Let's get this out of the way. The government is still shut down. But let's talk about some of the other things that happened this week. This is your weekly roundup.
For example, Supreme Court Justice and somewhat famous Catholic Antonin Scalia gave a rather extensive interview with NY Magazine that was published this week. Topics up for discussion: the pope, originalism, the devil, and the gays. Read some excerpts from the interview here.
Speaking of the Supreme Court, they are back in session, despite the… thing we're not discussing today. On the docket this year are issues like affirmative action, freedom of speech and religion, and presidential power among other things.
One thing the court will not hear is the Virginia appeal over the state's sodomy law. The state's attorney general and republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli had been pushing to have the state's sodomy laws reinstated in the state.
An old-ish Supreme Court case has finally come to a resolution. Dusten Brown, the biological father of Baby Veronica, has decided to not pursue any further litigation. Therefore, Veronica's adoptive parents will retain full custody. Brown made a tearful and heartbreaking statement informing the world of his decision, and he also spoke directly to Baby Veronica, telling her that he would always love her and she would always be welcome in his home.
Also in Washington, one entertaining aspect of the unnamed crisis has been the Congressional chaplain, Barry C. Black. He has called on God to "Save us from the madness." And all God's people say "Amen." You can see a full profile of Chaplain Black here.
Another response of some religious groups to the crisis-that-shall-not-be-named has been a "faithful filibuster." A small group of faith leaders gathered outside the Capitol and read 2,000 verses from the Bible that mention the poor and vulnerable.
Scott Carpenter, an astronaut and the second American to orbit the earth, died on Thursday at the age of 88. He only went into space once, and then only for about 5 hours. But when he returned to Earth, he became a U.S. Senator for Ohio.
In Minnesota, the police are reopening a case that they thought closed. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is once again under investigation after new documents have surfaced in a child pornography case that had been filed against Father Jonathan Shelley.
In Poland, Bishop Jozef Michalik made the claim that sex abuse is caused primarily be divorce. So parents, make sure that you raise your kids right. If they become pedophiles, it's your fault.
Meanwhile at the Vatican, Pope Francis has called for an extraordinary synod, to take place in October of 2014, which will consider families, divorce, and remarriage. Some dioceses in Germany took that as a sign to start openly allowing remarried persons to participate in communion, and the Vatican issued a warning to not reform TOO fast, now.
The Vatican also recently had to recall a commemorative medal commissioned for the pontificate of Francis. It had a misspelling: Jesus was spelled with an L in place of a J. Whoops.
Cardinal Dolan met with Pope Francis, and described the interview as "inspirational."
Speaking of Cardinal Dolan and the pope, Stephen Colbert has been selected to be the keynote speaker at the 68th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner. Check out some of Colbert's funniest moments talking about the church here.
Our Orthodox brothers and sisters celebrated the 1,700 year anniversary of the Edict of Milan, which ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman empire.
In adorable news, this 99-year-old man acts as an altar server in Columbus, OH. He is described as "one of the happiest people I have ever met" by Father Joseph Wagner.
Finally, Starbucks has responded to recent events in Washington by encouraging us to be nice to each other. If you buy another customer a beverage, the coffee chain will offer you a free cup of coffee.
So go, enjoy the taste of human decency. Be kind to each other, and enjoy the weekend.
