Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - May 3, 2013

Talking about the "things that matter most" on May 3

 

Best of “Kresta in the Afternoon”

 

4:00 – Pope Francis Chooses 8 Cardinal To Advise on Curial Reform

In a signal that major reform may be on the horizon, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has formed a group of eight cardinals from around the world to "advise him on the government of the universal church" and "to study a project of revision" of a document from John Paul II on the Roman Curia. We talk to long-time Vatican analyst John Allen about the possible reforms and his recent trip to Argentina to talk with those who know St. Francis best.

 

4:20 – The Passive-Aggressive Tyranny Trick

Years ago Frank Beckwith coined the phrase “passive aggressive tyranny trick” in order to point to a phenomenon that occurs in the public square, though most frequently on college campuses. The trick is this: those who claim to be open and tolerant to differing points of view seem hell bent on using the levers of power to exclude any contrary perspectives within their communities. We have a number of recent examples and Frank is here to discuss them.

 

4:40 – Kresta Comments: Fighting for Defense of Marriage Against the Tide of the Mainstream Media

 

5:00 – AP Report: “Pope Francis Supports Crackdown on US Nuns”

Here is how the first paragraph of the AP report goes: The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis supports the Holy See's crackdown on the largest umbrella group of U.S. nuns, dimming hopes that a Jesuit pope whose emphasis on the poor mirrored the nuns' own social outreach would take a different approach than his predecessor.” Ann Carey, author of Sisters in Crisis: The Tragic Unveiling of Women’s Religious Communities.

 

5:20 – “42” – The Jackie Robinson Story

In 1946, Branch Rickey put himself at the forefront of history when he signed Jackie Robinson to the team, breaking Major League Baseball's infamous color line. But the deal also put both Robinson and Rickey in the firing line of the public, the press and even other players. Facing unabashed racism from every side, Robinson was forced to demonstrate tremendous courage and restraint by not reacting in kind, knowing that any incident could destroy his and Rickey's hopes. Instead, Number 42 let his talent on the field do the talking -- ultimately winning over fans and his teammates, silencing his critics, and paving the way for others to follow. The movie is “42” and we talk to the writer and director Brian Helgeland

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5:40 – Liverpool Care Pathway: The Road to Backdoor Euthanasia   

Several years ago, bureaucrats at the United Kingdom’s National Health Service—a socialized system in which hospitals are funded and operated by the state—reacted to legitimate and widespread complaints from family members that their loved ones were dying in agony in NHS hospitals. In response, well-meaning pain-control experts created a protocol—known as the Liverpool Care Pathway—which, among other provisions, informed doctors when to apply a legitimate medical palliative intervention known as palliative sedation. Indeed, as so often happens in centralized systems, the bureaucratic remedy for one problem led to even worse trouble down the line. We talk to Wesley Smith about the road to backdoor euthanasia.