Cercignani, Carlo, Ludwig Boltzmann: The Man Who Trusted Atoms, Oxford University Press, USA 2006 'Cercignani provides a stimulating biography of a great scientist. Boltzmann's greatness is difficult to state, but the fact that the author is still actively engaged in research into some of the finer, as yet unresolved issues provoked by Boltzmann's work is a measure of just how far ahead of his time Boltzmann was. It is also tragic to read of Boltzmann's persecution by his contemporaries, the energeticists, who regarded atoms as a convenient hypothesis, but not as having a definite existence. Boltzmann felt that atoms were real and this motivated much of his research. How Boltzmann would have laughed if he could have seen present-day scanning tunnelling microscopy images, which resolve the atomic structure at surfaces! If only all scientists would learn from Boltzmann's life story that it is bad for science to persecute someone whose views you do not share but cannot disprove. One surprising fact I learned from this book was how research into thermodynamics and statistical mechanics led to the beginnings of quantum theory (such as Planck's distribution law, and Einstein's theory of specific heat). Lecture notes by Boltzmann also seem to have influenced Einstein's construction of special relativity. Cercignani's familiarity with Boltzmann's work at the research level will probably set this above other biographies of Boltzmann for a very long time to come.' Dr David J Bottomley  
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Cornwell, John, The Pope in Winter: The Dark Face of John Paul II's Papacy, Penguin 2005 'The Late John Paul II was portrayed by admirers as one of history's great popes. But in The Pope in Winter, leading Vatican expert John Cornwell seriously questions the workings of his papacy and points to fundamental flaws - exacerbated by age and infirmity - that have alarming consequences for both the Catholic Church's future and John Paul II's successor. ' 
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Haidt, Jonathan, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, Pantheon 2012 Book description: 'Why can’t our political leaders work together as threats loom and problems mount? Why do people so readily assume the worst about the motives of their fellow citizens? In The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the origins of our divisions and points the way forward to mutual understanding. His starting point is moral intuition—the nearly instantaneous perceptions we all have about other people and the things they do. These intuitions feel like self-evident truths, making us righteously certain that those who see things differently are wrong. Haidt shows us how these intuitions differ across cultures, including the cultures of the political left and right. He blends his own research findings with those of anthropologists, historians, and other psychologists to draw a map of the moral domain, and he explains why conservatives can navigate that map more skillfully than can liberals. He then examines the origins of morality, overturning the view that evolution made us fundamentally selfish creatures. But rather than arguing that we are innately altruistic, he makes a more subtle claim—that we are fundamentally groupish. It is our groupishness, he explains, that leads to our greatest joys, our religious divisions, and our political affiliations. In a stunning final chapter on ideology and civility, Haidt shows what each side is right about, and why we need the insights of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians to flourish as a nation.' 
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Payer, Pierre J., Sex and the New Medieval Literature of Confession, 1150-1300, Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies 2009 'This volume rounds out an important trilogy of studies by Pierre Payer on the topic of sex in the ecclesiastical thought and writings of the middle ages that began with Sex and the Penitentials: The Development of a Sexual Code, 550-1150 (1984) and continued with The Bridling of Desire: Views of Sex in the Later Middle Ages (1993). In every way the equal of the two magisterial studies that preceded it, this third volume examines the treatment of sex in the 'new' literature of penance and confession. Composed by canon lawyers and by theologians for the instruction of priests, it is one of the most popular genres of writing of the later middle ages, although it remains largely unknown and underutilized as a historical source. Pierre Payer guides readers through this varied and heterogenous corpus with great patience and erudition. His analysis ranges over the origin and development of the idea of lechery as one of the capital sins and the distinction between natural and unnatural acts, and explores the moral consequences of sexual beahviour even within marriage, providing us much insight into the act, and art, of confession and the intimate relationship between priest and penitent that underlies it. [Brepols Publishers] 
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Tapsell, Kieran, Potiphar's Wife: The Vatican's Secret and Child Sexual Abuse, ATF Press 2014 Back cover: 'For 1500 years the Cathilic Church acepted that clergy who sexually abused children deserved to be stripped of theur status as priests and then imprisoned. . . . That all changed in 1922 when Pope Pius XI issues his decree Crimen Sollicitationi that created a de facto 'privilege of clergy' b imposing the 'secret of the Holy Ofice' on all infomration obtained through the Church'd canonincal investigations. If the State did not knw abut these crimes, then there would be n State trials, and the matter could be treated as a ourely canonical crime to be dealt with in secret in the Church courts.. 
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Alan Turing, On Computable Numbers, with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem, 'The "computable" numbers may be described briefly as the real numbers whose expressions as a decimal are calculable by some finite means. Although the subject of this paper is ostensibly the computable numbers, it is almost equally easy to define and investigate computable functions of an integral variable of a real or computable variable, computable predicates and so forth. . . . ' back

