It's Friday, and as always, here's your weekly roundup.
The Vatican confirmed that Cardinal Raymond Burke has been removed as head of the Vatican’s Supreme Court in order to become the patron of the Order of the Knights of Malta. Burke has been openly critical of Pope Francis’ leadership, recently saying, “Many have expressed their concerns to me … There is a strong sense that the church is like a ship without a rudder.”
Crux reports that though Pope Francis is popular in Latin America, his appeal may not be enough to stop Catholic losses across the region. According to Pew Research Center, while 84 percent of Latin American adults report they were raised Catholic, only 69 percent currently identify as Catholic.
The Board of Education in Montgomery, Alabama voted 7 to 1 to eliminate references to all religious holidays on their published 2015-2016 calendar, though schools will still close for some religious holidays like Christmas and Yom Kippur. The decision follows a request from Muslim community leaders to add the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha to the calendar. One Equality for Eid coalition leader criticized the decision, saying, “They would remove the Christian holidays and they would remove the Jewish holidays from the calendar before they would consider adding the Muslim holiday."
A new study on climate change said the number of lightning strikes should increase by 50 percent by the end of the century. And Mother Jones says: "lightning strikes are the principle cause of wildfires, which are already predicted to become more severe due to global warming. In one 24-hour period in August, lightning in Northern California started 34 wildfires."
And this seems to be a recurring thing lately: A 90-year-old man was arrested in Florida for feeding the homeless. NPR reported in October that the number of cities that have passed or introduced legislation to restrict food sharing has increased 47 percent since 2010.
Speaking of which, Sister Ann Catherine—the “Golf Cart Nun,” and mind behind Wichita’s Lord’s Diner Food Truck—will retire in December at age 93.
And now for the papal rapid fire roundup:
This week, Pope Francis:
- Wants to build showers.
- Planned a concert.
- Wrote a letter.
Before you go, we've got a question for you. Is it OK to be a cafeteria Catholic? Please read this article and take our survey.
