Let's just jump right in, shall we?
How do you solve a problem like Syria?
If you are the POTUS, the answer to that question seems to involve off-shore surface-to-air Tomahawk missiles. Some people prefer that the U.S. would step up humanitarian aid. The Senate foreign relations committee, in a 10-7 vote (with one "present vote), passed authorization for the limited use of force in Syria following an alleged chemical weapon attack on civilians (including children) delivered from the Assad regime. See Bryan Cones' comments on that whole situation here.
Of course, during these serious conversations about serious things, Senator McCain was caught playing poker on his phone! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Pope Francis has weighed in on the escalating global Syrian conflict. Last week Thursday, Pope Francis and King Abdullah II of Jordan said that the only solution to end the conflict in Syria was to engage in dialogue. Then again this Thursday, Pope Francis reiterated his position for peace, stating that military intervention in Syria would be futile.
Speaking of Pope Francis, he's been getting on the phone lately with people you would not necessarily expect a pope to call. A teenage boy. A victim of rape. This week, he called a woman who was dumped by her fiance after she became pregnant. She told the pope that she would like to have her child baptized, but did not know if any pastor would agree to do it, because she had already been divorced once and became pregnant out of wedlock. Francis assured her that she would find someone, and continued, "But if not, you know there's always me."
Pope Francis is so beloved that there is already a biopic in the works.
After a two-week hiatus, the Colbert Report is back on the air, and this week, Cardinal Dolan made an appearance. He and Colbert talked about Pope Francis, the papal conclave, and the name that Cardinal Dolan would choose if he were elected pope. The response? Stephen.
Speaking of Cardinal Dolan, he recently told a group of Catholics in Milwaukee that the reason people are leaving the church is because people are nauseated by the sinful behavior of some of the clergy.
Speaking of nauseated, Dennis Rodman is back in North Korea, visiting his good friend Kim Jong-un. He is not going to lobby for the release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary who has been jailed there since late last year after being detained on North Korean soil. He's just going there to… hang out?
In New Mexico, the state's 33 counties have asked the highest court in the state to make a formal ruling as to whether the counties should/can be issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. After the Supreme Court decision to strike down DOMA, eight counties in New Mexico decided to start issuing licenses, as there is nothing in state law that either prohibits or allows same-sex couples to marry in the state.
In the art world, Stephanie Gonot has created a series called "Fad diets" which illustrates exactly what you think it does. The Master Cleanse, the Hollywood grapefruit diet, and the baby food diet are all portrayed in this series.
Be sure to check out our new feature, "Better know a parish." Fill out the form and you might find your parish featured on our website!
That's it for now. Have a great weekend!
