Very interesting report from Reuters:
Catholic and other church-owned systems are significantly more likely to provide higher quality performance and efficiency to the communities served than investor-owned systems, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis of the quality performance of 255
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In light of the earlier post on the two rehabilitated Irish bishops, it might be tempting to view the Vatican and Catholic upper management as uniquely benighted.
But the other day the Episcopal Church announced that a bishop, Charles Bennison of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, had been restored
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Part XXXVII of the "What Are They Thinking?" serial about the Vatican's response to the clergy sexual abuse tsunami.
Today we pick up the story in Ireland, where it's been learned, indirectly, that Pope Benedict XVI has rejected the resignations offered by two bishops named (though not
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Robby George sounds the alarm. All conservatives -- run for the fallout shelters! Or something like that, as he posts at Mirror of Justice, flagging two issues covered at Public Discourse, one of the media outlets he helps oversee. One refers to two of their articles on abortion and healthcare
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The exchange below should be enough to turn anyone into a Trekkie, or at least a fan of the original Captain Kirk, a.k.a William Shatner. His chat about health care with Rush Limbaugh on a recent show is making the rounds of the Interwebs, such as at the NY Times' economix blog. Here's the best
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The latest true crime novel from our friends the Aggrieved White Populists, via this WaPo story:
Mention the new "tan tax" in a major news outlet and cries of discrimination and reverse racism often follow.
The complaint surfaced on reader comment boards to blogs and news Web sites
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Somehow The New York Times resisted the temptation to use that headline for this story. But I can resist anything except temptation:
An explosion of smart-phone software has placed an arsenal of trivia at the fingertips of every corner-bar debater, with talking points on sports, politics and how
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Steve Martin and his friends the Steep Canyon Rangers give the folks at Jazz Fest in New Orleans something to cheer -- and ponder: Namely, the great musical question, why "Atheists Don't' Have No Songs." Hold the Christian triumphalism until you watch:
Hat tip to Jody Bottum at
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And not even Catholic? Oy vey. The magazine of Reform Judaism has a piece by Michael Posner, titled "Unmasking Shakespeare." (Yet again, I might add.) Posner sums up the apparently growing arguments that the Bard was Amelia Bassano Lanier (1569-1645), daughter of a Venetian-born court
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An eye-opening story from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
The standard used to vet clergy sex abuse cases involving children in the Catholic Diocese of La Crosse appears to violate church law and may be putting young people at risk, a canon lawyer and high-ranking priest of the Archdiocese of
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The Government Accountability Office (GAO), responding to a request from a number of representatives and senators, has produced a tally showing that six organizations that perform or promote abortion received nearly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars in fiscal years 2002 through 2009.
That period,
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At Theolog, the blog of the Christian Century, the magazine's executive editor, David Heim, notes the 25th anniversary of the journal Modern Theology, which has an issue featuring several essays on theological developments over the past quarter century. Heim welcomes the fact that the journal has
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The Vatican Secretariat of State reviews every edition of the Jesuit journal, La Civilta Cattolica, before it goes to print. Somehow this slipped by, via CNS (updated link to full story on CNS homepage):
ROME (CNS) -- The health care reform law passed in the United States marked "a needed and
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Although an "evangelical environmentalism" has been emerging in recent years -- not without a struggle -- conservative Christians have by and large not embraced "creation care" with the same enthusiasm as other denominations.
