Welcome to The Light, your quiet hour of reflection.
In the Christian village of Taybeh, the patriarchs and heads of Churches in Jerusalem have spoken with one voice, firmly condemning what they called a heinous attack carried out by masked settlers. Their statement is a reminder that the ancient stones of the Holy Land are still contested ground, and that solidarity among the faithful carries its own quiet power.
From Rome, Cardinal Parolin opened a week of gatherings marking one hundred fifty years of canon law at the Gregorian University, drawing on Pope Leo's encyclical to argue that artificial intelligence must be governed by law, not merely by commerce. The question of who shapes our tools, he suggested, is inseparable from the question of who we choose to become.
And in South Carolina, a federal class-action lawsuit against Pawleys Island Community Church and the Southern Baptist Convention has been dismissed, even as criminal charges move forward against church leaders who allowed a convicted sex offender to volunteer near children for years. The law and conscience do not always move together, but both, it seems, are still moving.
That is this hour's reflection. Carry the light gently.
