I think in this new missionary context which Francis is constantly referring to, the role of a small flexible mobile dynamic lay community is absolutely key in the world today. It’s key because we’re not encumbered by the need to maintain a particular kind of institutional relationship or indeed any institution at all. We can Read more
When Rocio showed up at our parish, she knew nothing about the Catholic Church. All she knew was that her life was filled with darkness and she hungered for something more. It was January, and our RCIA sessions had begun months before. So our catechetical team asked Rocio to come to Mass each Sunday and Read more
At 9:30 a.m. last Wednesday, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano showed up at the Rome apartment of a conservative Vatican reporter with a simple clerical collar, a Rocky Mountains baseball cap and an explosive story to tell. Archbishop Viganò, the former chief Vatican diplomat in the United States, spent the morning working shoulder to shoulder with Read more
Now that the dust has begun to settle on Pope Francis’s whirlwind 32-hour visit to Ireland over the weekend, it’s time to step back and draw some tentative conclusions about how the pontiff fared, as well as who else gained and lost from the experience. A qualified success At one level, it’s easy to assume Read more
It is hard to know what to think of the bombshell dropped by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who released a scalding letter on Sunday (Aug. 26) calling on Pope Francis to resign. Viganò, the former Vatican ambassador to the United States, claims in the letter that Pope Francis knew that recently resigned Cardinal Theodore McCarrick abused Read more
One of the more recent challenges for Catholic parishes is how to welcome L.G.B.T. parishioners, as well as families with L.G.B.T. members. But that challenge is also where grace abounds because L.G.B.T. Catholics have felt excluded from the church for so long that any experience of welcome can be life-changing—a healing moment that can inspire Read more
Of all the horrific details contained in the Pennsylvania grand jury report on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, one sentence stands out: “The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid ‘scandal.’” When sex-abuse cases dominate headlines, a familiar pattern often emerges. If it took place at a large organization — Read more
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano’s testimony proves one thing: The former Vatican ambassador to the United States is to the clergy sex abuse crisis what Oliver Stone is to the assassination of President John Kennedy. That is, a trafficker in conspiracy theories who mixes fact, fiction and venom to produce something explosive but also suspicious. When Read more
A Jesuit priest who has been on the frontline of advocating for survivors of clerical sexual abuse and developing detailed programs to prevent abuse said the crisis unfolding, again, in the United States is a summons to a new way of envisioning the church and taking responsibility for it. “I am not surprised” by the Read more
The pope’s letter of 20 August 2018, condemning sexual abuse by clergy and its systematic cover-up begins to show real compassion for those abused and some of the bewilderment and exasperation even good people who supported the Church. The first section of his letter, ‘If one member suffers …’ displays a genuine empathy for those Read more