In recent days, various prominent Church leaders have turned up the volume on a number of political issues. On Oct. 14, Fr. James J. Martin, S.J., wrote on his popular Facebook page how happy he was “to join in the Eucharistic Procession yesterday, which began at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and processed through Midtown Manhattan, and which was organized by the Napa Institute. . . . “It was wonderful seeing so many people, even people who might not agree on everything, united around Jesus Christ. At one point, I was invited to carry the monstrance, which was deeply moving. I always try to be a carrier of God’s grace, in whatever way I can, but carrying Christ, really and truly present in the Eucharist, down Broadway, will be something I never forget. Isn’t it wonderful that Christ can bring us all together?” Together, indeed. But not everyone on the side of the road was cheering. Our friend Austin Ruse contributed a terse yet welcome rebuke in Crisis Magazine. Addressing

Two weeks ago, The Wanderer praised Virginia Bishops Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington and Barry C. Knestout of Richmond for their courageous call to arms to the faithful regarding the midterm elections this fall. They asked that their message be read at every Mass celebrated in Virginia on the weekend of Sept. 13. “All of us in the Commonwealth of Virginia will soon face very serious legal threats to the sacredness of human life and the sanctity of marriage,” Bishop Burbidge wrote, after Virginia Democrats had succeeded in placing two proposed amendments to the constitution of the commonwealth, one legalizing abortion up to birth and the other allowing “marriage” to apply legally to just about anything, on the November ballot. For the next six weeks, Virginians will fight the battle that our nation fought ever since Roe v. Wade was decided 53 years ago, and Bishop Burbidge knows that it’s a spiritual battle as well. He has asked the faithful of the Diocese of Arlington