The Gulf oil catastrophe could change that, if
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That's pretty much the idea behind this AP story, which nicely sums up where conservatives find themselves these days -- trying to explain why up is down and down is up, and it's okay:
Conservatives seek gov't solutions after oil spill
Ben Brooks, a lawyer and Republican state senator from
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The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University has a new study out on the diaconate, which I always consider one of the most remarkable developments of the Second Vatican Council. The explosion in vocations, the virtual resurrection of a permanent diaconate, are
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Gallup has a pretty interesting poll out about what Americans consider a higher priority: environmental protection or energy production (e.g., drill, baby, drill). No surprise that since the disastrous BP oil spil in the Gulf, opinions have shifted markedly. In March the public favored energy
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Corner Brook and Labrador Bishop Douglas Crosby says an adult victim of sexual abuse by a priest should tell the RCMP about his allegations, and it's not up to church authorities to report possible crimes:
“I think we always take our lead from him. He’s old enough to do that if he wants to,
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Cardinal Sean O'Malley, having returned stateside from a trip to Fatima with the pope, on Wednesday wrote a blog post reaffirming the decision by his Boston archdiocese to welcome to a Catholic school the 8-year-old son of lesbian parents. The pastor of a Hingham parish and parochial school, Father
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Another child of lesbian parents, another rejection from a Catholic school. But a different archdiocese -- Boston, this time, rather than Denver, where Archbishop Chaput supported the pastor in rejecting the child of a lesbian couple, as discussed here.
In Boston, Cardinal O'Malley and his staff
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In other news from Lake Wobegone, Austrian Cardinal Christophe Schoenborn, a former student of Ratzinger's who is close to the pope, gave some noteworthy comments to Austrian media -- via the latest edition of The Tablet:
The head of the Austrian Church has launched an attack of one of the most
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My kind of guy. None of that Kumbaya krap:
Priest Religious, But Not Really Spiritual
BOSTON—Father Clancy Donahue of St. Michael Catholic Church told reporters Wednesday that while he believed in blindly adhering to the dogma and ceremonies of his faith, he tried not to get too bogged down
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Building on Cathleen Kaveny's post below about the Legionaries, I'd like to ask for feedback about penance, in particular the communal aspect of penance, which is frequently cited by the pope and bishops as regards the sexual abuse scandal. To wit:
English, Welsh bishops ask Catholics to do
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Nothing against the Christian Brothers...But if this run-scoring play -- which is the viral video of the day -- during a remarkable comeback win against Iona doesn't define "Jesuitical," I don't know what does:
Here's the game summary.
H/T: Chait.
PS: And yes, Grant, I know it'
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Official announcement later today. This was rumored, and I guess who can blame him. But it seems like a tough blow to the pro-life movement above all, and of course to the Democrats.
From The Fix:
Stupak confirmed his decision to the Associated Press and is expected to formalize it as a press
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The author's story is in her HuffPo column (via Sullivan at The Dish) titled, "Why I Stay: A Parable From A Progressive Catholic." It is brief, on point, and spot on. She begins:
Certainly, the past weeks have been a cause for suffering for Catholics of all political stripes, but the
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Turns out he knew more than the Vatican or the Munich archdiocese averred, according to the latest in a series of revelations that are growing worse by the day, if not the hour. Here's the NY Times account:
MUNICH — The future Pope Benedict XVI was kept more closely apprised of a sexual abuse
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The bishops' longtime spokesperson, Sister Mary Ann Walsh, has a blog post denouncing the violence and ugly epithets from opponents of health care reform. The USCCB was one of those opponents, and so is wise to distance itself so quickly from such actions, which are growing serious, as the WaPo
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The latest revelation, a direct hit on Joseph Ratzinger's credibility in a New York Times story running tomorrow:
Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly
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An interesting piece via John Thavis at CNS regarding confession and absolution and sex abusers. The article is drawn from an interview in L'Osservatore Romano with Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court that handles issues related to the sacrament of
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The degeneration of the political/populist right has provided no end of hilarious and pathetic spectacles that could provide fodder for every other blog post -- and often do over at Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, which is where I just saw this. I usually resist, but this video by the Columbus
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Perriello, a social justice, pro-life Democrat, made headlines in fall 2008 when he won a Virginia seat dominated by Republicans. He is extremely vulnerable for this fall (think of him as the Democratic version of Louisiana's GOP freshman, Anh "Joseph" Cao) but today indicated he might
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Via CNS, an interesting suggestion from Rome:
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Homilies should be no longer than eight minutes -- a listener's average attention span, said the head of the synod office.
