Free Republic

A report by the Vatican's own newspaper reveals Pope Francis recently hung an image behind his desk depicting a naked Jesus Christ caressing his dead apostle Judas Iscariot. In an article titled "Judas and the Scandal of Mercy," L'Osservatore Romano dedicated the first three pages of its edition the day before Good Friday to a makeover of the disciple who betrayed the Son of God at the Passover. The author of the lead editorial, Andrea Monda, said the paper chose this year to honor the "most tragic and unsettling" figure of the Gospel.

Following the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who on April 20 was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, Black Catholic leaders say it's a "small start" in both the country and the church's long overdue efforts for racial justice. "It's a small start," said Ralph McCloud, the director of the U.S. bishops' domestic anti-poverty program, Catholic Campaign for Human Development. "But I can't help but think what it took for us to get here." "Millions of people had to see the video of Floyd's killing and then take to the streets...