VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is warning that the Catholic Church’s moral edifice might ‘fall like a house of cards’ if it doesn’t balance its divisive rules about abortion, gays and contraception with the greater need to make the church a merciful, more welcoming place for all.

Six months into his papacy, Francis set out his vision for the church and his priorities as pope in a remarkably candid and lengthy interview with La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit magazine. It was published simultaneously Thursday in other Jesuit journals, including America magazine in the U.S.

In the 12,000-word article, Francis expands on his ground-breaking comments over the summer about gays and acknowledges some of his own faults. He sheds light on his favorite composers, artists, authors and films (Mozart, Caravaggio, Dostoevsky and Fellini’s ‘La Strada’) and says he prays even while at the dentist’s office.

But his vision of what the church should be stands out, primarily because it contrasts so sharply with many of the priorities of his immediate predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI. They were both intellectuals for whom doctrine was paramount, an orientation that guided the selection of generations of bishops and cardinals around the globe.

Francis said […]

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Elliot is 45, gainfully employed, lonesome, and looking for a pretty young college girl to spend money on. Ideally he would serve as her benefactor and mentor; she would express gratitude through sexual favors. At the very least she’d accompany him to dinner on a Saturday night and, if she understood the arrangement, give him a peek of those lace knickers he bought her. If all went well between the sheets, he’d even offer to pay her college tuition.

Elliot is fictional, but there are more than two million men like him registered as ‘sugar daddies

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Drug offenses remained the single most common cause of arrest in 2012, mostly for offenses involving mere possession, according to newly released FBI estimates. Of the 12.2 million estimated arrests 1.55 million were for ‘drug abuse violations.

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Though 401(k) plans (a defined contribution retirement plan) are supposed to build wealth, a new study by the Economic Policy Institute suggests that these plans are actually exacerbating wealth inequality by not adequately providing for most people’s retirement.

The report authors explain that the 401(k) began as a creative supplement to pension plans. But, it was never intended to be the primary base for retirement. Now, the report suggests, the plans serve primarily as a tax shelter for the wealthy. For instance, among America’s top 20 percent income bracket, nearly 90 percent have savings in retirement accounts that average $308,674.

The paradox is people often think of 401(k) plans as a middle class perk, when, in reality, nearly half of U.S. households don’t have savings invested in any retirement plan. Half of the middle 20% of income earners with savings in retirement accounts have an average of only $34,981 in them. And even fewer — 11 percent — of the bottom 20% of income earners have retirement savings, averaging only $7,543.

Part of the problem stems from many low-wage or part-time jobs not offering a retirement plan. Unlike defined benefit pensions, which automatically enroll workers, 401(k) plans […]

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Yale law school professor Dan Kahan’s new research paper [3] is called ‘Motivated Numeracy and Enlightened Self-Government,

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