It’s the last weekend of summer, and the weather is turning. So in case you spent this last week soaking in the last rays of sun before the next Polar Vortex decides to land, this is your weekly roundup.
In breaking international news:
The vote is in, and Scotland will remain a part of the United Kingdom. Following rush of “will they or won’t they” and tales of danger and woe of what might befall the country should they vote for independence, with an 84.6 percent voter turnout, the people of Scotland decided to stay in the union with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The margin was 55.3 percent to 44.7 percent. But with voter turnout at nearly 85 percent, Scotland achieved a peaceful and impressive display of democracy and civic engagement. Well done, Scotland!
Speaking of democracy and civic engagement:
Our friends at Religion News Service have been covering the way that churches and faith communities can (and do!) get involved in the democratic process: in McAllen, Texas; in Atlanta, Georgia; and everywhere else. As midterm elections loom, let’s get out the vote!
Also, this:
The Senate got a couple of things crossed off the ol’ “to-do” list this week before they leave to campaign to keep their jobs. They passed a stopgap spending bill that will carry us to the other side of the midterms without shutting down the government. They also gave approval to arm and train Syrian rebels, hoping that some of them might fight ISIS.
In “Praying for peace” news:
Eighteen bishops from the U.S. partnered with Catholic Relief Services and made a trip to the Holy Land, where they prayed for peace, and took some great pictures.
In awesome nun stuff news:
The latest “Nuns on a bus” tour has launched. This particular tour will feature nuns who oppose political “dark money,” and will travel through 10 U.S. Senate battleground states.
And now for the rapid fire papal roundup.
This week Pope Francis:
- May have demoted Cardinal Edmund Burke.
- Has a very expensive skullcap.
- Could be rethinking contraception ban? (But probably not.)
- Is (maybe) a stealth reformer.
And that’s it for now. Tune in next week for more newsy recapping. In the mean time, check out our September issue, and take our survey about female altar servers.
