Yeah, this. Two days in a row, soon I'll be saying "I'm just takin' it one day at a time."  Anyway, here's today's news:

This is a fascinating piece, noting that Pope Francis has been voluble in condemning “the war” in Ukraine, but not naming the war-maker, i.e. Putin and Russia. Why is he doing this?  Especially since he has named Zelensky and called him on the phone—so asymmetrical abstraction. Seems like he’s doing it to create some more space for a future relationship with Putin’s Russia, not least perhaps to serve as a trusted broker for both sides. And also a back-story is the Pope’s continued efforts to work with the Russian Orthodox Church, which is totally supportive of the war—Francis probably worries about losing the constructive relationship there too. But of course others worry he’s being too soft on Russia. Interesting.