Priests and deacons should also avoid reading straight from a text and instead work from notes so that
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New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan came in for approval and opprobrium (the latter thanks to my own crotchety self) in this space last fall for what I (at least) considered an ill-conceived retort to The New York Times for not printing his lengthy and rather indiscriminate critique of his new
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Top Ten lists (or Top 100 or whatever) are, except for Yahweh, foolish exercises -- and completely irresistible. Especially when they concern writing, and especially to the weak-minded like me. And especially when they take as their starting point the likes of Elmore Leonard, whose decalogue he
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Today's televised health care showdown is seen by many, if not most, as political theater, but I think that's fine. Theater is a way to clarify and teach what's true, and in this case, perhaps change both actors and audience. But part of the drama that must not be ignored is in fact that of the
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Examples of Republican hypocrisy (or lunacy, to be charitable) on health care (and almost any other topic important to the nation's well-being) are too numerous to cite. Hey, it takes Andrew Sullivan and a small staff all day every day just to keep up!
But here, courtesy of NPR, is a keeper that
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Mollie's post on the new bishop of Scranton reminds me that it was one year ago today that Timothy Dolan was named the new Archbishop of New York -- and mirabile dictu, he's already getting a promotion! It is an advancement, however, of the kind that only John Allen can confer...
"American
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Word has come down via Robert Mickens at The Tablet (not available via the web) and an RNS story (posted here) that the Vatican has shelved a study undertaken years ago (at the behest of Pope Benedict) on whether it would be licit to use condoms in some cases to prevent the spread of HIV.
"
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...Would it look like the dotCommonweal coop?
An essay titled "Pecking order" via ALDaily, with special mention for Joe Komonchak, Jean Raber, and other chicken aficionados here, and especially Rod "Crunchy Con" Dreher, who recently had to give up his flock in a move to
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The annual event was held yesterday, and it hasn't received much coverage, it seems, because it's not usually the most riveting event of the year. But this year was different, I thought, and the politics and the optics of the event were certainly remarkable, as the breakfast is organized by the
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My characteristically spotty effort at wit in a headline below on needle exchanges is a good excuse to point to a biblical translation issue that may be well known to many here but which was new to me, and one of those quirks I always find intriguing. Brad Miner at The Catholic Thing was writing
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I imagine this story will gin up some controversy--or perhaps not?
In short, Catholic Charities of Albany, N.Y., in the diocese of Bishop Howard Hubbard, who has a reputation as a social justice liberal, has launched a new program to provide free syringes to intravenous drug users. Catholic
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This BBC Four segment on the news about the news has been making the rounds of the Interwebs--and justifiably so. Brilliant, as they'd say across the Pond
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For a moment of good news, or at least interesting news, from the WaPo...
Soon after becoming president of Catholic University, the Very Rev. David M. O'Connell went in search of paper towels in his bathroom cabinet. Something on the bottom shelf caught his eye. Under a pile of junk, he found an
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From Catholic News Service:
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Safety procedures worked perfectly and security personnel performed excellently the night Pope Benedict XVI was knocked down by the same woman who had attempted to get close to him a year before, a chief security officer said.
Salvatore Festa,
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That's one of the phrases and pieces of advice in yet another story about how to keep your (my) aging brain agile. The story is from the NYT the other day and has predictably been buzzing around the Interwebs. But it is a good piece, with some comforting new research and handy mind excercises--
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Not to worry! Limbaugh the Lionheart is still okay. It's his brain folks may have to worry about if he realizes the consequences of what he said after his hospitalization over Christmas in Hawaii (where Obama AND Pelosi were staying--hmmm...) for heartburn (or something).
"Based on what
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, another reason to always double-check the "to" box of your email before you hit "send"!
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- An Iranian soccer federation official reportedly resigned after his office sent New Year's greetings to Israel.
