Brexit. Oof.

Sun soaked.

Last week’s attack in New Zealand was repugnant. Even worse, the terrorist’s use of social media was representative of a new breed of horror.

We’ve lived with two decades of jihadists beheading hostages and posting the video on the Internet, but this new era of live-streamed violence is particularly troublesome. Facebook and YouTube worked feverishly to remove copies of the attack video, but they are now reporting actual numbers. Facebook counted 1.5 million attempted uploads, 1.2 million of which were blocked automatically. That still left 300,000 copies online for a period of time. The initial video was up on the site for over 30 minutes, despite having been flagged within 15 minutes of posting.

Video was supposed to be the next level of social networks. Like any technology, it was a feature that was quickly perverted. Sadly, we will never be rid of extreme and violent video content on the Internet. It’s here, and no amount of AI or curation will stop it. We need smaller cities on the Internet, not massive countries. While Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are not inherently evil, its hard to ignore the hate to which they give safe harbor.

There’s still a place where the promise of the Internet is still alive: the open web. People every day are registering their domain and setting up their own website, where they share their thoughts, ideas, and lives. This is the best of the Internet, and it represents a much brighter future for the global online community.

Nice view for coffee and a dash of writing.

Can’t get over the blue sky.

Made it to the end of the pier!

Shoreline view.

Very walkable.

Complex interchange.

Navy Pier.

I made it to the Lake!

Brilliant sunlight.

Fewer tourists at 8am.

City parks are so fun.

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.