Pope: Be open to the good, wherever it comes from: Pope Francis advised Sunday that we be open to the good, regardless of whether it comes from someone outside our own “circle”.
The pope reflected Sept. 30 on the day’s Gospel, in which Christ taught his disciples humility and to avoid scandal. He was delivering the Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square.
When the disciples objected to someone outside their group casting out a demon, Pope Francis said they “demonstrate a closed attitude before an event that does not fit into their schemes, in this case the action, though good, of a person ‘external’ to the circle of followers.”
Sunday, September 30, 2018
26th Ordinary Sunday — “Man cannot live without love”
WDTPRS – 26th Ordinary Sunday: “man cannot live without love” | Fr. Z's BlogZUHLSDORF: For God, balancing mercy and justice is no problem at all. For us, however, this balancing act is exceedingly difficult. Our will and our limited intellect are wounded. We struggle with passions. It is hard to see what is good and right and true and then rein in our emotions. We oscillate between being just and then being merciful. Bringing the two streams of mercy and justice together in just the right way is a tremendous challenge. When we encounter a person who does this well, we are deeply impressed by him and hold him up as an example of wisdom because he seems to act more clearly as an image of God. His example moves us because we know that we too must conform to God’s image.
Aliens, elephants, and angels
Aliens, Elephants, and Angels - The Imaginative ConservativeLONGENECKER: Some time ago while wasting time I came across a seemingly profound, but ultimately silly discussion which is prevalent within popular culture. It’s called the Fermi Paradox, and it goes like this: “There are billions of stars out there like the sun. Therefore, statistically there must be billions of planets like earth where intelligent life has developed. Given the vast amount of time and the vast number of possible ‘other earths’ there must be other intelligent life forms who have invented space travel. But there is no evidence of other life forms having visited earth so where are they?”
Our common threat, as seen in a commercial
Our Common Threat, as Seen in a Commercial - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: The commercial below is humorous, albeit preposterous. Here is the scenario: the earth has stopped rotating on its axis and “scientists” say that if everyone runs in the same direction we can restart the rotation, much like hamsters running in an exercise wheel.
Of course, as the standard disaster movie format requires, the news anchor both explains everything to us and gives us our orders from the scientists. In the end, mankind triumphs; crisis averted; roll credits.
Of course, as the standard disaster movie format requires, the news anchor both explains everything to us and gives us our orders from the scientists. In the end, mankind triumphs; crisis averted; roll credits.
“Pluck out your eye?” What’s that supposed to mean?
The Wonders of God and Rooting Out SinAKIN: This Sunday’s readings have two prominent themes. The first is that God can work outside of expected, formal situations.
We see this in the reading from Numbers, where God takes some of the spirit he gave to Moses and endows 70 elders with it. Two of the elders — Eldad and Medad — weren’t present for the ceremony, yet God gave them the spirit, as well, and they prophesied. Upon learning this, Joshua asked Moses to stop them — perhaps implying that they were delinquent in not coming to the ceremony, and therefore had no right to prophecy. But Moses took a more generous attitude and said he could wish all of God’s people were prophets.
We see this in the reading from Numbers, where God takes some of the spirit he gave to Moses and endows 70 elders with it. Two of the elders — Eldad and Medad — weren’t present for the ceremony, yet God gave them the spirit, as well, and they prophesied. Upon learning this, Joshua asked Moses to stop them — perhaps implying that they were delinquent in not coming to the ceremony, and therefore had no right to prophecy. But Moses took a more generous attitude and said he could wish all of God’s people were prophets.
After decades of left v. right, is it now bishops v. everybody else?
After decades of left v. right, is it now bishops v. everybody else?ALLEN: Moments of great crisis generally affect institutions in multiple ways, some of which are immediately evident and others that take longer to discern. Amid the clerical abuse scandals currently rocking Catholicism, it’s worth asking if one such long-term result is playing out before our eyes.
To wit, are we seeing a redefinition of the traditional left/right divides in the Church because the focus of popular complaint is no longer really teaching, one of the three traditional duties of a bishop, but rather governing?
To wit, are we seeing a redefinition of the traditional left/right divides in the Church because the focus of popular complaint is no longer really teaching, one of the three traditional duties of a bishop, but rather governing?
Saturday, September 29, 2018
The Papal Foundation and McCarrick’s conflict of interest
The Papal Foundation & McCarrick’s Conflict of Interest | Matthew B. O’Brien | First Things: On July 28, 2018 the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had accepted Archbishop Theodore McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals. This had the immediate effect of ending his nearly thirty-year relationship with the Papal Foundation, a charitable organization he helped to found, which is based in suburban Philadelphia and has an endowment of $200 million.
St. Michael the Archangel, Hammer of Heresies and of the Hounds of Hell
St Michael, Hammer of Heresies and Hounds of Hell | Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: This is my favorite time of the year. Not only is the beginning of Autumn the most beautiful season, but I love this ten days in the church calendar: St Michael, St Jerome, St Therese, St Francis, St Faustina, Our Lady of the Rosary.
I was pleased to see therefore that Pope Francis has called on us to pray the rosary especially this month to counter the devil.
St Michael is one of the great warriors in that battle because he is the prince of the heavenly host.
I was pleased to see therefore that Pope Francis has called on us to pray the rosary especially this month to counter the devil.
St Michael is one of the great warriors in that battle because he is the prince of the heavenly host.
221 priests, 8 bishops face probes for abuse and cover-up in Chile
221 priests, 8 bishops face probes for abuse and cover-up in ChileSANMARTIN: According to the latest count by the Chilean national prosecutor’s office, some 221 priests and 8 bishops are being investigated up and down the country on charges of sexual abuse and cover-up, all due to allegations made from the year 2000 to date.
In the total is Fernando Karadima, the country’s most infamous predator priest, who was removed from the clerical state by Pope Francis on Thursday in an “exceptional” decision communicated by the Vatican on Friday, the same day the man who once led an impressive lay movement in Santiago was informed.
In the total is Fernando Karadima, the country’s most infamous predator priest, who was removed from the clerical state by Pope Francis on Thursday in an “exceptional” decision communicated by the Vatican on Friday, the same day the man who once led an impressive lay movement in Santiago was informed.
McCarrick abuse settlement from 2005 with Cardinal Wuerl’s name raises questions
Abuse settlement from 2005 with Cardinal Wuerl’s name raises questions - The Washington Post: Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who has said repeatedly that he didn’t know about years of sexual misconduct complaints involving his predecessor in the District, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, was named in a 2005 settlement agreement that included allegations against McCarrick, according to the accuser in the case and documents obtained by The Washington Post.
Pope asks faithful to pray the Rosary, St. Michael prayer and ‘Sub Tuum Praesidium’ for Church
Pope Francis invites the faithful to pray the Rosary in October - Vatican News: The Holy Father has decided to invite all the faithful, of all the world, to pray the Holy Rosary every day, during the entire Marian month of October, and thus to join in communion and in penitence, as the people of God, in asking the Holy Mother of God and Saint Michael Archangel to protect the Church from the devil, who always seeks to separate us from God and from each other.
Arturo Mari, Vatican photographer for John Paul II and Benedict XVI, talks about life behind the lens
Longtime papal photographer talks about life behind the lens - Angelus News - Multimedia Catholic News: While Arturo Mari may have started his professional photography career in the Vatican taking pictures of Pope Pius XII when he was just 16 years old, Mari's work commanded the world's attention when he accompanied history's most travel-minded pope, St. John Paul II, on more than 100 pastoral visits outside Italy.
Mari was first drawn to the Polish pontiff during the Second Vatican Council and a young Bishop Karol Wojtyla was making interventions from the floor during the council's deliberations.
Mari was first drawn to the Polish pontiff during the Second Vatican Council and a young Bishop Karol Wojtyla was making interventions from the floor during the council's deliberations.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Place your hope in the right place — in Jesus Christ and his eternal sacrifice for us...
Faith: the antidote to despair - Denver CatholicAQUILA: “The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us,” St. John Chrysostom once preached. “But we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus.” Many of us need to hear such words in these trying times, when we are torn apart by the sins committed against innocent children and teenagers, and also confronted with the temptation to despair.
Is there such a thing as going too much to confession?
Is there such a thing as going too much to confession?FERNANDEZ: “Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit.”
Essentially, regular confession of the small stuff can help prevent us from falling into even bigger, more spiritually detrimental sin. So yes, confessing venial sins is not only OK but encouraged. “Waiting” until one has fallen deep into mortal before seeking out the sacrament is not really a prudent thing to do, to say the least.
Essentially, regular confession of the small stuff can help prevent us from falling into even bigger, more spiritually detrimental sin. So yes, confessing venial sins is not only OK but encouraged. “Waiting” until one has fallen deep into mortal before seeking out the sacrament is not really a prudent thing to do, to say the least.
How the USCCB could pitch a Vatican-backed McCarrick probe
How the USCCB could pitch a Vatican-backed McCarrick probeALLEN: Two weeks after the fact, three points seem clear about a Sept. 13 audience between Pope Francis and the leadership of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the conference president, and Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, the vice president.
Archbishop McCarrick moves to St. Fidelis, the famous “Cathedral of the Plains” in Kansas
US: Archbishop McCarrick Moves to Kansas Friary - ZENIT - English: The Archdiocese of Washington said September 28, 2018, that Archbishop Theodore McCarrick now resides at St. Fidelis Friary in Victoria, Kansas in the Diocese of Salina, with the permission of the Provincial Superior of the Franciscan Capuchin Community responsible for the Friary, Fr. Christopher Popravak, O.F.M.Cap., and the Bishop of Salina, Most Reverend Gerald Vincke.
Pope defrocks Fernando Karadima, Chilean priest at center of global abuse scandal
Pope defrocks Chile priest at center of global abuse scandal: Pope Francis has defrocked the Chilean priest at the center of the global sex abuse scandal rocking his papacy, invoking his “supreme” authority to stiffen a sentence originally handed down by the Vatican in 2011.
In a statement Friday, the Vatican said Francis had laicized the 88-year-old Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was originally sanctioned to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” for having sexually abused minors.
The “penance and prayer” sanction has been the Vatican’s punishment of choice for elderly priests convicted of raping and molesting children. It has long been criticized by victims as too soft and essentially an all-expenses-paid retirement.
The Vatican didn’t say what new evidence, if any, prompted Francis to re-evaluate Karadima’s original sanction and impose what clergy consider the equivalent of a death sentence.
In a statement Friday, the Vatican said Francis had laicized the 88-year-old Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was originally sanctioned to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” for having sexually abused minors.
The “penance and prayer” sanction has been the Vatican’s punishment of choice for elderly priests convicted of raping and molesting children. It has long been criticized by victims as too soft and essentially an all-expenses-paid retirement.
The Vatican didn’t say what new evidence, if any, prompted Francis to re-evaluate Karadima’s original sanction and impose what clergy consider the equivalent of a death sentence.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
The surprising (and unsurprising) photo of John Wayne and his son venerating the Blessed Mother
The Surprising (And Unsurprising) Photo of John Wayne & His Son Venerating the Blessed Mother | ChurchPOP: Why it isn’t surprising:
John Wayne’s first wife, Josephine, is Patrick Wayne’s mother. She prayed for many years for the conversion of her husband. She did not remarry until after his death, because she knew her marriage to him was still valid in the Catholic Church.
All four of their children were raised in the Catholic faith, and his grandson is even a priest...
John Wayne’s first wife, Josephine, is Patrick Wayne’s mother. She prayed for many years for the conversion of her husband. She did not remarry until after his death, because she knew her marriage to him was still valid in the Catholic Church.
All four of their children were raised in the Catholic faith, and his grandson is even a priest...
Archbishop Viganò issues 2nd letter on Pope Francis and McCarrick scandal
Archbishop Vigan� Issues New Letter on Pope Francis and McCarrick: Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has issued a new letter addressing his allegation that senior prelates have been complicit in covering up alleged sex abuse by Archbishop Theodore McCarrick.
Headed with Archbishop Viganò's episcopal motto, Scio Cui credidi (“I know whom I have believed”), the letter, dated Sept. 29, was released Sept. 27.
The former apostolic nuncio to the United States prefaced his letter giving “thanks and glory to God the Father for every situation and trial that He has prepared and will prepare for me during my life. As a priest and bishop of the holy Church, spouse of Christ, I am called like every baptized person to bear witness to the truth. … I intend to do so until the end of my days. Our only Lord has addressed also to me the invitation, ‘Follow me!,’ and I intend to follow him with the help of his grace until the end of my days.”
