Six months later she was still struggling to understand why she and her supporters should be judged so differently from Trump and his supporters.

However in a new book she has just published, Clinton explains how Pope Francis and his TED talk helped her move on and heal.

"He called for a ‘revolution of tenderness,'" Clinton writes.

"What a phrase! He said, ‘We all need each other, none of us is an island, an autonomous and independent ‘I,' separated from the other, and we can only build the future by standing together, including everyone.'".

In the TED talk, Francis "subtly referenced the shift toward isolationism and fearmongering that spread across America and many European countries last year," Clinton says.

"He pointed out: 'Thank God, no system can nullify our desire to open up to the good, to compassion and to our capacity to react against evil, all of which stem from deep within our hearts'."

Coincidentally, his talk was published a year after Clinton released a campaign commercial called "Love and Kindness,".

She used this phrase while on the campaign trail so she could counter Trump's inflammatory rhetoric.

In the aftermath of the election, she says she lost sight of that ideal.

She goes on to explain that Francis's talk has inspired her to embrace "radical empathy,".

This is the idea that, despite our deep societal and ideological divides, it's crucial to "recapture a sense of common humanity" and to "try to walk in the shoes of people who don't see the world the way we do."

Clinton says after considering Francis's message, she was faced with two choices for how she wanted to live out the rest of her life:

"I can carry around my bitterness forever, or I can open my heart once more to love and kindness," she wrote. "That's the path I choose."

Source

• America magazine
• Washington Post
• Image: CNN

This remark is contained in a hacked email exchange between current Clinton Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri and John Halpin, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP)

Halpin described the conservative Catholic position as a "an amazing bastardization of the faith."

"They must be attracted to the systematic thought and severely backwards gender relations and must be totally unaware of Christian democracy," Halpin wrote.

CAP is a Democratic think tank with close ties to the Clinton campaign and the Obama White House.

Palmieri, who was at CAP at the time, responded that Catholicism "is the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion. Their rich friends wouldn't understand if they became evangelicals."

Republican politicians were quick to respond to the revelation.

"The Clinton campaign, when in private, expresses breathtaking anti-Catholic bigotry,"said American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp.

House Speaker Paul Ryan who has distanced himself from the Trump campaign, called the emails "staggering."

Ryan, who is Catholic, released a statement Wednesday saying: "If anything, these statements reveal the Clinton campaign's hostile attitude toward people of faith in general. ..."

"All Americans of faith should take a long, hard look at this and decide if these are the values we want to be represented in our next president."

The Clinton campaign has noted that Russian hackers have been known to fake information, but the campaign has not pointed to a specific example of a hacked email being altered.

CAP released a statement that did not authenticate the email exchange, but said Halpin, a Catholic, "has spent his career advocating and fighting for the common good and improving the lives of all Americans as a key tenet of his Catholic faith."

Source

• yahoo.com
• Image: wp.production.patheos.com

Wikileaks revealed astronaut Edgar Mitchell wrote several emails to US presidential staffer John Podesta.

In them he said aliens want to help people, but fear our violent tendencies.

Mitchell, whose email signature said he was the "6th man to walk on the Moon," cited an impending space war.

He also claimed the Vatican knows about alien life.

Podesta was serving as counselor to President Barack Obama during the exchange.

He then left the position to become chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

"Because the War in Space race is heating up, I felt you should be aware of several factors as you and I schedule our Skype talk," Mitchell (who died in February this year) told Podesta

He went on to mention a "non-violent" alien species that wishes to share "zero point energy" with the world.

Terri Mansfield, who describes herself online as "the Director of the ETI (Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Peace Task Force" is also mentioned in one of the emails.

Referred to as Mitchell's "Catholic colleague," the leaked message said she would attend the meeting with Podesta.

Her purpose would be "to bring us up to date on the Vatican's awareness of ETI."

On her website, Mansfield describes ETIs as being "the highest form of intelligence working directly with God."

