1. BBC News: Amid violent reprisals, Afghans fear Taliban ‘amnesty’ may be void

And a former Afghan special forces soldier still inside the country told the BBC that he and his family were in hiding after the deaths of former colleagues.

“Since the Taliban came to power, they haven’t stopped killing,” he said. “A few days ago, they killed twelve members of the special forces in Kandahar as well as three soldiers in Jalalabad. They were my close friends. I was in contact with them. The Taliban took them from their homes and shot them dead.

…

“The violence is overwhelming. It’s endemic and common and also very acceptable, ”says Alishan Jafri, a freelance journalist who has documented attacks on Indian Muslims for three years.

2.

Regardless of the abortion policy, the Down’s Syndrome fanaticism reflected in this tweet is grotesque.

Researchers report that 99% of people with Down syndrome say they are happy with their life and 96% love the way they look. To assume that they would have done better to have an abortion is despicable. https://t.co/wGcNiS3BF4

– Jeff Jacoby (@Jeff_Jacoby) September 2, 2021

3. Vatican News: Violence against Christians increases in India, despite lockdowns

The monitoring group recorded 293 incidents of anti-Christian persecution in the first six months of the year.

Six of these cases resulted in murder. Two women were raped and killed for their faith, and two other women and a 10-year-old girl were raped for refusing to renounce Christianity.

4.

No more pictures of the stolen church (the tabernacle they now have is on loan). Please pray for the safe return of the Eucharist: https://t.co/yTrORbYLUP pic.twitter.com/qnVPmfNO0w

– Jonah McKeown (@mckeownjonah) September 2, 2021

5. Ed Mechmann: Why We Support Unpopular Religious Objections

It is the little one who needs protection, not the powerful.

6. Reuters: Number of people with dementia expected to increase 40% to 78 million by 2030 – WHO

Only one in four countries has a national policy in place to support dementia patients and their families, he said, urging governments to rise to the public health challenge.

“Dementia robs millions of people of their memories, independence and dignity, but it also robs the rest of us of the people we know and love,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, CEO of the WHO.

7. Catholic National Register: Pro-life doctors worry about complications from abortion pill amid push for permanent removal of restrictions

Dr Donna Harrison, OB-GYN and executive director of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, was among the authors of a recent to study by looking at “Deaths and Serious Adverse Events after Use of Mifepristone as an Abortive from September 2000 to February 2019”.

…

“In any other area of ​​obstetrics, what is proposed by the abortion industry is malpractice”, [Harrison] noted. “You cannot start treatment on a woman without giving her adequate informed consent. There is no way in creation that you can adequately give informed consent to a woman if you do not know exactly how far she is in her pregnancy.

She said if the restrictions are removed, then, ultimately, “there’s nothing to legally prevent the over-the-counter sale of Mifeprex, and that’s the end of the industry’s game. abortion: do this over the counter. It is a disservice to women.

8. AP: Bill tells North Carolina hospitals to let clergy in in case of emergency

The measure, which now goes to Gov. Roy Cooper’s office, was named in honor of Jeff Rieg of Washington, North Carolina, who died in a Greenville hospital in 2020. Rieg had been hit by a car, but the restrictions COVID-19 visitation had prevented his family and pastors from seeing him. Hospital finally allowed family and pastor to visit Rieg before his death, The Washington Daily News reported. The bill surfaced after other families reported similar hurdles to a lawmaker.

9. Father Roger Landry: Two bold and true responses to the dangers of gender ideology

While strongly encouraging Catholics and all people of good will to support, welcome, accompany and love all those whose gender identity does not correspond to their biological sex, to assert their human dignity and to defend their fundamental human rights to being safe from violence and unjust discrimination, Pope Francis has simultaneously been very clear about the dangers of gender ideology for people with gender dysphoria and for all of society.

ten. The Washington TimesChinese anti-sect czar arrested for corruption after expulsion from party

Sir. Peng “used his authority for his personal gain, sought out benefits from internet companies, resisted investigations by the Party, and engaged in superstitious activities, ”the newspaper said, citing the CCDI’s advice.

