Statement of Cardinal Blase Cupich on the Keep Hope Alive Award

Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, on the Keep Hope Alive Award - Statements - Archdiocese of ChicagoCUPICH: Cardinal Cupich writes: Senator Durbin today informed me that he has decided not to receive an award at our Keep Hope Alive celebration. While I am saddened by this news, I respect his decision. But I want to make clear that the decision to present him an award was specifically in recognition of his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day.

Pope Leo XIV Wades Into Debate Over Cardinal Cupich Award for Pro-Abortion Sen. Durbin

Pope Leo XIV Wades Into Durbin Debate| National Catholic Register: Pope Leo XIV responded to controversy over the Chicago cardinal’s plans to honor a Catholic U.S. senator who supports legalized abortion, saying that the senator’s record should be considered in its totality and that Americans should search together for the truth on ethical issues.

Not More Infantile Claptrap

Not More Infantile Claptrap - What We Need NowROWLAND: Last week my inbox was inundated with people writing about the recent concert in St. Peter’s Square. For those who missed it, the “Grace for the World” concert was held on September 13 and it remains available on demand on Disney+ for all its subscribers. I did not see the concert and I won’t be paying Disney money to view it...

How Should Catholics Respond to a Cross-Dressing Man at Mass?

How to Respond to the Cross-Dressing Man at Mass?| National Catholic RegisterBRUGGER: What is harmful about this young man presenting himself publicly for Holy Communion while presenting himself as a woman? I’ll focus on four harms: confusing the young, scandalizing the weak, discouraging and alienating the faithful, and harming himself. First, the young are especially vulnerable to confusion by the errors of gender ideology, especially young men and women who themselves suffer from confused feelings about their bodies.

Catholics in Slovakia Welcome Constitutional Amendment Protecting Family and Marriage

Slovak bishops welcome constitutional amendment protecting family, marriage | Catholic News AgencyPETRIK: Slovakia’s recently-amended constitution, which aims to protect family, marriage, and parenthood, has been well-received by the Conference of Bishops of Slovakia (KBS). “Slovakia sent a signal that it wishes to strengthen a society based on the values of truth, freedom, justice, and the dignity of human life,” said the chairman of the KBS, Archbishop Bernard Bober of Košice.

Are Catholic turning a corner in Switzerland, Germany and Austria? Or is the Church there still on the rocks?

(1) Is the German-speaking Church turning a corner?: The number of people formally leaving the Catholic Church in Switzerland fell significantly in 2024. According to figures published Sept. 26 by the Swiss Institute of Pastoral Sociology in St. Gallen, a total of 36,782 people formally left the Church in Switzerland last year, out of a total population of almost three million. That’s 46% fewer Church “exits” than in 2023. A downward trend in departures is also evident in Germany and Austria...

‘Patient preparation’ - Cardinal Czerny on integral ecology in a Leonine papacy

%281%29%20%u2018Patient%20preparation%u2019%20-%20Cardinal%20Czerny%20on%20integral%20ecology%20in%20a%20Leonine%20papacyBELTRAN: Since the election of Pope Leo XIV in May, there has been no shortage of speculation about what the priorities of the new pope will be. To Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, it is clear that social issues including migration, world peace, and the environment are close to the heart of Pope Leo. Czerny is prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. In this role, he helps lead the Vatican’s response to migration, ecology, and other social matters.

Pope Leo Channels His Inner Benedict XVI by Extolling ‘Healthy Secularism’

Pope%20Leo%20channels%20his%20inner%20Benedict%20XVI%20by%20extolling%20%u2018healthy%20secularism%u2019%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Channeling his inner Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Leo met a “Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue” yesterday sponsored by the European Parliament and extolled what he called “healthy secularism,” a core concept for the late German pontiff which he elaborated and advocated in a variety of venues. Leo delivered the brief address in English. His reference to “healthy secularism” echoed the key theme...

Cardinal Cupich Meetings With Illinois Catholic Leaders Canceled Amid Durbin Award Controversy

Cardinal Cupich Meetings With Illinois Catholic Leaders Canceled Amid Durbin Award Controversy| National Catholic RegisterLIEDL: The meetings of two groups of Illinois Catholic leaders chaired by Cardinal Blase Cupich were postponed indefinitely last week after a lay leader requested that the Chicago cardinal-archbishop’s controversial decision to honor a pro-abortion-rights senator be discussed. John Breen, a board member of the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI), asked on Sept. 23 that Cardinal Cupich’s plan to give Sen. Dick Durbin a “lifetime achievement award” at an upcoming archdiocesan fundraiser be added to the agenda of a Sept. 25 board meeting because the honor risked undermining the group’s advocacy work.

Why Earth Is the Only Place in the Solar System That Has Fire

New Advent: Why Earth Is the Only Place in the Solar System That Has Fire: To get fire, which exists only on Earth, it took billions of years of photosynthesis – which means fire can’t exist without life. And fire and life have been shaping each other ever since...

Could Jesus Really Be Tempted?

Could Jesus Really Be Tempted? - St. Paul CenterHARROLD: All three synoptic Gospels recall Jesus going into the desert immediately after His baptism. There, we are told, Jesus fasted for forty days, after which the devil came to tempt Him. Three times the devil tries to induce Jesus to fall; three times the devil is thwarted. We know that Jesus commits no sin in the episode. And yet, the evangelists clearly speak of Him being “tempted” by the devil. This is further corroborated in the epistle to the Hebrews:

Seamless Garment? Cardinal Cupich Mixes the Metaphor

Seamless garment? Cardinal Cupich mixes the metaphor. | Catholic CultureMIRUS: Predictably, Cardinal Blase Cupich has defended his decision to honor Senator Richard Durbin despite criticism by Bishop Thomas Paprocki. Phil Lawler and I both wrote about this yesterday at about the same time, so I decided to wait another day to post my thoughts. Phil emphasized “The Cupich assault on episcopal unity”, making excellent points. But I want to to draw attention to the old bugbear that has caused such convenient confusion over the past generation and more, namely the “seamless garment” theory of morality.

To Prepare for Death, Think Often of the ‘Last Things’: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell

The Last Things | Parishable ItemsFELTES: Last week, the season of fall officially began. Soon we will see the leaves fade and fall and many living things will enter a long, deep sleep. Imagine how much we would despair seeing the skeletons of trees in the wintertime if we did not remember the new life to come in spring. Like our falling asleep at night and reawakening in the morning, the changing of the seasons foreshadow our dying and rising again in Christ.

Will ‘Ugly Mess’ in Becciu Case Obscure the Real Issue Facing Vatican Justice?

Will%20%u2018ugly%20mess%u2019%20in%20Becciu%20case%20obscure%20the%20real%20issue%20facing%20Vatican%20justice%3F%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: This past June, a book appeared by a veteran Italian intellectual named Alberto Vacca, the title of which seemed to perfectly capture the tawdry reality of the Vatican’s so-called “Trial of the Century.” It was: What an Ugly Mess in the Becciu Trial: A Surreal Case of Unjust Justice. “Ugly mess” seems about right, given that we’re talking about a trial riddled with procedural irregularities...

Pope Leo XIV to Proclaim St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church on Nov. 1

Pope Leo XIV to proclaim St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1 | Catholic News Agency: Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday that he will proclaim St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints. “I will confer the title of doctor of the Church on St. John Henry Newman, who gave a decisive contribution to the renewal of theology and to understanding Christian doctrine in its development, in the context of the Jubilee of the World of Education,” the pope said after celebrating Mass for the Jubilee of Catechists in St. Peter’s Square.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Make State Visit to Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in Late October

King Charles and Queen Camilla to Make State Visit to Pope Leo at the Vatican in Late October| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be making their first state visit to the Vatican in late October, Buckingham Palace has announced. The palace said in a Sept. 27 statement that the king and queen “will join His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in celebrating the 2025 Jubilee Year,” which, it noted, is a “special time” for the Catholic Church, “traditionally marked every 25 years.” The palace also said

Why Charlie Kirk’s Death Felt So Personal for Me and So Many Others

Grieving Charlie Kirk: Why His Death Feels So Personal for Me and So Many OthersBONACCI: I have been stunned at how personal Charlie Kirk’s death feels for me. Literally, I have been legit grieving. I cried off and on for a week. I fell into a funk I couldn’t describe. Many of my friends experienced the same. All for a man we had never met, and who most of us had very little awareness of until now. Why would the death of a stranger hit us so hard? I think there are several reasons...

The Erika Kirk Moment and the Kamala Harris Presidency That Wasn’t

The%20Erika%20Kirk%20Moment%20and%20Kamala%20Harris%20Presidency%20That%20Wasn%u2019t%3A%20A%20Study%20in%20Contrasts%20%7C%20National%20ReviewLOPEZ: When Erika Kirk gave her remarkable witness at her husband’s memorial service on Sunday, forgiving the young man who killed her husband, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, she so powerfully showed the power of radical love. A cross is not merely a decoration — around a neck or on a wall; it is a surrender to divine love, which seems only possible with supernatural grace. She also represented complementarity — the blessed difference between men and women, by God’s design:

Leo’s First Move, All to Play For, and Let Them Eat Swan

Leo%u2019s%20first%20move%2C%20all%20to%20play%20for%2C%20and%20let%20them%20eat%20swanCONDON: We have a new prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops this morning, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O. Carm., until now the prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts. Iannone took over that role from the previous incumbent, Cardinal Coccopalmerio, in 2018 — and at least in direct comparison he was a success. In the early days of the German Synodal Way, it was Cardinal Ouellet, Pope Leo’s own predecessor at the Dicastery for Bishops, who had to sign letters to the bishops’ conference...

