Daily Links, April 30: Dissenters, discrimination claims, and drinking while you worship

A tense situation has erupted in the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin between priests and parishioners in one parish. Now Madison Bishop Robert Morlino is warning the dissenters to call it off or face harsh penalties.

There’s also been a lot of controversy in Catholic schools lately. Teachers in Ohio and in Indiana have recently been fired over their decision to use artificial means of conception to have children. Then a Pennsylvania Catholic high school told a student she wasn’t welcome at the prom because she didn’t have a date. Baltimore Sun columnist Susan Reimer wonders what is going on.

Lest we forget about the bishops’ “religious liberty” campaign, Mathew Schmalz at the Washington Post considers what might happen if the fight goes all the way to the Supreme Court and what might be a better way to generate useful dialog about the issue.

John Allen at NCR is wondering whether Pope Benedict XVI is starting to look more like the Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of old based on some recent decisions to come out of Rome.

Meanwhile people are talking about who might be Benedict’s successor. Some think it could be Canadian Cardinal Marc Oullet, but he doesn’t see himself fitting in the role.

And here’s something that would never work in the Catholic Church: A Tulsa, Oklahoma church is holding services at a local bar. Then again, their services might just be a variation on something the Catholic Church has already done, Theology on Tap.

Finally, a programming note: Most of our staff will be attending a conference over the next few days, so content on the site will be limited to our daily news posts. Regular content should resume on Thursday.

About the author

Scott Alessi

Scott Alessi is a former managing editor of U.S. Catholic.