The notice added: “He violated the eight-point frugal living requirements, frequently visited private clubs, and accepted invitations to extravagant banquets and dinners.

11. Alan Cross: the church as sanctuary and shelter

The El Paso gunman acted with such harshness in the extreme, murdering nearly two dozen people and trying to kill many more. He reaped the bitter harvest of death and destruction which he had sown with his fear and hatred. The vast majority of those who close their hearts and lives to migrants and refugees would never kill anyone, of course. But the way we see people and whether or not we welcome the migrant and refugee among us when they need it says a lot about how we see God and ourselves. Are we recipients and dispensers of grace or mercy, or do we believe that we must fight to protect our way of life?

12. Matt Bruenig: Retardation and Grandparenthood

As the age of first birth increases, generations become dispersed and parents dispersed. The number of people in a family line who are in the workaholic age group is decreasing and they must therefore shoulder a greater share of the burden of care.

I’m talking about it not because I think it’s some kind of slam dunk in favor of having kids sooner rather than later, but because it seems like it should be factored into the delay talk more. than it is.

13. Nicole Garnett: What I saw at the Daytona 500

[Justice Thomas’s] talking was more than just a success. It was a triumph. The counter-demonstration fell flat, he was greeted warmly and his speech received a standing ovation. I believe that the speech remains one of its finest hours. The speech is full of wisdom and courage, and I share it regularly with students who ask me about Judge Thomas. But the most important lesson I learned so far did not come from his words to the National Bar Association, but from his courage in the face of controversy and his response to the vitriolic, a response captured in his e-mail response: Cast off anger, embrace joy. Be principled and courageous. But always be a happy warrior.

…

Another day, a man who appeared to be homeless walked up to say something like “Justice Thomas, I’m sending you another petition! The security service accompanying us attempted to push the man away, but the judge waved them away and spoke to the man for a few minutes. As we returned to court he said, “You know, these are tough days for him. It was recently the anniversary of her mother’s death. I was amazed: In a city full of people who spend every conversation looking over the shoulder to see if anyone more important is in the room, Judge Thomas stopped to be nice to a homeless man mourning the loss of his mother. No one has ever been more important than the person in front of him.

14. South Florida family welcomes newly adopted son evacuated from Afghanistan

Noman waited at Kabul International Airport for days, where he saw thousands of other people rushing for a flight.

“A lot of bullets and machine gun fire are basically fired in the air,” Noman recalled.

“He said there was fighting, that there was violence. There were scary and frightening jostling, ”said Bahaudin Mujtaba.

15. Charlotte Allen: The Call of the Giant Statues of Jesus

As magnets for tourists and other visitors, the monumental statues of Jesus enjoy a unique advantage. Their horizontal arms may give them a cruciform shape, but they are not true representations of Christ on the cross and therefore may appeal to Evangelical Christians who do not pray in front of crucifixes as well as Catholics who do. And even non-religious can find solace in a caring figure who expresses protection and welcoming. Art historian Nora M. Heimann of the Catholic University of America points out that Christ the Redeemer, Rio’s main tourist attraction, was originally a symbolic bulwark against the militant atheism and materialism of the 20th century. century. “Now he’s associated with Rio himself,” Ms. Heimann says. A classic example of a mixture of the profane and the sacred: At Easter 2020, during the first wave of Covid-19, lights projected a white coat and a doctor’s stethoscope on Christ the Redeemer.

Colossal statues can sound like rude appeals to the vanity of the rich or the money tourism can bring in. But this overlooks the complex motivations of religious, who often regard their trips to holy places as pilgrimages as well as enjoyable excursions. The heart of Christ the Protector, for example, might look like a small stylized heart visible on the chest of Christ the Redeemer in Rio.

“Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is enormous in Latin America, especially in Argentina and Uruguay,” two countries neighboring Rio Grande do Sul, explains David Morgan, professor of religious studies at Duke University. “Encantado clearly wants tourists, but it’s not a top tourist destination like Rio. It targets Latin American tourists. . . . There is a widely shared Christian faith in Latin America and a distinct culture that is distinctly Catholic, and this is where this region is trying to position itself.