Mitchell warned Podesta that the "nonviolent ETI" want to help share zero point energy (ZPE) with Earth.

He added the aliens "will not "tolerate any forms of military violence on Earth or in space".

Quantum physics defines ZPE as a vacuum energy. It utilizes an energy that exists in molecules even at near absolute zero temperature.

One study said if ZPE were harnessed it could allow an astronaut-piloted spacecraft to travel to Mars in days, rather than years.

Podesta said earlier this year that he had convinced Clinton to disclose UFO files.

Source

• RT News
• Image: Daily Express

She acknowledged that "Humility is not something you hear much about in politics."

But, she said, it should be. Those who truly understand "the awesomeness of power and the frailty of human action" - that is, those who manifest humility - are "our greatest leaders."

Of course, this speech was smart campaigning. It reminded voters of what she sees as a competitive advantage with her opponent. It was also good Baptist theology.

But, humility is not merely a Christian virtue. Humility is an essential aspect of every major religion. For that matter, humility is more than just a religious virtue. In my research, I have argued that humility is also an essential democratic virtue.

So, why is humility so essential in a democracy?

Humility, religion and politics

Like most Christians, Baptists believe that all people are sinners, that all of us are condemned by God's righteous judgment and that there is nothing that we ourselves can do to alter that condition. If we are saved, it is because of God's actions, not ours. Humility is the only appropriate response to these tenets of faith.

What's more, Jesus himself washed the feet of his disciples and humbled himself "even unto death." So, devout Christians are called to do no less.

However, politics and humility just don't go together. Politics requires ego; you need to present yourself as a better alternative than your opponent. Humility means that you aware of your own failures, and are respectful of those with whom you disagree. Seen in this light, many believe that in our society, humility has become "counter cultural" and that politics is a leading cause. Continue reading

• Christopher Beem is the Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Pennsylvania State University.

As the Christian right has evidently vacated all pretense of seeking a candidate who embodies Christian values, Clinton can step into the space that they have vacated. She can pledge to be the candidate who will be guided by her faith.

She is a Methodist and has deep religious roots that she can draw on.

Coming of age in the 1960s, Clinton turned to theology to make sense of the political and social turmoil unfolding around her.

She read theologians Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Reinhold Niebuhr as she wrestled with how Christians ought to engage the world, pursue justice and reform society.

In recent weeks and months, Clinton has returned to those roots on the campaign trail. In February, as she celebrated her victory in the South Carolina primary and began to pivot to the general election, she countered Donald Trump's politics of division by turning to Scripture.

In contrast with Trump, who had fumbled an effort to quote "two Corinthians," she centered her call for unity in 1 Corinthians 13: "Love never fails. … Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Clinton acknowledged that it might sound odd for a presidential candidate to be calling for "more lovingkindness in America," but she insisted that these were "words to live by, not only for ourselves, but also for our country."

And earlier this month, in the aftermath of the killing of five police officers in Dallas, Clinton spoke to the African Methodist Episcopal Church's general conference in Philadelphia. Borrowing from the book of Proverbs, she implored her audience to listen to one another, to seek common ground, to "incline our ears to wisdom and apply our hearts to understanding." Continue reading

Sources

• The Washington Post — article by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, chair of the history department at Calvin College.
• Image: Fortune

A national survey in June by the Pew Research Center showed white Catholics are almost evenly divided in their backing for the two candidates.

White Catholics gave Trump a narrow edge - 50 per cent to 46 per cent.

But Hispanic Catholics overwhelmingly support Mrs Clinton by a margin of 77 per cent to 16 per cent.

Overall, the survey found that 56 per cent of American Catholics back Mrs Clinton with 39 per cent for Mr Trump.

The margin of error was 7.9 per cent.

"To the extent that we can identify a group of [religiously defined] swing voters, white Catholics are it," said Greg Smith, associate director of Research for the Pew Research Center.

