Pope Francis ousts conservative head of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, who wasn't smiling in 2014 as the caption says, and probably isn't now, either.

Story here.

Catholic clergy pension funds severely underfunded

The Reuters story was picked up here:

"A Reuters review of U.S. Catholic financial disclosures shows the pension funding shortfall in 2014 likely approached $2 billion, with much of that coming due in the next five years as thousands of priests retire. ... A review of 51 dioceses that provide detailed financial information showed a clergy pension funding gap of nearly $700 million - a figure that does not include other post-retirement benefits, or obligations to lay staff. If the remainder of the roughly 197 dioceses in the United States face similar funding issues, the total pension gap would be close to $2 billion. ...

"Pensions for priests became commonplace in the U.S. Catholic Church in the 1970s, typically funded through donations, fundraising drives, and – in some cases – contributions from clergy wages. The pensions are generally fairly meager at around $20,000 per year. A report issued by non-profit group Laity in Support of Retired Priests (LSRP) last year showed that an average priest's pension and social security benefits are projected to be lower than the cost of living."

Another country falls to anti-culture

From the story here:

"Ireland will become the 19th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriages once the necessary legislation is approved as expected. The first weddings could happen within six months. ... Congratulations poured in to Ireland from around the world, including from British Prime Minister David Cameron and US Vice President Joe Biden."

Not-So-Forward-Thinking Kmart Shopper Spends Half Her Holiday Budget On Ornaments, Hats And Decor

Reported here in all seriousness:

A Kmart store in New York City that opened at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving and stayed open for 41 hour straight was packed on the holiday. Clothing was marked down 30 percent to 50 percent. Adriana Tavaraz, 51, headed there at about 4 p.m. and spent $105 on ornaments, Santa hats and other holiday decor. She saved about 50 percent. But it's not likely Tavaraz will be back in stores too many more times this season. Money is tight this year because of rising costs for food and rent, and Tavaraz already spent much of her $200 holiday budget. "Nowadays, you have to think about what you spend," she said. "You have to think about tomorrow."

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The woman named Folly is brash.

She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.

-- Proverbs 9:13

Pope Forgets Feminine Genius Once Got Important Decision Spectacularly Wrong

Pope Francis loses his ba-lance, but he'd better go find it.

"Women are asking deep questions that must be addressed... The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions." -- Pope Francis, quoted here

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. -- Genesis 3:6

Is "Catastrophic Damage" God's Judgment For ObamaCare Ruling?

Catastrophic damage to power grids occurred hot on the heels of the ObamaCare ruling last week, centered on Washington, DC, as reported here:

Almost 2.4 million people from Illinois to Virginia were still without power Monday morning, with the biggest concentration of outages in the Washington, D.C. area. ...

Power crews worked on Monday to restore service to homes and businesses, and officials in some areas said the job could take up to a week. Utilities in Ohio, Virginia and Maryland described damage to their power grids as catastrophic.

I believe the technical legal phrase for such catastrophes for insurance purposes is "acts of God."

Religious people sometimes find theological significance to such acts. Secular people do too: God is very useful to them when it comes to not having to pay for the damage He is supposed to have caused.

Uh Oh. Lady Gaga Really is Nuts.

"I feel like honestly that God sent me those lyrics and that melody. When you feel a message to give to the world and people are shooting arrows at it... there's no way for something that pure to be wrong."

-- Lady Gaga, quoted here