Patrick McKinley Brennan (Villanova): The Liberty of the Church: Source, Scope, and Scandal. Meet the Catholic extremists who could shatter the church: The Society of St. Pius X has a past of Fascist sympathy and worse. Michael Joseph Gross on the Vatican’s Secret Life: Despite headlines about a powerful “gay lobby” within the Vatican, the Catholic Church’s gay cardinals, monks, and other clergy inhabit a hidden netherworld. Torn bread: Kaya Oakes on communion in a woman’s hands. Is the Catholic Church a force for good in the developing world? Michael P. Orsi reviews Papal Economics: The Catholic Church on Democratic Capitalism, from Rerum Novarum to Caritatis in Veritate by Maciej Zieba. Pope Francis calls capitalism “a new tyranny” and very explicitly called on global leaders to act on poverty and growing inequality, and lays out mission statement, tells priests not to be defeatist “sourpusses”. Here is a quiz to see whether you can distinguish statements by Pope Francis from statements by Karl Marx. From The Week, Peter Weber on 5 ways the pope is resuscitating the Catholic Church; and is Pope Francis on the Mafia's hit list? The Pope has angered Italy's crime lords with his corruption crackdown. John L. Allen Jr. reviews Bergoglio's List: The Untold Story of the People Saved by Francis during the Dictatorship by Nello Scavo. John Cornwell reviews Pope Francis: Untying the Knots by Paul Vallely. Jonathan Freedland on why even atheists should be praying for Pope Francis. The new Pope, Francis: great guy — still, the best thing that this nice Pope could do would be to dismantle the Catholic Church.