All Together Now, Who Watches the Media? Race-related reporting in Australian mainstream media, 'To investigate the extent to which race-related reporting is an issue in Australia, All Together Now worked with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to create a framework for collecting data about race-related reports. The research team used the framework to monitor and collect data published by Australia’s four most read online newspapers (The Australian, Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, Herald Sun), and the four most watched TV current affairs programs (A Current Affair, The Project, 60 Minutes, 7:30).' back

Amy Sullivan, America's New Religion: Fox Evangelicalism, 'Yet the students around me agreed unreservedly with Wayne LaPierre, chief executive of the National Rifle Association, who was seen in the film asserting that “in the world around us, there are terrorists, home invaders, drug cartels, carjackers, knockout gamers, rapers, haters, campus killers, airport killers, shopping mall killers.” This worldview is familiar to anyone who has spent time watching Fox News, where every day viewers are confronted with threats to their way of life.' back

Calvary (film) - Wikipedia, Calvary (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Calvary is a 2014 Irish drama film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh.' back

Cardinal Ottaviani, Instruction On the Manner of Proceeding in Causes involving the Crime of Sollicitation, 'INSTRUCTION OF THE SUPREME SACRED CONGREGATION OF THE HOLY OFFICE ADDRESSED TO ALL PATRIARCHS, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS AND OTHER LOCAL ORDINARIES “ALSO OF THE ORIENTAL RITE” ON THE MANNER OF PROCEEDING IN CAUSES OF SOLICITATIONTO BE KEPT CAREFULLY IN THE SECRET ARCHIVE OF THE CURIA FOR INTERNAL USE. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OR AUGMENTED WITH COMMENTARIES ' back

Cardinal Villot, Rescriptum ex Audientia Instructio Secrete Continere, De Secreto Pontifico, back

Catholic Catechism p2, s2, c2, a4, VIII The Minister of the sacrament, 1467 Given the delicacy and greatness of this ministry and the respect due to persons, the Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him. He can make no use of knowledge that confession gives him about penitents' lives. This secret, which admits of no exceptions, is called the "sacramental seal," because what the penitent has made known to the priest remains "sealed" by the sacrament. ' back

Catholic Catechism p2, s2, c3, a6, V. Who Can Confer this Sacrament?, '1579 All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." Called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to "the affairs of the Lord," they give themselves entirely to God and to men. Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service of which the Church's minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God.' back

Catholic Catechism p3, s2, c2, a5, II. Respect for the Dignity of Persons, '2284 Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.
2285 Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing.' back

Christine Smallwood, Greta Gerwig's Radical Confidence, 'That’s Gerwig: one of the few women in America so un-self-conscious, so well adjusted, that she was able, as an eighth grader, to look back on a recent episode of classroom incontinence and turn it into something “funny and sweet.” What she fixates on, telling the story now, is the girl who helped her.' back

Concordat Watch, Concordat Watch, "A concordat is a pact between the Vatican and a nation-state whereby the Vatican gains certain political and financial benefits in return for support of a policy or arm of the national government. Such a concordat in a nation with numerous Catholics is also helpful in getting their allegiance or in curbing opposition to the government."Prof. John M. Swomley, St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri: back

