Pope Francis Addresses Same Sex Blessings, and Other News From the Week
We’re pleased to bring you “While You Were Out”—Verily's quick takes on the happenings of this week.
Pope Francis says blessings are okay for couples in same-sex relationships
Earlier this week, the Vatican issued a declaration approved by Pope Francis titled, in Latin, Fiducia Supplicans. The document offers an overview of the Catholic Church’s teaching on blessings. But more notably, it specifically approves the possibility of offering blessings to couples in “irregular situations,” including people who are divorced and remarried without an annulment, and those in same-sex relationships. Although, as NPR notes, some LGBTQ activists hailed the announcement as a “major step,” the Vatican was at pains to underscore that the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage as a union between one man and one woman remains unchanged.
Fiducia Supplicans suggests that Catholic clergy could offer an informal or spontaneous blessing to couples who are not seeking legitimization of their relationship, but encouragement toward holiness. A liturgical rite for blessing the pairs is explicitly forbidden. But the document does seem to represent a clear about-face from an earlier Vatican declaration in 2021, which forbade blessing gay couples on the basis that “God cannot bless sin.”
The document received pushback from more conservative corners of the Catholic Church, particularly in Africa. Multiple bishops’ conferences on the continent issued pastoral statements of their own, walking back the possibility of offering such blessings. Their cultural context is certainly hostile to the idea; in some African countries, same-sex relationships are treated as a crime punishable by imprisonment. —Elizabeth Prendergast
Vin Diesel is accused of sexual assault
A civil suit filed by the Fast and Furious star’s former assistant, Asta Jonasson,claims he abused her in a room at the St. Regis hotel in Atlanta in 2010. Hours later, he had a family member fire her, the lawsuit alleges.
Deadline reports the incident happened when filming was underway for Fast Five, the fifth installment in Diesel’s seemingly endless street-racing movie franchise. Jonasson had been hired as an assistant about a week earlier.
“Vin Diesel forcibly grabbed Ms. Jonasson, groped her breasts, and kissed her,” the suit says. “Ms. Jonasson struggled continually to break free of his grasp, while repeatedly saying no. Vin Diesel is physically larger and much stronger than Ms. Jonasson, and abused his position of authority as her employer, and was able to easily overpower Ms. Jonasson.” The suit also describes the actor masturbating in front of her.
The claim was brought under the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, a California law that lifted the statute of limitations, with the goal of giving survivors a chance to come forward. Additional co-defendants are Diesel’s production company, One Race, and his sister, Samantha Vincent, who runs it. Jonasson claims that hours after the attack, Vincent called her to say they no longer needed “any extra help,” thereby firing her.
“Let me be very clear, Vin Diesel categorically denies this claim in its entirety,” his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told the media. “...There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations.” —Margaret Brady
The Colorado Supreme Court kicks Trump off the state ballot
On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court voted in a 4-3 decision to bar former president Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot. The majority agreed with a lawsuit claiming that Trump is disqualified from the presidency by the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution; the so-called “insurrection clause” bars from office anyone who took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and then engaged in rebellion against it.
The Associated Press reports that the court stayed their ruling until January 4. But January 5 is the deadline for Colorado presidential primary ballots to be printed.
Trump’s legal spokeswoman, Alina Habba, immediately signaled his team’s intention to appeal the decision: “It will not stand, and we trust that the [United States] Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.”
Trump lost Colorado by a wide margin in the last presidential election, and it seems unlikely he would be competitive there in 2024. The real jeopardy for Trump is that courts in other states will follow Colorado’s lead, resulting in his exclusion from the ballot in multiple contests. Indeed, NPR reports lawsuits in 13 states are underway, challenging his eligibility for candidacy, all citing the 14th Amendment. —EP
Gunman kills fourteen in Prague attack
A student at Charles University opened fire in the philosophy department on Thursday. Police officials said an additional 25 people were injured.
The attack’s death toll, which may rise, represents the worst mass shooting in the Czech Republic’s history. The suspect, who turned the gun on himself, is believed to have also killed his father earlier in the day. He’s also suspected in the December 15 death of a man and a 2-month-old baby, also in Prague.
According to the Associated Press, police aren’t aware of a possible motive for the attack, although there was some indication the suspect was “inspired” by earlier shooting incidents. He reportedly made excellent grades and had no criminal record. “We always thought that this was a thing that did not concern us. Now it turns out that, unfortunately, our world is also changing and the problem of the individual shooter is emerging here as well," Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda told local TV, according to Reuters.
Police said the suspect didn’t appear to have any accomplices, nor was the incident linked with terrorism. —MB
Good News of the Week
Archaeologists uncover a priceless treasure in Italy
A gorgeous ancient mosaic has been uncovered as part of a five-year dig in Rome’s Palatine Hill. The find, described as “unmatched” and “a jewel” by archeologists, dates to around the second century before Christ.
The mosaic’s long-ago creators used mother of pearl, marble, shells, glass, Egyptian tile, corals, and other then-expensive materials to depict scenes of military victories, including ships with sails hoisted, and lurking sea monsters. Even a rare paste used in the design likely came from the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria, CNN reports.
The mosaic is attached to the wall of a summertime outdoor eating area that once overlooked a garden. It’s part of a mansion of a very wealthy Roman, who may have won the battles depicted in the art. The Palatine Hill was perhaps the ritziest neighborhood in the city at the time.
”The person was so rich they could afford to import such precious elements from across the empire to decorate this mansion,” lead archeologist Alfonsina Russo said. “We have found nothing so far to shed light on their identity, but we believe more research might enable us to pinpoint the noble family.”
The brightly colored mosaic has been perfectly preserved under centuries of mud as the ground around the home shifted. At 16 feet long, taking up an entire wall, it’s a rare find. Russo’s team hopes to open the site up to the public in January 2024. —MB
Watch of the Week
A volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula erupted this week (nearby residents had already been evacuated after geological activity was detected) . A drone captured this mesmerizing, oddly relaxing footage of nature’s power on full display.
