Get thee to your local pie purveyor, people. It’s Pi Day!
Chicago Cardinal Francis George was on Chicago NPR affiliate WBEZ yesterday talking about, what else, the contraception mandate. He echoes some of the same rhetoric espoused by conservative opposition to the mandate: This country already has access to free/cheap birth control, via women’s clinics like those run by Planned Parenthood, so why should the Catholic Church have to provide access to its employees? It’s a fair point, but what about all the lobbying by conservatives to cut off funding for these clinics?
The bishops are hoping to restart talks with the White House about the mandate, but are refocusing their opposition. The public remains relatively split on whether employers should have to provide coverage for things they oppose on moral grounds, with a slim majority (51 percent) in favor of dropping the mandate.
Vox Nova meditates on what a fully Catholic country would look like, while Catholic convert and former English PM Tony Blair says he supports same-sex marriage in his country. The church is pushing back. Obvs.
Via America Magazine, here’s a great photo essay about Catholic art in Los Angeles.
Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega got to address his country about the impending papal visit to Cuba. Such a televised speech by a religious leader is rare in the communist country.
And finally, a former Goldman Sachs executive opines in the Times on why he’s leaving the investment bank: moral bankruptcy.
