Recently, I called attention to an article by Robert Mickens about Pope Francis’ recent address at a theological symposium in Naples. A few days ago, my colleague Joshua McElwee reported on the pope’s homily at the Mass celebrating the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. Monday, the pope marked the sixth anniversary of his trip Read more
Helping a person in need requires compassion toward their situation, Pope Francis said Sunday, encouraging Catholics to think first about their own hardness of heart, not the sins of others. “If you go down the street and see a homeless man lying there and you pass by without looking at him, or you think: ‘Eh, Read more
Pope Francis’ plan for the reform of the Roman Curia will change the names of several offices and merge a few of them, but the biggest change it hopes to spark is one of attitude. The last major reorganization of the Curia came with St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution, “Pastor Bonus” (The Good Shepherd) Read more
The Holy See has announced it will lift the diplomatic immunity of its ambassador to France, who is accused of inappropriate touching and groping by numerous men. As a result, the path is cleared for Archbishop Luigi Ventura to be prosecuted by the French authorities over the allegations, with one incident said to have taken Read more
Searching for truth sometimes involves a bit of hard work. But it’s worth it. Superficial understanding leaves us vulnerable to other people’s spin – commercial spin, political spin, agenda-driven ideologies, etc. Scientists work hard to establish facts. They know we need to act on what is objectively true. Solving crimes, the judicial system, and research Read more
Sometimes, a question in an interview can be thrown with a backward spin. Recently, I was asked, “What do you say to people who claim that religion is the cause of war?” The answer to that was easy. “Religion doesn’t cause war unless it is corrupted by politics.” Much later, I thought we had missed Read more
Much has been made in Catholic circles about the working document for the synod of bishops scheduled for this fall, currently titled “The Amazon: New Paths for the Church and for Integral Ecology.” One of the most important critics of the agenda set out in the instrumentum laboris is German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, who has Read more
Human trafficking is “happening closer to us than we think,” and Catholic groups are increasingly committed to fighting it through advocacy, prayer and action, global anti – trafficking leader Sister Gabriella Bottani, S.M.C., has said. “What we should do, more and more, is to be aware and to try to understand what trafficking is in Read more
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced his government will seek to ban many single-use plastic starting in 2021. Although the final list of banned items is still undetermined, it will likely include plastic bags, takeaway containers, cutlery and straws. To further justify the ban, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna cited images of marine wildlife being injured Read more
I didn’t hear the word lesbian until I went to university. In my childhood, homosexuality was not discussed: not at home, not at church, not at school. I’m sure there were homosexual people in my classroom or community. Possibly even in my extended family. But they were not ‘out’. Even the prevailing culture did not Read more