Friday Five always is a quick-hit collection of links from the world of religion news.
It’ll be even more so this week as I’m typing this from a Pennsylvania Turnpike travel stop en route to New Jersey on a reporting trip.
Since I need to hit the road again, let’s dive right into the Friday Five:
1. Religion story of the week: Priests sexually abusing nuns? What next?
It’s not an easy story to read or comment on. Perhaps that’s why we’ve neglected to mention it so far here at GetReligion. Sometimes a story is just too big and too complex to get a quick take on it. Also, the web of stories linked to clergy sexual abuse just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and more complex.
But we’ll keep our eyes open on this one.
Meanwhile, these early headlines should not go unnoticed, including “Pope Francis confirms priests' abuse of nuns included ‘sexual slavery’“ from CBS News, “Pope Francis acknowledges abuse of nuns for the first time” from Axios and "Pope Francis confirms Catholic clergy members abused nuns” from the Washington Post.
2. Most popular GetReligion post: Pope Francis figured, too, in our No. 1 most-clicked commentary this week.
This was the headline on Editor Terry Mattingly’s top post: “Big theology news: Pope Francis agrees that various world religions were 'willed' by God.” That’s a statement sure to raise eyebrows among traditional Muslims, as well as Catholics.
Here’s a short theology quiz: Does the word “universalism” apply to this debate or not? Be brief, concise and specific.
3. Guilt folder fodder (and more): Father Edward Beck had a kind message for New York Times headline writers: The pope doesn’t “deliver” Mass.
Apparently, the Times got the message because the online headline has been tweaked to use the verb “celebrates” instead of “delivers”:
Pope Francis, Amid Abu Dhabi’s Opulence, Celebrates Mass for Its Migrants
4. Shameless plug: I wrote a story for Religion News Service on a little-known provision of the 2017 corporate tax overhaul that has sparked questions and concerns by houses of worship and nonprofit organizations.
What’s the fuss all about?
By all means, check out the story.
5. Final thought: Tim Tebow said WHAT when someone yelled “Jesus” after his swing at a celebrity golf event?
That’s right: he quietly replied, “… loves you.”
Jesus loves you. What a brilliant ad lib.
Happy Friday, everybody!
Enjoy the weekend!