Links: Praise for the bishops' conference; a pro-life/voter suppression connection

Not being shy about criticizing the bishops' conference, it gives me great pleasure to praise them, indeed, to offer high praise. The chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, Bishop David Malloy, signed on to a letter to President Biden with JubileeUSA that calls for some major financial changes to help the poorest nations, most especially by releasing $3 trillion in global reserve funds. The letter also calls for working with international partners to help end tax avoidance schemes that permit the wealthy to skip out on their commitment to the common good. These proposals are not going to win — or lose — anyone an election; they are far from the news cycle. But they have the potential to lift up millions of poor people at a time when the World Bank is predicting 150 million people will fall into extreme poverty this year.

Three pro-life groups have decided to launch an initiative that focuses on … you guessed it, voting integrity. That is the polite way conservatives now talk about efforts at voter suppression. Leading the initiative will be Ken Cuccinelli, former acting deputy director of Homeland Security who oversaw efforts to clamp down on immigration. No one can, with a straight face, claim that the mainstream pro-life movement is not a mere arm of the Republican Party, a fact that harms the cause over the long term. RealClearPolitics has the story.

At Politico, a look at some political races to become secretaries of state in 2022. The post-election drama put new focus on these positions, most especially in a state like Georgia where Republican Brad Raffensperger stood up to former President Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the election result. I understand that Democrats want to win that election, but if Raffensperger loses the GOP nomination to a Trump-backed challenger, the Democrats in the Peach State should consider nominating Raffensperger themselves.