Wisdom Wednesday | July 12th

Wisdom Wednesday topics this week include new cardinals, cluster munitions, the pope’s picks for the Synod, and an AUSCP reflection on immigration services In San Diego and Tijuana. We also found a collection of stories with hopeful ideas for solutions of the Climate Crisis, the findings of a two-year examination of one credible sexual allegation and an in-depth study of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices and their wealthy companions at scheduled events.

Some brief items: Septic systems unnecessary for Amish grey water; a kosher baker refuses to make Pride treats; popular music heard in small Baptist churches, and there’s a mummified cat in a Scotland museum.

New Cardinals

The 21 new cardinals include Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States.

Synod participants

The Vatican on July 7 released the full list of participants for its upcoming global synod of Catholic bishops and lay delegates. NCR and Religion News Service both noted the participants will include noted LGBTQ advocate Jesuit Fr. James Martin and all four U.S. cardinals created by Pope Francis.

Papal matters

Mourning the “silent massacres” of innocent people crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the world must change its attitude toward migrants and those in need, Pope Francis said. The pope also said solitary confinement is a form of torture, and NCR reports that the pope’s travel plans are being watched by China and Russia.

Going to the margins

Kevin Clinton, a member of the AUSCP, and a participant at the recent Assembly in San Diego, reflects on his visit to immigration centers in San Diego and Tijuana.

Strong Opinions

We search for wisdom this week in two published opinions. The New York Times editorial board opposes “the flawed moral logic of sending cluster munitions to Ukraine.” (The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.)

New York writes about “the dangerous hate of Catholic homophobia.” Alexander M. Santora is a parish pastor, dean, and a graduate of Columbia School of Journalism.

Women pastors in the SBC

A letter from the president of the SBC’s National African American Fellowship expressed concerns over recent SBC decisions to bar churches with women pastors. Will they be expelled?

Climate Change: Hopeful ideas

The internet content provider offers a collection from correspondents and students across the world, exploring climate change, how to slow it down and reverse it.

The impact of one credible accusation

Two years ago a research team of one theologian, one criminologist and one historian set out to assess the impact of just one credibly accused Jesuit on the social fabric of a Catholic city like Omaha. NCR published their report.

Theologian appointment denied by Vatican

A recent Vatican decision to not allow a progressive theologian to become the dean of a theological university in Italy highlights the fractures within the Catholic Church over sexual morality while also hinting at divisions inside the Vatican itself.

Justices and donors

U.S. Supreme Court justices have long benefited from the presumption they chose public service over more lucrative opportunities. But records obtained by The Associated Press reveal the justices attended publicly funded events that allowed the schools to put the justices in the room with influential donors, including some whose industries have had interests before the court, lent the prestige of their position to partisan activity and advanced personal interests such as book sales.

Reparations advance in California, denied in Oklahoma

California faces backlash as it weighs historic redress for Black residents. In Oklahoma, a judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The Future of the ‘Great Resignation’

The latest jobs data suggest that workers may be losing some of the leverage they gained during the pandemic.

Politics

Florida first lady Casey DeSantis is doing her best to perform a rescue mission for her husband Ron’s struggling presidential campaign, holding her first solo campaign event to launch “Mamas for DeSantis.” Meanwhile Ron DeSantis blames the media for sagging poll numbers. And presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy makes a pitch that Hindu and Christian faiths have much in common.

Issues of class and meritocracy have been raised in the aftermath of two Supreme Court decisions about higher education, says columnist Michael Sean Winters.

Criminal charges?

A grand jury being seated Tuesday in Atlanta will likely consider whether criminal charges are appropriate for former President Donald Trump or his Republican allies for their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

In other news and views

• How should Christians respond to the challenges of AI? To use AI wisely, we need to develop an ethical framework that prioritizes human dignity and adapts to changing technologies.
• Members of a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of their “gray water,” the state Court of Appeals ruled Monday.
• Three wooden crosses outside a small Los Angeles church were found burned early Thursday, and authorities said it was being investigated as a possible hate crime.
• A Connecticut church is fighting the school vaccination requirement. Its reason is opposition to abortion.
• A kosher baker rejected a synagogue’s order for rainbow Pride treats. The firestorm has been fierce.

‘City of David’ – Location, location, location

The problem of where ancient Jerusalem was built gets thornier, according to a Religion News Service report. A new find near the Temple Mount suggests that the ‘City of David’ was more likely a suburb of ancient Jerusalem.

Music in Baptist churches

Step into a big Baptist church on Sunday morning, you’ll hear the same popular worship songs played at other big churches around the country. But show up in a small church, and you never know what you’ll find — anything from “How Great Thou Art” to “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Anything goes.

Witchcraft artifacts on display

At the new Museum of Magic, Fortune-telling and Witchcraft, visitors can gawk at a mummified cat as well as good-luck charms once used by ordinary Scots. Also on display are mystical amulets and bottles once owned by those thought to be witches.