Vatican Connections: October 31, 2014

Alicia Ambrosio

October 31, 2014
VatiConnections
Things are returning to a normal pace at the Vatican after the end of the extraordinary synod. Pope Francis kept a full schedule this week, which included his daily masses, a meeting with members of popular movements from around the world (non-religious movements that advocate for worker's rights, indigenous land rights, fair wages, and access to housing) and he unveiled a bronze bust of a his predecessor. At that unveiling he also said the so-called "big bang theory" is not incompatible with faith. This sparked a media frenzy, quickly quelled when Catholic scholars pointed out that it was indeed a Catholic priest who first developed the big bang theory.
Another memorable quote was delivered during the pope's talk to the members of popular movements. He said "we see with sadness that [these three things] are increasingly unattainable for most people: land, roof, and work. It's strange but when I talk about these things, some people feel the pope is communist." Pope Francis went on to say that these three things are actually at the heart of the Church's social doctrine. This leads to an interesting point: how many people actually know what is in the Church's social doctrine? For those who are curious, the compendium of social doctrine of the Church can be found here.
Other notable events this week: a new batch of consultors have been named to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.