Pope Leo Names Archbishop Filippo Iannone, Italian Carmelite, as Prefect of Dicastery for Bishops

Archbishop Iannone to lead Dicastery for Bishops: Pope Leo XIV named Archbishop Filippo Iannone on Friday as the new prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the most senior appointment of his pontificate to date. Iannone, an Italian Carmelite who has served as prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts since 2018, fills a vacancy created in May when Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the previous prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, was elected as Pope Leo XIV.

Everyone’s heard of the Miracle of the Sun. But here’s what you haven’t heard about the strange events that preceded Fatima...

What You Didn't Know About Fatima | Catholic Answers MagazineDISIMILE: During the time of World War I, a controversial series of extraordinary events is reported to have occurred in Portugal. Most Christians today either are unaware of the events or don’t appreciate their significance. This article is not about the 1917 Fatima apparitions by the Blessed Virgin Mary. The little-known events described here occurred earlier.

Dick Durbin Should Not Be Honored by the Catholic Church in Chicago

Dick Durbin Should Not Be Honored by the Catholic Church in Chicago | National ReviewLOPEZ: Senator Dick Durbin is being given a “lifetime achievement award” from the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Immigration Ministry at their annual Keep Hope Alive fundraising dinner. Faced with criticism — including by the bishop of Springfield, where Durbin is from (he evidently has a residence in Chicago, too) — Cupich has doubled down in support of the move. In a statement, Cupich said

For those who know Cardinal Cupich, it does not come as a surprise that he would honor Senator Durbin in this way

The%20Scandalous%20Case%20of%20Cardinal%20Cupich%20and%20Senator%20Durbin%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportHENRICKS: I do not know Cardinal Cupich personally, but I have been around him enough to have a sense of the man. He was my rector at the seminary for first-year theology, and even then, in 1995, he went his own way. I remember one evening he cancelled all classes and pastoral activities for a special convocation, something unprecedented for the seminary. He called us together to announce he had been made a monsignor. I felt bad for him then because I thought about how isolated he must be to believe that any of us cared...

A Great Chasm: A Reflection on the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Great Chasm: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - St. Paul CenterHAHN: The rich and powerful are visited with woe and exile in today’s Liturgy—not for their wealth but for their refusal to share it; not for their power but for their indifference to the suffering at their door. The complacent leaders in today’s First Reading feast on fine foods and wines, reveling while the house of Joseph, the kingdom of Israel, collapses around them. The rich man in today’s Gospel also lives like a king—dressed in royal purple and fine linen...

Erika Kirk forgave her husband’s murderer. So what are the limits of forgiveness?

The Limits of Forgiveness | Catholic Answers MagazineAKIN: Every year of mankind’s fallen history witnesses countless sins, large and small. When they are committed against us, it raises the question of forgiveness, since Jesus made it clear that we must be willing to forgive. I remember, in the days immediately following 9/11, people calling Catholic Answers Live confused because their priests had told them that the U.S. must not strike back against the terrorists because of the Christian duty of forgiveness.

Catholics and Gender Ideology

Catholics and gender ideologyWEIGEL: In this raw, emotionally overwrought moment in our public life, few topics generate more passion than gender ideology and the associated practice of gender “transition.” Several Catholic leaders have tried to address the ideology and the practice calmly, informed by science, philosophy, theology, and pastoral experience. The most recent is Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of “Toledo in America,” as the Vatican’s Annuario Pontificio designates the Ohio diocese centered on the Glass City.

Do Animals Go to Heaven?

Do Animals Go to Heaven?STAUDT: No theologian likes being asked about the mortal fate of beloved pets, as it’s sure to hurt feelings. With the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, approaching October 4th, I was asked to wade into this increasingly sensitive topic. In short, having lost a sense of our own dignity, we view ourselves more like animals and, in turn, view them more like humans.

The 5 ‘C’s of Effective Catholic Preaching and Teaching

Effective Catholic Preaching and Teaching - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: During the current season of my life, we don’t go to our parish most Sundays. That is because my parents no longer drive and my wife and I drive them to Mass at their parish. Because my Mom is bothered by incense and has trouble moving far, we sit in the back row. I have a new appreciation of good preaching because every possible distraction is between the priest / deacon preaching and myself, from the back pew.

What Is a Martyr, in Catholic Theology? And Is Charlie Kirk One? Why or Why Not?

What Is a Martyr? And Is Charlie Kirk One?| National Catholic RegisterDESOUZA: At the massive memorial held for Charlie Kirk, he was declared a martyr several times. Notably, Vice President JD Vance called Kirk a “martyr for the Christian faith,” while President Donald Trump spoke of him as a “martyr for America’s freedom.” Coming just a week after Pope Leo XIV presided at an ecumenical service in commemoration of the 21st-century martyrs in Rome, Kirk’s consideration as a martyr echoes Catholic debates...

Vatican Struggles Against Spread of ‘Deepfake’ Images of Pope Leo XIV

Vatican%20struggles%20against%20spread%20of%20%u2018deepfake%u2019%20images%20of%20Pope%20Leo%20XIV%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyBROCKHAUS: Did you hear what Pope Leo XIV said about Charlie Kirk or President Donald Trump? What about his thoughts on the Rapture or whether it’s OK to be cremated? These are just a few of the topics the pontiff has appeared to speak about at length in videos popping up every day on social media. The problem is the videos are not real, and the Vatican is struggling to fight their spread.

‘A Ministry of Liberation and Consolation’: Pope Leo XIV Sends Message to 300 Exorcists Gathered in Rome

Pope Leo XIV sends message to exorcists gathered in Rome | Catholic News AgencyCARDIEL: Pope Leo XIV addressed a message to the approximately 300 exorcist priests who came together Sept. 15–20 for the 15th International Gathering of the International Association of Exorcists (IAE) at the Fraterna Domus House of Spirituality in Sacrofano, near Rome.

To Find Wisdom at My Gate

To Find Wisdom at My Gate - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: I teach philosophy, and it’s not easy–especially for the students. This is no surprise given our lofty goal to make some progress toward wisdom. Often students can have a sense that they are just not cut out for this. This can cause real grief, since surely we are all made to become to wise. It seems to be a piece of wisdom that the most important things—such as wisdom itself—don’t come easily...

Pope Leo XIV Reaffirms Two-State Solution for Holy Land, Warns of Escalating War in Ukraine

Pope Leo XIV reaffirms 2-state solution for Holy Land, warns of escalating war in Ukraine | Catholic News Agency: Pope Leo XIV renewed the Holy See’s support for a two-state solution in the Holy Land and voiced concern over rising tensions in Ukraine, speaking with reporters Tuesday before returning from Castel Gandolfo to the Vatican.

Helping Couples Who Are Carrying the Unexpected Cross of Infertility

Helping%20couples%20who%20are%20carrying%20the%20unexpected%20cross%20of%20infertility%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20Report: A few days after our wedding, I gave up on charting my cycle. Whatever God wants, we said. Let the babies come! But less than two years later, my husband and I knelt before the altar in St. Lucy’s Church, home of the National Shrine of St. Gerard, in Newark, NJ. Many Catholics turn to St. Gerard with their intentions concerning pregnancy and childbirth. We had a big petition to surrender at the foot of the Cross that day...

After Correction From Bishop Paprocki, Cardinal Cupich Doubles Down on Honoring Pro-Abortion Politician

After statement from Paprocki, Cardinal Cupich defends award for Durbin: After criticism from a fellow Illinois bishop, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich on Monday doubled down on the archdiocese’s decision to honor U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, a longtime supporter of legal protection for abortion. In a Sept. 22 statement, the cardinal said his decision to confer an award on Durbin is in line with Vatican guidance on the need for dialogue with politicians who oppose Church teaching on abortion.

Evaluating Pope Leo in Light of Our Own Sins

Evaluating Pope Leo in light of our own sins | Catholic CultureMIRUS: Sometimes when I awaken in a complaining mood, I think of a remarkable Scriptural explanation of how God deals with those whom He has strongly called to know and serve him, as compared with those to whom He has not revealed Himself so fully. You will find this in the second book of Maccabees when the sacred writer reflects on the sufferings of the Jewish people under a succession of pagan kings in the period just before the birth of Christ:

Is the Terrifying ‘Three Days of Darkness’ Prophecy Something Catholics Need to Worry About?

The Three Days of Darkness | Catholic Answers MagazineAKIN: In certain Catholic prophetic circles, there is a concept known as the three days of darkness, according to which a judgment will come upon the earth, and the earth will be preternaturally shrouded in darkness. Some Catholics have been very concerned about this event, because if it were to occur as described, it would be terrifying. What should we make of the prediction? How credible is it? And what does the Church have to say about it?

How the classic McIntosh lost the battle for apple supremacy

How the classic McIntosh lost the battle for apple supremacy - The Hustle: When Frank Johnson stopped seeing McIntosh apples on the shelves of his neighborhood Whole Foods a few years ago, he assumed supply chain problems caused a delay. Johnson is hardly an apple aficionado. He’s just a Philadelphia guy who’s favored the McIntosh most of his life, relishing its appealing red and green hue, its soft — but not mushy — texture, and its ideal balance of tart and sweet.

Study: ‘Traditional Liturgical Experiences Predict Stronger Belief in the Real Presence’

New%20study%3A%20%u2018Traditional%20liturgical%20experiences%20predict%20stronger%20belief%20in%20the%20Real%20Presence%u2019%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyGERVASINI: A recent study found that traditional liturgical experiences, including receiving the Eucharist by tongue, indicate a stronger belief among Catholics in the Real Presence. Last year, Natalie A. Lindemann published a journal article on Catholics’ belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist. Lindemann, a professor in the department of psychology at William Paterson University, recently published a follow-up peer-reviewed article that uses a larger sample size and examines additional information.

