Random stuff I find interesting and you may not.
One of the standards the Church uses to measure the quality of her leaders is a simple line from Scripture: “God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33). So it was for Paul. So it is now. So it is for local pastors and bishops, including the bishop of Rome. … Read more
Another aspect of the Francis pontificate is the prominence of Jesuits in Church leadership positions. What can be understood about Pope Francis’ relationship with the Society of Jesus? Well, I’m a Capuchin Franciscan, and that’s shaped my life in a profound way. The Jesuit formation Francis received would naturally have the same effect. But when … Read more
‘That’s a form of lying. Mr. Biden is not in communion with the Catholic faith. And any priest who now provides Communion to the president participates in his hypocrisy.’ ARLINGTON, Va. — Archbishop Charles Chaput said on Saturday that Joe Biden “is not in communion with the Catholic faith” and that “any priest who now … Read more
Archbishop Joseph Naumann, a former chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-life Activities, recently noted that he was “sad” with the Vatican’s seeming insensitivity to the controversy surrounding Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden. Both public officials describe themselves as Catholic, and both have vigorously supported a “right” to abortion and other issues … Read more
As we head toward June and a Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs abortion case, we should pause to consider a few simple questions. For example: Why aren’t attacks on, and threats against, churches, worshippers, and religious services acts of domestic terrorism? If they’re not domestic terrorism, then why not, and what are they? At … Read more
I’ve been retired now for two years. Retirement gives you a lot of time to think. And lately I’ve been thinking that if an Oscar were given each year for “Best Catholic Performance in the Role of a Reformation Protestant,” half the Catholics in Congress, not to mention the White House, would qualify. I’m overstating … Read more
Bernard of Clairvaux, the great 12th-century saint and Doctor of the Church who renewed the Western monastic tradition, once warned that “The most grievous danger for any pope lies in the fact that, encompassed as he is by flatterers, he never hears the truth about his own person and ends by not wishing to hear … Read more
Persons who do not believe in the Real Presence, who ignore or do not accept Church teaching, or who are otherwise objectively in a state of serious sin, should not present themselves for Communion. It’s that simple and that serious. If they do, they not only put their own souls in grave jeopardy, but—just as … Read more
If we do not have a clear idea of our final end, then we will not know how to begin living. . . . For decades Archbishop Charles Chaput served as a strong prophetic voice for the Church in the United States. He was that watchman on the walls of Jerusalem — discerning and proclaiming … Read more
When Sen. Dianne Feinstein grilled federal circuit court nominee—and now Supreme Court nominee—Amy Coney Barrett three years ago, she fretted that “the dogma lives loudly within you. And that’s of concern.” Given the senator’s obvious prejudices, she should indeed be concerned. Ms. Barrett’s life story suggests that she actually believes and seeks to live what … Read more