Happy Friday! As always, your weekly roundup:
In a long-sought victory for the gay rights movement, the Supreme Court ruled today that the Constitution guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriage.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev apologized in court Wednesday for “the suffering that I’ve caused” in the April 2013 attack that killed three people and wounded hundreds. “I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering that I’ve caused you, for the damage that I’ve done — irreparable damage,” he said, breaking more than two years of public silence. “If there is any lingering doubt, let there be no more. I did it, along with my brother,” Tsarnaev said, referring to the bombings carried out by him and older brother Tamerlan. “I ask Allah to have mercy on me, my brother and my family."
Churches just got a new way to figure out who is sleeping in on Sunday morning: facial recognition software that scans the congregation and tracks who showed up. Churchix is a product of Skakash LLC, which sells similar software to law enforcement, border control, and commercial applications. According to CEO Moshe Greenshpan, 30 churches have already deployed the new software and service, which could be used to target members who need a nudge or to identify potential major donors among those who attend faithfully.
California lawmakers approved one of the toughest mandatory vaccination requirements in the nation, moving to end exemptions from state immunization laws based on religious or other personal beliefs. This measure, among the most controversial taken up by the Legislature this year, would require more children who enter day care and school to be vaccinated against diseases including measles and whooping cough.
The tiny Spanish village of Castrillo Matajudios—which means "Camp Kill Jews"—officially changed its name back to Castrillo Mota de Judios ("Jews' Hill Camp") following a referendum and regional government approval. The village, with about 50 inhabitants, voted to change the name in 2014 after the mayor argued that the term was offensive and that the village should honor its Jewish origins.
In the wake of the Charleston murders, pastors around the country are starting to get training in firearms.
And now for the papal rapid fire roundup
This week, Pope Francis:
- said you can tell how trustworthy a pastor is based on how much he talks
- recognized Palestine as a state
- said that maybe there's forgiveness in the church for divorced couples
- asks for belated forgiveness
