WASHINGTON
President Biden only the second Roman Catholic in U.S. history elected to the country’s highest political office keeps a picture in the Oval Office of himself with Pope Francis.
No doubt Biden can count on partnership with the progressive pope as he reverses many Trump-era policies to battle climate change and reform immigration.
But support within his own country’s Catholic Church looks more tenuous, and Biden has been given a surprisingly hostile reception from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops under the guidance of Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez.
In the intersection of religion and politics, nowhere does the division between conservatives and progressives in the Catholic Church cleave more deeply than in the United States, as Biden’s election reveals.
Message to pro-lifers: Don t lose hope
Wednesday, February 3, 2021 |
Charlie Butts (OneNewsNow.com)
Spanish
A pro-life activist is offering a message of hope for the life-affirming movement in the challenging years ahead.
The past few months have certainly brought setbacks with a pro-abortion Democrat in the White House, which really reflects on the leftward shift of the Democratic Party, says scholar and writer Michael New. We were never promised a smooth trajectory to victory, (and) we were never promised an endless winning streak, says New, a visiting professor of social research and political science at the Catholic University of America. People who work on this issue will face defeats and we will face setbacks.
Pope Francis is a Biden fan, but some U.S. Catholic leaders give president a frosty reception
Gomez, affiliated with the conservative Opus Dei sect, also met opposition from several U.S. bishops, who said he failed to run the statement by all members of the conference as is required. San Diego’s Bishop Robert McElroy indirectly criticized Gomez.
“Most importantly of all,” McElroy said in his own post-inauguration statement, U.S. bishops “should encourage our new president: by entering into a relationship of dialogue, not judgment; collaboration, not isolation; truth in charity, not harshness.”
In contrast to Gomez’s skepticism about Biden, the conference welcomed the 2017 inauguration of President Trump, despite his three marriages, extramarital affair with a porn star and widely-publicized comment about grabbing women by the genitals. (They later diverged on issues such as immigration.)
Northampton novelist explores East African conflicts
Updated Feb 05, 2021;
Posted Feb 03, 2021
Retired Smith College professor Elliot M. Fratkin has penned “Maasai: A Novel of Love, War, and Witchcraft in 19th century East Africa.”
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After a career in academic anthropology writing non-fiction studies of Maasai and related peoples, Elliot M. Fratkin, a retired professor of anthropology and African Studies at Smith College here, published a personal memoir of fieldwork in 2012, “Laibon: An Anthropologist’s Journey with Samburu Diviners of Kenya.” But now he has turned his attention to fiction with “Maasai: A Novel of Love, War, and Witchcraft in 19th century East Africa.”
A Warm Virtual Welcome: Class of 2025 Joins AUC February 2, 2021
Nahla El Gendy
AUC welcomes the Class of 2025 in unusual circumstances with new hopes and challenges awaiting them. AUC is still implementing a hybrid model of classes with an emphasis on maintaining a low-density campus.
Having the first month of the spring semester entirely online did not prevent the incoming students from enjoying their orientation and preparing for their AUC journey. We are all ready for the pandemic to end and active life to resume on campus, yet for the ongoing safety of the community, we conducted this year s orientation entirely online via Zoom, said Mohamed Gendy, manager of the First-Year Program. This didn t stop the new students from fully engaging with their peer leaders during the sessions asking questions, exchanging ideas, sharing stories and playing educational games. The energy and vibes were great.