Headed with Archbishop Viganò's episcopal motto, Scio Cui credidi (“I know whom I have believed”), the letter, dated Sept. 29, was released Sept. 27.
The former apostolic nuncio to the United States prefaced his letter giving “thanks and glory to God the Father for every situation and trial that He has prepared and will prepare for me during my life. As a priest and bishop of the holy Church, spouse of Christ, I am called like every baptized person to bear witness to the truth. … I intend to do so until the end of my days. Our only Lord has addressed also to me the invitation, ‘Follow me!,’ and I intend to follow him with the help of his grace until the end of my days.”
The not-so-great reason divorce rates are declining
Millennials Are Divorcing Less Than Baby Boomers - The Atlantic: In the past 10 years, the percentage of American marriages that end in divorce has fallen, and in a new paper, the University of Maryland sociologist Philip Cohen quantified the drop-off: Between 2008 and 2016, the divorce rate declined by 18 percent overall.
Vulnerability is a secret ingredient to great Catholic discipleship
A Secret Ingredient to Great Catholic Discipleship = Vulnerability - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: I remember the first time I told my wife that I loved her. It was a terrifying moment. We had been dating for several months and I fell head over heels for her, like no girl before. She clearly had won my heart, but there was an internal battle that raged over whether I should tell her how I felt about her or not.
Some church architectural styles really are profane
Some Church Architectural Styles Really Are Profane - Crisis MagazineDANBURKE: Architecture speaks, and, like a homily or proclamation of scripture, it can change us profoundly. It preaches and teaches every time we enter a church building. When it speaks truth it reminds us that God is central, and that we are broken and in need of a savior who offers us a place of eternal unity with God. It reveals to us that we are on hallowed ground and should act differently than we did before we entered. It instinctively draws us to our knees, to worship, and to focus on him. It tells us that God, in the greatest act of love ever known to man, has given his life for us by providing his son as a sacrifice for our sins.
Panel confronts Church abuse crisis, urges laity to lead way forward
Panel confronts church abuse crisis, urges laity to lead way forward: A panel discussion Sept. 25 at Georgetown University on the current church crisis was akin to a very large parish town hall meeting.
Panelists and audience members alike shared their pain, shock and complete frustration with recent allegations of abuse and cover-up by church leaders and they also showed a strong desire to somehow forge a path out of this.
This wasn't a talk where audience members were scrolling through their phones to pass time or looking at their watches to see when it would be over. During the hour and a half, there were moments in the churchlike campus hall when you could hear a pin drop, particularly when panelists shared about their own experiences of being abused.
Panelists and audience members alike shared their pain, shock and complete frustration with recent allegations of abuse and cover-up by church leaders and they also showed a strong desire to somehow forge a path out of this.
This wasn't a talk where audience members were scrolling through their phones to pass time or looking at their watches to see when it would be over. During the hour and a half, there were moments in the churchlike campus hall when you could hear a pin drop, particularly when panelists shared about their own experiences of being abused.
Alleged abuse victim searches for justice in the Diocese of Crookston
Alleged abuse victim searches for justice in the Diocese of Crookston: In 1971, when Ron Vasek was 16 years old, a priest invited him to take a trip. The priest, Fr. Roger Grundhaus, was a family friend, and Ron’s parents supported the idea.
Fr. Grundhaus, a priest of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, was going to a canon law convention in Columbus, Ohio. He said he wanted Vasek to come along to help with the drive.
Vasek had looked forward to the trip. “I’d never been off the farm, basically,” he told CNA.
Fr. Grundhaus, a priest of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, was going to a canon law convention in Columbus, Ohio. He said he wanted Vasek to come along to help with the drive.
Vasek had looked forward to the trip. “I’d never been off the farm, basically,” he told CNA.
Archbishop Viganò releases new ‘testimony’ responding to Pope’s silence on McCarrick cover-up
BREAKING: Vigano releases new ‘testimony’ responding to Pope’s silence on McCarrick cover-up | News | LifeSite: Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has today issued a new extraordinary testimony, responding to Pope Francis’ refusal to answer the charge that he knew of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s sexual abuse, yet made McCarrick “one of his principal agents in governing the Church.”
In the four-page document, the former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States also responds to the Pope’s recent homilies which seem to cast himself in the role of Christ and Viganò as the diabolical “Great Accuser.”
In the four-page document, the former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States also responds to the Pope’s recent homilies which seem to cast himself in the role of Christ and Viganò as the diabolical “Great Accuser.”
St. Michael the Archangel, protect us from Satan’s ruses
St. Michael the Archangel, Protect Us From Satan’s RusesRUTLER: The selection of Saint Michael as our parish’s patron in 1857 certainly was inspired. Who could be a better champion in “Hell’s Kitchen” than that heavenly soldier wielding the sword, as the great statue in our church shows him? As angels are pure spirit and sublime intelligence, it is tempting for mortals of flesh and limited intelligence to pretend that they are fictions, but many times in meeting strangers we may “entertain angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).
Brett Kavanaugh, Christine Blasey Ford testify before Senate Judiciary Committee
Judge Kavanaugh Professor Blasey Ford Testify Sexual Assault Allegations: The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Professor Christine Blasey Ford about her allegations that Judge Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while the two were teenagers.
5 more reasons to read and love the Fathers of the Church
5 More Reasons to Read and Love the Fathers of the ChurchCUSH: Previously, I have offered some reasons why we, as those in the Church who want to know our faith better, should get to know the lives and the writings of the Fathers of the Church. I presented the first five reasons in this article, and now I offer you five other reasons why we should love the great writers of the Apostolic and Post-Apostolic age.
This phenomenon is seen in exorcisms and haunted houses — but what is it?
This is Seen in Exorcisms and Haunted Houses — But What Is It?ARMSTRONG: Father Gary Thomas, an exorcist for the Diocese of San Jose, California, once came across a movie that got his particular attention. The film depicted a boy who left his body and got trapped by a demon. “In real life, I prayed over a boy who had the ability to leave his body,” Thomas said. “One time, when he came back, there were three disembodied souls there. They changed his personality completely.”
A meditation on the poverty of riches, as seen in a video
A Meditation on the Poverty of Riches, as Seen in a Video - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: The more affluent we become in material things, the more spiritually poor we seem to become. The higher our standard of living, the lower our overall morals. The more filled our coffers, the emptier our churches. The numbers demonstrate clearly show that over the past 60 years our standard of living has risen while church attendance and other signs of belief and spirituality have plummeted—so has family time and the developing of deep human relationships. Marriage rates have plummeted while divorce has soared. Birthrates are down. Children are considered a burden in a satiated world with a high standard of living. These are the evils of our times.
Both on China and the abuse crisis, Pope Francis faces a trust deficit
Both on China and the abuse crisis, Pope Francis faces a trust deficitALLEN: Five days after announcing a landmark deal with China over the appointment of bishops, Pope Francis released a letter to Chinese Catholics on Wednesday. The gist of it amounts to, “Trust me.”
Specifically, Francis asked the roughly 13 million Catholics in China to “place your trust ever more firmly in the Lord of history and in the church’s discernment of his will.” The idea is to ask for faith despite whatever uncertainty Chinese Catholics may be experiencing, especially those of the “underground” church who’s been tenacious in their opposition to the Communist government out of loyalty to Rome and now feel like the rug has been pulled out from under them.
Specifically, Francis asked the roughly 13 million Catholics in China to “place your trust ever more firmly in the Lord of history and in the church’s discernment of his will.” The idea is to ask for faith despite whatever uncertainty Chinese Catholics may be experiencing, especially those of the “underground” church who’s been tenacious in their opposition to the Communist government out of loyalty to Rome and now feel like the rug has been pulled out from under them.
China’s Catholic Church pledges loyalty to Communist Party after Vatican deal
China's Catholic Church pledges loyalty to Party after Vatican deal | Reuters: China’s Catholic Church reaffirmed its loyalty to the country’s ruling Communist Party on Sunday, while welcoming a landmark deal struck with the Vatican on appointing new bishops.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
The hard grace of being a Catholic journalist
The hard grace of being a Catholic journalist - Angelus News - Multimedia Catholic NewsERLANDSON: “Are you still working for that evil organization?” sneers one person.
“Why aren’t you defending the bishops more strongly?” chides another.
Welcome to the world of Catholic journalism. These are the questions we’ve been fielding in recent weeks as our Church is buffeted by a hurricane of allegations and condemnations regarding its handling of sexual abuse cases. The storm is many times worse in social media.
“Why aren’t you defending the bishops more strongly?” chides another.
Welcome to the world of Catholic journalism. These are the questions we’ve been fielding in recent weeks as our Church is buffeted by a hurricane of allegations and condemnations regarding its handling of sexual abuse cases. The storm is many times worse in social media.
Bishops to investigate 4 dioceses after Pope nixes Vatican McCarrick probe
Bishops to investigate 4 dioceses after Pope nixes Vatican McCarrick probe: On the one month anniversary of explosive charges against Pope Francis’ handling of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s history of abuse, it has become clear that the U.S. bishops’ request for a Vatican-led investigation will not move forward, leading the prelates to ponder what comes next.
Last month, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò alleged in an 11-page “testimonial” that Pope Francis was not only aware of McCarrick’s history of abuse, but that Francis had removed sanctions imposed on McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI. This led to the head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, to double down on his request to meet with Pope Francis in hopes of a Vatican-led investigation into how McCarrick climbed the ranks of leadership within the Church.
Last month, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò alleged in an 11-page “testimonial” that Pope Francis was not only aware of McCarrick’s history of abuse, but that Francis had removed sanctions imposed on McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI. This led to the head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, to double down on his request to meet with Pope Francis in hopes of a Vatican-led investigation into how McCarrick climbed the ranks of leadership within the Church.
25th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Releasing your inner prophet
The Sacred Page: Releasing Your Inner Prophet: The 25th Sunday of OTBERGSMA: The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that we are baptized into Christ’s prophethood, but if you cornered any typical Catholic coming out of mass on a Sunday morning, they would vehemently deny having any prophetic gifts, because “I’m not Charismatic.” Well, the prophetic role of the Christian is not limited to people involved in the Charismatic Renewal. The Readings for this mass are, in a sense, united by a theme of prophethood, discussing what it means to follow in the footsteps of Christ and his prophetic charism.
An Orthodox fracture with serious consequences
An Orthodox fracture with serious consequences - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: While Catholicism has been embroiled in a crisis of sexual abuse and episcopal malfeasance reaching to the highest levels of the Church, Eastern Orthodoxy may be on the verge of an epic crack-up with major ecumenical and geopolitical consequences.
There are three competing Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine today. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate is in full communion with, and subordinate to, the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. Then there are two breakaways from Moscow: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. This tripartite fracture is a scandal, an obstacle to re-evangelizing a broken culture, and an impediment to ecumenism.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople has indicated that it is considering a proposal to recognize the autocephaly, or independence from Moscow, of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, should the contending Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine restore unity. The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church has responded with fury, dropping references to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople from its liturgy. And its international mouthpiece, Metropolitan Hilarion, issued an overwrought statement contending that “the war of the Patriarchate of Constantinople against Moscow [has continued] for almost a hundred years.” Hilarion also charged that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is first-among-equals in Orthodox Christianity, didn’t support the Moscow Patriarchate during decades of Soviet persecution — an ironic allegation, given that the man to whom Hilarion reports, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, was an old KGB hand back in the day.
Advertisement
What’s going on here? Several things.
First, the Moscow Patriarchate is terrified. Should a reunited Ukrainian Orthodoxy be recognized by Constantinople as “autocephalous” and therefore not subordinate to Russian Orthodoxy, Moscow’s claim to be the “third Rome” would be gravely imperiled. Russian Orthodoxy would shrink drastically by the loss of the large Orthodox population in Ukraine, and the Moscow Patriarchate’s claim to a kind of de facto hegemony in the Orthodox world would be badly damaged.
Second, Russian Orthodoxy, continuing a long, unhappy tradition of playing chaplain-to-the-czar (whatever form he takes), has provided putatively religious buttressing for Vladimir Putin’s claim that there is a single Russkiy mir (“Russian world” or “Russian space”), which includes Ukraine and Belarus. And in that “space,” Ukrainians and Belarussians are little brothers of the Russians, the true inheritors of the baptism of the eastern Slavs in 988. That is a falsification of history. Yet it has underwritten Russian imperial claims for centuries, and it continues to do so today.
