We took a break from Link Roundup last Sunday, largely since we did an Amoris laetitia special edition and because everyone was talking (in circles, for the most part) about Amoris laetitia. They still are, of course, but that does not mean that interesting things aren’t being said on other topics—if you can imagine that.

While on the island of Lesbos, the Holy Father, the Ecumenical Patriarch, and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece issued a Joint Declaration regarding the refugee situation and the crisis in the Middle East. No reference is made, as far as we can tell, to Pius XII’s great Exsul Familia Nazarethana, which addressed these very topics in the wake of the Second World War.

Canonist Ed Peters has a fascinating post about the concept of Eucharist-as-medicine, with copious citations to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior-general of the SSPX, in a homily on April 10, in which it was revealed that, apparently, in the last days of Benedict’s pontificate, the SSPX received an ultimatum: accept the then-current offer from Rome by a date certain or be excommunicated. Benedict apparently decided to leave the matter for his successor and Francis apparently decided not to go forward with it. There have been discussions previously about offers made during those extraordinary, portentous final days of Benedict’s reign, but they did not include the “or else” Fellay mentions.

Matthew Hazell has a new book out: Index Lectionum. The first of a projected three-volume work, Hazell’s book is nothing less than a comparison of the EF lectionary and the OF lectionary. Valuable for those who are interested to know what got kept, cut, and shuffled in the post-conciliar reforms. (There is also an interesting discussion in the comments.)

Edward Pentin reports that the Holy Father met with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders briefly, while Sanders was at the Vatican to address a conference marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of Centesimus annus. Carol Glatz has a good overview of the conference, albeit with a focus on the Sanders angle, including some quotes from Cardinal Maradiaga’s address.

At Opus Publicum, Gabriel Sanchez has a very interesting review of a new book discussing John Paul and Benedict’s reactions to Balthasar’s speculation about Christ’s descent into hell on Holy Saturday.