David Child, Nuclear weapons: In conversation with ICAN, 'The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for the campaign's "ground-breaking efforts" to secure a prohibition on such weapons.' back

Des Cahill and Peter Wilkinson, Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: An Interpretative Review of the Literature and Public Inquiry Reports, 'For the first time in Australia, a ground-breaking research study has analysed the systemic reasons why the abuse of children has plagued the Catholic Church worldwide. Taking five years to complete, it is the most comprehensive report on the issue ever produced. Based on their analysis of a vast array of theological and scientific studies, the authors outline a matrix of factors that have contributed to the tragedy – cultural, historical, organisational, social, psychological and theological.' back

Douglas Jacobs, We're Sick of Racism, Literally, 'Even if Mr. Zerai-Misgun and his colleague were never directly physically harmed, the experience probably took a toll on their bodies. Perceptions of discrimination like those the officers experienced, as well as those that are less direct, may make us sick. And in the current political environment, with its high-profile expressions of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and xenophobia, along with widely covered acts of hate and bigotry, countless Americans are at risk of this type of harm.' back

Ella Buchan, Inside the Misisippi Human Rights Museum That's Tackling American Racism Head On, 'Blood still stains the driveway of Medgar Evers’s home in Jackson, Mississippi. It’s soaked into the flagstones where the 37-year-old civil rights campaigner – who led efforts for desegregation and black voter registration in America’s South – fell to the ground on 12 June 1963, shot in the back by a sniper’s bullet as he unloaded his car. The murder weapon is now displayed at the new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, among other emotive exhibits that hold a mirror up to the state’s history of racism.' back

Feynman, Leighton & Sands III:4, III Chapter 4: Identical Particles , 'In the last chapter we began to consider the special rules for the interference that occurs in processes with two identical particles. By identical particles we mean things like electrons which can in no way be distinguished one from another. If a process involves two particles that are identical, reversing which one arrives at a counter is an alternative which cannot be distinguished and—like all cases of alternatives which cannot be distinguished—interferes with the original, unexchanged case. The amplitude for an event is then the sum of the two interfering amplitudes; but, interestingly enough, the interference is in some cases with the same phase and, in others, with the opposite phase.' back

Harriet Sherwood, Prince Charles accession 'could trigger debate on disestablishment, 'The report concludes: “The voices of religious privilege are loud and their vested interests are strong. But if the problems of the 21st century life are to be effectively addressed, and if Britain is to become a modern state rather than one in which parliament continues to cleave to its medieval past, then the separation of church and state needs to be part of the solution.” ' back

Jackson Diehl, Will someone save Trump from this disastrous decision?, 'President Trump inherited a Middle East convulsed by crisis and civil war with two fragile exceptions: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran’s nuclear program, both of which were quiescent. With two impulsive, egotistical decisions, taken against the strong recommendations of his national security team, he has endangered the status quo on both fronts. Now the question is whether Congress or European allies will save him from a potentially disastrous third strike./ back

James M. Furland, Grant J. Williamson and David M.J.S Bowen, Simulating the effectiveness of prescribed burning at altering wildfire behaviour in Tasmania, Australia, 'Prescribed burning is a widely accepted wildfire hazard reduction technique; however, knowledge of its effectiveness remains limited. To address this, we employ simulations of a widely used fire behaviour model across the ecologically diverse Australian island state of Tasmania. We simulate three broad scenarios: (1) no fuel treatment, (2) a maximal treatment, with the most possible prescribed burning within ecological constraints, and (3) 12 hypothetically more implementable state-wide prescribed-burning plans. In all simulations, we standardised fire-weather inputs to represent regionally typical dangerous fire-weather conditions. Statistical modelling showed that an unrealistically large maximal treatment scenario could reduce fire intensity in three flammable vegetation types, and reduce fire probability in almost every vegetation type. However, leverage analysis of the 12 more-realistic implementable plans indicated that such prescribed burning would have only a minimal effect, if any, on fire extent and that none of these prescribed-burning plans substantially reduced fire intensity. The study highlights that prescribed burning can theoretically mitigate wildfire, but that an unrealistically large area would need to be treated to affect fire behaviour across the island. Rather, optimisation of prescribed burning requires careful landscape design at the local scale. Such designs should be based on improved fire behaviour modelling, empirical measurement of fuels and analysis of actual wildfires.' International Journal of Wildland Fire - https://doi.org/10.1071/WF17061 Submitted: 31 March 2017 Accepted: 17 October 2017 Published online: 15 December 2017 back