Mohammad-Manour
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Interesting news from the annual survey by the American Historical Association, via Tom Heneghan at Reuters' FaithWorld blog:
Religion has become the hottest topic of study for U. S. historians, overtaking the previous favourite — cultural studies — and pulling ahead of women’s studies in
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Our former vice-president weighs in with a statement to POLITICO:
Former Vice President Dick Cheney accused President Barack Obama on Tuesday of “trying to pretend we are not at war” with terrorists, pointing to the White House response to the attempted sky bombing as reflecting a pattern that
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Pardon this interruption of our irregularly scheduled discussions, but having been occupied by work and holiday fun and various viruses for a while now I am just now catching up on my dotCommunications and marveling yet again at how remarkable this space is. I find myself bookmarking posts for
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Apparently unions--or at least that's the way Dems would portray the GOP's approach to airport security. Politico's Ben Smith has interesting stuff on the blame game over the recent airliner terrorism attempt:
Perhaps the largest impediment to change at the [Transportation Security Administration
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No one knows that better than the folks in New Orleans, and they knew it even before Saturday night's "dispiriting" loss--to the Cowboys of all teams. Still, it's tough to accept. I did think the Saints were looking less-than-inevitable for a couple weeks now, but since my Giants have no
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As you light the third candle on the menorah tonight (as every good Commonweal reader would--no?) I'd direct your attention to this David Brooks column on the Hanukkah of history, which provides a more comprehensive take on the story of the Maccabees than we normally get:
Tonight Jewish kids will
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The abolitionist was hanged 150 years ago today, and The New York Times has two interesting op-eds about him. In "The 9/11 of 1859," Tony Horwitz calls John Brown a terrorist. In "Freedom's Martyr," David S. Reynolds calls him a hero and calls for his pardon.
What do you call
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In a New York Times op-ed today, Kenneth J. Wolfe doesn't answer the question in my headline, but he does see a "counterrevolution" in the return of the Tridentine rite. In a piece titled "Latin Mass Appeal," Wolfe also offers an interesting take on the liturgical development of
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An interesting start to the bishops' fall meeting, as Cardinal George delivered a strongly-worded opening address on episcopal authority and confirmed the "open secret" of a kind of Catholic identity project that he is hatching. My take is at PoliticsDaily. The lead:
BALTIMORE -- The
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They actually look pretty nice--made in Italy, no surprise:
The terracotta dispenser, used in the northern town of Fornaci di Briosco, functions like an automatic soap dispenser in public washrooms — a churchgoer waves his or her hand under a sensor and the machine spurts out holy water.
“
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This is hilarious. Sort of...
The Republican National Committee will no longer offer employees an insurance plan that covers abortion after POLITICO reported Thursday that the anti-abortion RNC's policy has covered the procedure since 1991.
"Money from our loyal donors should not be used
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The Vatican released the devilish details, though a quick glance by my non-expert eye doesn't turn up anything terribly unexpected. The language does make it seem more than ever like Benedict is setting up a parallel Catholic Church, with bishops alongside other bishops in existing dioceses--
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The lone Republican vote for the House health care package, a former Jesuit seminarian who represents Louisiana's second district. From his website:
“I read the versions of the House [health reform] bill. I listened to the countless stories of Orleans and Jefferson Parish citizens whose
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Sometimes the knockoffs really are better...as in this extraordinary rendition by Jon Stewart:
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The 11/3 Project
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political Humor
Health Care Crisis
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New York Times religion writer Laurie Goodstein was one of the targets of Archbishop Dolan's recent blog post alleging anti-Catholicism on the part of The Times (as discussed in Father Imbelli's post below). I found the Archbishop's piece indiscriminate in its effort to tar his opponent, and think
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The Vatican today released a statement aimed at refuting an Italian press report that the Apostolic Constitution on the Anglican ordinariate was delayed because of debates over the celibacy conditions. In the course of clarifying the Vatican released the text of the clauses relating to celibacy and
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Polarization in the hierarchy! From the press office of the New York archdiocese:
Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, and Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, have placed a friendly wager on the outcome of the 2009 World Series.