Catholics represent roughly 20 per cent of the adult population in the US and they're around two-thirds white.

This makes the white Catholic cohort a significant electoral bloc.

Mr Smith also said that a June 2012 Pew survey found white Catholics backing Republican challenger Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama by just nine points.

But in the end the spread in favour of Romney was 19 points, suggesting many changed their minds later in the race.

The 2016 survey found that weekly Mass-goers are supporting Mrs Clinton by 57 to 38 per cent.

In data not included in the results released on Wednesday, the survey found a racial divide among Catholics on the question of which candidate voters believe would be better able to deal with immigration.

White Catholics say it's Mr Trump by 52 percent to 41, while Hispanic Catholics answered Mrs Clinton by a margin of 74 percent to 19.

"Given how clearly both Pope Francis and the US bishops have expressed positions on the immigration issue, I found that result interesting," Mr Smith said.

Sources

• Crux
• Image: BBC

I beg to differ.

I originally sent this piece to Daily Life in the hope of engaging with Hamad on this important women's issue, but the response I received was: "unfortunately it's not quite right for us." This lack of openness to dialogue is disappointing from a news publication.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and I may not see eye to eye on many things, but we do agree on this: you can be a feminist and pro-life. How do I know this? Because I am both.

I am passionate about women's rights and achieving equality for women in all areas of life.

But I am also passionate about human rights, starting with the inherent dignity and right to life of all human beings, no matter their age, capabilities, sex, race and so on. I could not be pro-women and pro-women's rights if I were not first pro-human and pro-human rights.

Hamad's reasons for why one cannot be a feminist and pro-life essentially boil down to four myths.

Hamad maintains that feminism is about women's liberation and thus entails the freedom of women to control their own bodies. She asserts that this includes the freedom to decide when and if she should reproduce and the choice to have an abortion if she does not so wish.

According to Hamad, one cannot therefore be a feminist without supporting the right of women to make their own choice as to whether or not to have an abortion.

Our culture's obsession with autonomy often means that choice is heralded as one of the greatest goods or even a right, often with little regard for what is being chosen. However, choice is not a good in itself. It is essential to consider what is being chosen. Continue reading

• Rachael Wong is a barrister from New Zealand. She is currently working with the Law Reform Commission in Samoa to bring about legislative reform to improve the lives of Samoan women and girls.

Writing in the National Catholic Reporter, Mrs Clinton stated as "a person of faith, a mother, and a grandmother, I am deeply moved by Pope Francis's recent teachings on climate change — to reflect and above all to act".

"I'm grateful — as so many Americans are — for the Pope's teachings.

"And as president, I hope to follow his example. I will make combating climate change a top priority of my administration."

The Democratic Party presidential contender noted the Pope's reference to the Earth as "our common home".

"As a Methodist, I was taught that we have a sacred duty to care for God's earth," Mrs Clinton wrote.

"All creation is the Lord's," say the Methodist social principles, "and we are responsible for the way we use and abuse it."

"Pope Francis is right," Mrs Clinton added, "All countries and all people are responsible for preventing the worst impacts of climate change."

"But countries like the United States have a particular role. We are rich, powerful, and blessed with many advantages. We must lead the charge."

"For the first time in history, we are within reach of eradicating hunger and extreme poverty. But climate change threatens that progress."

The former US Secretary of State praised Pope Francis for "bringing his extraordinary moral leadership to the fight".

She urged all Americans to heed Pope Francis's call to become good stewards of the Earth.

Climate change "threatens the health, happiness, and future of every one of our children", she wrote.

She also hit out at climate change deniers who, in spite of overwhelming scientific consensus, are "intent on obstructing progress".

"There is no Planet B," she wrote.

"We need to develop an ethic of stewardship, of responsibility and sustainability."

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Valley News Live

Bishop Emmanual Badejo, who is director of communications for Africa's bishops (SECAM), was responding to comments Mrs Clinton made to a Women in the World Summit.

