Daily Links, June 7: Friars back nuns, gay priests on stage, and prayers for the frustrated faithful

The conversation surrounding the Vatican's reprimand of religious sisters continues, with leaders of the seven provinces of the Franciscan Friars in the United States making a statement today in support of the sisters [1].

Bishops in Ontario seem to have settled their dispute with the government over allowing Catholic schools to have gay-straight alliances. In the end, the bishops have decided to comply with the law [2].

Catholics in Minnesota are still divided over the church's campaign against same-sex marriage [3] in the state.

And yet another story on homosexuality and the church: A former priest has written a new play [4] that will take to the stage in New York about three gay Catholic priests who are forced by their bishop to tell parishioners to vote against same-sex marriage. What are the odds that it is based on a true story?

Speaking of priests disagreeing with their bishop, Cleveland's Bishop Richard Lennon is attempting to repair his strained relationship [5] with some of the priests in his diocese.

Elsewhere in the world, the government in Spain is considering a property tax on the Catholic Church [6] to help the struggling economy.

Did you know it is time to renew the farm bill? Good magazine has all the info [7] you need to understand why this matters and what it means for our food options here in the United States. And if you're wondering why this is a Catholic issue, here's what the U.S. bishops have to say [8] about the bill.

Father Jim Martin has written a prayer for frustrated Catholics [9], and our own Bryan Cones offers an alternative cure for frustrated Catholics: supporting the "nuns on the bus" [10] campaign. Of course, if you're feeling frustrated you can always tune in to a puppy cam [11]--research even shows they help to improve your fine motor skills [12]!