These two long-time friends spoke on
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The liberals have been clamoring for another council. Be careful what you pray for. Here is the news, via the Vatican Information Service (my highlight in bold):
"On Monday 26 October in the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio, headquarters of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the
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As I caught up on the day-after coverage of the pope's welcome mat/hostile takeover (take your pick) of the Anglican Communion, what remained in my brain were the U.S.-based elements Laurie Goodstein had in the NYT story (with Rachel Donadio):
Bishop Martyn Minns, a leader of that group [the new
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Two news items that may elicit celebration or anxiety, depending on one's view of life in the church these days.
First, Archbishop Raymond Burke, formerly of St. Louis and of late heading the Apostolic Segnatura in Rome--when he's not roiling the waters of American or church politics--has been
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Claritin? That'd be tough to work into the parables. Maybe. We'll have to see what Kyle Holt, author of "The Bible in Rhyme," can come up with. Here's a sample from his version of Genesis:
To govern the greatest and govern the least.
God took up His dirt, and He took up His dust
and
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A funny exchange between Michael Moore and Sean Hannity:
Heck, glad I didn't have to recall the Gospel from last Sunday. (Here it is for those getting sweaty about a pop quiz.) I haven't seen the movie yet, but I am intrigued by what I hear is Moore's apparent channeling of Catholic social
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As mentioned in the post below, Cardinal George criticizes American Catholics for being critical and wishes they would stop paying attention to the bishops and instead try to be simply Catholic. Or something like that.
It seems Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of Richmond is following at least part
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So, in arguments today before the all new, nearly all-Catholic Supreme Court (someone noted that not even Notre Dame's offensive line is as Catholic) Justice Samuel A. Alito. Jr., made one of those far-out analogies that judges like in order to make a point. Or make headlines. Or both. And he
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They apparently like him in Rome, er, Africa...From a CNS story:
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- U.S. President Barack Obama was mentioned three times by two different bishops on the first full day of the special Synod of Bishops for Africa.
Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Congo, told
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An essay in which your intrepid Correspondent, doing an able impersonation of Bill Donohue, delivers himself of some rantings about a certain Oscar-winning child abuser
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The sacred Day of Atonement has begun (at least here in Brooklyn) and to help those who are going to fast, let me mention Glenn Beck. Appetite gone, right?! Amazing. It's just as he'd want it, too, because, as I wrote in this PoliticsDaily piece, Beck has asked that we all fast on Yom Kippur--to &
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At America's blog, Michael Sean Winters identifies the "Kooks on the Left" who mirror those on the right. And they are...
Maommar Qaddafi of Libya and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran!
Let's give them both a round of applause--and maybe a seat at the Commonweal Conversations dinner?
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Russell Shaw of OSV has a column at InsideCatholic.com that discusses "Polarization and the Church" and takes a not unexpected tilt in blaming what I guess would be considered the "left," though Shaw sees it as a problem of politically-oriented bishops versus religiously-
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At the Religion New Service blog, Dan Burke reminds us that John T. Elson, the author of the (in)famous 1966 TIME magazine cover on the death of God, has passed away. In the New York Times obit, a former managing editor of TIME said of Elson, a Notre Dame grad:
“He was catholic with a capital C
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At his Angelus address yesterday, Benedict XVI cautioned against becoming desensitized to the daily roll call of fatalities from comflicts around the world:
"From the numerous conflicts going on in the world," the Pontiff said, "almost daily tragic news reaches us of both military
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Pell vs. Hitchens, way beyond the Thunderdome. (Or is it the Areopagus?) Zenit has it:
The first ever Festival of Dangerous Ideas will pit Sydney's archbishop, Cardinal George Pell, against one of the most prominent exponents of modern atheism, British journalist Christopher Hitchens.