John Cassian - Wikipedia, John Cassian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Saint John Cassian (c. 360 – 435 AD), John the Ascetic, or John Cassian the Roman (Latin: Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, Ioannus Cassianus, or Ioannes Massiliensis),[2] was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern Churches for his mystical writings. Cassian is noted for his role in bringing the ideas and practices of Christian monasticism to the early medieval West.' back

John Jay Report - Wikipedia, John Jay Report - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States, commonly known as the John Jay Report, is a 2004 report by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, based on surveys completed by the Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States. The initial version of the report was posted on the Internet on February 27, 2004, with corrections and revisions posted on April 16. The printed version was published in June 2004. The church's own John Jay Report is online at John Jay Report. back

Jonathan Malesic, A Burnt-Out Case, 'What I experienced—and what I see, admittedly somewhat anachronistically, in the final days of Thomas Aquinas—is burnout. We toss around that term imprecisely, applying it to languorous teens, drug addicts, and Graham Greene characters. But psychologists who study the phenomenon have a definition for it. Burnout is a response to the chronic stress of work, manifested in exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of inefficacy.' back

Juliette Kennedy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy), Kurt Gödel, 'In his philosophical work Gödel formulated and defended mathematical Platonism, the view that mathematics is a descriptive science, or alternatively the view that the concept of mathematical truth is objective. On the basis of that viewpoint he laid the foundation for the program of conceptual analysis within set theory (see below). He adhered to Hilbert's “original rationalistic conception” in mathematics (as he called it); and he was prophetic in anticipating and emphasizing the importance of large cardinals in set theory before their importance became clear. back

Kristen Roupenian, Cat Person, back

Lawrence H. Summers, The economy is on a sugar high, and tax cuts won't help, 'The idea that U.S. fundamentals have importantly improved since the election is further called into question by the observation that the dollar has declined by 8 percent against the yen and 7 percent against the euro. If something fundamental had happened to improve the U.S. business environment, we would have seen capital inflows and an appreciating currency.' back

Liber Gomorrhianus - Wikipedia, Liber Gomorrhianus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'The Liber Gomorrhianus (Book of Gomorrah) is a book authored and published by the Roman Catholic priest St. Peter Damian circa AD 1051. It is a treatise regarding the vices of the clergy, principally sodomy, and the consequent need for reform.' back

Lorenzo Fioramonti, Why capitalism wins. And how a simple accounting move can defeat it, 'As I show in my book Gross Domestic Problem, even socialist systems largely accepted capitalism’s accounting approach, ultimately failing to beat capitalism at its game. But the global debate is shifting. The Sustainable Development Goals recognise that real value is only created when economic development leads to improvements in social and environmental dynamics. I argue that, by changing our headline indicators of prosperity in line with this new thinking, we can show capitalism’s inefficiencies and contribute to its demise.' back

Luis Martin - Wikipedia, Luis Martin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Very Rev. Luis Martín García, S.J. (19 August 1846 – 18 April 1906) was a Spanish Jesuit, elected the twenty-fourth Superior General of the Society of Jesus.' back

Mannat Mohanjeet Singh, Shradha S, Parsekar and Sreekumaran N Nair, An Epidemiological Overview of Child Sexual Abuse, 'Abstract: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a universal problem with grave life-long outcomes. The estimates vary widely depending on the country under study, the definitions used, the type of CSA studied, the extent of coverage, and quality of data. This study intended to assess the magnitude and the issues related to CSA. We searched databases such as PubMed, Google scholar, web (newspaper reports), and government websites. The relevant data was extracted from these sources for gathering evidence on CSA and secondary data analysis was done. The prevalence of CSA was found to be high in India as well as throughout the world. CSA is an extensive problem and even the lowest prevalence includes a huge number of victims. It also has various adverse effects on the psychological, physical, behavioral, and interpersonal well-being of the victim. Hence, stringent measures should be taken for the prevention and control of this hidden public health issue. back

