Distinctly Catholic

At the Washington Post's "On Faith," blog, Charles Camosy looks at the abortion laws in Ireland and explains how Ireland is one of the safest place for pregnant women on the planet. The money quote: "Even after the malpractice which led to Savita’s horrible death, Ireland remains one of the safest places in the world for pregnant women. It is a great example of a developed country which refuses to choose between women and their prenatal children.

In her most recent column, Ann Coulter sneers -- actually, it is worse than that -- at evangelicals who have come to support immigration reform, or, as she puts it, "amnesty for illegal aliens." I have been told I am not supposed to used the word "venom," but if this is not venomous, what is it?

The Washington Post has a report this morning on yesterday's congressional hearing into the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi last September. There is no issue that dramatized the partisanship of Fox and MSNBC than the Benghazi attack. Fox claims there was a cover-up and Sean Hannity says it is like Watergate. At MSNBC, they mention Ben Gay more often than they do Benghazi.

The Holy Father’s address to the International Union of Superiors General was a small masterpiece. There were many aspects of his talk that warrant attention, but this morning I would like to focus on his paragraph about the ecclesial mission of consecrated life, specifically his call to “’sentire’ con la Chiesa,” to think and feel with the Church.

Here is the Zenit translation of the relevant paragraph:

Michael Gerson, in this morning's Washington Post, on the common good. I especially like his ending, pointing out the way Catholic Social Teaching challenges everybody!