The most recent cover of National Review magazine features a caricature of Pope Francis & the legend, "My Pope, Right and Wrong." I have yet to read the cover article by Ramesh Ponnuru, a fellow Catholic, but the cover legend nicely sums up many aspects of Evangelii Gaudium. His Holiness's harshest critique is of proponents of economic neoliberalism, accusing us of possessing a "naïve & crude" faith in free markets. However, in making his case the Pontiff largely argues against straw men; his critique is, poetically enough, naïve & crude, as well as occasionally self-contradictory. In other ways, though, the Apostolic Exhortation displays wisdom, though I must continue to disagree with those who say that His Holiness's simple rhetorical style makes him a great communicator. It is Francis's actions, not his words, that proclaim most loudly the joy of the Gospel.
I praise & thank the Holy Ghost for giving the Church as loving a shepherd as Pope Francis & I look forward to reading, with as open a mind as I am capable, Laudato Si', but first I shall breeze through Sam Posey's motor racing-themed collection of articles & broadcast intros, many of which I've heard in the six years I've been watching the 24 Heures du Mans & the Formula One World Championship.
Recently
Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin, Volumes One thru Seven
Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel)
Currently
Sam Posey, Where the Writer Meets the Road: A Collection of Articles, Broadcast Intros, and Profiles
Madeline Pecora Nugent, The Divine Office for Dodos: A Step-by-Step Guide to Praying the Liturgy of the Hours
Presently
Pope Francis, Laudato Si' (On Care of Our Common Home)
Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church
Rice Broocks, God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty
Richard Price, Clockers
Sir Richard Francis Burton, translator, "Sinbad the Sailor" from The Arabian Nights
Sir Ernest Shackleton, South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage
Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations
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