Minkowski space - Wikipedia, Minkowski space - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'In mathematical physics, Minkowski space or Minkowski spacetime is a combination of Euclidean space and time into a four-dimensional manifold where the spacetime interval between any two events is independent of the inertial frame of reference in which they are recorded. Although initially developed by mathematician Hermann Minkowski for Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism, the mathematical structure of Minkowski spacetime was shown to be an immediate consequence of the postulates of special relativity.' back

Parliament of Victoria, Betrtayal of Trust, 'Chaor's foreword: On receiving our terms of reference, it was immediately evident that our Committee had been tasked with a significant and historic Inquiry. It is the first of its kind in Victoria and it has been challenging on many levels—for the victims who re-lived their traumatic experiences, for the community hearing their accounts, and for trusted non‑government organisations opening themselves to scrutiny and conceding wrongdoings.' back

Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae on the Regulation of Birth, '14. Therefore We base Our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of marriage when We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children. Equally to be condemned, as the magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary. Similarly excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means.' back

Paul VI 1967, Sacerdotalis Caelibatus: On the Celibacy of the Priest, 'To the Bishops, Priests and Faithful of the Whole Catholic World. Priestly celibacy has been guarded by the Church for centuries as a brilliant jewel, and retains its value undiminished even in our time when the outlook of men and the state of the world have undergone such profound changes. ' back

Pius X (1910), Quam Singulari: On First Communion, 'After careful deliberation on all these points, this Sacred Congregation of the Discipline of the Sacraments, in a general meeting held on July 15, 1910, in order to remove the above-mentioned abuses and to bring about that children even from their tender years may be united to Jesus Christ, may live His life, and obtain protection from all danger of corruption, has deemed it needful to prescribe the following rules which are to be observed everywhere for the First Communion of children. 1. The age of discretion, both for Confession and for Holy Communion, is the time when a child begins to reason, that is about the seventh year, more or less. From that time on begins the obligation of fulfilling the precept of both Confession and Communion.' back

Pius XI, 1929, Divini Illius Magistri: On Christian Education, '68. False also and harmful to Christian education is the so-called method of "coeducation." This too, by many of its supporters, is founded upon naturalism and the denial of original sin; but by all, upon a deplorable confusion of ideas that mistakes a leveling promiscuity and equality, for the legitimate association of the sexes. The Creator has ordained and disposed perfect union of the sexes only in matrimony, and, with varying degrees of contact, in the family and in society. Besides there is not in nature itself, which fashions the two quite different in organism, in temperament, in abilities, anything to suggest that there can be or ought to be promiscuity, and much less equality, in the training of the two sexes.' back

Pontifical secret - Wikipedia, Pontifical secret - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'The pontifical secret or pontifical secrecy or papal secrecy is the code of confidentiality that, in accordance with the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, applies in matters that require greater than ordinary confidentiality: "Business of the Roman Curia at the service of the universal Church is officially covered by ordinary secrecy, the moral obligation of which is to be gauged in accordance with the instructions given by a superior or the nature and importance of the question. But some matters of major importance require a particular secrecy, called 'pontifical secrecy', and must be observed as a grave obligation." Pontifical secrecy is the subject of the instruction Secreta continere of 4 February 1974 issued by the Secretariat of State. The text is published in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 1974, pages 89–92.' back

Rafael A. Calvo and Dorian Peters, Engineers, philosophers and sociologists release ethical design guidelines fo future technology, 'This is an important step toward breaking the protective wall of specialisation that allows technologists to separate themselves from the impact of their work on society at large. It will demand that future tech leaders take responsibility for ensuring that the technology we build as humans genuinely benefits us and our planet.' back