A press
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From a WaPo story today on the writing of the Kennedy memoir due out Tuesday:
Ted Kennedy Jr. told "60 Minutes" that reading the book has been emotional for him. "What I think I would like this country to understand about my dad -- that even though he really felt he needed to hold
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Joseph Ratzinger's life is often tracked by dividing it into discrete stages, notably the progressive of the Council, the reactionary of the post-conciliar era, and now the irenic pastor-pontiff of encyclicals like Deus Caritas Est etc. I tend to see more continuity than discontinuity (something he
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Cardinal O'Malley responds on his blog to critics who wanted him to deny Senator Kennedy a Catholic funeral, or a public funeral, or that at the least, he should not have attended or presided. (I'm actually not clear as to what it was in his power to do--could he have denied Kennedy a Catholic
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John Allen has the latest from the bishops of Kansas City, Naumann and Finn, from a pastoral statement that seems to make a prophet out of the NYT's David Kirkpatrick, as posted earlier. The two bishops, who have earned some headlines for various statements on abortion and crusading and communion,
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The Washington Post's media maven, Howard Kurtz, notes that the persistence of the "death panel" reports shows the infirmity of the mainstream media:
For once, mainstream journalists did not retreat to the studied neutrality of quoting dueling antagonists.
They tried to perform last
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Here's one that's sure to get some twisted knickers:
Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa has decreed that the celebrant at masses in the Cathedral will now celebrate ad orientam, to the East (though it's not clear if the sanctuary points East). Here is a link to Slattery's column in the diocesan
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I guess that's one way to read this story on the gala planned for the end of the Year for Priests:
Vatican City, Aug 14, 2009 / 10:19 am (CNA).- The Congregation for the Clergy, headed by Cardinal Claudio Hummes, announced this week that the Pope Benedict XVI plans to close the Year for Priests
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"We have to make decisions that are deliberative about our health care at every moment. What I have said is that if I cannot say another prayer, if I cannot give or get another hug, and if I cannot have another martini — then let me go."
--Monsignor Charles Fahey, 76, chairman of the
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At his Boston Globe blog, Articles of Faith, Michael Paulson reports getting some blowback for using the word "wafer" instead of "host" (or "Host") in this story on the return of perpetual adoration at a eucharistic shrine in Boston. The most extensive criticism came
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The first word via Vatican Radio and first image (that I saw) via Rocco:
Speaking to Vatican Radio, Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi said "moral values in international politics, immigration and the Catholic Church's contribution in developing countries" were key topics of
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Yes, this photo of Obama ostensibly eyeing a young woman (apparently a 17-year-old delegate from Brazil--where are her parents?!) at the G-8 Summit is the hottest Google search item. And of course the question of what Obama was thinking is a leading Fox News story. So it goes, even as the leaders
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It is a good question, and an honest question that many may wonder about, both inside and outside the Catholic orbit. I wince at the "social" qualifier," but Joe Carter, a Baptist, poses the questions well at the First Things blog:
If you had asked me as a young Baptist boy to
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The president today nominated Dr. Francis S. Collins as head of the National Institutes of Health. Uh-oh:
There are two basic objections to Dr. Collins. The first is his very public embrace of religion. He wrote a book called “The Language of God,” and he has given many talks and interviews in
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Read the official Vatican text of the encyclical in English.
Read an analysis by the Rev. Drew Christiansen, SJ, editor of the Jesuit weekly America, titled "The Economy of Grace."
Read an analysis by John L. Allen, Jr., of National Catholic Reporter titled "Pope proposes a '
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The editor of America, Drew Christiansen, SJ, has a knockdown post on last week's meeting between Obama and select members of the Catholic press (and one WaPo religion writer). It's a particular examen of the profession and the church rather than Obama. Father Christiansen is rightly (to my biased
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The current president has cited the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin before, most recently in his speech at Notre Dame: "He was a kind and good and wise man," Barack Obama said then of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. "A saintly man."
And the "Common Ground" approach of
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First, Benedict XVI confirms that tests done on bone fragments from a tomb venerated as that of the Apostle--but often considered more legend than fact--belonged to a man who lived between the first and second century.
