Pope Francis sent a wave through the Catholic Church this week, giving priests permission to bless same-sex couples. What did he actually mean by that? A close reading of the documentation behind this decree shows this isn’t the embrace of the LGBTQ+ community you might think.

Also, today the UN Security Council approved a resolution calling for more humanitarian aid in Gaza. What does it do, and how did the U.S. react to it? You’ll hear what the American Ambassador had to say after the vote.

And, 2024 is going to be an insane year with our presidential election. Lots of folks are worried about the future of democracy. Anyone got ideas to improve it? The Washington Post just published a list of them. We’ll show you what they have to say — see what you think.

This is the last episode of 2023. Thank you so much for your support this year. New episodes return on Wednesday, January 3rd for paid subscribers... Friday, January 5th for free listeners. Happy Holidays, and I'll see you in the New Year!

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