Why Did God Require Circumcision in the Old Testament?

Why Did God Require Circumcision in the Old Testament? - St. Paul CenterHARROLD: You don’t have to read the Bible for very long before you arrive at the figure of Abraham. Most of us know the story: God calls Abraham to become the father of a great nation, and soon after He established circumcision as the sign of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants (see Gen 17). For modern readers, this decision can seem archaic and downright weird. Why did God require circumcision for so many centuries? What did it accomplish, exactly?

What It’s Like to Interview the Pope

Roman%20notebook%3A%20What%20it%u2019s%20like%20to%20interview%20the%20pope%20%7C%20Crux: By now most regular Crux readers, and much of the rest of the world, knows that Pope Leo XIV gave the first official interview of his papacy to me for my new biography of him, León XIV: Ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century,” which was published by Penguin Peru in Spanish Sept. 18.

Why God Keeps You Waiting (and How That Prepares You for Greatness)

New Advent: Why God Keeps You Waiting (and How That Prepares You for Greatness)STEFANICK: We live in a culture that wants everything fast—success, influence, recognition. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that's not always how God works. He grows things slowly, starting small and hidden, so they’re strong enough to last. In this Sunday reflection, I’m sharing why being faithful in the “small things” matters more than you'll ever know. We’ll talk about David’s hidden years as a shepherd, the power of a simple slingshot, and what bamboo plants can teach us about waiting...

Pope Leo Has a Jerry Maguire Moment on Sex Abuse

Pope Leo has a Jerry Maguire moment on sex abuse | CruxALLEN: In the classic 1996 film “Jerry Maguire,” early on our hero, a highly successful agent representing athletes, has a crisis of conscience. In his epiphany, he realizes that his business has become too dominated by money and volume, losing the personal concern for clients that’s supposed to be the heart of the affair. He stays up all night to produce a document – he pointedly calls it a “mission statement” – which he titles, “The Things We Think and Do Not Say.”

Vatican Urges Faithful to Revive Efforts for Sainthood Cause of Cardinal Van Thuan

Vatican urges faithful to revive efforts for sainthood cause of political prisoner Cardinal Van Thuan | Catholic News Agency: The beatification cause of Venerable Francis-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan is receiving renewed attention from the Vatican 50 years after he was first imprisoned by the communist government of Vietnam, according to the cardinal’s sister. Elisabeth Nguyen Thi Thu Hong, Van Thuan’s youngest sister and last living sibling, told CNA that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints is encouraging Catholics to revive their efforts toward the cause as it launches a new webpage devoted to the Vietnamese cardinal...

Days Before Murder, Charlie Kirk Told California Bishop: ‘I’m This Close’ to Becoming Catholic

How%20%u2018close%u2019%20was%20Charlie%20Kirk%20to%20becoming%20Catholic%3F: Our dad loved John Wayne. If there was a John Wayne movie on TV on any Sunday afternoon, we were going to watch it. If there was a Duke movie on the Late Show, he would stay up to watch it. Both our parents were of a generation that “bought” into the Hollywood dream machine that created, managed and protected images for fans to adulate both on and off screen. There were no cell phones or no tabloid TV shows to burst the bubble of stardom that had been so carefully crafted and guarded.

A Test Case, What Would Benedict Say, and Cheating Tossers

(1) A test case, what would Benedict say, and cheating tossersCONDON: Today is the feast of St. Januarius, he of the vial of miraculously re-liquifying blood in the Naples cathedral. There’s plenty interesting to discuss about that triannual event, which sometimes takes minutes or hours, and sometimes doesn’t happen at all, and which appears to be treated by the local Neapolitans as something between an object of sincere pious devotion and Catholic Magic 8ball...

The Conference, and the Moment

(1) The conference, and the moment - by JD Flynn - The PillarJDFLYNN: In the same way that political assassinations of the late 1960s defined an era, or the killing of George Floyd did the same in 2020, analysts left and right seem to agree that the murder of conservative figure Charlie Kirk will be likely remembered as — to borrow a phrase — a turning point in the American political story, which has already led to deeper fissures between left and right, and new language and perspectives from the Trump administration.

Chinese Communist Government Bans Catholic Priests From Preaching, Evangelizing Online

Chinese government bans Catholic priests from preaching, evangelizing online | Catholic News Agency: New regulations from the State Administration for Religious Affairs in China have enacted a ban on several major forms of online evangelization for religious clergy of all religions, including Catholic priests.

Blood of St. Januarius Liquefies in Cathedral on Feast Day

Blood%20of%20St.%20Januarius%20liquifies%2C%20offering%20%u2018a%20voice%20that%20still%20preaches%u2019%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyTARALLO: The miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius was announced in Naples on Sept. 19, with the centuries-old relic once again offering what Abbot Monsignor Vincenzo De Gregorio called an “invitation to stake everything” on trust in God.

My Father Was Murdered Too. I Pray Charlie Kirk’s Family Finds the Grace I Found

My%20Father%20Was%20Murdered%20Too.%20I%20Pray%20Charlie%20Kirk%u2019s%20Family%20Finds%20the%20Grace%20I%20Found%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterNAUMANN: The shocking event of last week’s assassination of Charlie Kirk has left a country in shock and two young children without a father. I cannot imagine the pain of Charlie’s widow, Erika, but I feel a special closeness to her and her family. My father Fred was murdered before I was born. I never met him but I got to know him through my mother, through his friends, and, I believe, through his supernatural presence in my life. Charlie’s children are now, tragically, on a similar path.

Pope Leo XIV: ‘My Priority Is the Gospel, Not Solving the World’s Problems’

Pope%20Leo%20XIV%3A%20My%20priority%20is%20the%20Gospel%2C%20not%20solving%20the%20world%u2019s%20problems%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyBROCKHAUS: Pope Leo XIV said his primary role as leader of the Church is confirming Catholics in their faith and sharing the Gospel with the world, not resolving global crises. Speaking to Crux senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen in the first sit-down interview of his pontificate, Leo also said he was “trying not to continue to polarize or promote polarization in the Church.”

LEO XIV INTERVIEW (1 OF 6): Ukraine, Synodality, Polarization, and the World Cup

In interview with Crux correspondent, Pope talks Ukraine, synodality, polarization, World Cup | Crux: These are the first excerpts of a two-part interview between Pope Leo XIV and Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen contained in her new biography of the pontiff, León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century.” The book is published in Spanish by Penguin Peru and will be available for purchase in stores and online Sept. 18. English and Portuguese editions will be available in early 2026.

This Is the One Craft That Really Matters

The One Craft That Really Matters - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: People bemoan the loss of craftsmanship, and rightly so. We wonder what has happened to pride and care about every little detail, just because. Indeed, too many have only read about such craftsmen. But there is something much deeper going on that often escapes our notice. There is a greater craft—and it is truly a craft—that underlies and gives meaning to all other crafts. Every human person is called to develop this craft as we mature. Indeed, forming the young in this craft should be the real focus of ‘raising’ or ‘educating’ our young. But of this craft, and how to cultivate it, and how it has been set aside, we hear precious little.

LEO XIV INTERVIEW (2 OF 6): Relations With Other Churches

Pope%20Leo%20XVI%20speaks%20to%20Crux%u2019s%20Elise%20Ann%20Allen%20on%20relations%20with%20other%20churches%20%7C%20Crux: These are the second excerpts of a two-part interview between Pope Leo XIV and Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen contained in her new biography of the pontiff, León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century.” The book is published in Spanish by Penguin Peru and will be available for purchase in stores and online Sept. 18. English and Portuguese editions will be available in early 2026.

What Is the Best Way to Distribute Holy Communion?

(1) What Is The Best Way to Distribute Communion?GRESS: Over two decades ago, after being a daily communicant for years, I suggested to an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion what I thought was the best way to distribute Communion into the mouth. I somehow hit a nerve in this individual and it didn’t go well. I decided then to keep quiet ... until now. There are three main things that everyone hopes happens at the distribution of Communion. First, to reverently give the Body of Christ to communicants in a state of grace...

LEO XIV INTERVIEW (3 OF 6): The Curia and Vatican Finances

Pope%20Leo%20tells%20Crux%u2019s%20Elise%20Ann%20Allen%20about%20the%20Curia%20and%20Vatican%20finances%20%7C%20Crux: These are the third excerpts of a two-part interview between Pope Leo XIV and Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen contained in her new biography of the pontiff, León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century.” The book is published in Spanish by Penguin Peru and will be available for purchase in stores and online Sept. 18. English and Portuguese editions will be available in early 2026.

Is Mary the Woman in Revelation 12?

Is Mary the Woman in Revelation 12? | Catholic Answers MagazineHORN: When Protestants say, “Catholics believe in doctrines that aren’t found in the Bible,” they often appeal to the dogma of Mary’s assumption in order to justify the claim. In response, some Catholics say the Assumption is in the Bible because Mary is the woman John sees in heaven that is described in Revelation 12. Protestants often counter this claim by accusing Catholics of shoehorning Mary into a text that is actually talking about the Church or the people of Israel.

LEO XIV INTERVIEW (4 OF 6): Gaza, China, and the US

Pope%20Leo%20speaks%20to%20Crux%u2019s%20Elise%20Ann%20Allen%20about%20Gaza%2C%20China%2C%20and%20the%20U.S.%20%7C%20Crux: These are the fourth excerpts of a two-part interview between Pope Leo XIV and Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen contained in her new biography of the pontiff, León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century.” The book is published in Spanish by Penguin Peru and will be available for purchase in stores and online Sept. 18. English and Portuguese editions will be available in early 2026.

