Authentic realism does not give up on changing the world; indeed, it starts by clearly identifying interests, fears, constraints and power dynamics, precisely in order to determine what can be achieved, and the measures needed to achieve it. - Pope Leo, MH 218

"Herein lies the radical departure from Promethean dreams: what saves humanity is not enhanced self-sufficiency, but a relationship that liberates, a communion that transforms.

Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas is a masterclass in Catholic Social Doctrine which will reverberate for generations. Not only does Leo take on AI, but calls out the ethic and moral implications of living in a moment when humans are treated as robots. By all accounts, Leo’s encyclical is Rerum Novarum 2.0.

Pope Leo talking about limits and finitude AND I JUST WROTE A PAPER ON THIS. Best day of my life perhaps

Ok I'm at the transhumanism section and I'm a little nervous... we'll see if the Gender Issue comes up. Fingers crossed it doesn't!

"The quality of a civilization is measured not by the power of its means, but by the care it is able to offer, by its ability to recognize the other as a face not merely as a function." -MH 114

It is necessary to think creatively in order to manage data as a common or shared good, in a spirit of participation, as Saint John Paul II already suggested regarding collective goods

Still in progress reading but I cannot wait for Pope Leo to at least allude to social sin. AI effectively distills social sin into pure concentrated inequity. It's gotta come up!

PARAGRAPH 91 IS SO GOATED

“It is individuals that matter, each and every person, together with their families. Social movements, communal ideologies and grand political proclamations in favor of a population are worthless unless they lead to the flourishing of persons — men and women — with their inalienable rights.

Also Pope Leo recognizing what I have been complaining about for a long time (many people do not know WTF Catholic Social Teaching actually is) and devoting valuable space and time to fixing it (with a thorough overview of CST). Thank you Pope Leo 🙏

USCCB attributing a Pope Francis quote to Pope Leo. Embarrassing!

“Among these [new] ideologies, I consider particularly insidious the one that suggests that every person must earn or justify his or her own worth, to the point of attributing greater value to those who are more efficient or effective.

Leo really keeps bringing up the universal destination of goods. Verrrry interesting, considering that this principle is the best theological basis for anti capitalism (in my opinion)

interesting approach to CST from pope leo here. he seems very concerned with making sure that the reader knows a)what CST is, b) where it comes from, and c) what it teaches. He assumes very little prior knowledge. Seems to be a bid to make this accessible to non-Catholics

i will be posting my reactions to the latest encyclical on here, so as to not annoy all of my facebook friends

anyone else immediately notice that magnifica humanitas uses in-text hyperlinks? the vatican truly is getting hip with the times, y’all

James Merril’s poem “Christmas Tree,” written while he was dying of AIDS. 1995.

"The second-most-important American leader seems intent on implementing policies that go against nearly every Catholic moral priority." @heidischlumpf.bsky.social: 2025 will be remembered for two U.S.-born leaders who couldn’t be more different. www.commonwealmagazine.org/leo-trump-po...

"If I’m being honest, I’ve seen a serious dip in your overall performance ever since the beast of the sea emerged."

when the priest doesn't know about keeping the homily to 8 minutes

I know Pope Leo has a mixed record on LGBTQ issues, but I still like him. He is very much a Catholic Social Thought-centered pope, and I appreciate that.

Made this art the other day. It's about Our Lady of the Rosary. Digital painting, the background is a photograph of rosaries cofiscated by immigration officers.

John Henry Newman, an official Catholic saint and 19th-century British scholar-priest, had a “romantic friendship” with Ambrose St. John. They lived together for 32 years and share the same grave. Newman’s Catholic feast day is Oct. 9. #faithfullyLGBT qspirit.net/john-henry-n...

i have gotten really into liberation theology recently!

O God, Trinity of love, from the profound communion of your divine life, pour out upon us a torrent of fraternal love. Grant us the love reflected in the actions of Jesus, in his family of Nazareth, and in the early Christian community. (1/3)

"We need to develop the awareness that nowadays we are either all saved together or no one is saved." -Pope Francis (1936-2025)

made an Easter playlist largely constituted of hymns, chants, gospel, and 20th-century folk. Heartily singing along to If I Had a Hammer, Come to the River, Magnificat (Taize), and Talkin' About a Revolution. Perfect for Easter afternoon.

technically wrote this for yesterday, but as I am slowly transitioning to bluesky I want to put this on here (a day late lol). a substack post about Holy Saturday, God-less American politics, and the Harrowing of Hell.

if this is a "christian nation," why are my student loans accruing interest....?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they deported Him to a concentration camp in El Salvador? Were you there when they cut off Her medical aid in South Sudan? Were you there when they bombed Her house in Gaza? Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

"We may not be able to change Trump’s authoritarian actions, but we can unmask them by refusing to offer them the veneer of normalcy and the popular mandate that he seeks."

#SanFrancisco’s Hunky Jesus Contest stirs up controversy, community and 'courage' religionnews.com/2025/04/17/s...

[Washing my hair with 3-in-1 shampoo] ST. PATRICK: Did you know,

I'm realizing that the way i feel about various medieval saints is the way that some other people feel about, like, Britney Spears.

Key subtext: For years, many evangelicals have touted the plight of persecuted Christians as a preeminent concern. Rev. Franklin Graham, a prominent Trump supporter, even convened conferences on it. But now that persecuted Christians are unable to enter the country as refugees, there’s no outcry.

I keep misspelling "grace" as "grave." Fortuitous in a theology paper, as this is both an unfortunate typo and a powerful theological concept.

"The body provokes theology." - M Shawn Copeland

I am so glad I'm weird. Sometimes I imagine myself as more normal and it is always horrible to think about. Anyways Thank God For Weird People

currently trying to learn from the mystics, while simultaneously being terrible at mysticism myself. i pray, yes - but i wouldn't call union with God one of my strengths

I actually got substantial work done on my thesis this morning. Thank God.

heard in a youtube vid the other day that "the point of life is to hang out with your friends." An extremely true and real statement. And something I have not been taking into account in the past few years.

Can you imagine if Barron advocated for the poor who will suffer throughout the world as passionately as he railed against feminism in "Star Wars"? www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-...

"I guess a charity group that parodies religious women by dressing in drag is more offensive to the bishop than children dying of hunger." THIS

PLEASE GOD PROTECT POPE FRANCIS I DON'T HAVE THE MENTAL ENERGY TO DEAL WITH THE INEVITABLE CONSERVATISM OF THE NEXT ONE

Oh Jesus. I still have to actually make my presentation for Symposium Week. I have exactly one week to figure it out.

trying to make a decision about what i'm doing after graduating my current program is so difficult especially because i SUCK at decision making.

Not exaggerating when I say I would like a personal, handwritten apology from every pundit who barfed out a dozen "the left wants to change the way you talk!" op-eds based on non-mandatory guidelines in obscure PDFs.