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, Cat Person going viral shows how rare it is to explore women's sex lives, '. . . this week, Kristen Roupenian’s first story to be printed in the New Yorker was greeted with unparalleled enthusiasm on social media and off it as well. But why? There are no stylistic fireworks on display in Cat Person, a simply written tale of Margot, a 20-year-old college student’s sexual encounter with 34-year-old Robert. Nor are there daring experimentations with form or structure. It is a tale, straightforwardly told through the eyes of a young woman, of an unpleasant sexual encounter that she has with a somewhat ambiguous stranger who turns out to be actively unpleasant. And lord, has it resonated painfully, especially with young women.' back

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Final report, 'On 12 November 2012 the then Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced that she would recommend to the Governor-General that a Royal Commission be appointed to inquire into institutional responses to child abuse. . . . On 15 December 2017 the Royal Commission presented a final report to the Governor-General, detailing the culmination of a five year inquiry into institutional responses to child sexual abuse and related matters.' back

Ruth Schuster, Man Has Been Trikling Out of Africa for 120,100 Years, Archaeologists Say, 'The paradigm that all people arose from a single mass exit from Africa by Homo sapiens 60,000 years ago isn’t accurate, says a team of archaeologists summing up the most recent archaeological and genetic research. Modern humans began to exit Africa in small hunter-gatherer groups some 120,000 years ago, wandering and mating with various other species of hominin as they went along – and they may have left traces in the DNA of some groups existing today. back

Second Vatican Council: Dignitatis Humanae, Declaration on Religious Freedom, Second Vatican Council, Declaration on Religious Freedom, on the right of the person and of comunities to social and civil freedom in matters religious, promulgated by His Holiness Pope John Paul VI, on December 7, 1965. back

Shaun Walker, Nureyev premieres in Moscow with director under house arrest, 'The most hotly anticipated and controversial Russian ballet in years has been premiered as Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre finally staged Nureyev, which tells the life story of the dancer. The theatre’s best dancers took to the stage on Saturday night with much of the Russian elite in the audience. But the ballet’s director, Kirill Serebrennikov, was conspicuously absent, having spent the past few months under house arrest.' back

Ska-P, Crimen Sollicitationis, 'Music video by Ska-P performing Crimen Sollicitationis. (C) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment España, S.L.' back

Subsidiarity - Wikipedia, Subsidiarity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Subsidiarity is a principle of social organization that originated in the Roman Catholic Church. In its most basic formulation, it holds that social and political issues should be dealt with at the most immediate (or local) level that is consistent with their resolution.' back

Sylvia's Site, Blogging the sex abuse scandal and betrayals of trust in the Roman Catholic Church in Canada, 'Father Denis Vaillancourt, the former long-time Chancellor of the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, has been sentenced to 12 months house arrest, followed by 12 months probation and must donate $500 towards charity. Thankfully for the victim and his family it’s over. Please keep them in your prayers.' back

Synod of Elvria - Wikipedia, Synod of Elvria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'The Synod of Elvira (Latin: Concilium Eliberritanum, Spanish: Concilio de Elvira) was an ecclesiastical synod held at Elvira in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica, now Granada in southern Spain.[1] Its date has not been exactly determined but is believed to be in the first quarter of the fourth century, approximately 305–6. It was one of three councils, together with the Synod of Arles and the Synod of Ancyra, that first approached the character of general councils and prepared the way for the first ecumenical council. It was attended by nineteen bishops and twenty-six presbyters, mostly resident in Baetica.' back

The Editors, Commonweal, Salt in the Wound, 'As long as this wound remains open, anything worth calling diplomacy will at least avoid rubbing salt in it. For the past seven decades, U.S. presidents of both parties have understood this. They have also understood that the status of Jerusalem must finally be determined as part of a peace agreement, not in advance of one. But these considerations appear to be lost on President Trump. He seems to care only that he is the first president who has dared to keep this irresponsible campaign promise—the consequences be damned.' back

Zena Tahhan and Farah Najjar, Why Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel, 'Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem effectively put the entire city under de facto Israeli control. Israeli jurisdiction and ownership of Jerusalem, however, is not recognised by the international community, including the United States. The status of Jerusalem remains one of the main sticking points in efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.' back