A Catholic Response to the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

A Response to the Assassination of Charlie Kirk - Real Life Catholic - Chris StefanickSTEFANICK: Where do we go from here? In dark times like this, we must remember that Christ is our hope, and there is a path forward. Here are Chris Stefanick’s reflections on a Christian response to the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk. In this video, he offers three suggestions for moving forward in an era of political violence when freedom of speech hangs in the balance and some Christians feel targeted for their beliefs. We must look to Jesus by loving our enemies, not fearing death, and pushing back against the label that Christian beliefs are hateful or harmful.

LEO XIV INTERVIEW (5 OF 6): Polarization in the World

Pope%20Leo%20speaks%20to%20Crux%u2019s%20Elise%20Ann%20Allen%20about%20polarization%20in%20the%20world%20%7C%20Crux: These are the fifth excerpts of a two-part interview between Pope Leo XIV and Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen contained in her new biography of the pontiff, León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century.” The book is published in Spanish by Penguin Peru and will be available for purchase in stores and online Sept. 18. English and Portuguese editions will be available in early 2026.

What Does Jubilee Mean in the Bible?

What Does Jubilee Mean in the Bible? - St. Paul CenterHARROLD: With his papal bull Spes Non Confundit (“Hope does not disappoint”), Pope Francis confirmed that 2025 would be an Ordinary Jubilee Year. While the Church occasionally celebrates additional jubilees, the ordinary celebration takes place every 25 years. This year’s jubilee officially began on Christmas Eve (December 24), 2024, and it will end on the Epiphany of the Lord (January 6), 2026. The theme for the year, chosen by Pope France, is “pilgrims of hope.” But where does the idea of jubilee come from exactly? And what does it mean in its original biblical context?

LEO XIV INTERVIEW (6 of 6): LGBTQ+ Issues and the Liturgy

Pope%20Leo%20speaks%20to%20Crux%u2019s%20Elise%20Ann%20Allen%20about%20LGBTQ+%20issues%20and%20the%20liturgy%20%7C%20Crux: These are the sixth excerpts of a two-part interview between Pope Leo XIV and Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen contained in her new biography of the pontiff, León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century.” The book is published in Spanish by Penguin Peru and will be available for purchase in stores and online Sept. 18. English and Portuguese editions will be available in early 2026.

‘Why Are Catholics So Happy?’ Harvard’s Arthur Brooks Has an Answer That Could Change Your Life

New%20Advent%3A%20%u2018Why%20Are%20Catholics%20So%20Happy%3F%u2019%20Harvard%u2019s%20Arthur%20Brooks%20Has%20an%20Answer%20That%20Could%20Change%20Your%20Life: Author and Harvard professor, Arthur C. Brooks delivered this keynote address for the Convocation at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas...

The Apocalypse of God’s Temple and the Tree of Life

%281%29%20The%20Apocalypse%20of%20God%u2019s%20Temple%20and%20the%20Tree%20of%20LifeTSAKANIKAS: Observe the progressive movements towards the Incarnation. The Eternal Spirit, the Most Holy Trinity, God was always showing his desire to tabernacle amongst us and develop a union between heaven and earth. At Mount Sinai, God came veiled in a “thick cloud.” Next, with the tent of meeting, he tabernacled, veiled in garments of skins and curtains embroidered with cherubim. Filling the tent of meeting with His glory was like taking on the sinful flesh of man...

12 of the Best Fall Foliage Hikes in the US — From Alaska to Tennessee

12%20of%20the%20Best%20Fall%20Foliage%20Hikes%20in%20the%20U.S.%u2014From%20Alaska%20to%20Tennessee: Fall is when nature puts on her best show, and these trails are your front row seat to it. The ultimate goal of leaf-peeping season is fairly simple: walk somewhere beautiful and stare at trees until your eyes water and your feet start to go numb. But the opportunities are endless. You’ll find jaw-dropping fall colors in places you’d never expect (yes, even the South), and those crowds that clogged up summer routes will have largely retreated to pumpkin patches and football games.

America badly needs men and women of character today. Thank you, Cal Ripken...

A Heroic Example| National Catholic RegisterWEIGEL: America needs the example of a real hero: a dedicated hero who enhances natural talents by hard work and takes pride in a craft; an unselfish hero who places team above self; a modest hero who shares the credit for wins and accepts the blame, sometimes unnecessarily, for losses; a sportsmanlike hero who wants his opponents to be at their best so that victory means something; a stoic hero who overcomes pain and frustration because...

Roadmaps of Redemption and Salvation

Roadmaps of Redemption and Salvation | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: The crucifix affixed above the altar signifies that the Sacrifice of the Mass participates in the one Sacrifice of Jesus for our redemption. The Cross defines our worship and provides the path to salvation. But the roadmaps of redemption and salvation vary in the post-Reformation era of fragmented Christianity. Catholic teaching holds that Original Sin wounded but did not destroy human nature...

Untimely Meditations in Utah

Untimely Meditations in Utah - The Catholic ThingROYAL: In 1776, the year that America became independent (and San Francisco was founded), two Franciscan priests, Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, traveled from what would become Santa Fe, New Mexico, through Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, aided at several points by native guides, until circumstances forced them to turn back in Orem, Utah, the very place where, last week, Charlie Kirk was murdered...

Two Classics: ‘Crime and Punishment’ and ‘Columbo’

Two Classics: "Crime and Punishment" and "Columbo" ~ The Imaginative ConservativeLONGENECKER: The classic television show “Columbo,” like the great novel “Crime and Punishment,” is a classic, and rightfully so, because it too penetrates to the heart of a modern heresy and exposes it for the lie that it is. This is the Nietzschean idea of the “ubermensch”: the superman who can transcend ordinary law.

Thinking About Why Charlie Kirk Died

(1) Thinking about why Charlie Kirk died - by tmattMATTINGLY: What do Joe Rogan, Charlie Sheen and Charlie Kirk have in common? On many levels, the correct answer is, “Not much.” And I never thought that I would be discussing Sheen in the context of someone like Kirk who, whatever you thought of his MAGA messages, was maturing into an increasingly effective public apologist on topics of faith, family and public life.

The Dark Night of the Soul Is Not What You Think

Dark Night of the Soul: Not What You Think | Catholic Answers MagazineMAZRIN: St. Teresa of Calcutta is often described as having lived for decades in a “dark night of the soul.” The phrase has become so common that people apply it broadly to mean any prolonged period of aridity, or dryness, in prayer, or any season of difficulty in the spiritual life. How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m going through a dark night of the soul” when what he really means is that he feels distant from God, or is merely not feeling spiritual consolations?

King Charles III Attends First UK Catholic Royal Funeral in Centuries for Duchess of Kent

British royal family holds first Catholic funeral in centuries for Duchess of Kent | Catholic News Agency: The British Royal family held its first Catholic funeral in modern history on Tuesday for the duchess of Kent, the first senior British royal to be received into the Church since the 17th century. The duchess died on Sept. 4 at the age of 92 and asked that her funeral be held at Westminster Cathedral in London. She was raised Anglican but joined the Catholic Church in 1994. She described her conversion as a “long-pondered personal decision” but said she was attracted to the solace and clarity of the faith.

Anger, Death, and the Inevitable Disregard for the Golden Rule

Anger, Death, and the Inevitable Disregard for the Golden Rule | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: One of the most important tenets that Jesus immediately proposed and explained to those present around him was the importance of living a life of beatitude. He presses an important point of loving your brother by shunning one’s anger. Even more, he reminds those around him that whoever kills is bound to judgment, as the one who holds anger toward his brother is also liable to judgment. The correlation between killing someone and the anger someone holds against someone or something...

Mine on the Moon

(1) Mine on the Moon - by JD Flynn - The PillarJDFLYNN: You’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post, and today’s the feast of St. Cyprian and Pope St. Cornelius, martyrs both, and saints of mercy. It was the third century. In the eyes of the emperor, Decius, Rome was floundering, the empire’s best days were behind it. Decius believed the empire was fracturing, that respect for Rome’s culture, her glory, and her emperor were fading. He aimed to restore Rome to its former greatness, and cement himself as the leader of a new golden age.

The Duchess of Kent attended my ordination at Westminster Cathedral. Today, on the day of her funeral, I pray for the repose of her soul

A Funeral and some Fulfilment - Diocese of WestminsterMACKENZIE: On Tuesday the funeral of Her Royal Highness Katharine Duchess of Kent will take place in the Cathedral. This will be the first Catholic royal funeral in modern history, made all the more historic by the presence of their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla. While the funeral ceremonies are a private, family affair, we chaplains here have the great privilege of concelebrating at the Requiem Mass. This has a particular significance for me because, by a strange providence, Her Royal Highness also attended my own ordination here in the Cathedral.

Prudent Stewards: A Reflection on the Upcoming 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Prudent Stewards: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - St. Paul CenterHAHN: The steward in today’s Gospel confronts the reality that he can’t go on living the way he has been. He is under judgment. He must give account for what he has done. The exploiters of the poor in today’s First Reading are also about to be pulled down, to be thrust from their stations (see Isaiah 22:19). Servants of mammon, or money, they’re so in love with wealth that they reduce the poor to objects; they despise the new moons and sabbaths—the observances and holy days of God (see Leviticus 23:24; Exodus 20:8).

People Are Knocking. Here’s How Parishes Can Respond...

