Beautiful sunrise in the city this morning. I love that blue sky!

Clouds have moved out of the area. Nice to be able to see Lake Michigan.

Made it back to the hotel for an afternoon of reading.

Obligatory visit to the Bean. These tourists totally photobombed my shot, tho.

Big city amenities: tokenized bathroom doors.

The much trumpeted Vatican summit on sexual abuse came and went without a single step in the right direction. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops were prepared to bring accountability standards for bishops in line with the clerical reforms from the early 2000s, namely a one strike policy, late last year. They were ordered to stop their work for the sake of this summit. More time wasted.

There were several deep background articles published by The Wall Street Journal after the summit that articulated how far ahead of this issue the American Church stands. Cultural considerations around the world do not necessarily align with our intolerance for child sexual abuse, as hard to believe as that may be.

It appears that the official perspective of the Vatican is to balance the rights of the accused and to use the principle of proportionality in these matters with regard to the convicted. They view a one strike policy as draconian.

The proper response to the sexual abuse of a minor, let alone one committed by a person in a position of trust, is nothing short of draconian. The response should be immediate, severe, and with extreme prejudice. Due process, absolutely, but upon conviction, justice with the force of a tsunami, namely, immediate and permanent dismissal from the clerical state.

Pope Francis is right to remind us that this is a societal ill, not just a problem within the Church. However, we know is that sexual offenses are rarely one-off mistakes. Rather, they are part of a larger predatory pattern. When a perpetuator is caught, the only way to prevent further damage, is to bring the full weight of justice to bear.

To the point of proportionality, I offer this. Theodore McCarrick was rightly and permanently removed from the clerical state. He was not, however, expelled from the Church. The core message of Jesus and the mission of His Church is to reconcile the World to Himself. Although we cannot fathom the depths of His mercy, we do know that God’s love and forgiveness can overcome ANY sin, including those for which, in our human capacity, we cannot understand. Divine Mercy, coupled with Divine Justice, is the formula that reigns. Yes, a grave sin is forgiven through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but the punishment due is only removed through further penitential works, grace, and in some cases, the difficult purification of Purgatory.

It’s nothing short of a failure in leadership, and a dereliction of duty, that the processes and rules are not in place, two decades into this crisis, to immediately dismiss a man from the clerical state upon conviction of sexual abuse of a child. This failure is further reinforced on a near weekly basis by Pope Francis’ refusal to fully engage on the issue. Most recently, Francis declined the resignation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, convicted in French courts of justice, for failure to report abuse.

The Church will withstand this crisis, and will emerge better for it. However, if Pope Francis and bishops will not bring us through it, then we clearly aren’t bringing enough pressure to bear. This can not stand.

You can forget what I just said less than an hour ago on the podcast. So much coffee, so little time!

There’s never a movie that I want to see in theatres when I have the time to go.

The clock tower: a public service from a bygone era.

Spring in Chicago. I love when the high rises disappear into the clouds.

Excited to hear The Wall Street Journal signed on to Apple News. If that gets subscribers full digital access, that could make the deal work for me.

The Apple Support app is brilliant.

Based on the color options, I’m guessing Apple’s research says very few men buy their phone cases. The color cases for men are still basically blue and black. Disappointing.

Time to try out this UberEats.

A view from the workspace at the Michigan Avenue Apple Store.

I’ve drained my battery tethering my iPad today. Guess its time to head back to base.

After Mass Detentions, China Razes Muslim Communities to Build a Loyal City - WSJ

In this old Silk Road city… a state security campaign involving the detention of vast numbers of people has moved to its next stage: demolishing their neighborhoods and purging their culture.

Inside U.S. Airlines’ Decisions to Keep Flying the 737 MAX - WSJ

Southwest’s Mr. Kelly says his internal, independent safety team was telling him that data collected from the MAX, which Southwest has been flying since 2017, showed no problem.

Good reporting by Scott, per usual.

Hotfix in production while eating a cupcake.

The gig economy is alive and well.