It is a blessing to have a Pope who sees a world of religious multiplication rather than religious division. Many of us grew up in an era of “We are right and the others are wrong.” Christian churches seemed to have high fences around them, and religions that were not Christian were often labelled “Heathen” Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic stresses took a toll on participation in religious services just as it did on workplaces, but a new survey indicates strong emotional resilience from those who consider their faith vital to their existence. That was part of the findings of a survey conducted late last year of 1,600 adults, mostly from Washington, Read more
Religion was an important topic of conversation between millennial mothers and their children during the pandemic, according to an annual “State of Motherhood” survey from Motherly, a website focused on millennial motherhood. The report, released earlier this month, showed that some 31% of mothers said they had discussed religious issues with their children last year. Read more
The sexual abuse of children is a scourge found in many communities, institutions and situations within society. During my career, I have come across situations where this scourge appears to have been happening on an industrial scale. Over three decades I have learned that victims have been failed by every institution responsible for safeguarding them, Read more
A simmering cultural revolution is approaching its boiling point. This can bring a certain clarity and resolve as more people grasp what is happening. The stories of woke toxicity coming out of elite secular prep schools follow similar patterns: a top-down implementation of extreme “antiracism” and gender ideology in the curriculum, progressive parents speaking out Read more
Mocking the term “woke” has become an easy way to dismiss an issue or argument as exaggerated, superficial or ostentatious. Black Americans originally popularized the term to describe an awareness of racism and social injustice, but it has been muddled by overuse in political jargon. The political right, in turn, has sought to weaponize it. Read more
Internationally renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli said his Catholic faith is “a reason for life” and comes from the very fact that God is the designer and creator of all life. The devout Catholic musician explained that “life, even if it lasts 100 years, is so insignificant when you compare it to eternity”. “If life Read more
Pope Francis’ decision to postpone and widen the planned 2022 synod is extraordinary and invites everyone to stop and take a deep breath. The planned subject — “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission” — remains the same but the new means adopted are now more intrinsically suited to such a topic. The Synod Read more
When we mention the Spirit work in the creation we think his bringing unity, drawing together, and reconciliation: the Spirit is unifying. Any such stress carries with it twin dangers. First, that we then assume that somehow that is all the Spirit does, the Spirit is there – almost functionally – to produce unity and Read more
By now, you’ve probably heard that Pope Francis postponed the upcoming synod on synodality for a full year, from October 2022 to October 2023, and ordered every ecclesiastical jurisdiction and single member of the faithful to participate in an expanded “preparatory” process. If the incongruity of making the Church more synodalitous by papal diktat ever Read more