Friday’s here, but the more alarming news is that we’re already 12 days into December. How?! We don’t know either. But, try to relax, grab a cup of hot cocoa—and catch up with this week’s news here:
First, the Vatican announced Thursday that Pope Francis will name new cardinals on February 14-15, and everyone’s wondering—will any be American?
More than 350 Catholic theologians have signed a statement calling for police reform and an end to racial injustice. Some signatures heading the list are Tobias Winright, the Mäder Chair of Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University and a former law enforcement officer, and U.S. Catholic columnist Father Bryan Massingale, who is a professor of theological ethics at Marquette University and frequently writes about racial injustice.
The CIA torture report, the 500-page summary of the original 6,700-page classified report that lists all the horrifying details of the CIA’s torture program, was released Tuesday. The findings are disturbing, and Vox has highlighted some of the worst. But perhaps the most alarming finding is that a minimum of 20 percent of tortured detainees were wrongly detained.
Rumors in Rome have it that Pope Francis will beatify Salvadoran archbishop and martyr Oscar Romero next year—or that he may even skip that step and declare Romero a saint.
A German newspaper reports that retired Pope Benedict XVI says he would have preferred to be called “Father Benedict” after his resignation.
Christian Bale says Moses could be considered a “terrorist.” “If you’re not religious, you can look at it as one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist,” he said.
Hallmark pulled some Hanukkah wrapping paper from its shelves this week because customers noticed the pattern formed swastikas.
And, finally. Wisconsin governor Scott Walker ended a letter to Milwaukee lawyer Franklyn Gimbel, a leader in Milwaukee’s Jewish community, with, “Thank you again, and Molotov. Sincerely, Scott Walker.” He probably meant “mazel tov.” At least that’s what everyone hopes.
And now for the papal rapid fire roundup:
This week, Pope Francis:
- Said all dogs go to heaven. Just kidding.
- Reportedly declined to meet the Dalai Lama.
- Got a new CD.
- Offered some Christmas shopping advice.