Mrs Clinton reportedly said: "Deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed" for the sake of giving women access to "reproductive health care and safe childbirth".

Bishop Badejo told Aleteia that Mrs Clinton was speaking to get votes, rather than from reason.

"I believe there are three groups of people in this world; those who believe in God, those who do not believe in God, and those who think they are gods," the bishop said.

"Hillary Clinton I think is one of those who thinks she is a god. And I'm not obliged to believe that. "

"From the way she spoke, people like herself very clearly don't want to hear anything about God.

"Even if they say they believe in God, they really don't."

Bishop Badejo said he feels Mrs Clinton has become "too wrapped up in technology and has stopped realising that there are values, there are things that are innate to people, that are not just ‘codes' that can be taken up and thrown out".

Bishop Badejo, who heads the Oyo dioceses in Nigeria, also took issue with Mrs Clinton's use of the term "structural biases".

"Again, that is a misuse of language. Biases, to many people, are the things that make them who they are."

He said Americans should know what sort of people want to be the next US president.

Bishop Badejo was also asked about the appointment by the Obama administration of the first ever Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons.

The bishop said people "ought to open their eyes to the cultural imperialism that America is promoting, and promoting so blatantly".

Sources

• Aleteia
• Catholic Hierarchy
• Image: The Leader Assumpta

The proposed route of the Israeli wall will also affect the Salesian order's Cremisan monastery and winery, which will be on the Israel side of the wall.

The Salesian sisters who educate about 450 West Bank children fear their pupils will no longer be able to come to school, and the West Bank labourers who work in the winery's vineyards and maintain the Salesian buildings fear they will lose their jobs.

Not only will the workers be on the other side of the wall and need permits to travel to the winery, but the wall will also separate the monastery from grapes supplied from other religious communities on the West Bank.

"Proceeding with this plan will cut families off from agricultural and recreational lands, other family members, water sources, and schools — including depriving Christian Palestinian youth of fellowship with their peers," said Bishop Richard Pates, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' committee on international justice and peace.

"The Cremisan Valley situation is a microcosm of a protracted pattern that has serious implications for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Bishop Pates said in a letter to recently-retired US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"As the wall moves and constricts more and more communities in the West Bank, the possibility of a future resolution becomes less likely.

"Moving the wall and disassociating Palestinian families from their lands and livelihoods will incite more resentment against the state of Israel among residents of the West Bank, not less, increasing the frustrations that can lead to violence."

In addition to its range of table wines, the Cremisan winery makes altar wine that is used in many of the shrines of the Holy Land — and is also exported to churches in Britain.

Sources:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

AsiaNews

Catholics Confront Global Poverty

Catholic Herald

Image: CNEWA

The latest report, from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, says the "escalating attack" on religious freedom constitutes an ongoing crisis equal to that of the world's economic woes.

The State Department lists eight "countries of particular concern" — Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan — and Clinton said the report "sends a signal to the worst offenders that the world is watching".

The report says the "Arab Spring" protests raised expectations of greater freedom in some countries, notably Egypt, but subsequent developments show that religious minorities still face grave dangers.

Dr Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University, said the report offers a "comprehensive catalogue of violations of religious freedom", but stops short of addressing them in a concrete and meaningful way.

Dr Farr, who was the first director of the State Department's international religious freedom office, said Clinton's language is "very good" but the words do not translate into policies.

He said the policy section of the 331-page report gives "a laundry list of unconnected meetings and 'dialogues', or repetitions of senior US officials having 'raised the issue' or 'discussed' it with host country officials", but these alone are not enough to be effective.

Dr Farr advocated a "foreign policy strategy that takes the advancement of religious freedom as a serious issue of security, stability and success".

He said the US should give religious freedom ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook the tools to develop strategies in key countries. "She should be given increased authority and resources. Currently her office and function are isolated and under-funded."

Sources:

Catholic News Agency

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

Image: Dawn.com