re fighting for America’s ‘soul.’ What does that mean?*
The New York Times: The election has become a referendum on the soul of the nation.

How do religious groups help America’s homeless vote?
Deseret News: The lower one’s income is, the less likely they are to vote; religious leaders and faith-based charities aim to change this by helping the homeless to vote.

2019 parochial reports show continued decline and a ‘dire’ future for The Episcopal Church
Episcopal News Service: Giving increases, but membership and attendance trends are unsustainable.

Feds to let 15,000 worship on National Mall -- masks be damned
The Daily Beast: From California to Nashville, Sean Feucht has defied public health experts and local officials with his “Let Us Worship” tour -- leaving behind fear of superspreader contagion in already hard-hit areas.

The Spark

How Saidiya Hartman retells the history of Black life
The scholar’s provocative writing illuminates* stories that have long gone untold, The New Yorker says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers

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