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The news this week is squarely under the heading Faith in a Secular world.
In the United States, the latest on banning same sex marriages has cheering and Catholics experiencing a range of emotions. The U.S. Bishops were and . called for rethinking the definition of family and perhaps moving on. MercatorNet, out of Australia, published a with Ruth Institute founder Jennifer Morse on what she sees is the disconnect between the Court's ruling and the operating definition of family, while the National Catholic Register has a with William May, who led the Catholic Campaign on Proposition 8.
As to what happens next? Politicians are split, President Obama is , even though he is pleased with the decision on Proposition 8. And Republicans how to react but some that this is just the beginning of the return of 'social issues' to the political scene. The general public according to is tending to side with the ruling. One thing is clear, the and the legal arguments are far from finished.
Europe on the other hand is another country as they say.
The Economist magazine has a on the state of the Catholic Church in Europe today. It is a mix of the expected and the surprising and suggests that matters are not as dire as some predict. The on the other hand sees gloom and blames it all on a 30 year crusade on the part of Pope Benedict to recreate a conservative Catholic Church. Italy might actually be a true indicator or at least that is the argument of in a truly detailed and intriguing report on who goes to Church and why. All three pieces are provocative reading and raise important questions about the near and long term future of the Church in Europe.