Advertisement
A reunited and independent Ukrainian Orthodoxy centered on Kyiv (site in 988 of the baptism of Prince Vladimir and the tribes that eventually became Ukrainians, Russians, and Belarussians) would empirically falsify what serious historians have long known is a dishonest narrative. Moscow and Russia are not the sole inheritors of the baptism of the eastern Slavs, and Russian imperial claims (like those that have underwritten the invasion and annexation of Crimea and the Russian-sponsored war in eastern Ukraine) rest on a false story. Thus both Russian Orthodoxy and President Putin would be major losers, should Ukrainian Orthodoxy reunite and be recognized as independent by Constantinople. That is why Metropolitan Hilarion is taking a harsh line with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. That is also why Putin is likely encouraging his new friend, President Erdogan of Turkey, to turns the screws on Bartholomew, whose presence in Istanbul (the former Constantinople) depends on Turkish governmental goodwill. For Putin knows that his attempt to recreate something like the old Soviet Union, which has battened on the “Russian world” ideology,” could implode.
Russian Orthodox clergy have charged that efforts to reunite Ukrainian Orthodoxy and grant it autocephaly are a Roman plot. That should concentrate some minds at the Vatican. The 2016 Havana Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill was supposed to inaugurate a new era of ecumenical cooperation between Rome and Moscow. Yet as soon as Moscow feels pressured, the Vatican bogeyman is trotted out and vilified. Those of us who judged the Moscow Declaration ill-advised two years ago ought not take any satisfaction from having been right; but those who wouldn’t listen then should think again about making deals with agents of Russian state power.
Nothing is certain in this Ukrainian drama, given Ukrainian Orthodox fractiousness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s relatively weak position, and the unhelpful involvement of Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. The stakes, however, are high indeed.
There are three competing Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine today. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate is in full communion with, and subordinate to, the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. Then there are two breakaways from Moscow: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. This tripartite fracture is a scandal, an obstacle to re-evangelizing a broken culture, and an impediment to ecumenism.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople has indicated that it is considering a proposal to recognize the autocephaly, or independence from Moscow, of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, should the contending Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine restore unity. The Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church has responded with fury, dropping references to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople from its liturgy. And its international mouthpiece, Metropolitan Hilarion, issued an overwrought statement contending that “the war of the Patriarchate of Constantinople against Moscow [has continued] for almost a hundred years.” Hilarion also charged that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is first-among-equals in Orthodox Christianity, didn’t support the Moscow Patriarchate during decades of Soviet persecution — an ironic allegation, given that the man to whom Hilarion reports, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, was an old KGB hand back in the day.
Advertisement
What’s going on here? Several things.
First, the Moscow Patriarchate is terrified. Should a reunited Ukrainian Orthodoxy be recognized by Constantinople as “autocephalous” and therefore not subordinate to Russian Orthodoxy, Moscow’s claim to be the “third Rome” would be gravely imperiled. Russian Orthodoxy would shrink drastically by the loss of the large Orthodox population in Ukraine, and the Moscow Patriarchate’s claim to a kind of de facto hegemony in the Orthodox world would be badly damaged.
Second, Russian Orthodoxy, continuing a long, unhappy tradition of playing chaplain-to-the-czar (whatever form he takes), has provided putatively religious buttressing for Vladimir Putin’s claim that there is a single Russkiy mir (“Russian world” or “Russian space”), which includes Ukraine and Belarus. And in that “space,” Ukrainians and Belarussians are little brothers of the Russians, the true inheritors of the baptism of the eastern Slavs in 988. That is a falsification of history. Yet it has underwritten Russian imperial claims for centuries, and it continues to do so today.
Advertisement
A reunited and independent Ukrainian Orthodoxy centered on Kyiv (site in 988 of the baptism of Prince Vladimir and the tribes that eventually became Ukrainians, Russians, and Belarussians) would empirically falsify what serious historians have long known is a dishonest narrative. Moscow and Russia are not the sole inheritors of the baptism of the eastern Slavs, and Russian imperial claims (like those that have underwritten the invasion and annexation of Crimea and the Russian-sponsored war in eastern Ukraine) rest on a false story. Thus both Russian Orthodoxy and President Putin would be major losers, should Ukrainian Orthodoxy reunite and be recognized as independent by Constantinople. That is why Metropolitan Hilarion is taking a harsh line with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. That is also why Putin is likely encouraging his new friend, President Erdogan of Turkey, to turns the screws on Bartholomew, whose presence in Istanbul (the former Constantinople) depends on Turkish governmental goodwill. For Putin knows that his attempt to recreate something like the old Soviet Union, which has battened on the “Russian world” ideology,” could implode.
Russian Orthodox clergy have charged that efforts to reunite Ukrainian Orthodoxy and grant it autocephaly are a Roman plot. That should concentrate some minds at the Vatican. The 2016 Havana Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill was supposed to inaugurate a new era of ecumenical cooperation between Rome and Moscow. Yet as soon as Moscow feels pressured, the Vatican bogeyman is trotted out and vilified. Those of us who judged the Moscow Declaration ill-advised two years ago ought not take any satisfaction from having been right; but those who wouldn’t listen then should think again about making deals with agents of Russian state power.
Nothing is certain in this Ukrainian drama, given Ukrainian Orthodox fractiousness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s relatively weak position, and the unhelpful involvement of Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. The stakes, however, are high indeed.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Pondering some proverbs
Pondering Some Proverbs - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: In daily Mass this week we are reading from the Book of Proverbs, in which a common theme is the contrast between the wise man and the fool.
Let’s examine a few passages from the Proverbs. They go a long way toward explaining the ultimate destiny of the wise and the destruction wrought by foolishness and evil. My comments are presented in red text.
Let’s examine a few passages from the Proverbs. They go a long way toward explaining the ultimate destiny of the wise and the destruction wrought by foolishness and evil. My comments are presented in red text.
These ISS photos of Super Typhoon Trami are jaw-dropping
These Photos of Typhoon Trami Are Jaw-Dropping: Look, I’m as sick of typhoons and hurricanes menacing humanity as you are. They’re planetary bullies and they suck. But I can take a begrudging moment to appreciate how they look from space.
Pope Francis on China deal: “I signed the agreement. I am responsible...”
Pope Francis takes responsibility for China deal: Pope Francis took responsibility Tuesday for the agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China, noting that in any such negotiation, “both sides lose something.”
He was asked about the agreement Sept. 25 during the flight from Tallinn to Rome by Antonio Pelayo of Vida Nueva.
The agreement on the appointment of bishops in mainland China was signed Sept. 22 in Beijing. It will allow for bishops who are in communion with the Holy Father and at the same time are recognized by the Chinese government.
He was asked about the agreement Sept. 25 during the flight from Tallinn to Rome by Antonio Pelayo of Vida Nueva.
The agreement on the appointment of bishops in mainland China was signed Sept. 22 in Beijing. It will allow for bishops who are in communion with the Holy Father and at the same time are recognized by the Chinese government.
On plane, Pope discusses sex abuse, corruption of cover-up, China pact
On plane, pope discusses sex abuse, corruption of cover-up, China pact | CNS top stories: The Catholic Church has grown in its understanding of the horror of clerical sexual abuse and of the “corruption” of covering it up, Pope Francis said.
Returning to Rome from a trip Sept. 22-25 to the Baltic nations, Pope Francis was asked about his remarks to young people in Tallinn, Estonia, when he said young people are scandalized when they see the church fail to condemn abuse clearly.
“The young people are scandalized by the hypocrisy of adults, they are scandalized by wars, they are scandalized by the lack of coherence, they are scandalized by corruption, and corruption is where what you underlined — sexual abuse — comes in,” the pope responded.
Returning to Rome from a trip Sept. 22-25 to the Baltic nations, Pope Francis was asked about his remarks to young people in Tallinn, Estonia, when he said young people are scandalized when they see the church fail to condemn abuse clearly.
“The young people are scandalized by the hypocrisy of adults, they are scandalized by wars, they are scandalized by the lack of coherence, they are scandalized by corruption, and corruption is where what you underlined — sexual abuse — comes in,” the pope responded.
German bishops’ report: At least 3,677 minors were abused by clerics
German Bishops' Report: At Least 3,677 Minors Were Abused By Clerics : NPR: A report on clerical sexual abuse in Germany released on Tuesday found thousands of cases of sexual abuse of minors by clerics in the Catholic Church between 1946 and 2014 – and warns that the actual number is surely higher.
The study looked at more than 38,000 sets of personnel records from the country's dioceses, as well as criminal records and interviews with those who say they were abused and clerics accused of abuse.
The study looked at more than 38,000 sets of personnel records from the country's dioceses, as well as criminal records and interviews with those who say they were abused and clerics accused of abuse.
Science fiction was around in medieval times – here's what it looked like
Science fiction was around in medieval times – here's what it looked like: Science fiction may seem resolutely modern, but the genre could actually be considered hundreds of years old. There are the alien green “children of Woolpit”, who appeared in 12th-century Suffolk and were reported to have spoken a language no one could understand. There’s also the story of Eilmer the 11th-century monk, who constructed a pair of wings and flew from the top of Malmesbury Abbey. And there’s the Voynich Manuscript, a 15th-century book written in an unknowable script, full of illustrations of otherworldly plants and surreal landscapes.
Does insipid church music play a role in the crisis?
Insipid Church Music: A Role in the Crisis? | Classical Catholic EducationLANGLEY: As a liturgical musician I can’t help wondering to what extent the insipid and vapid music prevalent in our churches has contributed to the present crisis.
That there is more than a mere coincidental connection between the squishy feel-good liturgical music and the lax and casual atmosphere in our churches is clear to me- especially when I reflect upon what the great Philosopher Socrates had to say about the power of music.
That there is more than a mere coincidental connection between the squishy feel-good liturgical music and the lax and casual atmosphere in our churches is clear to me- especially when I reflect upon what the great Philosopher Socrates had to say about the power of music.
Spare a thought for China’s “underground” Catholics
China–Vatican Deal: Spare a Thought for ‘Underground’ Catholics | National ReviewFRANKOVICH: Over generations, a critical mass of Chinese Catholics have successfully resisted the intrusion of the government into the affairs of their local churches. Many so-called underground churches are above ground in fact and operate openly, with the tacit approval of local officials who know the Catholic community and see no problem with it. If an underground church, priest, or bishop does encounter trouble with the government, it’s likely to be at the behest of regional authorities or Beijing. One could argue that it’s in the interest of underground churches to sign a piece of paper and agree to call themselves members of the PCA, but freedom from such affiliation is important to some Catholics.
With Vatican talks and bulldozers, China aims to control Christianity
With Vatican Talks and Bulldozers, China Aims to Control Christianity - The New York Times: Over the last two years, China’s estimated 60 million Christians have felt the power of a newly assertive government eager to bring their faith to heel.
The authorities have demolished hundreds of Protestant churches, knocking crosses off steeples and evicting congregations. Roman Catholics have faced similar measures, but the government took a different approach this past weekend, striking a diplomatic deal that Vatican officials said was a historic breakthrough — the first formal acknowledgment by Beijing of the pope’s authority in Catholic churches in China.
The authorities have demolished hundreds of Protestant churches, knocking crosses off steeples and evicting congregations. Roman Catholics have faced similar measures, but the government took a different approach this past weekend, striking a diplomatic deal that Vatican officials said was a historic breakthrough — the first formal acknowledgment by Beijing of the pope’s authority in Catholic churches in China.
Former Olympic speed skater tells how she became a Franciscan Sister, reveals her secret to inner peace
Former Speed Skating Olympian-Turned Franciscan Sister Reveals Secret to Inner Peace in Compelling Vocation Story | ChurchPOP: In a recent interview with NBC News, Kirstin Holum Former Speed Skater and Olympic competitor-turned Franciscan Sister of the Renewal, said that “everyone desires greatness,” and that God’s plan for you will give you the peace you’re looking for.
How about a little more George Washington?
Civility in Turbulent Times: More George Washington, Please | National ReviewLOPEZ: You don’t need to spend a few minutes on Twitter to realize that politics is not bringing out the best in us, to put it mildly. The Brett Kavanaugh confirmation ordeal seems to be some kind of breaking point. And yet, haven’t we had many of them over the past weeks and months and years — and decades? No Trump appointee, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, expressed her dismay recently at the way these judicial hearings go, reminiscing about a time when bipartisanship was plausible.
