Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the legacy of the Second Vatican Council, the role of Islam in the upcoming Turkish elections, moderate Islam in Egypt, and developing atheist theology.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
The Samson Option Upheld
by Drew Christiansen and Ra'fat Aldajani
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/samson-option-upheld
Israel's reluctance to engage in dismantling a nuclear arsenal it doesn't even admit exists is understandable. But the decision of the North Atlantic powers, including non-nuclear and often peace-leaning Canada, to run interference for a nuclear outlier that is not a signatory of the NPT is hard to understand, unless perhaps this is part of a U.S. quid pro quo with Israel in exchange for giving the nuclear deal with Iran a chance.
VATICAN II CONFERENCE
Cardinal Kasper: Francis Wants a Hierarchy that Listens to 'Sensus Fidei'
by Joshua McElwee
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/news/global/cardinal-kasper-francis-wants-hierarchy-listens-sensus-fidei
Pope Francis wants to retool the Catholic hierarchy so that it not only defines and enforces church teachings, but also listens and responds to how laypeople understand God's will, German Cardinal Walter Kasper said. Kasper, a noted theologian whose writings are known to have influenced Francis, said the pope wants to create a "listening magisterium." (...) Kasper, the former president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, spoke Saturday at Washington's National Cathedral as part of a landmark theological conference on the Second Vatican Council co-hosted by the cathedral, Georgetown University, and Marymount University in Arlington, Va.
Look to Ecumenical Future by Remembering Gospel, German Cardinal Urges
Catholic Herald
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/05/27/look-to-ecumenical-future-by-remembering-gospel-german-cardinal-urges/
The positive progress made toward greater unity among divided Christians during the 50 years since the Second Vatican Council should not be taken for granted, German Cardinal Walter Kasper suggested in an address on Saturday.
With Vatican II, World Became 'Horizon for the Church,' says Cardinal
by David Gibson
CNS
http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=173924
The Second Vatican Council opened the church to the world in ways essential to the faith community's self-understanding today, said speakers at a May 21-24 international, ecumenical and interreligious conference in Washington.
Cardinal Tagle: Church Should not Look to 'Idealized Past' with Nostalgia
by Joshua McElwee
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/news/global/cardinal-tagle-church-should-not-look-idealized-past-nostalgia
Philippines Cardinal Luis Tagle -- often cited as a possible successor to Pope Francis -- has called on Catholics to avoid looking to the pre-Second Vatican Council church with a sense of nostalgia, but to embrace and live out the council's sense of openness to the modern world.
What Critics Get Wrong about the Significance of Vatican II
by Drew Christiansen, S.J.
America
http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/what-critics-get-wrong-about-significance-vatican-ii
Tough Questions for the Future of Interfaith Dialogue
by Drew Christiansen, S.J.
America
http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/tough-questions-future-interfaith-dialogue
Remembering Vatican II at Georgetown
by Paul Lakeland
Commonweal
https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/remembering-vatican-ii-georgetown
AROUND THE WORLD
Report: Papal Encyclical Named after St. Francis Prayer of Praise
by Cindy Wooden
CNS/CruxNow.com
http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/06/01/report-papal-encyclical-named-after-st-francis-prayer-of-praise/
Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment will be titled “Laudato Sii” (Praised Be), a line from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creatures,” and will be released June 16, said the head of the Vatican publishing house.
Islam Center Stage as Turkish Election Campaign Enters Final Week
by Daren Butler
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/06/01/islam-center-stage-as-turkish-election-campaign-enters-final-week/
Persuading religious conservatives, including pious Kurds and nationalists, to back the Islamist-rooted AK Party will be key in an election Erdogan hopes will bring him stronger presidential powers that opponents see as a threat to democracy.
Egypt Deploys Scholars to Teach Moderate Islam but Skepticism Abounds
by Yara Bayoumy
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/06/01/egypt-deploys-scholars-to-teach-moderate-islam-but-skepticism-abounds/
To contain the radical Islamist movement roiling his nation, Sisi has most conspicuously been using the law and brute force. But he is also promoting a more moderate and less politicized version of the faith. In that struggle the Al-Azhar institution is one of the most important fronts for Sisi – and for the wider region. The outcome of the struggle in Egypt, the intellectual and cultural capital of the Arab world, has ramifications far beyond its borders.
Wanted: A Theology of Atheism
by Molly Worthen
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/opinion/sunday/molly-worthen-wanted-a-theology-of-atheism.html?ref=opinion
As nonbelievers tangle with traditional Christians over same-sex marriage and navigate conflicts between conservative Muslims and liberal democracy, they will need a confident humanist moral philosophy. The secular humanist liberation movement, in its zeal to win over religious America, should not encourage nonbelievers to turn away from their own intellectual heritage at the time when they will want it most.
