Pope Francis’ silence over the dismantling of a Catholic Church in China is unsettling. Long-time Vatican-watcher Damian Thompson wonders if the Pope could be an agent of Beijing. In Spectator US, Thompson notes that the Pontiff’s toxic resentment of the U.S. means he has never met a dictator he didn’t like.

France is in the Crosshairs, but the Target is Western Civilization
Theodore Dalrymple in Law & Liberty crystallizes the recent riots in France to a simple equation: “Whole generations have been taught and come to accept that Western civilization consists of slavery, exploitation, and massacre.” Tearing it all down – not merely reforming it – is therefore not just understandable but desirable. Dalrymple disposes of the delusional trope that these are “student” protests, noting the preponderance of Muslim migrants committing the mayhem.
For a luminous glimpse into the singular civilizational achievements the rioters would tear down, read this C2C article by Patrick Keeney.