Tending trees when the Church is dark
Tending Trees When the Church is Dark | St. Josephs FarmCRAIG: In Wendell Berry’s book The Unsettling of America he has a short but powerful little commentary on The
Odyssey. He’s describing the disarray of Ithaca, Odysseus’s home and kingdom. With Odysseus gone for
so long, there are men eating up the stores of food, with disregard for the place and its people. They
have desires they want met, and there’s no king to bring order and discipline. Odysseus comes to home
find a mess, to say the least.
Odyssey. He’s describing the disarray of Ithaca, Odysseus’s home and kingdom. With Odysseus gone for
so long, there are men eating up the stores of food, with disregard for the place and its people. They
have desires they want met, and there’s no king to bring order and discipline. Odysseus comes to home
find a mess, to say the least.
Brett Kavanaugh uses the V-word, which used to be OK for Catholics
Breaking news: Brett Kavanaugh uses the V-word, which used to be OK for Catholics — GetReligionMATTINGLY: Growing up as a Southern Baptist preacher’s kid in Bible Belt Texas, I was quite familiar with the word “virgin.”
It wasn’t a curse word and, for most people, it wasn’t a punch line. At the same time, it wasn’t something folks in my high school discussed in public very much. Yes, there were people who gossiped about who was doing or not doing what. However, as a nerd, bookworm and choral musician I wasn’t up to speed on all that. I was an uncool guy, even among the Baptists.
My point is that this wasn’t a mysterious word. No one needed to put the V-word inside scare quotes, as if it was a concept from an alien planet.
It wasn’t a curse word and, for most people, it wasn’t a punch line. At the same time, it wasn’t something folks in my high school discussed in public very much. Yes, there were people who gossiped about who was doing or not doing what. However, as a nerd, bookworm and choral musician I wasn’t up to speed on all that. I was an uncool guy, even among the Baptists.
My point is that this wasn’t a mysterious word. No one needed to put the V-word inside scare quotes, as if it was a concept from an alien planet.
Pope: Young people outraged by “scandals that do not meet with clear condemnation”
Pope: The Church Hears Young People’s Outrage at Scandal: Pope Francis said in Estonia Tuesday he is aware of the negative feelings many young people have toward the Catholic Church, as well as their disappointment in a lack of clear denunciation of sexual scandals.
Young people are outraged “by sexual and economic scandals that do not meet with clear condemnation,” he said Sept. 25, and by the Church’s “unpreparedness to really appreciate the lives and sensibilities of the young,” assigning them passive roles.
Addressing youth at an ecumenical gathering in Kaarli Lutheran Church in Tallinn, he said the Church knows “that many young people do not turn to us for anything because they don’t feel we have anything meaningful to say to them.”
Young people are outraged “by sexual and economic scandals that do not meet with clear condemnation,” he said Sept. 25, and by the Church’s “unpreparedness to really appreciate the lives and sensibilities of the young,” assigning them passive roles.
Addressing youth at an ecumenical gathering in Kaarli Lutheran Church in Tallinn, he said the Church knows “that many young people do not turn to us for anything because they don’t feel we have anything meaningful to say to them.”
“This is all I can do now” — Applying a practice of St. Catherine of Siena to our current crisis
“This Is All I Can Do Now” - Applying a Practice of St. Catherine of Siena to Our Current Crisis - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: Many Catholics have struggled to find a voice that has been nearly washed out of us by our training. We remember a time when it was unthinkable to criticize a priest; those who did were quickly rebuked, with little opportunity for explanation. Bishops and especially the Pope were not to be questioned let alone criticized. We have now seen the sometimes-horrifying toll of unhealthy deference, of setting a class of men apart from critique or accountability.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Jordan Peterson and Leon Kass — Searching for wisdom in a confused world
Searching for wisdom in a confused world - Denver CatholicSTAUDT: Jordan Peterson became an overnight celebrity with the success of his book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. A viral interview from January of this year with Kathy Newman of England’s Channel 4 News brought immediate attention to Peterson’s newly released book, which has sold over two million copies since its release. The interview proved emblematic of Peterson’s popularity for attempting to retrieve common sense and to push back against the ideology overtaking our society.
Evil things have happened at Fr. Paul Kalchik’s church, and the burning of a rainbow flag isn’t one of them
Fr Paul Kalchik: A Kind Of Martyr | The American ConservativeDREHER: Last week, when I heard news that Father Paul Kalchik and some fellow parishioners from his Chicago parish had burned a rainbow flag he found in the church’s storage, I knew things weren’t going to go well for him in Cardinal Bernardin’s old archdiocese, now administered by Cardinal Cupich. The Chicago Tribune provides context: Kalchik said he twice was a victim of sexual abuse, the first time by a neighbor, when he was 11, and the second time by a Chicago-area priest when he was a teenager. The priest Kalchik names as the one who abused him died in the 1990s and has not been among those who have been named by the Diocese of Joliet or the Archdiocese of Chicago as a priest with substantiated allegations against them. Kalchik equates the flag with predatory behavior, he said.
Did Pope Francis just make China Protestant?
Vatican–China Deal: Long-Term Consequences for the Church Are Dire | National ReviewWEIGEL: Attempts to defend the recent provisional agreement between the Vatican and the People’s Republic of China, which was signed on September 22, have rung increasingly hollow over the past few days.
That pattern began before the ink was dry in Beijing, as Pope Francis’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, issued a statement claiming that now “for the first time all the bishops in China are in communion with the Bishop of Rome, with the Successor of Peter.” Really? Weren’t “all the bishops in China” in full communion with the pope before the Chinese Communists set up their front church, the Patriotic Catholic Association?
That pattern began before the ink was dry in Beijing, as Pope Francis’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, issued a statement claiming that now “for the first time all the bishops in China are in communion with the Bishop of Rome, with the Successor of Peter.” Really? Weren’t “all the bishops in China” in full communion with the pope before the Chinese Communists set up their front church, the Patriotic Catholic Association?
Meet the man who lives at the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Letter From Phantom Ranch: Meet the Man Who Lives at the Bottom of the Grand Canyon - Pacific Standard: More than six million people visited the Grand Canyon last year, but less than 1 percent of them descended the roughly 5,000 feet to Phantom Ranch, a lodge and ranger station on the canyon floor at the confluence of the Colorado River and Bright Angel Creek. Most of those people stayed only a day or two.
Red herrings, heresy and hot topics
Red Herrings, Heresy and Hot Topics | Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: A red herring might be defined as a rhetorical device to distract someone from the real argument. There are three such relativistic devices–heresies or red herrings–that are used in our society and church constantly. They may be named the sentimental heresy, the utilitarian heresy and the political heresy. These forms of argument are, for the most part, subjective and relativistic.
France bans smartphones in schools through 9th grade. Will it help students?
France Bans Smartphones in Schools Through 9th Grade. Will It Help Students? - The New York Times: The eighth-grade girls already know what to expect from France’s new smartphone ban in all primary and middle schools because their school voluntarily instituted one last year.
“Annoying,” was the assessment of Zoélinh Masson, 12, as her friend Grace Blahourou, 13, agreed.
Still, they said that with no smartphones, students did talk to one another more.
France’s education ministry hopes that its smartphone ban, which took effect at the beginning of September and applies to students from first through ninth grades, will get schoolchildren to pay more attention in class and interact more, and several studies suggest such correlations.
“Annoying,” was the assessment of Zoélinh Masson, 12, as her friend Grace Blahourou, 13, agreed.
Still, they said that with no smartphones, students did talk to one another more.
France’s education ministry hopes that its smartphone ban, which took effect at the beginning of September and applies to students from first through ninth grades, will get schoolchildren to pay more attention in class and interact more, and several studies suggest such correlations.
Learning to name sins is to have more power over them
Learning to Name Sins Is to Have More Power Over Them - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: Over the years we have steadily been losing the vocabulary of sin. Saying “I have sinned” is often replaced by “I made a mistake,” or “I made a poor decision,” or “I’m sorry if my behavior was hurtful in some way.”
Not only are we slow to say we have sinned, we are also ignorant of the subtleties of sin, in part because our vocabulary about sin is so limited. In this state we lose a certain advantage over sin because to name something is the beginning of isolating it and having increasing authority over it. When I can name something, I can focus on it and work on it. It moves from the realm of the abstract and theoretical to the real world.
Not only are we slow to say we have sinned, we are also ignorant of the subtleties of sin, in part because our vocabulary about sin is so limited. In this state we lose a certain advantage over sin because to name something is the beginning of isolating it and having increasing authority over it. When I can name something, I can focus on it and work on it. It moves from the realm of the abstract and theoretical to the real world.
Pope Francis in Riga, Latvia: Don't let Christianity become an artifact of history
Pope Francis in Riga, Latvia: Don't let Christianity become an artifact of history: During an ecumenical prayer service in Latvia Monday, Pope Francis warned Christians to not let the faith turn into another piece of history, but to keep it an active part of their lives and communities. “This is a recurring danger for all of us,” the pope said Sept. 24. “We can take what gives us our very identity and turn it into a curio from the past, a tourist attraction, a museum piece that recalls the achievements of earlier ages… The same thing can happen with faith.”
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Der Spiegel heavily criticizes Francis’s papacy in 19-page report
Der Spiegel heavily criticizes Francis’s papacy in 19-page report | CatholicHerald.co.uk: Prominent German magazine Der Spiegel has published a 19-page report criticizing Pope Francis’s leadership of the Catholic Church and accusing him of ignoring abuse survivors in Argentina.
Their cover story, titled “Thou shalt not lie” and subtitled “The silence of the shepherds”, attacks the Pope’s handling of the abuse crisis and his attempted Church reforms.
“Pope Francis promised when he took office a renewed, cosmopolitan Catholicism,” the magazine says. “Five-and-a-half years and many abuse cases later, the Universal Church is divided as never before.”
Their cover story, titled “Thou shalt not lie” and subtitled “The silence of the shepherds”, attacks the Pope’s handling of the abuse crisis and his attempted Church reforms.
“Pope Francis promised when he took office a renewed, cosmopolitan Catholicism,” the magazine says. “Five-and-a-half years and many abuse cases later, the Universal Church is divided as never before.”
Your home, by its nature, foreshadows heaven
A Theology of Home - The Catholic ThingGRESS: Home. It is a magical word that resonates with all of us. Even those from broken homes, or homes that no longer exist, there is still something in the idea that is sought after. Home is that place where we are meant to be safe, nurtured, known for who we are, to freely live and love. Home’s universal appeal populates culture. Take Me Home, Country Road, Sweet Home Alabama, and I’ll Be Home for Christmas are a few songs that invoke the theme. Movies and literature end happily with protagonists, like Odysseus, finally going home. The entire goal of the American pass-time of baseball is to be safe at home. YouTube videos of joyful homecomings fill up our social media feeds and we spend billions of dollars constructing and decorating our own houses, turning them into Home Sweet Home.
Does your mind wander at Mass? These 6 tips may help you avoid distractions...
Does Your Mind Wander At Mass? These 6 Tips May Help You Avoid Distractions | ChurchPOP: Fr. Paul-Michael Piega of the Diocese of Austin has some great tips for avoiding distractions during Mass. Try to arrive a little earlier before Mass begins. This will help in transitioning oneself from the worldly events going on in our lives to what is about to take place during the Mass, namely, that we are entering into the Sacrifice of Jesus.
In joke to reporters, Pope Francis says that John Paul II is a saint, while he is “the devil”
In joke to reporters, Pope Francis says that John Paul II is a saint, while he is 'the devil.': Traveling Saturday to Lithuania, Pope Francis joked that, in the eyes of some, Pope St. John Paul II is considered a saint while he himself is considered “a devil.”
The pope’s joke came amidst a Sept. 22 conversation with journalists, the Associated Press reported, during which he was presented a book about Pope St. John Paul II, written by long-time papal photographer Grzegorz Galazka.
The pope’s joke came amidst a Sept. 22 conversation with journalists, the Associated Press reported, during which he was presented a book about Pope St. John Paul II, written by long-time papal photographer Grzegorz Galazka.
Asking a crucial question: A homily for the 25th Sunday of the Year
Asking a Crucial Question: A Homily for the 25th Sunday of the Year - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: In the Sunday Gospel, the Lord Jesus is asking a crucial question. The word crucial here is selected carefully; it comes from the Latin cruces, meaning “cross.” Indeed, looming over this entire gospel reading is the cross. In it, Jesus makes the second prediction of His passion, death, and resurrection. It is in the context of this teaching that the Lord asks the “crucial” question of us: What is most central in your life? Let’s look at this gospel passage in five stages.