The Samson Option Upheld
by Drew Christiansen and Ra'fat Aldajani
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/samson-option-upheld
Israel's reluctance to engage in dismantling a nuclear arsenal it doesn't even admit exists is understandable. But the decision of the North Atlantic powers, including non-nuclear and often peace-leaning Canada, to run interference for a nuclear outlier that is not a signatory of the NPT is hard to understand, unless perhaps this is part of a U.S. quid pro quo with Israel in exchange for giving the nuclear deal with Iran a chance.
VATICAN II CONFERENCE
Cardinal Kasper: Francis Wants a Hierarchy that Listens to 'Sensus Fidei'
by Joshua McElwee
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/news/global/cardinal-kasper-francis-wants-hierarchy-listens-sensus-fidei
Pope Francis wants to retool the Catholic hierarchy so that it not only defines and enforces church teachings, but also listens and responds to how laypeople understand God's will, German Cardinal Walter Kasper said. Kasper, a noted theologian whose writings are known to have influenced Francis, said the pope wants to create a "listening magisterium." (...) Kasper, the former president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, spoke Saturday at Washington's National Cathedral as part of a landmark theological conference on the Second Vatican Council co-hosted by the cathedral, Georgetown University, and Marymount University in Arlington, Va.
Look to Ecumenical Future by Remembering Gospel, German Cardinal Urges
Catholic Herald
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/05/27/look-to-ecumenical-future-by-remembering-gospel-german-cardinal-urges/
The positive progress made toward greater unity among divided Christians during the 50 years since the Second Vatican Council should not be taken for granted, German Cardinal Walter Kasper suggested in an address on Saturday.
With Vatican II, World Became 'Horizon for the Church,' says Cardinal
by David Gibson
CNS
http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=173924
The Second Vatican Council opened the church to the world in ways essential to the faith community's self-understanding today, said speakers at a May 21-24 international, ecumenical and interreligious conference in Washington.
Cardinal Tagle: Church Should not Look to 'Idealized Past' with Nostalgia
by Joshua McElwee
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/news/global/cardinal-tagle-church-should-not-look-idealized-past-nostalgia
Philippines Cardinal Luis Tagle -- often cited as a possible successor to Pope Francis -- has called on Catholics to avoid looking to the pre-Second Vatican Council church with a sense of nostalgia, but to embrace and live out the council's sense of openness to the modern world.
What Critics Get Wrong about the Significance of Vatican II
by Drew Christiansen, S.J.
America
http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/what-critics-get-wrong-about-significance-vatican-ii
Tough Questions for the Future of Interfaith Dialogue
by Drew Christiansen, S.J.
America
http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/tough-questions-future-interfaith-dialogue
Remembering Vatican II at Georgetown
by Paul Lakeland
Commonweal
https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/remembering-vatican-ii-georgetown
AROUND THE WORLD
Report: Papal Encyclical Named after St. Francis Prayer of Praise
by Cindy Wooden
CNS/CruxNow.com
http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/06/01/report-papal-encyclical-named-after-st-francis-prayer-of-praise/
Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment will be titled “Laudato Sii” (Praised Be), a line from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creatures,” and will be released June 16, said the head of the Vatican publishing house.
Islam Center Stage as Turkish Election Campaign Enters Final Week
by Daren Butler
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/06/01/islam-center-stage-as-turkish-election-campaign-enters-final-week/
Persuading religious conservatives, including pious Kurds and nationalists, to back the Islamist-rooted AK Party will be key in an election Erdogan hopes will bring him stronger presidential powers that opponents see as a threat to democracy.
Egypt Deploys Scholars to Teach Moderate Islam but Skepticism Abounds
by Yara Bayoumy
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/06/01/egypt-deploys-scholars-to-teach-moderate-islam-but-skepticism-abounds/
To contain the radical Islamist movement roiling his nation, Sisi has most conspicuously been using the law and brute force. But he is also promoting a more moderate and less politicized version of the faith. In that struggle the Al-Azhar institution is one of the most important fronts for Sisi – and for the wider region. The outcome of the struggle in Egypt, the intellectual and cultural capital of the Arab world, has ramifications far beyond its borders.
Wanted: A Theology of Atheism
by Molly Worthen
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/opinion/sunday/molly-worthen-wanted-a-theology-of-atheism.html?ref=opinion
As nonbelievers tangle with traditional Christians over same-sex marriage and navigate conflicts between conservative Muslims and liberal democracy, they will need a confident humanist moral philosophy. The secular humanist liberation movement, in its zeal to win over religious America, should not encourage nonbelievers to turn away from their own intellectual heritage at the time when they will want it most.
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