As the Vatican prepares for an important Synod of Bishops on youth, an American organization has released a study that says young people who reject the Church typically fall into one of three categories: the injured, the drifters or the dissenters.

Since his stunning decision five years ago to renounce the papacy, Pope Emeritus Benedict has been spent his time praying, reading, strolling, enjoying music and welcoming friends. He has stayed far from the Vatican limelight and, as he promised, clear of any words or deeds that might suggest even an inkling of interference in the work of his successor.

Few dossiers that cross the Pope’s desk are more challenging than the thick, sad file on sexual abuse. It’s a file Pope Francis inherited from his two predecessors and one he pledged to handle with urgency, compassion and transparency.

Canadian society has come a long way in encouraging tolerance and accommodation. Generally speaking, laws and attitudes have evolved for the better when it comes to the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities, women, the disabled and others who historically have faced discrimination.

In ancient Greece, warring sides would sign a truce for the duration of the Olympic Games so athletes could safely join the sporting festival. That ideal, sport as a bridge to peace, still endures despite the modern Games being darkened so often by scandal.

Changes to the Canada Summer Jobs program that for all intents blacklist employers who oppose abortion and gender theory are outrageous, discriminatory and, surely, unconstitutional.

One failing of the ongoing negotiations to amend the North American Free Trade Agreement is that leaders are fixated on wealth, not poverty.

For much of the past two decades, Christmas celebrations in the birthplace of Christ have been muted. Recent Decembers, however, have seen Bethlehem start to become a more joyous place and the annual Christmas tree lighting last month in Manger Square was said to be the most festive in years.