Pope’s Mass in Lithuania: “Christian life always includes the cross”
Pope Francis at Mass in Lithuania: Christian life always includes the cross: As can be seen throughout history, the life of a Christian cannot escape the sacrifices and sorrows of the cross, Pope Francis said Sunday at Mass in Lithuania.
“The Christian life always involves experiences of the cross; at times they can seem interminable.”
“Earlier generations still bear the scars of the period of the [Soviet] occupation, anguish at those who were deported, uncertainty about those who never returned, shame for those who were informers and traitors,” he said Sept. 23.
“The Christian life always involves experiences of the cross; at times they can seem interminable.”
“Earlier generations still bear the scars of the period of the [Soviet] occupation, anguish at those who were deported, uncertainty about those who never returned, shame for those who were informers and traitors,” he said Sept. 23.
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Three quick take-aways on the Vatican's deal with China
Three quick take-aways on the Vatican's deal with ChinaALLEN: In thinking about the deal between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops announced on Saturday, the central point to be clear on is that there’s not really much to think about.
It says something about public discussion in the early 21st century that the deal has already been described as both an “incredible betrayal” and a “positive fact for Chinese Catholics” before anyone actually knows what it contains.
What the Vatican announced today is that a deal has been signed, but no hint about what it actually contains. It’s not clear, for instance, if the Chinese government will pick a bishop from candidates proposed by the Vatican, whether the Vatican will pick from a list proposed by the Chinese, or whether the pope would have some sort of “veto power”.
It says something about public discussion in the early 21st century that the deal has already been described as both an “incredible betrayal” and a “positive fact for Chinese Catholics” before anyone actually knows what it contains.
What the Vatican announced today is that a deal has been signed, but no hint about what it actually contains. It’s not clear, for instance, if the Chinese government will pick a bishop from candidates proposed by the Vatican, whether the Vatican will pick from a list proposed by the Chinese, or whether the pope would have some sort of “veto power”.
The phantom accord between the Holy See and China
Submission. The Phantom Accord Between the Holy See and China - Settimo Cielo - Blog - L’EspressoMAGISTER: All that is known at the official level about the accord signed in Beijing today, September 22, by the Holy See and China is that “it concerns the appointment of bishops,” is “provisory” and “provides for periodic evaluations of its implementation.”
Not one more word about its contents.
The accord was signed for the Holy See by the undersecretary for relations with states, Antoine Camilleri, and for China by the deputy foreign minister, Wang Chao.
Not one more word about its contents.
The accord was signed for the Holy See by the undersecretary for relations with states, Antoine Camilleri, and for China by the deputy foreign minister, Wang Chao.
Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, issues English-language video to explain agreement on China
Pope entrusts commitment to reconciliation to Chinese Catholics - Vatican News: Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, clarifies the objective of the Holy See regarding the Provisional Agreement with the People's Republic of China concerning the appointment of Bishops.
Holy See signs ‘provisional agreement’ with China on appointment of bishops,
Holy See Signs Provisional Agreement With China on Appointment of BishopsPENTIN: The Vatican announced today that the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China have signed a “provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops,” allowing the faithful to “have bishops who are in communion with Rome but at the same time recognized by Chinese authorities.”
In a short communique (see full text below), the Vatican said the agreement is the “fruit of a gradual and reciprocal rapprochement” that follows a “long process of careful negotiation.”
In an accompanying briefing note, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had decided as part of the agreement to “readmit to full ecclesial communion” eight bishops (one of whom is deceased) who had been excommunicated because they had been appointed by the official, state-backed Church without papal permission.
In a short communique (see full text below), the Vatican said the agreement is the “fruit of a gradual and reciprocal rapprochement” that follows a “long process of careful negotiation.”
In an accompanying briefing note, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had decided as part of the agreement to “readmit to full ecclesial communion” eight bishops (one of whom is deceased) who had been excommunicated because they had been appointed by the official, state-backed Church without papal permission.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Alongside Francis the Simple, there’s also Francis the Stubborn
Alongside Francis the Simple, there's also Francis the StubbornALLEN: From the beginning, the general narrative about Pope Francis has emphasized his personal simplicity and humility, his closeness to ordinary people and his passion for the peripheries, as well as his pastoral heart. All are genuine qualities of the man, as anyone who knows him well will attest.
Likewise from the beginning, however, there’s been another, often competing narrative about Francis, initially whispered and then shouted out loud, especially by his detractors. It holds that Francis is also a remarkably stubborn figure, a man prone to making decisions and refusing to back down, and one typically unmoved by any sort of criticism.
Likewise from the beginning, however, there’s been another, often competing narrative about Francis, initially whispered and then shouted out loud, especially by his detractors. It holds that Francis is also a remarkably stubborn figure, a man prone to making decisions and refusing to back down, and one typically unmoved by any sort of criticism.
Beware the allure of the Inner Ring
Beware the Allure of the Inner Ring - Crisis MagazineESOLEN: I have had an uncanny and revealing experience this week.
There are three elements to it. Let me describe the first two, as a preface for drawing out a moral imperative for Catholics in these bad times.
Every semester at Thomas More College, we set a few Fridays aside for what we call traditio. No classes are held. Instead, the whole college gets together for some common intellectual or spiritual enterprise. For today, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, students and faculty had read William Roper’s Life of Sir Thomas More. Roper was the husband of Margaret, Sir Thomas’s beloved elder daughter. He lived in the same household with his father-in-law for sixteen years, enjoying his friendship and admiring the elder man’s keen wit and observation, his real humility, and his steadfastness in maintaining the truth.
There are three elements to it. Let me describe the first two, as a preface for drawing out a moral imperative for Catholics in these bad times.
Every semester at Thomas More College, we set a few Fridays aside for what we call traditio. No classes are held. Instead, the whole college gets together for some common intellectual or spiritual enterprise. For today, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, students and faculty had read William Roper’s Life of Sir Thomas More. Roper was the husband of Margaret, Sir Thomas’s beloved elder daughter. He lived in the same household with his father-in-law for sixteen years, enjoying his friendship and admiring the elder man’s keen wit and observation, his real humility, and his steadfastness in maintaining the truth.
Pope Francis permits Newark’s Cardinal Tobin to skip upcoming Vatican youth synod
Pope Francis permits Cardinal Tobin to skip upcoming Vatican youth synod: The Archbishop of Newark has announced that he will not attend an October gathering of bishops slated to discuss young adults and vocational discernment. The archbishop cited his pastoral obligations in the archdiocese amid the U.S. Church’s ongoing sexual abuse crisis.
This criticism of the upcoming synod, from a respected North American theologian, warrants much wider discussion...
Thoughts on the Instrumentum Laboris | Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. | First ThingsCHAPUT: Over the past several months, I’ve received scores of emails and letters from laypeople, clergy, theologians, and other scholars, young and old, with their thoughts regarding the October synod of bishops in Rome focused on young people. Nearly all note the importance of the subject matter. Nearly all praise the synod’s intent. And nearly all raise concerns of one sort or another about the synod’s timing and possible content. The critique below, received from a respected North American theologian, is one person’s analysis; others may disagree. But it is substantive enough to warrant much wider consideration and discussion as bishop-delegates prepare to engage the synod’s theme. Thus, I offer it here:
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Knowing the bad news unlocks the good news
Knowing the Bad News Unlocks the Good News - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: Some people suggest that the Church should speak less of sin and instead emphasize positive things. After all, it is said that one can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. In that vein, we in the Church have been collectively de-emphasizing sin to a large degree for decades, and yet our churches have been getting emptier and emptier. Maybe this is because people are just a little more complicated than the flies in the old saying.
The beauty of creation reflects the beauty of the Creator
The Beauty of Creation Reflects the Beauty of the CreatorTHOMPSON: The environment? Really? It would not be an understatement to say that Cardinal Blaise Cupich’s recent interview with an NBC affiliate in Chicago did not come off as well as he might have expected. Hoping to deflect some of the acrimony surrounding the latest news he’s quoted as saying, “The pope has a bigger agenda; he’s got to get on with other things [such as] talking about the environment and protecting migrants and doing the work of the church.”
Benedict XVI answers his critics — and drops a hint
Benedict XVI answers his critics—and drops a hint | Catholic CultureLAWLER: Pope-emeritus Benedict has been scrupulously careful, these last five years, to avoid anything that could be construed as criticism of Pope Francis. At the same time, the former Pope has come under criticism—led by some of his greatest admirers—for a resignation that, in retrospect, seems to have plunged the Church into a grave crisis.
Now, in letters to Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, Benedict responds to his critics. But in the process, he comes closer than ever before to criticizing his successor. Let’s take a careful look at what the former Pope said.
Now, in letters to Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, Benedict responds to his critics. But in the process, he comes closer than ever before to criticizing his successor. Let’s take a careful look at what the former Pope said.
The biggest water evacuation in history (500,000 people in 9 hours) wasn’t Dunkirk — it was Manhattan
New Advent: The biggest water evacuation in history (500,000 people in 9 hours) wasn’t Dunkirk — it was Manhattan: Tom Hanks narrates the epic story of the 9/11 boatlift that evacuated half a million people from the stricken piers and seawalls of Lower Manhattan...
Finding grace in the Eternal City
Finding grace in the Eternal City – Mama Needs CoffeeUEBBING: I woke up blinking and disoriented in the chilly darkness of our hotel room, craning my neck to see if any light was squeezing through the cracks of the blackout shutters. I rolled over and grabbed my phone, which was displaying the current time on the east coast of the United States in military format. Zelie’s morning chortles echoed from down the hall, bouncing off the marble floors and reassuring me that it was, in fact, morning and we’d all mostly slept through the night.
When you officiate your sister’s wedding: A moving marriage homily
When you officiate your sister’s wedding: A moving marriage homilyBRISCOE: very old Catholic tradition begins with a priest offering these words to a couple about to wed: “My dear friends: You are about to enter upon a union which is most sacred and most serious. It is most sacred, because established by God himself. By it, he gave to man a share in the greatest work of creation … And in this way he sanctified human love.”
Kevin, for nearly as long as I can remember, Kristin has played at being a bride. One Disseldoo—which as you now know is what we call our family Christmas gathering—Kristin and Kathleen received full bridal kits.
Kevin, for nearly as long as I can remember, Kristin has played at being a bride. One Disseldoo—which as you now know is what we call our family Christmas gathering—Kristin and Kathleen received full bridal kits.
The blood of martyrs is still the seed for the Church
Blood of the Martyrs Is Still Seed for the Church - Ascension Press MediaLABANCA: Imagine you are in the Roman Colosseum, circa 100 AD. You’ve just taken your seat as the gates in the middle of the arena have opened. Stepping out into the sun scorched dirt is a small group of men, looking shabby and unkempt, yet strangely calm and collected. The sun bares down on the charred ground as the crowd gets to its feet and begins to roar, as they know full well what’s coming. But you don’t get up with them. You stay in your seat and continue to look on among these strange men, which people around you are starting to call “Christians”.
So a Chicago priest who was once abused burns a rainbow-cross flag and all heck breaks out...
So a Chicago priest who was once abused burns a rainbow-cross flag: All heck breaks out — GetReligionMATTINGLY: Well, here is a hot-button story if I’ve ever seen one. Take a look at this headline atop the report at NBCNews.com: “Parishioners defy Chicago Archdiocese, burn rainbow flag in 'exorcism' ceremony.”
Just to give you a hint of how complicated this case is, that headline actually jumps the gun and settles one of the issues that is in dispute. According to parish leaders, the archdiocese ordered the church not to burn the rainbow flag in a ceremony in front of the sanctuary. So parish leaders burned it privately, without a public media show.
Just to give you a hint of how complicated this case is, that headline actually jumps the gun and settles one of the issues that is in dispute. According to parish leaders, the archdiocese ordered the church not to burn the rainbow flag in a ceremony in front of the sanctuary. So parish leaders burned it privately, without a public media show.
More about that Chicago priest who defied Cardinal Cupich and burned a homosexual flag at his parish
Chicago priest defies Cardinal Cupich, burns LGBTQ flag on church grounds: A North Side priest who says he “can’t sit well” with Cardinal Blase Cupich burned a gay-friendly flag outside his Avondale church last week — against the wishes of the cardinal he claims is trying to minimize the clergy sex-abuse crisis.
