An Australian Catholic in Indianapolis finds a lot of “whoopin’ and hollerin’” – “prototypically American” — at the Eucharistic Congress, but something of a universal experience as well.
Welcome to Wednesday! We are leaning heavily this week on secular news services, in the hopes that “outsiders’ views” will help us see and hear what the world thinks of us, and avoid judging before we leap to conclusions. A prime example: Cardinal Tagle says the Eucharistic Congress was a “blessed experience.” Olympic ceremony watchers see a parody of the Last Supper – or was it Dionysus at the center of the table?
The Eucharistic Congress
- In an interview with Vatican Radio, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle reflects on his experience at the Tenth National Eucharistic Congress in the United States, and shares the message Pope Francis had for participants.
- According to Cardinal Christophe Pierre, a genuine Eucharistic revival, though always accompanied by sacramental devotion—such as adoration, processions, and catechesis—must extend beyond devotional practices. A true Eucharistic awakening, Cardinal Pierre explained, means seeing Christ in others, not only in our own families, friends, and communities, but also in those we feel distant from due to their ethnicity, social status, or differing opinions. These words are particularly significant given the polarization that characterizes American society.
- From the down-under part of our globe, an Australian Catholic: “I had the privilege of attending the 10th National Eucharistic Congress of the United States, as part of an observer team from the Archdiocese of Sydney.” Sebastian Condon concludes, “The US Eucharistic Congress started a fire, not a program.” He says, “While there were many aspects of the Congress that were prototypically American—most notably a degree of whoopin’ and hollerin’ that would be hard to imagine in an antipodean setting—there was also a universality to the congress in keeping with the nature of our Catholic faith.”
- A secular view of the National Eucharistic Congress, from the Associated Press. “Like the star of an arena tour, a spotlight illuminated the glittering, golden vessel carried by a Catholic bishop. Inside, it held a round communion host, which Catholics believe is the full presence of Jesus in the appearance of bread.”
- What do U.S. Catholics believe about the Eucharist? Pew Research offers some survey results.
Olympic Ceremony in Paris
- Was it “The Last Supper” or a party on Vesuvius? Broadcast around the world, one of several dozen scenes has drawn American criticism. Others are more familiar with the break-all-rules world of modern Paris art that possibly is seen as risqué elsewhere, according to a British writer. American Bishop Robert Barron expressed outrage at a scene that was a parody of the Last Supper scene by Leonardo da Vinci – and then complained about the apology.
- Thomas Jolly, the event’s artistic director, said, “I wanted to send a message of love, of inclusion, not at all to divide.” Communist senator Pierre Ouzoulias stressed, “Blasphemy is an integral part of our republican heritage” and “a glorious feature of our revolutionary history”.
- Olympics Last Supper controversy, explained: Why drag performance during 2024 opening ceremony is drawing backlash. An explanation from the Sporting News.
- Earlier, on Thursday (July 25), hundreds of French Catholics gathered in the Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis, the northern Paris suburb hosting the Olympic Village, to pray and bless athletes before the competition’s Friday opening.
- Pope appeals for Olympic Truce for war-torn nations. Pope Francis expresses his wish that the Olympic and Paralympic Games provide an opportunity to establish a truce in ongoing wars and that athletes be messengers of peace.
US Presidential politics
- An article in the UK Guardian describes the contest: A man convicted of dozens of felonies versus a criminal prosecutor. An architect of abortion bans versus a champion of reproductive freedom. An elderly white man fixated on the past versus a mixed-race daughter of immigrants leaning into the future.
- How Trump and Vance went from a ‘threat to democracy’ to ‘weird’. With Harris at the top of the ticket, Democrats shift to a simpler characterization of Trump.
- An analysis of the prayers at Trump campaign events leads to some frightening conclusions. From the Atlantic.
- Kamala Harris’s election campaign has accused Elon Musk of spreading “manipulated lies” after the Tesla chief executive posted a doctored video featuring the vice-president on his X account. Musk reposted a manipulated Harris campaign video on Friday evening in which a fake Harris voiceover says “I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire” and that anyone who criticises her is “both sexist and racist”.
- A German Catholic weekly reports on reaction to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, with “a call for moderation.”
- What the BBC says about the Trump campaign.
- President Biden, stepping down, gave a “Catholic” address, according to Michael Sean Winters.
- Biden is a “consequential president who never gave up on his faith, family or country. Biden had to withstand withering criticism from some of the Catholic faithful who were convinced that they had God’s ear and Joe did not. An Opinion from NCR.
Israel – Gaza
A local Gaza parish preps school children for class as the war goes on. The official international aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales renews support of the United Nations relief efforts.
Elsewhere
- St. Paul – Minneapolis archdiocese welcomes largest class of priestly ordinations in almost two decades.
- An Australian report recommends stripping tax-deductible donations from religious education in schools, school building funds and any activity that “advances religion.”
- Texas AG loses to Sister Norma. In the latest legal defeat for a Republican-led investigation of Catholic migrant shelters, a Hidalgo County, Texas, judge on Wednesday (July 24) denied a request from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to depose a Catholic Charities leader in the Rio Grande Valley. “We hope that we can put this behind us and focus our efforts on protecting and upholding the sanctity and dignity of all human lives while following the law,” Sister Norma Pimentel, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley’s executive director, said in a statement.
- India’s Christian leaders work to convince Modi government to curb attacks. False charges of forced conversion, say the leaders, are used to target Christians, who cite attacks on church properties and institutions, the harassment of pastors and raids on private parties.
- Brent Leatherwood, ERLC president, fired a day after praising Biden. Leatherwood had been criticized for other recent positions on topics of key interest to Southern Baptists, such as not supporting legislation that would have jailed women who chose abortions.
- African faith leaders call for debt forgiveness in 2025 Jubilee year. ‘We urgently need a new debt jubilee to bring hope to humankind, and to bring the planet back from the brink of becoming uninhabitable,’ said 27 religious leaders from 13 countries
- Church of the Nazarene expels LGBTQ affirming theologian. The church court stripped the Rev. Thomas Jay Oord of Nampa, Idaho, of his preaching credentials and expelled him from membership in the 2.5 million-member global denomination.
- In small-town Illinois, a little church says goodbye. Ryan Burge, pastor and sociologist, has documented church decline for years. This Sunday, after 150 years, his own church held its final service.
- There is only one year left until the church celebrates the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council in history: the Council of Nicaea. In 2025, Orthodox and Catholics plan to celebrate this historic date together.
And now, something completely different
Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority have discovered a remnant of a massive ancient moat in Jerusalem that fortified the city during the time of the First Jewish Temple and the Kingdom of Judah — the ninth century BCE. “This is an extremely important discovery,” Yosef Garfinkel, a professor at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University who was not involved in the excavation, told Religion News Service. “It shows that by the ninth century BCE, Jerusalem was an important city.”
Support Wisdom Wednesday
We hope you have enjoyed this roundup of recent news about faith, politics, and culture. We will return next week with another edition of Wisdom Wednesday.
If you’d like to support our continued work to bring you wisdom each week, please consider making a donation. Your support provides the breath that makes our voice heard in the U.S. and beyond.
The AUSCP is a 501c3 organization and your donation is tax-deductible.