News from around the Church and the world…

Traditionis custodes continues to rear its ugly head: a Brazilian archbishop has declared that anyone attending a TLM at an unapproved location (and there’s only one approved location in the archdiocese) is automatically excommunicated for “schism.” This is insane and clearly an abuse of power by a canonically-ignorant bishop. There’s no way this would hold up on appeal to the Holy See…assuming the Holy See judges things rightly. We need to pray for traditional Catholics persecuted by their shepherds for just wanting to attend the Mass of our ancestors.

Speaking of insane, the Trump Administration has blacklisted the AI company Anthropic because it wouldn’t play ball in allowing the Pentagon to use its software however it wanted. Trump officials say it would only be used for “lawful purposes,” but Anthropic is worried its AI could be used for massive surveillance or for fully autonomous weapons, i.e., weapons in which an AI could kill a human without any human approval. AI companies are exactly known for their moral code, but in this case it’s clear that Anthropic is in the right: do we really want AI that can kill on its own? It’s the stuff of dystopian novels.

Cardinal Pizzaballa continues to be the voice for the suffering in the Middle East. He recently noted the hypocrisy of the international community for holding Israel and Russia to two completely different standards. Actions by Russia that merit swift condemnation are ignored (or even supported) when conducted by Israel. God bless His Eminence and may he continue to be a voice for the victims in Palestine and throughout the region.

Will we go to war with Iran or won’t we? If nothing else, this Trump presidential term has been anything but boring. Trump continues to consider an attack on Iran, and it seems like every week there’s another invented justification for it. We need to pray, through the intercession of Blessed Karl of Austria, the Peace Emperor, that things are settled without violent conflict.

ICYMI: If you want to get caught up in the latest on the SSPX plan to consecrate bishops without Vatican approval, and the Vatican’s response to this plan, be sure to check out this week’s podcast episode on the topic.

Do you recognize this photo? It went viral after the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville in 2017, and the man on the right became the online face of white supremacists. Next week here at Crisis we’ll tell the wonderful story of redemption for this young man. Be sure to check it out.