Rev. Paul Kalchik says the banner, featuring a cross superimposed over a rainbow, had been featured prominently in the sanctuary at Resurrection Catholic Church but had been taken down and was forgotten in storage at the parish at 3043 N. Francisco for more than a decade.
Kalchik led seven parishioners in a prayer of exorcism Friday, and the flag was burned inside a portable fire pit placed the schoolyard next to the church. The ashes of the flag now rest in a church compost heap.
Rev. Paul Kalchik says the banner, featuring a cross superimposed over a rainbow, had been featured prominently in the sanctuary at Resurrection Catholic Church but had been taken down and was forgotten in storage at the parish at 3043 N. Francisco for more than a decade.
Kalchik led seven parishioners in a prayer of exorcism Friday, and the flag was burned inside a portable fire pit placed the schoolyard next to the church. The ashes of the flag now rest in a church compost heap.
In denial about not ordaining homosexuals?
In denial about not ordaining homosexuals? | Catholic CultureMIRUS: I won’t bore you with the details, but every time the Vatican issues an instruction stating that those with clear homosexual tendencies should not be admitted to the priesthood, there follows a plethora of articles—including some in L’Osservatore Romano itself—in which the writers fall all over themselves to make sure that we understand that there must be (undoubtedly frequent) exceptions to every rule.
Permanent assignments for parish priests are long overdue
Permanent Assignments for Parish Priests Long Overdue - Crisis MagazineBECKER: I’m a rotten dad, but I’m not so rotten that I’m indifferent to becoming a better one. And that’s been the case since Nancy inexplicably agreed to be my wife a quarter century ago. Christian marriage is essentially a sacred contract, witnessed by the Church, that a man agrees to die perpetually for his wife, that a woman agrees to do the same for her husband, and that they both promise to do whatever it takes to get each other to heaven. That’s an astonishingly tall order—especially for us men who are (let’s be honest) constitutionally base and egocentric. In my own case, I’d been a bachelor for so long when we married that my habits of selfishness and sloth had become seriously ingrained, and I knew that my spousal learning curve would be particularly steep—and lifelong.
How corrupt Vatican officials and other “strange characters” gutted an Italian hospital and split the Papal Foundation
How obscure Italian hospital became the eye of a global stormGIANGRAVE: In February 2013, in his last official act as pope, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI appointed a commissioner for a small, seemingly insignificant hospital in Rome, the Immaculate Dermatological Institute (IDI).
Two years later, that same hospital was at the center of a tug-of-war between Australian Cardinal George Pell and the Vatican’s Secretary of State. Today, IDI is deepening the rift that threatens to tear apart the Church in the U.S., and to poison its relationship with Rome.
To understand what makes this hospital such a lightning rod, one needs to look at the path that led what was once a symbol of excellence in Catholic healthcare to the brink of ruin and almost $1 billion in debt.
Two years later, that same hospital was at the center of a tug-of-war between Australian Cardinal George Pell and the Vatican’s Secretary of State. Today, IDI is deepening the rift that threatens to tear apart the Church in the U.S., and to poison its relationship with Rome.
To understand what makes this hospital such a lightning rod, one needs to look at the path that led what was once a symbol of excellence in Catholic healthcare to the brink of ruin and almost $1 billion in debt.
U.S. bishops voice support for ‘full investigation’ of McCarrick scandal
US bishops voice support for 'full investigation' of McCarrick scandalALLEN: After a meeting between Pope Francis and the leadership of the US bishops’ conference last Thursday following which no plans for a probe of the case of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick were announced, the bishops on Wednesday announced their support for a “full investigation.”
A statement from the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) also announced various plans for establishing reporting systems and codes of conduct with regard to bishops and the sexual abuse of minors.
A statement from the Administrative Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) also announced various plans for establishing reporting systems and codes of conduct with regard to bishops and the sexual abuse of minors.
The Church must reclaim the cardinal virtues
The Church Must Reclaim the Cardinal VirtuesENGELLAND: St. Augustine regularly had dinner with bishops and priests from North Africa, and he felt the need to carve into his table the injunction, “Thou shall not gossip,” although he expressed it more poetically as follows:
Who injures the name of an absent friend
May not at this table as guest attend.
His companion Possidius tells us that Augustine one time sternly rebuked gossiping bishops, saying that either he would have to leave the room or those verses would have to be erased from the table.
Who injures the name of an absent friend
May not at this table as guest attend.
His companion Possidius tells us that Augustine one time sternly rebuked gossiping bishops, saying that either he would have to leave the room or those verses would have to be erased from the table.
Top 9 questions and answers on Bishop Barron’s Reddit AMA
Top 9 Questions & Answers on Bishop Barron’s Reddit AMA | Matthew SchneiderSCHNEIDER: Bishop Robert Barron did an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit today. I did an AMA with a fellow priest before and might do it again sometime. It was really interesting to see all his answers. Here are what I think are the top questions and answers. The first question was about faith as a challenge: What do you find is the most significant challenge to your personal faith?
Fascinating data visualization from the NYTimes: How connected is your community to everywhere else in America?
How Connected Is Your Community to Everywhere Else in America? - The New York Times: America is often described as a place of great divides — between red and blue, big cities and rural towns, the coasts and the heartland. But our social lives are shaped by a much stronger force that ignores many of these lines: distance.
In the millions of ties on Facebook that connect relatives, co-workers, classmates and friends, Americans are far more likely to know people nearby than in distant communities that share their politics or mirror their demographics. The dominant picture in data analyzed by economists at Facebook, Harvard, Princeton and New York University is not that like-minded places are linked; rather, people in counties close to one another are.
In the millions of ties on Facebook that connect relatives, co-workers, classmates and friends, Americans are far more likely to know people nearby than in distant communities that share their politics or mirror their demographics. The dominant picture in data analyzed by economists at Facebook, Harvard, Princeton and New York University is not that like-minded places are linked; rather, people in counties close to one another are.
While seemingly locked in a vegetative state, ESPN’s Victoria Arlen relied on prayer to survive
While seemingly locked in a vegetative state, ESPN’s Victoria Arlen relied on prayer to survive: Imagine being mentally aware of what’s going on around you, but being unable to talk, move, or even blink your eyes. That’s what happened to ESPN broadcaster and former “Dancing with the Stars” competitor Victoria Arlen when she was just a young girl and was struck by a mystery illness that doctors kept insisting was all in her mind.
Benedict XVI discusses his resignation in newly-published letters
Benedict XVI Discusses His Resignation in Newly Published LettersPENTIN: A German newspaper today published two letters Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote last November which give a glimpse of how he views his resignation and what many see as turmoil in the Church that has followed his unexpected departure.
Bild newspaper reports that Benedict XVI wrote the letters in response to a cardinal but it doesn’t name him.
However, The New York Times says it is Cardinal Walter Brandmüller who had just given an interview in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung critical of Benedict’s resignation.
Cardinal Brandmüller, a former president the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, had told the newspaper the “Pope Emeritus” title never existed “in all of Church history” and that Benedict’s resignation had “knocked us cardinals sideways, and not only us.”
Bild newspaper reports that Benedict XVI wrote the letters in response to a cardinal but it doesn’t name him.
However, The New York Times says it is Cardinal Walter Brandmüller who had just given an interview in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung critical of Benedict’s resignation.
Cardinal Brandmüller, a former president the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, had told the newspaper the “Pope Emeritus” title never existed “in all of Church history” and that Benedict’s resignation had “knocked us cardinals sideways, and not only us.”
USCCB announces new abuse measures, calls for McCarrick investigation; no mention of lay board, apostolic visitation
USCCB Announces New Abuse-Prevention Measures, Calls for McCarrick Investigation: The U.S. bishops’ conference has announced new accountability measures in response to recent clerical sex-abuse scandals. The reforms include the establishment of an independent reporting mechanism to receive complaints against bishops and the development of a “Code of Conduct” for bishops. A statement released Sept. 19 by the USCCB’s Administrative Committee said that the new steps being taken to combat abuse are “only the beginning” and that consultations were underway with laity, clergy and religious on how better to “repair the scandal and restore justice.”
You, dear reader, are a “Child of God.” It is your greatest title...
All God’s Children and Nothing Greater - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: is a simple lesson, really, so simple that we usually miss it altogether. The lesson is this: for all our exalted titles, honors, and distinctions, at the end of the day our greatest title is “Beloved Son (Daughter) of God.”
Jesus stands this little child in their midst. To them who would boast of their exalted status and argue about who was the greatest, Jesus demonstrates that this is how he sees them all. What makes them great is simply their status as his beloved little children.
This child is the true picture of greatness, not some big cheese with a big hat. To be humble and to recognize the dignity of humility is to see and experience Jesus.
Jesus stands this little child in their midst. To them who would boast of their exalted status and argue about who was the greatest, Jesus demonstrates that this is how he sees them all. What makes them great is simply their status as his beloved little children.
This child is the true picture of greatness, not some big cheese with a big hat. To be humble and to recognize the dignity of humility is to see and experience Jesus.
25th Sunday of Ordinary Time — Why being good doesn’t pay
The Sacred Page: Why Being Good Doesn't Pay: 25th Sunday of OTBERGSMA: When I was younger, especially from high school through my early days as a Protestant pastor, I had this strong sense that if a person always did what was right, “things would work out.” That is to say, righteousness was the path to the good life. God would pave the way in front of the person that does his will. There is some truth to that, of course. A great deal of interior and exterior suffering is cause by our wicked and selfish choices. When I used to work as an urban missionary, occasionally I would have the chance to witness a fairly significant conversion in the life of a person who had been living a life basically consisting of criminal activity.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Catholic bishops and the problem of scandal
Catholic Bishops and the Problem of ScandalBRUGGER: In popular parlance, scandal often is used to refer to moral outrage. For example, a good priest might say, “The Catholic faithful are being scandalized by the conduct of their leaders.” Here, he is referring to the shock, anger and feelings of betrayal suffered by those who are surprised and disgusted to learn of their leader’s complicity in wrongdoing.
But Catholic theology uses the term more precisely. Scandal is leading another to do evil by word or example.
Scandal is the great sin of churchmen in all ages, but especially in our day. So it is worth some concentrated attention.
But Catholic theology uses the term more precisely. Scandal is leading another to do evil by word or example.
Scandal is the great sin of churchmen in all ages, but especially in our day. So it is worth some concentrated attention.
5 reasons why Catholics don’t evangelize
5 Reasons Why Catholics Don't Evangelize - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: In 2013, the Barna Group did a large survey on the importance of Christians who share their faith. The group which had the lowest number of people who actively shared their faith was Catholics. Here is the truly sad part. They only polled those they designated as "people who said they have made “a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today” and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior."
Maintenance Catholicism is finished. Mission-driven Catholicism is the Church with a future...
Maintenance vs. mission - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: Just when the Long Lent of 2002 was coming to a boil in March of that year, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy, took things from “boil” to “nuclear meltdown” during a press conference presenting John Paul II’s Holy Thursday letter to the priests of the world. Peppered with questions about the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the U.S., Castrillon peremptorily dismissed reporters’ queries, saying that the Pope had other things to worry about, like Middle East peace.
Pope’s Wednesday Audience: “Honor parents. They have given us life!”
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On the Fourth Commandment to Honor Your Parents - ZENIT - English: This morning’s General Audience was held at 9:30 in St. Peter’s Square, where the Holy Father Francis met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and from all over the world.
Continuing with the series of catecheses on the Commandments, in his address in Italian the Pope focused his meditation on: Honor your father and your mother (Biblical passage: from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, 6:1-4).
After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father expressed special greetings to groups of faithful present.
Continuing with the series of catecheses on the Commandments, in his address in Italian the Pope focused his meditation on: Honor your father and your mother (Biblical passage: from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, 6:1-4).
After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father expressed special greetings to groups of faithful present.
Why does the Crucifix of La Salette feature a hammer and pincers?
The Crucifix of La Salette: Such is the simple description given by the two witnesses of the crucifix which the Blessed Virgin wore, during her Apparition to them, upon the Mountain of La Salette, September 19, 1846. This crucifix, quite singular in its makeup, with its hammer and pincers, has become known as the "Crucifix of La Salette".
It has attracted many clients to the Blessed Virgin, who invoke her under the title of “Our Lady, Reconciler of La Salette.” An important question arises, concerning the instruments of the Passion which are symmetrically placed upon the arms of the cross, on which hangs the Redeemer of the world. Is this simply an artistic decoration or should we seek herein a symbolism especially desired by Our Lady? Had Our Lady of La Salette another motive besides that of ornamentation, in choosing the hammer and pincers in place of any other instruments of the Passion? We wish to answer these questions in the following article.