"This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they
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And that was back in 1973! Another fascinating bit of transcription from recently-released tapes of conversations between Nixon and Billy Graham, this time focusing on Nixon's take on Catholics of the day. At America magazine's blog, Jim Martin has the goods. The set-up is Graham and Nixon
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As part of the protests over Barack Obama's appearance at Notre Dame, one alum, David DiFranco, launched a website to get ND president Father John Jenkins fired and to tally donations withheld from the university as a way of quantifying the displeasure and pressuring the board to replace Jenkins.
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The simplest answer to that question is "yes." Neda Agha-Soltan died terribly and publicly while at a protest for freedom against a repressive regime. Her story has spun around the globe, drawing broad support and rallying the reform cause at home. (I watched the graphic video of her
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First it was Focus on the Family's new CEO saying he wanted to "see more families like Obama's," and now it is Ralph Reed invoking the President as a role model of sorts.
Reed, the wunderkind behind the Christian Coalition during its glory days, has since traded on his values work for
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When Time and Newsweek and traditional newsweeklies are barely surviving, Michael Hirschorn at The Atlantic (a monthly that I hope is doing okay) looks at why The Economist is thriving. Excerpts:
The easy lesson might be that quality wins out. The Economist is truly a remarkable invention—a
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That's how this Plain-Dealer profile describes the Rev. Bob Begin, Cleveland's "rebel priest," who has grown savvier as he has grown older, but still with the same zeal on behalf of his flock. The story focuses on Begin's campaign to fight Bishop Richard Lennon's order to close Begin's
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Benedict XVI, in his letter today proclaiming a "Year for Priests," puts forth Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney--the Cure' d'Ars--as the model, since this year is also the 150th anniversary of the death of that remarkable French pastor.
On the other hand, centering the Year for
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"The responsible white separatist community condemns this. It makes us look bad."
--John de Nugent, an acquaintance of James W. von Brunn, who opened fire at the Holocaust Museum.
Via Steve Waldman via The WaPo.
PS: De Nugent also called von Brunn a genius but described the shooting as
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That headline is perhaps too blunt a summation of an argument by the UCLA professor emerita of history, Joyce Appleby--but not by much. In a column in the Tallahassee Democrat, Appleby argues that Sonia Sotomayor's nomination raises concerns because six of nine Supreme Court justices would be
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In a commentary today, First Things editor and Creighton theologian R.R. Reno parses the justifications for killing an abortion doctor like George Tiller, and finds that alleged murderer Scott Roeder came up short--though barely. Reno says that "The blanket condemnation [by Catholics bishops
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There have been several efforts to tease out connections between Barack Obama and Catholicism--not surprising given many clear affinities, if clearly not a wholesale overlap. Some have been more adept than others. John O'Malley, whose writings I like very much, takes a new tack in an essay at
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At the Immanent Frame, the sociologist of religion Michelle Dillon (author of a very good book, Catholic Identity: Balancing Reason, Faith and Power) sees a "Catholic sensibility" in Obama's commencement address at Notre Dame:
"I am not thinking of Obama's references to the "
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The Vatican newspaper (hearts) Obama at Notre Dame:
The newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, said the president also confirmed that pushing for a more liberal abortion law would not be a priority of his administration. The comments came in a L'Osservatore report May 18, the day after
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I'll start an open thread here for the Obama commencement address starting shortly. Feel free to weigh in, any and all, with as-it-happens reactions, or more considered thoughts afterwards.
MSNBC has a livefeed. Fr. James Martin, SJ, is a CNN analyst opposite EWTN's Raymond Arroyo
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I give my verdict in a review at Beliefnet, for those with absolutely nothing better to do, and for those who don't care about spoilers. Because I reveal all...
