That’d be John, not Vladimir. (Yes, I know, and it’s Lennon, not Lenin.) And “forgive” would be the hedder on the Reuters version of the story about L’Osservatore Romano’s remarkable appreciation of The Beatles on the 40th anniversary of The White Album. It was John who, in 1966 and at the height of the group’s…

Or that’s what NCR columnist John Allen tries to do in his weekly column out today. You’ll recall the outcry after the initial report of Cardinal Stafford’s remarks at CUA in Washington. Today, Allen argues that Stafford’s remarks must be viewed in context. John has the goods, including this YouTube audio and this excerpt of…

…That’s the doubt angry conservatives are trying to sow as a way to undermine the CCHD, the principal anti-poverty program of the U.S. bishops conference, and the Roman Catholic Church in America. Among the harshest critics are some bishops themselves, though a group oddly named “Laity for Life” (they apparently find poverty pro-life, at least…

That’s the pontiff’s message, delivered last weekend to a meeting of the Vatican’s department on the laity. Via CNS: “In a special way, I reaffirm the necessity and urgency of the evangelical formation and pastoral accompaniment of a new generation of Catholics involved in politics, that they would be coherent with their professed faith,” morally…

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