It has attracted many clients to the Blessed Virgin, who invoke her under the title of “Our Lady, Reconciler of La Salette.” An important question arises, concerning the instruments of the Passion which are symmetrically placed upon the arms of the cross, on which hangs the Redeemer of the world. Is this simply an artistic decoration or should we seek herein a symbolism especially desired by Our Lady? Had Our Lady of La Salette another motive besides that of ornamentation, in choosing the hammer and pincers in place of any other instruments of the Passion? We wish to answer these questions in the following article.
Parishioners defy Archdiocese of Chicago, burn rainbow flag in fire pit used for Easter Vigil Mass
Parishioners defy Chicago Archdiocese, burn rainbow flag in 'exorcism' ceremony: In a church bulletin posted this month, the Rev. Paul Kalchik, a Catholic priest at Resurrection Parish in Chicago, announced that he would burn a rainbow pride flag that had once been prominently displayed at the church.
“On Saturday, September 29, the Feast of Saint Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, we will burn, in front of the church, the rainbow flag that was unfortunately hanging in our sanctuary during the ceremonial first Mass as Resurrection parish,” Kalchik, who joined the church 11 years ago, wrote.
“On Saturday, September 29, the Feast of Saint Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, we will burn, in front of the church, the rainbow flag that was unfortunately hanging in our sanctuary during the ceremonial first Mass as Resurrection parish,” Kalchik, who joined the church 11 years ago, wrote.
Leaked NPR emails: Don’t call Kermit Gosnell an ‘abortion doctor’
Leaked NPR Emails: Don’t Call Kermit Gosnell an ‘Abortion Doctor’: Early last month, John Sullivan, executive producer of the new film Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer (in theaters Oct. 12), reached out to National Public Radio to purchase a sponsorship for the Peabody Award-winning interview show, Fresh Air.
Sullivan, who was prepared to spend as much as six figures, crafted his ad copy to answer the question you’re probably asking: Who is Gosnell? The proposed ad was as follows, “Support for this NPR program comes from the film Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer. The film is the true story of abortionist Kermit Gosnell. A story the mainstream media tried to cover up because it reveals the truth about abortion.”
Sullivan, who was prepared to spend as much as six figures, crafted his ad copy to answer the question you’re probably asking: Who is Gosnell? The proposed ad was as follows, “Support for this NPR program comes from the film Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer. The film is the true story of abortionist Kermit Gosnell. A story the mainstream media tried to cover up because it reveals the truth about abortion.”
Our active commitment is needed to confront this emergency
The Great Emergency - Crisis MagazineRUTLER: That every five hundred years the Church passes through a crisis is not a novel insight. It may even be something of a contrived schematic, since there have been other crises as well, but each of those periods has influenced the Church to an extraordinary and radical degree: The Fall of the Roman Empire, the Great East-West Schism, and the Protestant Revolt. These days seem to be a “perfect storm” of events which add up to a fourth crisis, and the faithful trust that “through toil and tribulation” the purging of corrupt elements will result in a stronger Catholic witness.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Indian bishop accused of rape steps aside, requests leave from Vatican
Indian bishop accused of rape steps aside, requests leave from Vatican: A Catholic bishop in India accused of raping a nun repeatedly over the course of two years has written to the Vatican asking permission to be relieved of his duties as bishop while the case is investigated.
“Bishop Franco Mulakkal wrote a letter to Holy Father Pope Francis expressing his desire to step aside temporarily and requested to be relieved from the administration of the Diocese," the Diocese of Jullundur, which Mulakkal leads, said in a statement released over the weekend and reported by Reuters.
“Bishop Franco Mulakkal wrote a letter to Holy Father Pope Francis expressing his desire to step aside temporarily and requested to be relieved from the administration of the Diocese," the Diocese of Jullundur, which Mulakkal leads, said in a statement released over the weekend and reported by Reuters.
New York Times flashback: Is hiding sex scandals among bishops just the ‘Roman way?’
New York Times flashback: Is hiding sex scandals among bishops just the 'Roman way'? — GetReligionMATTINGLY: When you read the lede on the following USA Today report, it’s pretty clear which issue the editors think is at the heart of the 30-plus year long scandal in the Roman Catholic Church.
Yes, I am sorry to bring this up again, but this information is important for reporters and editors who are trying to understand the current divisions inside the world’s largest Christian flock.
This has nothing to do with Donald Trump and Catholics who hang out with Steve Bannon. It a lot to do with statistics, doctrine and the contents of a good dictionary.
Yes, I am sorry to bring this up again, but this information is important for reporters and editors who are trying to understand the current divisions inside the world’s largest Christian flock.
This has nothing to do with Donald Trump and Catholics who hang out with Steve Bannon. It a lot to do with statistics, doctrine and the contents of a good dictionary.
Here is your prescription for peace in a world of woe
A Prescription for Peace in a World of Woe - Community in Mission : Community in MissionPOPE: First, make the journey to Nain, a place called fair and beautiful. That is, let the Lord open your eyes to the beauty and blessings all around you. Come to see the magnificence of His glory on display at every moment. It will give you peace and serene joy.
Ask for the grace to accept that we currently live in a “paradise lost” and that life is hard. This sober acceptance of life’s sorrows brings a paradoxical serenity because our resentment that we do not live in a perfect world goes away. Accepting that this world, with all its beauty, also has hardships, brings peace and a determination to journey to the place where joys will never end.
Ask for the grace to accept that we currently live in a “paradise lost” and that life is hard. This sober acceptance of life’s sorrows brings a paradoxical serenity because our resentment that we do not live in a perfect world goes away. Accepting that this world, with all its beauty, also has hardships, brings peace and a determination to journey to the place where joys will never end.
‘An extremely large settlement’: Diocese of Brooklyn to pay $27.5 million to settle 4 sex abuse cases
Brooklyn Diocese to Pay $27.5 Million to Settle 4 Sex Abuse Cases - The New York Times: Four men who were repeatedly sexually abused as children by a religion teacher at a Catholic church in Brooklyn received a $27.5 million settlement from the Diocese of Brooklyn on Tuesday, in one of the largest settlements ever awarded to individual victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
The settlement comes two weeks after the New York State attorney general announced a statewide civil investigation into sex abuse within the Catholic Church and its cover-up by church leaders. It also comes in the wake of an extraordinary grand jury report in Pennsylvania detailing the abuse of more than 1,000 children by hundreds of priests over decades, and as Pope Francis faces intense pressure globally to take action against bishops and cardinals for their role in the abuse crisis.
The settlement comes two weeks after the New York State attorney general announced a statewide civil investigation into sex abuse within the Catholic Church and its cover-up by church leaders. It also comes in the wake of an extraordinary grand jury report in Pennsylvania detailing the abuse of more than 1,000 children by hundreds of priests over decades, and as Pope Francis faces intense pressure globally to take action against bishops and cardinals for their role in the abuse crisis.
It’s time to recover the Ember Days fasts
Let’s Recover the Ember Days FastsFacebookTwitterPrintAddthisFacebookTwitterPrintAddthisFacebookTwitterPrintAddthisRICHARDS: On August 18th, Madison, Wisconsin Bishop Robert Morlino wrote a powerful letter decrying “all the sins of sexual depravity committed by members of the clergy and episcopacy.” He pledged to offer a public Mass of Reparation, which was held on September 14th. He also said he would be keeping the traditional Ember Days fasts near the end of September (starting tomorrow, September 19th), and invited the Catholic faithful in his diocese to do the same.
Priest faces trial after alleged assault of San Diego seminarian
Priest faces trial after alleged assault of San Diego seminarian: A California priest has been charged with sexual battery, after he is alleged to have sexually assaulted a San Diego seminarian.
The priest, Fr. Juan Garcia Castillo, is a member of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, a religious community of priests also known as the Eudists. On May 14, Castillo was charged with one count of misdemeanor sexual battery by the San Diego County District Attorney’s office. A preliminary hearing in his case will take place Sept. 21.
Castillo is alleged to have forcibly groped and made sexual advances toward a seminarian after a parish event in early February. The assault was reported to police and diocesan authorities almost immediately, sources say.
The priest, Fr. Juan Garcia Castillo, is a member of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, a religious community of priests also known as the Eudists. On May 14, Castillo was charged with one count of misdemeanor sexual battery by the San Diego County District Attorney’s office. A preliminary hearing in his case will take place Sept. 21.
Castillo is alleged to have forcibly groped and made sexual advances toward a seminarian after a parish event in early February. The assault was reported to police and diocesan authorities almost immediately, sources say.
Prominent Australian politician renounces atheism, is baptized in the Catholic Church at 85
Famed Australian Atheist, Bill Hayden, is Baptized in the Catholic Church at 85 | Matthew SchneiderSCHNEIDER: Some amazing news came out of Australia today with a famous atheist politician receiving baptism. Bill Hayden had been the leader of a major Australian political party, then was the Governor General of Australia for 7 years. The Governor General is the one who signs bills into law in the Queen’s name in 16 Commonwealth countries. Recently, at 85, he renounced his atheism and joined the Catholic Church.
Christ wants each of His priests to be an angry dad who protects his family — not an aloof coward who tells lies
Spiritual Paternity, Anger, Lying and Vulnerable AdultsROGERLANDRY: In the last two weeks, there have been ongoing developments in the clergy scandals that erupted with the revelation of the sexual abuse committed by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, widened with the publication of the Pennsylvania grand jury investigation of sexual abuse of minors, and mushroomed further with the publication of testimonies by Archbishop Carlo Viganò, a former apostolic nuncio to the United States.
#1 - If a priest abuses the Mass (like this guy), don’t be surprised when he’s later accused of sexual violations...
More Jesuit idiocy | Fr. Z's BlogFr. Z's Blog: This is something that was perpetrated in a Jesuit church in NYC, the once and still mostly beautiful St. Francis Xavier, which is part of a large and once important High School.
Watch and bite your lip till bloody. This was in 2017. Pentecost.
Watch and bite your lip till bloody. This was in 2017. Pentecost.
Beginning today, parents are able to set restrictions on their teens’ Android phones
Google Now Lets Parents Manage Their Kids' Phone Time Remotely | Mental Floss: Setting screen time limits on teenagers was much easier in the pre-smartphone era. Modern parents often have to choose between taking their kids' phones away or letting them text through family game night—but now Google is offering a different option. Beginning today, September 18, Android phone owners are able to set restrictions on their teens' devices, either by setting time limits, locking their phones remotely, or subjecting app downloads to parental approval, The Verge reports.
#2 - If a priest abuses the Mass, don’t be surprised when he’s later accused of sexual violations (like this guy)...
Jesuit priest from pro-gay parish removed after ‘boundary violations’ with male parishioner | News | Lifesitenews: A Jesuit priest at a well-known pro-homosexual Manhattan parish has been removed as pastor for “boundary violations” with “an adult male who attended the parish.”
Fr. Bob VerEecke has been removed as pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church and restricted “from the practice of public sacramental ministry,” according to a September 15 letter from Jesuit superior John Cecero read out at parish Masses last weekend.
A letter from acting pastor Fr. Daniel Corrou posted on St. Francis Xavier website Tuesday revealed the allegations concerned “a recent, unwanted and inappropriate conversation and attention of a sexual nature toward an adult male who attended the parish.”
Fr. Bob VerEecke has been removed as pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church and restricted “from the practice of public sacramental ministry,” according to a September 15 letter from Jesuit superior John Cecero read out at parish Masses last weekend.
A letter from acting pastor Fr. Daniel Corrou posted on St. Francis Xavier website Tuesday revealed the allegations concerned “a recent, unwanted and inappropriate conversation and attention of a sexual nature toward an adult male who attended the parish.”
Spotlight turns to Pope’s role in 2010 study of Argentina’s notorious Grassi sex abuse case
Pope role in study of Argentine sex abuse case in spotlight: Pope Francis’ role in Argentina’s most famous case of priestly sex abuse is coming under renewed scrutiny as he faces the greatest crisis of his papacy over the Catholic Church’s troubled legacy of cover-up and allegations he himself sided with the accused.
Francis, who at the time was still Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, in 2010 commissioned a four-volume, 2,000-plus page forensic study of the legal case against a convicted priest that concluded he was innocent, that his victims were lying and that the case never should have gone to trial.
Francis, who at the time was still Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, in 2010 commissioned a four-volume, 2,000-plus page forensic study of the legal case against a convicted priest that concluded he was innocent, that his victims were lying and that the case never should have gone to trial.
