So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout, closing the basilica for just an hour Thursday morning for cleaning. (Barry, AP News)
Read MoreOn this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat is joined by the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and the editor of America Magazine, to reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis and the challenges facing the next papacy. (Douthat, The New York Times)
Read MoreAlthough the two executives — Joel Kaplan and Nick Clegg, who has since left the company — stopped short of telling the board how to rule, they said the cases were particularly sensitive given the fraught political debate about the rights of trans people in the United States, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. (Nix, The Washington Post)
Read MoreThe U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will consider whether one of the nation’s largest school districts violated parents’ First Amendment right to religious freedom when it stopped allowing them to opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons. (Jacobson, The 74)
Read MoreDepartment of Veteran Affairs Secretary Douglas Collins has instructed the agency’s employees to report any instances of anti-Christian bias, including any policies that are “hostile to Christian views” or punishments for displaying Christian symbols. (Smietana, Religion News Service)
Read MoreThe clip, titled “Me at the zoo,” was the first video uploaded onto YouTube 20 years ago, opening the door to a new medium of television. From those modest beginnings, the site opened the gates for users from around the world to post funny, viral videos that could take the internet by storm, racking up millions of views and earning some millions of dollars. (Lee, Los Angeles Times)
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