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13 hours ago | 
pennlive.com | George Weigel
Late April is an excellent time weather-wise to plant a tree, which is why Pennsylvania decided decades ago to mark the last Friday of each April as Arbor Day. Nebraska newspaper editor J. Sterling Morton came up with the Arbor-Day idea in 1872 to encourage tree-planting after moving to that hot prairie state and missing the shade trees of his native New York. Nebraskans planted a million trees that first Arbor Day, and eventually every state in the U.S. designated a day for Arbor Day.
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22 hours ago | 
catholicweekly.com.au | George Weigel
Rome has a good claim to be the rumour capital of the planet. Many speculations heard along the Tiber are nonsense, of course, not least those concerning papabili: men who are (to translate freely) “popeable.”Some rumours, however, should be taken more seriously; should they turn out to be fact rather than scuttlebutt, real damage could be done to the church.
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1 day ago | 
catholicworldreport.com | George Weigel |Michael Miller
Retrospect on a pontificateThe next pontificate must understand what the Francis pontificate seems not to have grasped. Pope Francis appears for the first time on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 13, 2013.
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1 day ago | 
wsj.com | George Weigel
Ever since 1276, when popes began to be elected by a conclave of rigorously sequestered cardinals, that secretive process has been an irresistible source of fascination. In recent times, reporters with pages to fill, novelists seeking the sensational and moviemakers with eyeballs to attract have often lurched into the implausible, even madcap, in suggesting what conclaves are like.
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1 day ago | 
flipboard.com | George Weigel
Prince William Will Represent Royals at Pope's Funeral Since King Charles Isn't AllowedIt's a whole thing. Prince William will be traveling to the Vatican to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on behalf of the British royal family later this week. And if you're wondering why King Charles isn't going, he literally isn't allowed. Royal expert Katie Nicholl writes in Vanity Fair that King …
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1 day ago | 
catholiceducation.org | Dwight Longenecker |John Cuddeback |George Weigel
The interminable Tolkien industry has churned out blockbuster feature films, television series, commentaries, critiques, essays and analysis. Numerous biographies have dissected his life, his friendship with C.S. Lewis, and his continuing legacy. The influence of Tolkien’s Catholic faith on his great saga has been observed and analyzed, but no single volume has used Tolkien’s Catholic faith as the sole lens through which to view his life.
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1 day ago | 
ncregister.com | George Weigel
COMMENTARY: Christian communities that maintain a clear understanding of their doctrinal and moral identity and boundaries have a chance to convert the post-modern world. Pope Francis is hugged by a young visitor at his general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
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1 day ago | 
catholicworldreport.com | George Weigel |Benjamin Wiker
A new model conclave? At this delicate moment in Catholic history, fundamental questions of doctrine, morals, and pastoral practice are being contested. Cardinals concelebrating Mass for the election of the Roman pontiff in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 12, 2013. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) Rome has a good claim to be the rumor capital of the planet.
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2 days ago | 
almendron.com | George Weigel
When Pope Francis was elected on March 13, 2013, the Vatican’s reputation as a forceful, effective global advocate for basic human rights and a humane world order was at its apogee, thanks to the work of Francis’s two papal predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Francis, who died Monday at age 88, does not leave a similar legacy. It will be up to his successor to rebuild a Catholic global witness now in disarray.
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2 days ago | 
catholicworldreport.com | Madalaine Elhabbal |George Weigel
Mourners gather in St. Peter’s Square after the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 21, 2025 / 14:22 pm (CNA). Ukrainian president grieves Pope Francis, source of ‘spiritual support’“Millions of people around the world are mourning the tragic news of Pope Francis’ passing,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X on Monday morning.
