At the end of the second week of September, autumn has suddenly and rapidly descended on the city of Chicago. In case you are in a similar situation, and suddenly find yourself scrambling to bust out the sweaters, this is your weekly roundup.
In gazillionaire news
If you like to swim in a pool of money, a new development company in NYC has a deal for you. You can buy a condo and–for an added flare of luxury–a parking spot. The condos are selling for $8-10 million, and the parking spots are being sold for an additional $1 million on a first-come-first serve basis.
In “Let’s try this” news
Eighteen bishops from the U.S. are currently traveling on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where they will pray for peace with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders. Our prayers go with them.
In “Speaking of bishops” news
The Vatican has published its full list of participants for the 2014 Synod on the Family. Most of the participants will be–shockingly–bishops. But there will also be 14 married couples, with two couples from the U.S. Of course, we will have to see whether the couples chosen will actually accurately represent most of the married couples in the church. Some are skeptical of that possibility.
In “Lucky charms” news
Bill Donohue and the Catholic League will not be participating in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade this year, thanks to the decision to allow LGBT groups march under their own banners.
In “Kids these days” news
When President Obama stopped by a school to help out with a special 9/11 memorial project, one girl in the class, who was expecting Beyonce, was disappointed with the “surprise guest.” She told the president, “I really wanted it to be [Beyoncé] but then I realized it was gonna be you.”
In tragic news
Three Italian nuns were brutally murdered in Burundi. Father Mario Pulicini, who is responsible for the parish in a northern suburb of Bujumbura, named two of the nuns as Lucia Pulici, who was 75 and due to celebrate her birthday on Monday, and Olga Raschietti, 82. He said they were found decapitated in their dormitory on Sunday. The third nun, 79-year-old Bernadetta Boggian, was found dead early on Monday morning, he told Reuters. The killings appeared to have happened at two separate times, he said.
And now it’s time for the rapid fire papal roundup.
This week, Pope Francis:
- Will marry couples who have been “living in sin.”
- Might go to Detroit?
- Is a cardboard cutout hit.
- Might declare Sri Lanka’s first saint.
But wait, there’s a little more papal news, this time from the emeritus department.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has joined the Selfie movement!
…and this as the second #selfie ever to be taken w/ #PopeBenedict. This one by Italian Fr Sebastiano Sequino pic.twitter.com/o15IaGiwI7
— Catholic News Svc (@CatholicNewsSvc) September 12, 2014
That’s it for now, folks. Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to take our survey about female altar servers!
