via Reuters: Pope Francis made a surprise visit to a shantytown on Rome’s outskirts on Sunday, stunning poor residents, many of them from his native South America. The pope was on his way to a visit to a parish in the working class Tiburtina area when he asked aides to make a detour to stop… Read More Pope Francis Makes Surprise Stop in a Shantytown in Rome

Millennial writer Mike Jordan Laskey  has a new article at NCR. He writes: In other words, real freedom is self-gift instead of selfishness. It’s choosing the good of the other over your own pleasure. For Phil, growing in freedom meant a move from “I can do what I want” to “I can do what is… Read More MJL: Real Freedom is Self-gift Instead of Selfishness

Millennial‘s Christopher Hale has a new article in Time. He writes: Many fault Catholic prelates for getting too involved in politics. But it’s important to note that when the Church engages in politics, it isn’t to pursue a political end, but rather to defend the dignity and the well being of God’s people. So Francis’s… Read More CJH: Why Oscar Romero is Truly a Saint

via House Speaker John Boehner: “It is my great privilege to announce that His Holiness Pope Francis will visit the United States Capitol on Thursday, September 24, 2015.  On that day, he will become the first leader of the Holy See to address a joint meeting of Congress.  It will be a historic visit, and… Read More Pope Francis to Address a Joint Meeting of US Congress

Millennial‘s Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig has a new article at The New Republic. She writes: Libertarianism rests on the whimsical notion that all people are isolated, entirely free agents with no claims on others except those that they can negotiate through consensual contracts. The very existence of children flatly disproves this; any moral intuition indicates that… Read More ESB: Libertarians Have a History of Horrifying Views on Parenting

Slowly but surely, changes are occurring in the demographic makeup of Congress. One change worth celebrating is the record number of women elected to represent Americans nationwide. While the US lags far behind other nations such as Rwanda or Sweden in this regard, more and more women are getting elected to Congress. With these changes,… Read More A New Focus on Women’s Equality with a Record Number of Women in Congress?

For a storm named after a cute, quirky teenager, Juno turned out to be pretty vicious. Last week’s blizzard buried parts of the east coast in up to three feet of snow, flooded many coastal towns, and generated wind gusts of 78mph in some locations. Every now and then a major storm like Juno comes… Read More Seeing the Snow Globe as Half Full: A Blizzard Blessing?