Chicago Cardinal came a-cropper in welcoming all and sundry to Communion? Commentators find fault with him for ignoring the state-of-grace requirement . . ., Rewriting doctrine on the fly? . . .

Jim Bowman covered religion 1968-78 for the Chicago Daily News, since then has written books, articles, etc., mostly on corporate history but also on religion (Company Man: My Jesuit Life, 1950-1968), and more recently on politics (Illinois Blues: How the Ruling Party Talks to Voters, -- Lulu.com, Kindle). Longtime Oak Park, Illinois, resident, he lives now on Chicago's North Side, where four of his and Winnie's six children live close by. View all posts by Jim Bowman