How do you decaffeinate coffee?
BBC - Future - How do you decaffeinate coffee?: If you’re partial to a cup of coffee minus the caffeine, then next time you’ve boiled the kettle you should raise your mug in memory of Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge.
Runge was a 19th-Century German chemist who had come to the attention of Goethe – the poet and statesman who was also a keen science scholar. Goethe had heard of Runge’s groundbreaking investigation into belladonna, otherwise known as nightshade. Runge had isolated the compound that caused eye muscles to dilate if it was ingested.
Runge was a 19th-Century German chemist who had come to the attention of Goethe – the poet and statesman who was also a keen science scholar. Goethe had heard of Runge’s groundbreaking investigation into belladonna, otherwise known as nightshade. Runge had isolated the compound that caused eye muscles to dilate if it was ingested.
Take-aways on the latest twists in the clerical abuse saga
Take-aways on the latest twists in the clerical abuse sagaALLEN: When a news cycle goes supernova, generally developments come far too fast and furious for anyone really to absorb them in anything other than bite-size, superficial form. Over just the last 72 hours, there have been at least three new twists to the clerical sexual abuse scandals once again rocking the global Church.
If there were secret sanctions on McCarrick, it wouldn't be a first
If there were secret sanctions on McCarrick, it wouldn't be a firstSANMARTIN: Three weeks after a bombshell accusation of abuse cover-up against Pope Francis by an ex-papal ambassador, an element of that charge still remains an enigma: Were there, or were there not, secret restrictions on former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick imposed under Pope emeritus Benedict XVI?
It’s been a tough claim for some to swallow, given that there’s abundant evidence that McCarrick hardly behaved like a man under a cloud during the Benedict papacy - he was often seen with the pope, and even with Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Francis’s accuser and, at the time, papal ambassador in the U.S.
It’s been a tough claim for some to swallow, given that there’s abundant evidence that McCarrick hardly behaved like a man under a cloud during the Benedict papacy - he was often seen with the pope, and even with Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Francis’s accuser and, at the time, papal ambassador in the U.S.
To Catholics, Junípero Serra is a saint. To Stanford University, he’s a mailing address worth eliminating...
To Catholics, Junipero Serra is a saint. To Stanford University, he’s a mailing address worth eliminating. - The Washington Post: For decades, if you wanted to mail a letter to Stanford University, you’d send it to 450 Serra Mall. It was named after Junípero Serra, a Spanish colonist who built a network of Catholic missions in California in the 18th century. And for a long time, it was a noncontroversial mailing address.
Then, the Catholic Church made Serra a saint — and his mistreatment of Native Americans in the colonial era fell under harsh light.
Then, the Catholic Church made Serra a saint — and his mistreatment of Native Americans in the colonial era fell under harsh light.
Pope issues new apostolic constitution Episcopalis Communio on Synod of Bishops
Pope Francis: Episcopalis Communio, "if expressly approved by the Pope, the final document of the Synod is ordinary magisterium". Seeking "moral unanimity as far as possible" | AgenSIR: “If expressly approved by the Roman Pontiff”, the final document participates in the ordinary magisterium of the Successor of Peter”. This is one of the novelties contained in Pope Francis’ Apostolic Constitution “Episcopalis Communio” on the Synod of Bishops, released today. “After approval by its members, the final document of the Assembly is offered to the Roman Pontiff who will decide on its publication”, Article 18 about the conclusion of the Synodal process reads: “If expressly approved by the Roman Pontiff, the final document participates in the ordinary magisterium of the Successor of Peter”.
Monday, September 17, 2018
The Elephant in the Sacristy, Revisited
The Elephant in the Sacristy, RevisitedEBERSTADT: Sixteen years ago, at the height of the 2002 clergy sex scandals in the Catholic church and on the eve of a meeting of bishops in Dallas, The Weekly Standard published an essay of mine called “The Elephant in the Sacristy.” It included an in-depth look at some of the most notorious clergy abuse cases of the time. Back then, like today, the plain facts of the scandals were submerged in what we now call whataboutism. According to these evasive maneuvers, the wrongdoing was supposedly explained by reference to clericalism, celibacy, sexual immaturity, and other attributes invoked to avoid the obvious. I examined and dismissed those analyses, offered up an alternative, and made several recommendations for cleaning up the Catholic church of the future. The scandals, I wrote, were:
Here are some ways to save Synod-2018 from itself
Saving Synod-2018 from itself - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: Anyone looking for a remedy for insomnia might try working through the Instrumentum Laboris, or “working document,” for the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in Rome next month on the theme “Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment.” The IL is a 30,000 word brick: a bloated, tedious door stop full of sociologese but woefully lacking in spiritual or theological insight. Moreover, and more sadly, the IL has little to say about “the faith” except to hint on numerous occasions that its authors are somewhat embarrassed by Catholic teaching – and not because that teaching has been betrayed by churchmen of various ranks, but because that teaching challenges the world’s smug sureties about, and its fanatical commitment to, the sexual revolution in all its expressions.
Where is Jesus in the sex abuse scandals?
Irish RoverPHILPOTT: Where is Jesus in the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandals?
Absent, some Catholics say. The Church’s priests and shepherds have proven that the Church is not really the Body of Christ. These Catholics will leave.
Others reassure us that the Church remains the Body of Christ despite the sins of its members. Even the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.
This latter view I hold to be theologically correct – but woefully insufficient. The Church may well persist as the body of Christ but its members can only claim to belong to this body if they manifest Jesus in their response to the crisis at hand. A temptation exists to turn things over to district attorneys, journalists, and therapists until things get straightened out and only then return to creeds and catechesis. Up against the present enormities, can Jesus offer anything more than suburban Sunday school sapience?
Absent, some Catholics say. The Church’s priests and shepherds have proven that the Church is not really the Body of Christ. These Catholics will leave.
Others reassure us that the Church remains the Body of Christ despite the sins of its members. Even the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.
This latter view I hold to be theologically correct – but woefully insufficient. The Church may well persist as the body of Christ but its members can only claim to belong to this body if they manifest Jesus in their response to the crisis at hand. A temptation exists to turn things over to district attorneys, journalists, and therapists until things get straightened out and only then return to creeds and catechesis. Up against the present enormities, can Jesus offer anything more than suburban Sunday school sapience?
12 years after Regensburg, why you need to learn more about Islam
Why We Should Learn about Islam: 12 Years after RegensburgSTAUDT: On September 12, 2006, almost five years to the day from 9/11, Pope Benedict XVI delivered a watershed lecture at the University of Regensburg. He argued that Islam and the modern West hold a significant tenant in common: a voluntarism that puts will above reason. For classic Islamic thinkers this meant that Allah was not bound by any restraints of reason, including the principle of non-contradiction, and for modern philosophers it led to a division between faith and reason and eventually to relativism.
If the mother of the Maccabees knew of atoms
If the Mother of the Maccabees Knew of Atoms | Church Life JournalTRASANCOS: Social media shoves us all up in each other’s faces in unprecedented ways. Where national politics was once metered in through newspapers and the evening news, now people of all ages have access to global details of immeasurable variety. Through the internet, we can see what friends on other continents had for dinner. We have a finger incessantly on the pulse of global events, from terrorism to natural disasters to scandals in the Catholic Church we never wanted to admit happen.
4 hopes for the USCCB meeting in November
4 Hopes for the USCCB Meeting in NovemberPOPE: Like many in the Church from both the clergy and laity, I am increasingly shocked by the depths of the crisis before us. Every day seems to bring forth new allegations of sexual immorality or the cover-up of such behavior.
Further, recent statements of the Pope, while containing some signs of hope, have more often been discouraging—even deplorable. In the face of legitimate requests for a full investigation of the testimony in Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s recent letter, his general approach has been one of silence.
Further, recent statements of the Pope, while containing some signs of hope, have more often been discouraging—even deplorable. In the face of legitimate requests for a full investigation of the testimony in Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s recent letter, his general approach has been one of silence.
Pope Francis expels former Chilean ‘national hero’ from priesthood over sex abuse, ‘with no possibility of appeal’
Chilean hero expelled from priesthood over sex abuse charges: A priest who was once a national hero in Chile, and who now finds himself another casualty of that country’s massive clerical sexual abuse crisis, has been expelled from the priesthood by Pope Francis after being found guilty of abusing minors and vulnerable adults.
The Archdiocese of Santiago in Chile released a statement on Saturday saying that Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had notified the Chilean Church that on Sept. 12 Francis had decreed, “with no possibility of appeal,” the “removal from clerical state ‘ex officio et pro bono Ecclesiae’” of Father Cristián Precht Bañados.
The Archdiocese of Santiago in Chile released a statement on Saturday saying that Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had notified the Chilean Church that on Sept. 12 Francis had decreed, “with no possibility of appeal,” the “removal from clerical state ‘ex officio et pro bono Ecclesiae’” of Father Cristián Precht Bañados.
Sunday, September 16, 2018
A remarkable newly-discovered letter from Ronald Reagan to his dying father-in-law shows the president’s faith
A private letter from Ronald Reagan to his dying father-in-law shows the president’s faith - The Washington Post: Something tugged at Ronald Reagan on that otherwise slow August weekend in 1982.
“Again at the W.H.,” the president noted in his diary. “More of Saturdays work plus a long letter I have to write to Loyal. I’m afraid for him. His health is failing badly.”
Loyal Davis, Reagan’s father-in-law and a pioneering neurosurgeon, was just days away from death.
“Again at the W.H.,” the president noted in his diary. “More of Saturdays work plus a long letter I have to write to Loyal. I’m afraid for him. His health is failing badly.”
Loyal Davis, Reagan’s father-in-law and a pioneering neurosurgeon, was just days away from death.
The Vatican’s photo blunder shows media reform is still a work in progress
The Vatican’s photo blunder shows media reform is still a work in progress | CatholicHerald.co.uk: A pair of photographs released by the Vatican – one in particular – caused quite a stir on Thursday. The offending image showed members of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Executive Committee sharing a jocular moment during a meeting with Pope Francis. That in itself is nothing too terribly newsworthy. But the meeting was to discuss the ongoing crisis in the US Church, precipitated by the spectacular fall from grace of one of the hierarchy’s best-known and most influential members: the disgraced former Archbishop of Washington, DC, Theodore Edgar “Uncle Ted” McCarrick. Given that context, people asked how such an image could have been chosen to convey the spirit of the bishops’ response to the crisis.
Sex abuse claims rock Dutch Catholic Church
Sex abuse claims rock Dutch Catholic Church: More than half of the Netherlands' senior clerics were involved in covering up sexual assault of children between 1945 and 2010, a press report claimed Saturday, further engulfing the Catholic Church in a global abuse scandal.
Over the course of 65 years, 20 of 39 Dutch cardinals, bishops and their auxiliaries "covered up sexual abuse, allowing the perpetrators to cause many more victims", the daily NRC reported.
"Four abused children and 16 others allowed the transfer of paedophile priests who could have caused new victims in other parishes," the Dutch newspaper added.
Over the course of 65 years, 20 of 39 Dutch cardinals, bishops and their auxiliaries "covered up sexual abuse, allowing the perpetrators to cause many more victims", the daily NRC reported.
"Four abused children and 16 others allowed the transfer of paedophile priests who could have caused new victims in other parishes," the Dutch newspaper added.
Pope’s Sunday Angelus: ‘Discipleship takes sacrifice’
Pope Francis: Discipleship takes sacrifice: A fundamental rule of being a disciple of Christ is the necessity to make sacrifices and deny one’s self, Pope Francis said in his Angelus address Sunday.
“Jesus tells us that in order to follow him, to be his disciples, one must deny oneself – that is, the claims of one’s own selfish pride – and take up one’s very cross,” the pope said Sept. 16. “Then he gives everyone a fundamental rule. And what is this rule? ‘Whoever wants to save his life will lose it.’”
To have faith, he said, must go further than mere words – it must lead to concrete actions and choices, “marked by love of God, by a great life, by a life with so much love for neighbor.”
“Jesus tells us that in order to follow him, to be his disciples, one must deny oneself – that is, the claims of one’s own selfish pride – and take up one’s very cross,” the pope said Sept. 16. “Then he gives everyone a fundamental rule. And what is this rule? ‘Whoever wants to save his life will lose it.’”
To have faith, he said, must go further than mere words – it must lead to concrete actions and choices, “marked by love of God, by a great life, by a life with so much love for neighbor.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)