People are knocking. Here's how parishes can respondGLEMKOWSKI: Early reports from across the country suggest that Catholic churches across the country were uniquely full this past Sunday. Social media and on-the-ground reporting indicates that the upswing was attributed to the impact of violence in our country in recent weeks, particularly the assassination of Charlie Kirk. In his recent address to the recently appointed bishops gathered in Rome, casually referred to as “Baby Bishop School,” Pope Leo XIV issued a challenging word

Activist Priest Resigns Over New Syro-Malabar Liturgy

Activist priest resigns over new Syro-Malabar liturgyCOPPEN: A priest known for his social activism resigned as the vicar of a parish in India’s Ernakulam-Angamaly archeparchy Sunday after he was asked to celebrate the Syro-Malabar Church’s new uniform Eucharistic liturgy. Fr. Augustine Vattoly, the parish vicar of St. Augustine Church, Kadamakkudy, in Kerala state, announced his resignation Sept. 14 in an open letter to Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, the archiepiscopal vicar of Ernakulam-Angamaly.

Catholic Campus Ministries Nationwide Report ‘Charlie Kirk Effect’ on Mass Attendance, New Inquirers

Mass attendance up at various colleges in wake of Charlie Kirk assassination | Catholic News Agency: In what some are calling “the Charlie Kirk effect,” people across the nation, including many college students who are not ordinarily churchgoers, have decided to go to church since the assassination last week of the conservative Christian political activist Charlie Kirk.

How This Catholic School Event 67 Years Ago Changed Every School in America

New Advent: How This Catholic School Event 67 Years Ago Changed Every School in America: In December 1958, a fire broke out at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago. Within minutes, the building was consumed, and 92 children along with three nuns tragically lost their lives. It remains one of the deadliest school fires in U.S. history. Yet, out of this disaster, came some of the most sweeping changes to building codes, fire safety standards, and school practices ever enacted...

‘Hey Culligan Man!’: How My Parents’ ‘Yes’ to Life Changed the World

%u2018Hey%20Culligan%20Man%21%u2019%3A%20How%20My%20Parents%u2019%20%u2018Yes%u2019%20to%20Life%20Changed%20the%20World%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCULLIGAN: This year, I turn 90. This, of course, is no big deal, except that my age gives me an excellent vantage point from which to tell a true pro-life story. My father was Emmett J. Culligan, the renowned “Culligan Man” who founded the worldwide water-conditioning industry. He and my mother, Anna Bridget Harrington, both of strong midwestern Irish-Catholic stock, together raised seven children. I am the youngest and now the only one remaining. My father’s business success provided us with a home life that, while not extravagant, was very comfortable and incredibly enriching. But it was not always so.

‘No One Can Silence Their Voice’: Pope Leo XIV Honors Modern Martyrs at Ecumenical Service

%u2018No%20one%20can%20silence%20their%20voice%u2019%3A%20Pope%20Leo%20XIV%20honors%20modern%20martyrs%20at%20ecumenical%20service%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20Agency: Pope Leo XIV led an ecumenical commemoration of the martyrs and witnesses of faith of the 21st century at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sunday, stressing that “even though they have been killed in body, no one can silence their voice or erase the love they have shown.”

In interview with Crux correspondent, Pope talks Ukraine, synodality, polarization, World Cup

In interview with Crux correspondent, Pope talks Ukraine, synodality, polarization, World Cup | Crux: In a lengthy and wide-ranging interview for a new biography of his life, Pope Leo XIV opens up his own background as history’s first U.S.-born pope and the first pope to hold Peruvian citizenship, jesting about who he would cheer for in a hypothetical World Cup, as well as his understanding of the papacy and current topics such as peace in Ukraine, his vision for synodality, and the polarization dividing so much of the world.

Pope Leo XIV Marks 70th Birthday at Sunday Angelus: ‘I Give Thanks to the Lord and to My Parents’

Pope Leo XIV marks 70th birthday at Sunday Angelus: 'I give thanks to the Lord and to my parents' | Catholic News Agency: On Sunday, his 70th birthday, Pope Leo XIV presided at the recitation of the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. From the early morning hours, the square had filled up with the faithful carrying banners, flags, and congratulatory signs to celebrate the pope’s milestone.

Brian Burch, New US Ambassador to the Holy See, Formally Presents Credentials to Pope Leo XIV

New U.S. ambassador to the Vatican presents credentials to Pope Leo XIV | Catholic News Agency: Pope Leo XIV on Saturday morning received Brian Burch, the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace for the formal presentation of his letters of credence. According to a U.S. embassy statement, the two men discussed the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as "protecting religious freedom, the Vatican’s relationship with China, and the AI revolution."

Pope Leo hints at Lampedusa visit in strong echo of Francis on migrants and refugees

Pope hints at Lampedusa visit in strong echo of Francis on migrants and refugees | Crux: In another firm echo of the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Leo XIV released a nine-minute video message to the island community of Lampedusa on Friday, praising its efforts to welcome migrants and refugees and appearing to offer the prospect of an imminent papal visit.

The Brief, Servant's Life of Newly Canonized Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati

The Brief, Servant's Life of Newly Sainted Pier Giorgio Frassati: On Sept. 7, 80,000 worshippers gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for Pope Leo XIV’s first two canonizations: Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. During his homily, the pope addressed especially the young people, presenting the lives of these new saints—however brief—as guides for holiness. Pier Giorgio Frassati was born April 6, 1901, in Turin to a rich bourgeois family. His father, Alfredo, was a lawyer and ambassador, as well as founder and director of the newspaper...

A Note on Noticing the Glory

A Note on Noticing the Glory - The Catholic ThingMAIER: Colorado has dozens of ski resorts. The official count is 41. Vail and Aspen, Telluride, and Steamboat Springs get the lion’s share of attention. But little ski gems like Wolf Creek and Crested Butte abound. Our family favorite, in the 18 years we lived in Denver, was Arapahoe Basin. Tucked into the Continental Divide just 65 miles from our home, “A-Basin” was an easy drive and a laid-back local magnet. It offered a few beginner runs, but the resort was, and is, short on frills and has little patience with posers.

Pope Leo XIV to New Bishops: ‘Be Builders of Bridges’

Pope Leo calls on new bishops to be builders of bridges - Vatican News: Pope Leo tackled numerous themes on Thursday, 11 September, during a question-and-answer session at the conclusion of his audience with newly appointed bishops in the Synod Hall at the Vatican. According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, Pope Leo continued his reflection on “the challenges and issues” new bishops “face at the beginning of a new ministry, such as fears, feelings of unworthiness, and the different expectations each had for their lives before their calling.”

Leadership in the Wake of Tragedy: Reflection on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Leadership%20in%20the%20Wake%20of%20Tragedy%3A%20Reflection%20on%20the%20Assassination%20of%20Charlie%20Kirk%20%u2013%20Epiphany%20Communications%20%7C%20Coaching%20%26%20ConsultingGARMO: The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a sobering moment for anyone who believes in the power of dialogue, public engagement, and leadership—regardless of political affiliation. As a leadership coach, I view this not through the lens of ideology, but through the lens of human dignity, civic responsibility, and the culture we shape through our words and actions.

Charlie Kirk: A Joyful Warrior for Life

Charlie Kirk: A Joyful Warrior for Life | National ReviewLOPEZ: “Why should I not be able to eliminate my ten-month-old baby?” Charlie Kirk invited an obnoxious, narcissistic young college student to give her best effort at making her “pro-choice” arguments. He was respectful. She was not. He was convicted about protecting the weak, unborn child, and tried to draw out of the girl why he didn’t have the right to kill a born child if she could kill her unborn child. She ignored him and said she had another question to ask instead of responding to his respectful response to her.

Charlie Kirk Is Dead. Just Stop Everything and Pray...

Charlie Kirk Is Dead. Just Stop Everything and Pray. | National ReviewLOPEZ: Charlie Kirk is dead. I know you know that. But stop scrolling and clicking and arguing for a few minutes and think about it. If you pray, pray. Really, truly pray. If you are Catholic, get yourself in front of the Blessed Sacrament. (If you are not Catholic, feel free to, too.) There is no more powerful Presence on this earth. Acknowledge that. Acknowledge Him. If you don’t pray, just think about the fact Charlie Kirk died because he was speaking.

Charlie Kirk, Iryna Zarutska and the conversations we need to have

Scalia: Charlie Kirk, Iryna Zarutska and the conversations we need to have - OSV NewsSCALIA: On Sept. 10, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during a speaking event in Utah. He leaves behind a wife and two very young children. Assassination is a tragedy for our country and for humanity. In this case it raises the flame beneath a pot that had already been simmering and is now dangerously close to boiling over. We must pray for peace, and for a reckoning that rids us of senseless violence once and for all.

How the legendary Motown was inspired by a Ford assembly line and magnified by the Beatles

Motown: The History Of A Hits Factory | GBH: In 1965, the folks at one federal agency had an ambitious goal. They wanted to create something that was well ahead of its time: a music video. The agency was the Office of Economic Opportunity, part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. The OEO helped co-produce a 90-minute TV special with CBS, urging American teenagers to find summer jobs and stay educated. But the video also showcased some of the era’s biggest stars, including Ray Charles, Tom Jones and the Supremes.

How Soft Religious Relativism Is Hardening Into Open Persecution

On%20the%20urgent%20need%20to%20recognize%20and%20reject%20religious%20relativism%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportCHAPP: Way back in olden times, when I was still a professor of theology, one of the most ubiquitous attitudes amongst the students was that it does not matter which religion one practiced since “all religions are really saying the same thing in their essence”. Indeed, in this view, it does not even matter if one practices a religion at all since it is possible to be a “good person” and to be “spiritual” without any religious affiliation. Furthermore, such views are expressed with extreme confidence, as if there is no need to offer arguments for them since their reasonableness is beyond dispute.

In the Midst of Political Violence, Lift High the Cross

This%20Sunday%3A%20In%20the%20Midst%20of%20Political%20Violence%2C%20Lift%20High%20the%20Cross%20%u2013%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20%26%20CultureHOOPES: After sobering news about political violence in America, this Sunday, Sept. 14, is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Just as it did after Sept. 11, 2001, the Church offers the hard hope of the cross after tragedy. It is crucial in times like this to understand the glory of the cross — a glory which never takes away sadness, but answers pain with love. Here are five takeaways drawn from Sunday Readings columns at this site and the Extraordinary Story podcast.

I Knew Charlie Kirk. He Was a Man of Intelligence, Charm and Goodness of Heart...

New%20Advent%3A%20Bishop%20Barron%3A%20%u2018I%20Knew%20Charlie%20Kirk.%20He%20Was%20a%20Man%20of%20Intelligence%2C%20Charm%20and%20Goodness%20of%20Heart%u2019BARRON: I first met Charlie Kirk about four years ago when I was in Phoenix for a speaking engagement. He reached out and invited me to breakfast. I was deeply impressed by him that day. He was a man of great intelligence, considerable charm, and real goodness of heart. I reconnected with him just last year, after I saw him debate twenty-five young people who were, to put it mildly, hostile to his views...

Ammunition in Charlie Kirk Shooting Engraved With Transgender and Antifascist Ideology, Sources Tell WSJ

Charlie Kirk Shot Dead at 31; Shooter Still at Large: Live Updates: Conservative political activist and author Charlie Kirk has died after being shot on stage during an event at Utah Valley University. He was going back and forth with a student about mass shootings involving transgender people when he was shot, according to videos of the attack.

Charlie Kirk Dies After Being Shot at College Event in Utah

Charlie Kirk Dies After Being Shot at College Event in Utah| National Catholic Register: Charlie Kirk, a conservative icon and popular social media influencer, was shot Wednesday afternoon during a public appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem. Prayer requests for Kirk flooded across social media platforms after video footage depicting him being shot in the neck began to circulate on X. Kirk had been discussing the rising phenomenon of violent attacks perpetrated by trans-identifying individuals.

Seven Catholic Bishops Join Record-Breaking UK March for Life in London

Seven Catholic Bishops Join Record-Breaking UK March for Life in London| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: This year’s March for Life UK saw its largest ever number of participants on Saturday, drawing together families and individuals from a diverse mix of backgrounds and nationalities as well as Catholic priests, religious, seven Catholic bishops and, for the first time, a message from the Holy Father. Held in a festive atmosphere and under warm, sunny September skies, organizers estimated 10,000 participants took part...

A Nightly Ritual for Married and Unmarried

A Nightly Ritual for Married and Unmarried - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: What Aquinas writes about dreams is something we have all observed, and it calls for closer consideration: “those things which have occupied a man’s thoughts and affections while awake recur to his imagination while asleep.” This implies that our nighttime dreams are not wholly beyond our sway. Indeed, it grounds a very practical approach to improving our dreams. The point here is not to attempt what is impossible...

The Lost Art of Catholic Cinema

The Lost Art of Catholic Cinema - Word on FireMCINERNY: When so many Catholic and other Christian filmmakers are working so admirably and achieving so much popular and evangelical success—success, one hastens to add, in an industry whose power players are inimical to everything these filmmakers stand for—it might well seem churlish to point out any limitation in their work. But when their work contributes, however unwittingly, to the diminution, if not outright abolition, of an entire tradition of filmmaking, then something needs to be said.

ESPN’s Favorite College Football Game-Day Traditions

Our favorite college football game-day traditions - ESPN: There's nothing quite like the energy, emotion, pageantry and good ol' fashioned fun that takes place every fall weekend at college football games. There are time-honored traditions that date back many decades. There are century-old marching bands and pulsating techno hits. There are rampaging animals, covered wagons, antique cars and even storied rocks. There are quaint customs and there are controversies -- it wouldn't be college football without controversy, right?

2025 Fall Foliage Forecast Map: ‘Autumn Is a Second Spring When Every Leaf Is a Flower’

2025 Fall Foliage Map & Nationwide Peak Leaf Forecast: The 2025 Fall Foliage Map is the ultimate visual planning guide to the annual progressive changing of the leaves. While no tool can be 100% accurate, this tool is meant to help travelers better time their trips to have the best opportunity of catching peak color each year...

Pope Leo XIV at Wednesday General Audience: ‘Jesus Shows Us Crying Out Is Not Weakness But an Act of Hope’

Pope at Audience: Jesus shows us crying out is not weakness but an act of hope - Vatican News: Looking at the culmination of Jesus’s earthly life, Pope Leo reflected on His death on a cross. Continuing his General Audience catechesis on the crucifixion and death of Jesus, the Pope stressed that Jesus did not die in silence. “He does not fade away gradually, like a light that burns out, but rather he leaves life with a cry.” That cry, Pope Leo explained, is more than the body surrendering, “but the final sign of a life being surrendered.” Before this, Jesus offers a question...

Why are we obsessing over Cracker Barrel logos? Let’s make America serious again...

Let%u2019s%20Make%20America%20Serious%20Again%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterWEIGEL: Having spent most of July and August off the grid while teaching in Poland and vacationing in Canada, I missed a lot of the Great Cracker Barrel Logo Fracas. But from what little I have observed of this absurd “debate” over whether removing a white man from the company logo constituted another corporate cave-in to wokery, which was followed by the equally inane “debate” over whether Cracker Barrel’s restoration of that figure to its logo was a further step toward the end of democracy...

Could Leo take a ‘Vatican II’ approach to Traditionis custodes?

%281%29%20Could%20Leo%20take%20a%20%u2018Vatican%20II%u2019%20approach%20to%20Traditionis%20custodes%3FCONDON: Supporters of the extraordinary form of the liturgy have welcomed the announcement that the traditional Latin Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica as part of an annual traditionalist pilgrimage to Rome in October. The Mass, expected to be celebrated according to the 1962 Missal, will be the first time that rubric is used in St. Peter’s and in connection with the annual event since 2021...

Vatican Announces New Feast Days for Sts. Carlo Acutis (Oct. 12) and Pier Giorgio Frassati (July 4)

Vatican establishes feast days of St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati | Catholic News AgencyCARDIEL: The Catholic Church will commemorate the liturgical memorial of St. Carlo Acutis on Oct. 12 and of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati on July 4. The two young men were canonized Sept. 7 by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. In the case of St. Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager who died in 2006 and was beatified in Assisi in October 2020, his feast day was set for Oct. 12, coinciding with the anniversary of his death from fulminant leukemia at the age of 15.

Traditionalists Rejoice That Cardinal Burke Will Be Allowed to Celebrate TLM at St. Peter’s on Oct. 25

Traditionalists rejoice that top US cardinal allowed to celebrate old Latin Mass at St. Peter's | AP NewsWINFIELD: Traditionalist Catholics celebrated news Monday that the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV had given them permission to celebrate the old Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica during their upcoming pilgrimage. U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, a figurehead of the conservative and traditionalist wing of the church, will celebrate the Mass on Oct. 25, the pilgrimage organizers said...

Seeing What a Saint Is Like: Malcolm Muggeridge and Mother Teresa

Seeing What a Saint Is Like: Malcolm Muggeridge & Mother Teresa ~ The Imaginative ConservativeDEAVEL: Even in their deaths, saints often manifest the humility of Christ. I remember vividly watching one of the major news networks on September 5, 1997, the day Mother Teresa died at the age of 87. Whichever one it was had invited on the enfant terrible of New Atheist punditry, Christopher Hitchens, to discuss her life. Hitch, who had penned an attack on the Albanian nun’s work, titled naughtily The Missionary Position, was given the green light to summarize his book...

Tim Kaine Comments on Rights and Religion: Senator Needs Remedial Civics

Tim Kaine Comments on Rights and Religion: Senator Needs Remedial Civics | National ReviewLOPEZ: He’s the senator from Virginia whom the Democrats offered as their vice-presidential candidate not that long ago; he’s presumably one of the best they’ve got. In fact, he’s so good that he claims to have a better idea about the origin of our rights than does the Declaration of Independence. So I apologize for what Tim Kaine said at a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing...

Mastering AI: Benedictine College Launches New Center as Carlo Acutis Is Canonized

Mastering%20AI%3A%20Benedictine%20Launches%20New%20Center%20as%20Carlo%20Acutis%20Is%20Canonized%20%u2013%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20%26%20Culture: Pope Leo XVI asked for the Church to respond to the Artificial Intelligence revolution, so Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, has created the Center for Technology and Human Dignity, promoting Catholic digital and biomedical ethics. The director for the center is Mariele Courtois, a Benedictine College theologian, bioethicist, and a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education’s research group on artificial intelligence.

Unconditional Alliance: Do Not Be Too Proud to Call Upon Our Savior’s Constant Help

Unconditional Alliance | Parishable ItemsFELTES: At the Last Supper, when Jesus told his disciples “one of you will betray me,” all of them replied “Surely, it is not I, Lord,” except for Judas. Judas answered, “Surely it is not I, rabbi (or teacher).” Jesus Christ must be more than merely our teacher. He insists on being our supremely-loved Lord...

Diocese Investigates Sainthood Cause of Tom Vander Woude, Virginia Father Who Gave His Life to Save His Son

Diocese investigates sainthood cause of Virginia father Tom Vander Woude, who saved son | Catholic News Agency: Suffocation awaited a young man with Down syndrome when the eroded surface of a toxic sewage tank crumbled beneath his feet. Joseph Vander Woude would have died alone in the cramped tank surrounded by toxic fumes, but his father jumped in, pushing him toward the surface with his last breath. Even as his lungs filled with toxic gases, Tom called out to the farmhand who was trying to pull Joseph out. “You pull, I’ll push,” he said.

Pope Leo gives first exclusive interview to Crux correspondent for new bio

Leo gives first exclusive interview to Crux correspondent for new bio | Crux: Penguin Random House announced Monday that notoriously media-shy Pope Leo XIV has given his first-ever papal interview to Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen as part of her new biography of the pontiff. Titled ‘Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century,’ the book will be published by Penguin Peru in Spanish Sept. 18 and will be available in bookstores nationwide.

St. Maria Goretti, Mother Seton, and Other Jubilee Saints

Jubilee Saints - The Catholic ThingDESOUZA: Popes give special attention to those they canonize in Jubilee years. The joint canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis today marks a highlight of Jubilee 2025, and perhaps a high point of Leo’s pontificate. For the Jubilee 1900, Pope Leo XIII canonized two saints, both with fairly wide popular devotion, Jean-Baptiste de La Salle and Rita of Cascia...

Pope Leo XIV proclaims Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati Saints

LIVE UPDATES: Canonization of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, the first saints of Pope Leo XIV | Catholic News Agency: Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Italians Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis as saints of the Church on Sunday.

What Did the Pope Say to Father James Martin?

(1) Crossroads -- What did the pope say to Father James Martin?MATTINGLY: People who watch Rome closely know that who a pope promotes and who he punishes is far more important than what he says in statements to the press or even, in some cases, what is released in public documents. Who gets a red hat in the College of Cardinals and who does not? Who is appointed to posts that shape and guide projects (the word synodality is relevant) that could, potentially, change church doctrine?

What Kind of God Demands Animal Sacrifices?

What Kind of God Demands Animal Sacrifices? | Catholic Answers MagazineLANCASTER: Why in the world did God command the Jewish people to offer animal sacrifices? Not only do they appear inhumane and gross to us twenty-first-century Americans, but the Bible seems to be inconsistent. After all, Scripture pushes for the fair treatment of humans (“love your enemies”), yet not for animals. They get killed left and right.

Why is OCIA Growing in the United States?

Why is OCIA Growing In The USA? - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: Earlier this week I spoke to an OCIA (formerly RCIA) class of 170 or so college students at St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M (the campus ministry I used to run). You might be amazed by that number, because it is a large class, but here is the real shocker - that is less than ½ of the students in the OCIA program! The class I spoke to started last spring (plus some other students joined after a summer intensive to catch them up). There is a larger class which met for the first time in a different room and they are at about 250 students, for a total of 420+ or so! The number of students could possibly go even higher.

Why Do Hammerhead Sharks Have A Hammerhead?

Why Do Hammerhead Sharks Have A Hammerhead? | IFLScience: Hammerhead sharks look like a fish that’s had its face flattened by a cartoon mallet and decided to just roll with it. They’re freaks of nature, haters might say, but these marine marvels are actually masters of adaptation, equipped with bizarre yet brilliant features that make them some of the ocean’s most efficient predators.

How the Sony Hawk-Eye system could revolutionize the NFL

How the Sony Hawk-Eye system could revolutionize the NFL - Good Morning America: A cutting-edge virtual measurement system will make its NFL debut when the 2025 season kicks off in less than two weeks, to help make the most precise ball placements the gridiron has ever seen.

Life After Death: Learning from Socrates

Life After Death: Learning from Socrates - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: Socrates’s worldview never ceases to amaze me. As a Christian, I find the depth of his insight surprising, but more to the point, inspiring. If without divine revelation he discovered and lived out such convictions, how much more should I. There are several notable examples, and here I will consider one of his convictions about life after death. That some great pagans came to conclusions that are like or close to what God supernaturally revealed...

Duchess of Kent, First Senior Royal to Become Catholic in 300 Years, Dies at 92

Duchess of Kent, First Senior Royal to Become Catholic in 300 Years, Dies at 92| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, who became the first senior British royal to be received into the Catholic Church since the 17th century, has died at the age of 92. In a statement, Buckingham Palace said that the duchess died peacefully on Thursday evening at her Kensington Palace home, surrounded by her family. Renowned for her natural charm, compassion for the sick and downtrodden, and commitment to serving others...

King Charles III Becomes First Monarch to Visit St. John Henry Newman’s Birmingham Oratory

King%20Charles%20III%20Becomes%20First%20Monarch%20to%20Visit%20Newman%u2019s%20Birmingham%20Oratory%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: King Charles III was “very engaged, very interested” and “exceedingly kind” when on Wednesday he toured the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham, becoming the first English monarch to visit the priestly community St. John Henry Newman established there in 1848. The provost of the Birmingham Oratory, Oratorian Father Ignatius Harrison, said it was a very brief but joyful visit that was on “His Majesty’s own initiative.” His first engagement after the summer holidays...

This Sunday, Jesus’ Words Are Shocking, Until You Realize Who He Is Describing

This%20Sunday%2C%20Jesus%u2019s%20Words%20Are%20Shocking%2C%20Until%20You%20Realize%20Who%20He%20Is%20Describing%20%u2013%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20%26%20CultureHOOPES: This Sunday’s Gospel starts with Jesus’s startling statement: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” That sounds harsh — but in the life of a saint like Mother Teresa, you can see what it means. First of all, the use of “hate” here doesn’t mean “detest” — it’s a Hebrew idiom that means “prioritize lower.” Americans do the same thing today when we say “I love pizza and hate salad” when we really mean we prefer pizza.

5 Bible Passages That Point to Purgatory

5 Bible Passages Which Point to Purgatory - St. Paul CenterHARROLD: A common Protestant claim is that the Catholic doctrine of purgatory is nowhere to be found in the Bible. But is this true? Since the Bible assures us that nothing unclean shall enter heaven (see Rev 21:27; cf. Heb 12:14), this implies that souls who die in a state of imperfect friendship with God must undergo some kind of final purification prior to their entry into eternal life...

Wife of Catholic Nobel Laureate Ales Bialiatski, Imprisoned Without Sacraments, Appeals for Help From Catholics Worldwide

Wife of jailed Catholic Nobel laureate asks pope's support: Supporters of a Catholic winner of the Nobel Peace Prize have urged Western church leaders to take up his cause four years after he was detained and jailed in Belarus on trumped-up charges. “Since our last short meeting in November 2022, I haven’t received any letters or been allowed to speak to him by telephone,” said Natallia Pinchuk, wife of imprisoned Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski...

Here Comes the Bride — and the Groom: Why Catholic Couples Are Walking Into Their Wedding Mass Together

Here%20Comes%20the%20Bride%20%u2014%20and%20the%20Groom%3A%20Why%20Catholic%20Couples%20Are%20Walking%20Into%20Their%20Wedding%20Mass%20Together%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterLIEDL: At the start of an Aug. 23 Catholic wedding in St. Paul, Minnesota, all eyes turned to the back of the church for that iconic moment: the bride’s procession down the aisle with her father, before he hands her off to her husband-to-be. Except when the back doors of St. Mary’s Church opened for the big reveal, Liz Holman wasn’t standing with her dad...

Trans terrorist murder of Christian school children will no longer be memory-holed

Trans terrorist murder of Christian school children will no longer be memory-holed | Catholic CultureWOLFGANG: What a difference a “vibe shift” makes. That was one of the thoughts that ran through my head when I heard about the transgender-identifying terrorist who murdered Catholic school children as they were worshiping at a Mass opening their school year in Minneapolis. Of course, that was not the only thing that ran through my mind. Many thoughts did. The same thoughts that, I’m sure, so many others had.

Prayer Helps Us Avoid Stupidities

Praying to Avoid Stupidities | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: esus says, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Humility is a virtue that avoids arrogant self-estimation. Integral prayer helps us to know our limitations. The Gospel reveals Jesus’ ceaseless prayers to the Father. Jesus is meek and humble of heart. Our prayer affirms that we depend upon God. God is God, and we are his servants. He loves us. We’re smart, but not as smart as we think we are. When we recognize our limitations before God and others, we paradoxically discover our freedom.

The 25 Best Pizza Places In America

The 25 Best Pizza Places In America - The Infatuation: There’s always going to be someone who insists that the best pizza they’ve ever had was actually at a Super Mario-themed sleepover they had when they were eight. And while we don’t want to desecrate anyone’s childhood memories, we will also gently push back on that idea. Everyone here’s old enough to admit that some combinations of sauce, cheese, and bread are—in fact—objectively better than others. (And if you’re still eight, congratulations on reading above grade-level right now.)

Where Do You Fall on ESPN’s Sports Misery Index?

Sports Misery Index: Whether there’s confetti falling from your team’s last title or you’re still waiting to see your first, you probably have an idea of how satisfied – or miserable – you are as a fan. But could you put a number on it?

St. Augustine’s Confessions: A Simplified Reading (in 13 Points and a Bonus)

Augustine%u2019s%20Confessions%3A%20A%20Simplified%20Reading%20%28in%2013%20Points%20and%20a%20Bonus%29%20%7C%20Church%20Life%20Journal%20%7C%20University%20of%20Notre%20DameCAVADINI: The Confessions is a peculiar work. Every time you try to say what it is, it seems to escape your categorization. People most readily characterize it as an autobiography. True, maybe, if you are used to teaching only Books 1-10. But then there are those awkward last three books. What are they doing there? They each take up in their turn verses from the Hexameron, the narrative of the six days of creation in Genesis 1:1-2:1. Looking backward from these books...

