Wednesday’s News & Ideas - 3/18/2026

I wrote over 100 letters to my future husband. Reading them to my actual husband has been excruciating — and liberating.
HuffPost: When I was 14 years old, I wrote my first letter to My Future Husband. Over the course of six years, I wrote more than 100 similar letters, with the intent of one day sharing them with my God-ordained groom, Abigail Freshley writes.

Vatican appeals court declares mistrial in the ‘trial of the century’ against a cardinal
The Associated Press: The Vatican appeals tribunal declared a mistrial Tuesday in the Holy See’s big “trial of the century,” a stunning blow to both Pope Francis’ legacy and Vatican prosecutors who had put a cardinal and several other people on trial over alleged financial crimes.

Judge orders Texas to extend school voucher deadline in response to lawsuit from Islamic schools
The Associated Press: A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Texas to extend the application deadline for private school vouchers until March 31 due to the state’s exclusion of Islamic schools from the program.

Just war theory is back
The National Catholic Reporter: Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington, invoked just war theory in a recent interview about the war in Iran, rightly concluding that this war failed to meet several key criteria of that theory.

Vatican points to Olympic champion Lollobrigida as model of motherhood
Religion News Service: After winning two Olympic gold medals, Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida drew criticism for bringing her young son to public appearances.

The Spark

In search of Banksy
The British street artist’s identity has been debated, and closely guarded, for decades, Reuters says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers