Daily Links: Friday, Sept. 2

It is a quiet Friday morning here at U.S. Catholic as we get ready to settle into the Labor Day weekend. If you want to get an early start on the weekend by taking a break from your own labor, here is some choice reading material from around the web:

Hey, did you hear the one about God causing the hurricane to send us a message? Oh, that hilarious Michelle Bachman. But politicians invoking the name of God isn’t all that funny, and it has to go, argues Charles Madigan in today’s Chicago Tribune.

At the same time, some Catholics believe we have an obligation to bring our faith into the political arena. Are you doing your fair share? Take this examination of political conscience to find out.

And what if we also used our Catholic teaching as an approach our country’s economic woes? Adopting a “Catholic economy” may be just the solution we need, according to Anthony Stevens-Arroyo over at the Washington Post.

One thing our Catholic values stress when it comes to solving economic issues is remembering our obligation to care for the poor. In his October Margin Notes column, Kevin Clarke says we need to advocate for the poor around the world to ensure that they’re not the ones sacrificed for the sake of balancing our budget. Meanwhile Morna Murray at the Huffington Post responds to the argument that poverty just isn’t “sexy” enough to sell the American public on its importance.

Here’s one from the Capt. Obvious files: The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri needed a law firm to tell them they’ve done a poor job handling sexual abuse allegations, and the legal experts recommend that all diocesan employees and volunteers immediately report any allegations to authorities. What’s next, bishops hiring a team of meteorologists to recommend they take an umbrella when it is going to rain?

Speaking of bishops, ever wonder who would win in a fight between the men in miters and church theologians? OK, maybe not, but our own Meghan Murphy-Gill blogs about the escalating tension between theologians and church hierarchy, and why it should matter to all Catholics. Also on our blogs today, Cathy O’Connell-Cahill takes Ohio’s bishops to task for not standing behind church teaching on collective bargaining.

Finally, to close out the week on a lighter note, at least we can all rest easy knowing that the future of print media is safe and secure. You can read all about it online, courtesy of The Onion.

Have a happy Labor Day, and be sure to come back Tuesday to catch up on all the weekend’s news.