The Ethical Contradictions of Brain Reading Technology

I recently came across this disturbing article on the Vox News site.

"Over the past few weeks, Facebook and Elon Musk’s Neuralink have announced that they’re building tech to read your mind — literally."

Declining Church Attendence in Philadelphia

Half of Catholics attending Mass 28 years ago no longer do

The above link is to Catholic Philly which is the archdiocese digital equivalent of a paper.  It is not really "new" news but in two very well done graphics it summarizes the statistics collected each October on Mass attendance. Like many other dioceses a count is made on all Sundays of October.

Each graphic links to current events in the diocese. The first gives the total number, the second the percentage change from the previous year.  Of course we must be weary of false correlations. The only uptick occurred in 2002. The diocese noted all the attention given to the previous jubilee year; of course they also acknowledge that 9/11 might have had something to do with it.

Besides the two clear graphics, they summarize the findings well:

“But the data suggest two significant factors: the clergy sexual abuse crisis and the closure of Catholic churches through parish mergers.

Regarding the former, even though the decline in attendance was well underway for years, the largest percentage declines from year to year occurred during significant episodes in the abuse crisis.”

They then describe: the scandal broke nationally in the spring of 2002 in Boston;  September 2005 the first Philadelphia grand jury report; in the winter of 2011 the second Philadelphia grand jury report; a grand jury report on abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese was released in 2016; the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report and McCarrick in 2018. The first graphic shows the steeper declines after these events.

“The other significant factor in declining Mass attendance suggests a downward spiral in which fewer available Masses lead to fewer people attending Mass regularly, and fewer people in church lead to fewer Masses celebrated. That means more parishes consolidating, resulting in fewer people attending, and so on.”

The declines started before 2002, and are clearly linked in 1993 to the 70 parish closings. One of the reasons for these graphs is that Chaput has to resign in a few months. Rocco who pointed out this article says that Chaput told his priests to expect up to 100 new closings under his successor.

We all see these and similar statistics from time to time piecemeal. We need more brief dramatic presentations like this to focus everyone’s attention on this deep problem and its likely causes.  It is notable that the presentation focuses upon two causes that are clearly the responsibility of the diocese. It does not spend time attributing them to the general culture or to the laxity of the laity.

Sometimes I can't help it

 Here is a story to distract you from thinking about what you are paying President Trump for the Pence entourage to stay at the Trump golf course in Doonberg, a town in Trump Ireland.

 Long story, short: Jimmy Aldaoud, who came to the United States as an infant in 1979, was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and put on an plane to Iraq. He had never been there; he was born in Greece. He didn’t know the language. He needed medicine he wouldn’t know how to get. As a deportee he couldn’t go to the U. S. Embassy for help. But being a culturally American, he would be targeted by the people who were his kinsmen only in the twisted minds of ICE. He had to be deported because he upsets the President of the United States and his base.

Yes, he’s dead.

Women on clericalism

... as reported by Cardinal Cupich in the archdiocesan newspaper.  Offered here without comment on my part, as no further mansplaining seems to be called for:

https://www.chicagocatholic.com/cardinal-blase-j.-cupich/-/article/2019/09/04/archdiocesan-women-s-committee-responds-to-the-issue-of-clericalism

Vietnamese Nuns Making a Difference for Minority Children

This interesting article on the NCR site caught my attention. It was a dose of inspiration in what has seemed like a week of disasters. Several groups of Vietnamese religious sisters are making a difference for minority ethnic children in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
From the article:

... Just like Bogey and Bacall

 People keep asking if Dorian is affecting us.
 Shortest answer: A little. Slightly longer answer: We are under a Hurricane Watch in Palm Beach County, meaning "hurricane conditions" could exist in the next 48 hours. Slightly longer answer: "Hurricane conditions" does not mean what's happening now on Bermuda; it could be a lot lighter, and is so forecast to be.
 I am writing now because the likelihoods tell me that we are going to lose power in the next 24 hours and could be out 3 to 10 days, most likely the shorter period. I have just sent this note to the kids, and I thought some of you might like it, too. I'll try to update, but when the  power goes off I will be silenced.  It should not be taken as an ominous silence.

New cardinals

http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2019/09/01/0650/01348.html

(Cardinal-designates under 80 years old:)

1. S.E. Mons. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, mccj – Presidente del Pontificio Consiglio per il Dialogo Interreligioso.

2. S.E. Mons. José Tolentino Medonça – Archivista e Bibliotecario di Santa Romana Chiesa.

3. S.E. Mons. Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo – Arcivescovo de Jakarta.

4. S.E. Mons. Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez – Arcivescovo de San Cristóbal de la Habana.

5. S.E. Mons. Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, o.f.m. cap – Arcivescovo di Kinshasa.

6. S.E. Mons. Jean-Claude Höllerich, sj – Arcivescovo di Lussemburgo.

7. S.E. Mons. Alvaro L. Ramazzini Imeri – Vescovo di Huehuetenamgo.

8. S.E. Mons. Matteo Zuppi – Arcivescovo di Bologna.

9. S.E. Mons. Cristóbal López Romero, sdb – Arcivescovo di Rabat.

10. R.P. Michael Czerny, sj – Sotto Segretario della Sezione Migranti – Dicastero per il Servizio dello Sviluppo Umano Integrale
(Cardinal-designates over 80 years old:)

1. S.E. Mons. Michael Louis Fitzgerald – Arcivescovo Emerito di Nepte

2. S.E. Mons. Sigitas Tamkevicius, sj – Arcivescovo Emerito di Kaunas

3. S.E. Mons. Eugenio Dal Corso, psdp – Vescovo Emerito di Benguela

Here are a few keywords about their careers from what I could hastily gather here and there on the internet. Please point out if some of these are incorrect.

Guixot: Dialogue with Islam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Ayuso_Guixot

Tolentino Medonça: Christianity and Culture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Tolentino_Mendonça

Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo: Evangelisation. President of the episcopal conference of Indonesia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Suharyo_Hardjoatmodjo

Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez: justice and peace. Past president of the episcopal conference of Cuba. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Garc%C3%ADa_Rodr%C3%ADguez

Fridolin Ambongo Besungu: Peace. Environment. Received death threats. Vice-president of the episcopal conference of Congo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridolin_Ambongo_Besungu

Jean-Claude Höllerich: Active in the WYD. President of the episcopal committee of the EU. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Hollerich

Alvaro L. Ramazzini Imeri. Recipient of Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom award. Past president of the episcopal conference of Guatemala. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Álvaro_Leonel_Ramazzini_Imeri

Matteo Zuppi. Close to Sant'Egidio. Wrote a preface to Fr Martin's book "Building a bridge". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteo_Zuppi

Cristóbal López Romero. Migrants. Dialogue with Islam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristóbal_López_Romero

Michael Czerny. Not a bishop. Social justice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Czerny

Michael Louis Fitzgerald. Christian-Muslim relations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_L._Fitzgerald

Sigitas Tamkevicius. Past president of the episcopal conference of Lituania. Founder of a clandestine newspaper in the time of Soviet occupation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigitas_Tamkevičius

Eugenio Dal Corso. Was bishop in Angola.https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenio_Dal_Corso