Massimo Faggioli, professor of historical theology at Villanova has written a timely book Joe Biden and U.S. Catholicism.
Fordham Law School's Institute on Law, Religion, and Lawyers work sponsored a second panel discussion which I moderated. discussants joining Faggioli were political scientist Laura Olson (Clemson), philosopher Michael Baur (Fordham) and Christopher White - newly named Vatican Correspondent for National Catholic reporter.
The hour long panel discussion touched on key topics such as the pending motion before the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to bar from communion practicing Catholics public figures like Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and John Kerry from participating in the sacrament of the Eucharist - Holy Communion. This form of ex-communication is resisted by the Vatican in a cautionary letter to the U.S. bishops from Cardinal Luis Ladaria of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Perhaps more obliquely Pope Francis himself last week met with John Kerry to discuss climate change.
The discussion ranged much more broadly to the role of the Catholic university, female deacons, the “cultural” Catholic, blessing LBGQ unions and the German experience, institutional racism in the church, the role of Catholic media in the U.S.
- GWC
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