Comments at Bilgrimage Now Include Media Option — With Thanks to Chris Morley

A new year's gift to you all, through the kindness of Chris Morley: Chris has told me that Disqus has the ability to permit comments to include photos, sound, and videos. I think I have just now turned on that feature. 

When you open a comment box, you should now see below it (to the left) a little icon you may click to add those forms of media to your comment, if you wish. I'm adding this feature since John Bijarney mentioned recently how useful it would be, and Chris seconded the suggestion, and then very helpfully told me that Disqus does have this feature, and all I needed to do is turn it on.

A happy 2016 to all of you!

Frank Cocozzelli Presents His Annual Coughie Award: And the Winners Are . . . Maureen Mullarkey and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone!

It's that time of year — Coughie time! I have come to look forward to Frank Cocozzelli's annual announcement of his Coughlin Award, given to the U.S. Catholic who has, well, here's Frank's explanation of what the Coughie is all about: 

Twitter Bans Language Promoting Violence Against Targeted Minority Groups: Wake-Up Call to Online Catholic Forums Where LGBT Lives Are Discussed

Reuters reports (by way of Religion News Service) this morning: 

Twitter Inc has clarified its definition of abusive behavior that will prompt it to delete accounts, banning "hateful conduct" that promotes violence against specific groups.

Commentary on Tamir Rice Story: "Tamir Would Be Alive If He Were White"

Lead headline at Huffington Post this morning.

Noteworthy commentary I've read in the last two days about the Tamir Rice case in Cleveland, which I'd like to share with you all here:

NCR's Editorial Naming Greg Bourke and Michael DeLeon Persons of the Year: Word Count Revealing Preoccupations of Catholics Responding to NCR (Sin: 47 Mentions; Mercy: 7 Mentions)

As of 3:30 P.M. CST in North America, National Catholic Reporter's editorial naming Greg Bourke and Michael DeLeon has garnered 310 comments. In typical fashion when any U.S. Catholic publication publishes an editorial calling for less Catholic cruelty to LGBT people, the editorial is now picking up the comments of the attack squads who monitor Catholic blog sites for such articles, and then inundate them with hateful comments.

NCR's Choice of Greg Bourke and Michael DeLeon As Persons of the Year: A Pretty Big Deal (See SCOTUS Daily)

A footnote to what I posted yesterday about the editorial announcement of National Catholic Reporter that it has chosen as its 2015 persons of the year the Catholic couple Greg Bourke and Michael DeLeon, lead plaintiffs in the Obergefell case: I subscribe to the more-or-less daily email newsletter of the Come to Terms Project. Come to Terms sends out an emailed newsletter entitled SCOTUS Daily. To my knowledge, issues of this emailed newsletter are not archives online (but if you're interested, it's very easy to go to the link I've just provided, click on it, and add yourself to the email list by clicking on "Supporters" and then following the instructions given there.

National Catholic Reporter Editorializes: "How Will We As a Church Live with Our Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Brothers and Sisters?"

Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 16, 2013

National Catholic Reporter names Catholic couple Greg Bourke and Michael DeLeon of Louisville, lead plaintiffs in the Obergefell case, persons of the year. NCR writes,