Pope Meets Israeli President Isaac Herzog at Vatican, Discusses ‘Tragic’ Situation in Gaza

Pope%20meets%20Israeli%20president%2C%20discusses%20%u2018tragic%u2019%20situation%20in%20Gaza%20-%20OSV%20NewsWOODEN: As Israeli military operations in Gaza continued, Pope Leo XIV met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Vatican. The meeting Sept. 4 came just a week after Pope Leo appealed again for Israel and Hamas to stop the violence and for Hamas to release the hostages it has held since attacking Israel in October 2023. With the pope and with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, Herzog discussed “the political and social situation in the Middle East … where numerous conflicts persist, with particular attention to the tragic situation in Gaza,” the Vatican said.

There’s a new eparch in the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church — what is that?

There%u2019s%20a%20new%20eparch%20in%20the%20Italo-Albanian%20Catholic%20Church%20%u2014%20what%20is%20that%3FBELTRAN: Pope Leo XIV on Saturday appointed Fr. Raffaele De Angelis as Eparch of Piana degli Albanesi of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, located in Sicily. The appointment comes after a five-year vacancy in the see. In February 2020, the last eparch, Bishop Giorgio Demetrio Gallaro, was appointed as secretary of the then-Congregation for Eastern Churches. De Angelis, born in 1979, was ordained a priest of the Eparchy of Lungro in 2006 after studies at the Gregorian University, obtaining a doctorate in moral theology.

The risk of forgiveness is that you will no longer be a slave to anger

The Risk of Forgiveness | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: When confronted with the opportunity to forgive someone, would you? Some may say that it depends on the gravity of the act or circumstance. Others may argue that it depends on the person's disposition. The spiritual and carnal drama involved in offering forgiveness to someone can be a burden when the person hurt is someone you love, like your wife, husband, child, relative, or close friend. Even more, when the act is heinous or violent in nature, it results in psychological, emotional, or spiritual drama...

Counting the Cost: A Reflection on the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Counting the Cost: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - St. Paul CenterHAHN: Like a king making ready for battle or a contractor about to build a tower, we have to count the cost as we set out to follow Jesus. Our Lord today is telling us up front the sacrifice it will take. His words aren’t addressed to His chosen few, the Twelve, but rather to the “great crowds”—to anyone, to whoever wishes to be His disciple. That only makes His call all the more stark and uncompromising. We are to “hate” our old lives, to renounce all the earthly things we rely upon...

The First Christians Were Not Socialists

The First Christians Were Not Socialists | Catholic Answers MagazineHORN: Some critics say not only that Catholics can be socialists, but that they should be socialists because that was how the first Christians lived. They cite Acts 2:45, which says, “all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.” But when we examine the biblical and historical evidence a different picture emerges...

The Best Burger in Every State

The%20Best%20Burger%20in%20Every%20State%202025%20%u2014%20Best%20Burger%20Places: Whether thick and juicy, piled high with toppings or oozing with cheese, the best burgers in America prove that nothing hits the spot quite like the classic dish.

DarkSky International announce the winners of the 2025 Capture the Dark photography contest

Capture the Dark 2025: Winning photographs | DarkSky International: They say a photograph is worth a thousand words. With over 2,200 entries, from over 22 countries, together we’ve created a powerful story of the night: revealing its wonder, exploring its mysteries, and inviting others to join us in our journey to protect it.

The Smell of a Skunk and the Odor of Sanctity

The Smell of a Skunk and the Odor of Sanctity - The Catholic ThingWEINANDY: I was speaking to one of my Capuchin confreres recently who had just returned from visiting his family. He remarked that there were a number of skunks around his sister’s home. These little creatures can be quite cute. Skunks are notorious, however, for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent. God, providentially, in a manner that only He could have ingeniously conceived, gave this ability to skunks in order to protect them from predators...

At Wednesday Audience, Pope Leo XIV Raises Alarm on Sudan: ‘Stop This Humanitarian Catastrophe’

Pope Leo XIV appeals to international community to respond to crisis in Sudan - Vatican News: “Dramatic news is coming out of Sudan, particularly from Darfur. In El Fasher, numerous civilians are trapped in the city, victims of famine and violence,” Pope Leo XIV said during his General Audience on Wednesday. The Pope called for a humanitarian response for the hundreds of thousands of suffering people there. His appeal included prayers for victims of a natural disaster, in which a devastating mudslide triggered by floods this week killed over a thousand people in Sudan’s Marra Mountains in the east of the country.

I Taught My 3-Year-Old to Read ‘The Hobbit.’ You Can Too. You Just Need to Pretend Like You’re in the 1700s

I%20Taught%20My%203-Year-Old%20to%20Read%20%u2018The%20Hobbit%u2019%20-%20by%20Erik%20Hoel: Surprisingly, there exists an agreed-upon best way to educate children. The problem is that this best way is unacceptable. That’s because it is profoundly unfair, privileging those at the very top of the socioeconomic ladder. This superior method of education was well-known historically, and its effects are still seen in education research today: one-on-one tutoring.

Charles the Bald, the News, and Facing Reality

(2) Charles the Bald, the news, and facing realityJDFLYNN: Happy Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day? Yep. Today’s the customary feast of St. Valentine, Bishop of Strasbourg, who is believed to have been martyred on September 2nd, some year in the early fourth century. Apart from his martyrdom, there’s not much we know about Valentine — except that he’s one of the dozen or so Valentin/Valentine/Valentinos revered as saints of the patristic period, some of whom have been celebrated alongside the more famous Roman martyr-priest Valentine, of February 14.

What Jiu-Jitsu Taught Me About the Devil and Humility

New Advent: What Jiu-Jitsu Taught Me About the Devil and HumilitySTEFANICK: What if I told you the most powerful spiritual weapon isn't talent and charisma but humility! In this episode, I’m diving deep into the one virtue that makes you spiritually unconquerable. We’ll talk jiu-jitsu (yes, seriously), the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, the ground game of Jesus, and why humility isn’t weakness, it’s the key to strength, peace, and spiritual victory. If you’re chasing success, struggling in your marriage, or battling pride and discouragement, this episode is for you...

What Is the Battle of Armageddon?

What Is the Battle of Armageddon? | Catholic Answers MagazineAKIN: In popular speech, Armageddon has become a term for the final military battle of world history. It also has an extended meaning and can refer to any devastating conflict, whether or not it would be the final one. Thus, during the Cold War, people feared that World War III would bring about a “nuclear Armageddon,” even if the human race survived. The basis for this idea is found in a passage in the book of Revelation that describes...

Is Belief Believable?

Is Belief Believable? - Word on FireKACZOR: I love to teach a course called “The God of Faith and Reason.” It is always a pleasure to speak with college students about some of the most significant questions people can ask. What can we know? Does God exist? How do faith and reason relate? I teach an ideologically diverse group of students, ranging from Catholics who attend Mass every day to atheists with blue hair. Ninety percent of my students are in neither category...

Dr. John Henry Newman’s Guide to Being a Good Catholic Convert

Dr.%20Newman%u2019s%20guide%20to%20being%20a%20good%20convert%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportDEAVEL: The Vatican announcement that Pope Leo has approved a motion to make St. John Henry Newman the thirty-eighth Doctor of the Church elicited great joy in many Catholics, especially those who attribute their conversions, under God, at least in part to the witness and writings of this great saint. I am in this camp, but it’s important to say that Newman not only helped me into the Church; he taught me about being a good convert after I had entered.

Pope Leo XIV Prays for 1,000 Killed in Floods in Sudan’s Darfur Region

Pope prays for 1,000 killed in floods in Sudan's Darfur region - Vatican News: A landslide wiped out Tarasin, a village in Sudan’s Darfur region, on August 31, following several days of heavy rainfall. At least 1,000 people were killed in the village in the Marrah Mountains area, according to the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army. On Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram to Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali, Bishop of El Obeid Diocese, to express his sorrow.

Pope Leo Meets LGBTQ Catholic Advocate and Vows Continuity With Pope Francis’ Legacy of Welcome

Pope Leo meets LGBTQ Catholic advocate and vows continuity with Pope Francis' legacy of welcome | AP NewsWINFIELD: Pope Leo XIV met Monday with one of the most prominent advocates for greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Catholic Church and encouraged his ministry, just days before a planned Holy Year pilgrimage of LGBTQ+ Catholics to the Vatican in a sign of continued welcome. The Rev. James Martin, a New York-based Jesuit author and editor, said Leo told him he intended to continue Pope Francis’ policy of LGBTQ+ acceptance in the church and encouraged him to keep up his advocacy.

Pope Prays for Victims of Earthquake That Killed Hundreds in Afghanistan

Pope prays for victims of earthquake in Afghanistan - Vatican News: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan late in the evening on 31 August. At least 800 people have already been declared dead and thousands have been injured. Upon hearing the news, Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram to everyone affected by the devastating natural disaster. In the message, signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope expressed he is “deeply saddened by the significant loss of life”.

Pope Leo XIV Receives Father James Martin in Private Audience at the Vatican

Pope Leo XIV meets Fr. James Martin at the Vatican | Catholic News Agency: Pope Leo XIV met in a private audience with Father James Martin, S.J., at the Vatican on Monday. Martin, who is in Rome to lead a Jubilee pilgrimage for his LGBTQ ministry, Outreach, also had one-on-one audiences with Pope Francis on at least two occasions. The Vatican does not customarily comment on papal audiences with individuals and the Holy See Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for information about the meeting.

53 People in the Bible Confirmed Archaeologically

53 People in the Bible Confirmed Archaeologically - Biblical Archaeology Society: In “Archaeology Confirms 50 Real People in the Bible” in the March/April 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Purdue University scholar Lawrence Mykytiuk lists 50 figures from the Hebrew Bible who have been confirmed archaeologically. His follow-up article, “Archaeology Confirms 3 More Bible People,” published in the May/June 2017 issue of BAR, adds another three people to the list. The identified persons include Israelite kings and Mesopotamian monarchs as well as lesser-known figures.