Religious liberty case, the synod so far, and Vatican-China relations
Heidi, Fr. Daniel, and David discuss the issues at play in recent oral arguments in the 303 Creative case, look at the fans and opponents of synodality in the USCCB and beyond, and explore what diplomatic possibilities might lay ahead for Vatican-China
SEGMENT 1 - 303 Creative v. Elenis SCOTUS Oral Arguments
“Same-sex marriage, religious liberty and the culture wars” - Michael Sean Winters
Listen to the oral arguments at Oyez.org
Employment Division v. Smith (1989, 1990)
Lamb’s Chapel v. Union Free School District (1993)
Analysis of the case from legal scholar Dahlia Lithwick
The USCCB amicus brief in the case
SEGMENT 2 - Current State of the Synodal Process
The synod enters ‘Continental Phase’
“Are We Protagonists Yet?” by Susan Bigelow Reynolds
‘Managing expectations’ about the synod
Fr. Daniel on ‘Holy Spirit atheism’
SEGMENT 3 - Recent Relations Between the Vatican and China
Backgrounder on the renewal of provisional agreement between The Vatican and China
“Has the Vatican's dialogue with China reached its limits?” - Chris White at NCR
The Atlantic - “Normalizing Trade Relations With China Was a Mistake”
Reports on Vatican complaints and China’s recent response to those complaints