The Vatican's newly promulgated statutes for the Pontifical International Marian Academy warn against Marian "maximalism", language critics argue is a thinly veiled continuation of efforts to downplay traditional teaching on the Blessed Virgin. See why Rome is discouraging strong expressions of Marian piety signals a deeper doctrinal drift, and what it means for the faithful who have long looked to Our Lady as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of all graces.
Also, the Vatican's conspicuous silence as Catholic publisher Jimmy Lai receives a harsh prison sentence in Hong Kong, raising renewed questions about the Vatican-China deal and the Church's posture before communist power. In the United States, the removal of Carrie Prejean Boller from the White House Religious Liberty Commission for questioning whether anti-Zionism should be equated with anti-Semitism is met with alarm.