Does Liberal Catholicism Have a Future?

Join our editors—Rusty Reno, Mark Bauerlein, Matthew Schmitz, and Julia Yost—as they discuss what’s happening in religion and public life. First up: Schmitz reported in this week’s Catholic Herald that liberal Catholics are growing impatient with Pope Francis. What if the liberal pope fails to institutionalize his reforms? Matthew Boudway, associate editor of Commonweal, is our guest in this segment. He offers a learned defense of liberal Catholicism and questions whether we really know what a “liberal Catholic” is. Then, assistant editor Alexi Sargeant drops in to share his knowledge of Pokémon Go, the (in)famous augmented-reality game that is lighting up millennials’ iPhones and warming their nostalgic hearts. Haters gonna hate, but Alexi contends that Pokémon Go is turning our public spaces into civic spaces and encouraging random acts of kindness. Finally, the editors turn to politics. In this political season, Americans in both parties (and no party) seem to feel insecure. Is it the terrorism? The civil unrest? The globalized economy? All of the above? Or something truly existential?

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