Today marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. While this is undoubtedly a day of celebration for many Americans, Germans, and other Westerners, not everyone benefited. Thousands of migrant workers from Mozambique and Vietnam, for example, were displaced, as this article reports. Of course, it does not seem to have crossed the mind of this reporter that the labor shortage in East Germany might—just might—be related in some way to the communist policies of the government.
Catalonia is considering a ban on bullfighting, according to the New York Times. At first it might seem a classic clash between cultural conservatism and political correctness. But this story is full of twists and turns. While it is true that animal rights activists are among those calling for the ban, they have an unlikely ally: Catalan nationalists who see bullfighting as an imposition of Spanish culture on their fiercely independent province, dating back to the dreaded Franco days. Here’s another twist: in the Catalan region of southern France, bullfighting is a cause de celebre among nationalists because the sport is illegal in Paris.
Contrary to popular belief, there are at least two approaches to ecumenism. One is to water down doctrine, offer mushy platitudes to unity or diversity, and maybe toss in an apology for a historical atrocity or two for good measure. Liberals who think that’s how it’s done often accuse conservatives of not being in favor of ecumenism. But that is only one way of doing it. The other is to build solidarity around common doctrinal stances with disaffected members of other churches. This second approach is exemplified by Benedict XVI, who has made overtures to bring conservative Anglicans into communion with the Catholic Church.
In fact this is part of a pattern. Another recent example is the lifting of excommunications of four bishops in the schismatic Society of St. Pius X. This rehabilitation came on the heels of a Vatican directive that expanded the use of the so-called Latin Mass—which had been a casus belli for far-right Catholics who left the Church after Vatican II.
On a third front, the Church is reaching out to the Russian Orthodox Church. To be sure, the Eastern Orthodox and Catholics maybe have disagreements over theological technicalities—like whether the Holy Spirit always or only sometimes proceeds from the Son as well as the Father—but church leaders are realizing such differences, as significant as they may be, pale in comparison with what they have in common when confronting the sweep of secularization across Europe.