The Vatican Extends Xi’s Pontificate
Francis X. Maier Wall Street Journal
The Vatican announced on Saturday a two-year extension to its provisional agreement with Beijing governing Catholic affairs in China. On the same day, Hu Jintao, China’s former Communist Party general secretary (2002-12) and president (2003-13) and Xi Jinping’s immediate predecessor, was forcibly removed from the party’s National Congress. That body’s convention, which occurs every five years, marks a signature event in the nation’s political life. This year, it anointed Mr. Xi to an unprecedented third five-year term. Whether Mr. Hu’s very public exit was owing to age-related health issues or a brute display of Mr. Xi’s new power is unclear. But there’s a lesson in it for Rome either way.
The exact contents of the Vatican’s deal with Beijing, first signed in 2018, remain secret. Yet certain elements are known. The Vatican has recognized the formerly illicit bishops of China’s regime-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association. It has also agreed to the government’s role in the naming of new bishops. In return, Beijing has reportedly promised increased tolerance for China’s Catholics and legal protection for the unofficial “underground” church traditionally loyal to Rome.
"When they won’t even do the right thing in order to protect the gay community, what chance do the rest of us have?" asks Carl R. Trueman in WORLD Opinions writing about the Monkeypox pandemic and failing public health measures.
The Biden Administration's latest education gambit? Funding for "community schools" — meaning more critical race theory and school-sponsored leftist political activism, writes Stanley Kurtz for National Review.
"Where the parties put their money is a huge clue as to how they think the elections are trending," suggests Henry Olsen in the Washington Post, sharing tips to help gauge how midterm races are shaping up beyond the polling data.
On October 20, 2022, EPPC President Ryan T. Anderson and EPPC Fellow Alexandra DeSanctis joined a panel hosted by Bucknell University entitled “Culture and the Constitution: The Dobbs Decision and Abortion.” This panel brought together thinkers from across ideologies to discuss the place of abortion in the American order. After hearing accounts from Kristin Luker of UC Berkeley and Louise Perry, author of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, Ryan and Alexandra divided their argument into two parts. Alexandra first focused on the exclusively negative effects of abortion on women, and Ryan tackled the justification for the pro-life stance from the perspective of the unborn child.
Watch here. Alexandra address begins at 24:45, and Ryan starts at 46:30.
On October 24, EPPC Policy Analyst Clare Morell joined the WILKOW! show to discuss the censorship of conservative viewpoints by tech companies and how state legislators can ensure equal access to the public square for their residents.