The short version: The movie is hardly anti-Catholic, and the Osservatore Romano verdict ("harmless entertainment") is
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This is it. Really. Only it's the commencement at Arizona State--a university that decided not to give Obama an honorary degree, in contrast to what Notre Dame will do on Sunday. The honorary degree issue is becoming the favored talking point among many die-hard Notre Dame opponents who seem to
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Ave Maria Town in southern Florida is the newly-constructed enclave of pure-land Catholicism founded and funded by former pizza magnate Tom Monaghan, and it has drawn its fair share of criticism since construction began in 2005. Even many conservatives are uneasy with the throwback Catholicism that
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In reporting in the wake of 9/11, I did a piece on the skyscrapers of New York, and spoke with the people at the Skyscraper Museum, which was about to move to new digs at the World Trade Center when the towers were reduced to rubble. (The museum has since relocated nearby.)
I think it was
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Which is which may depend on where you stand on this divisive issue. A new survey from the Pew Forum (main graf at right) shows that Catholics in general approve of Notre Dame's decision to invite and honor Obama at commencement by a nearly 2-1 margin--good news if you support the UND invitation
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But he won't receive the prestigious medal, as he already has it.
Instead the federal judge (appointed by Reagan) and author of several excellent books, especially his Newman-esque treatise on the development of doctrine, "A Church that Can and Cannot Change," will "deliver
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Since no one here has yet seen fit to honor the momentous, history-changing and completely fatuous journalistic landmark known as "The First 100 Days Milestone" of a presidency, let me dip my toe in the water. Or rather, let me cite some others who beat me to the deep end with insights--
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What's a day in the Catholic universe without at least one? At Pontifications I posted about a column by Mary Ann Glendon's daughter, Liz Lev, defending her mother against criticism of her withdrawal. And another post is about, yes, an anti-abortion group flying a plane with a banner of aborted
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An op-ed in yesterday's New York Times, by the religious affairs correspondent of DW-TV, Germany's international state broadcaster, takes a different angle on what most consider Pope Benedict's various missteps with Muslims, Jews, and Catholics, and on issues like AIDS and condoms. John Berwick
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Rocco has a Providence Journal story about former GOP congressman (and former Catholic, I believe) and outspoken immigration opponent Tom Tancredo not being allowed to speak at Dominican-run Providence College.
A PC spokesperson, Pat Viera, indicated the student group asked late in the semester
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Catholic World News has the story, and the text of Glendon's letter to UND president Fr. John Jenkins:
Dear Father Jenkins,
When you informed me in December 2008 that I had been selected to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, I was profoundly moved. I treasure the memory of receiving an
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Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando is going to lead a Mass of Reparation linked to Notre Dame's invitation to Obama. This whole thing has truly gone into an alternate universe. The mass is May 3 at 6:00 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. James in downtown Orlando. The announcement says:
As Catholics we are
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While the chief goal of the more strident opponents of Obama's scheduled appearance at Notre Dame's commencement has been to get the president dis-invited, a new effort is being organized to fire university president Father John Jenkins, CSC. The campaign has a website, ReplaceJenkins.com, and the
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His speech at the Jesuit university today on the economy (he is speaking as I write) evokes the themes of personal responsibility and the similarly "old-fashioned"--dare I say conservative?--values that he has reiterated since his inauguration. (It has been an interesting shift, his
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Those were some of the extraordinary words of Bishop David Zubik at an extraordinary "Service of Apology" held earlier this Holy Week in St. Paul's Cathedral in Pittsburgh for anyone hurt or abused by the church.
This is not out of character for Zubik. Pennsylvania's own Rocco
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Reports have circulated for the past couple of weeks that the Vatican has rejected three would-be ambassadors to the Holy See put forth by the Obama Administration. It apparently started with an April 2 NewsMax report that cited Massimo Franco, author of "Parallel Empires," a recently
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The full quotation, from a NYT op-ed this morning about the great Italian novelist Ignazio Silone and his experience of a devastating 1915 earthquake like that which struck the Abruzzo yesterday, runs:
"Only loss is universal, and true cosmopolitanism in this world must be based on suffering
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By happy coincidence, Passover and Holy Week overlap this year. But that's next week. For today, April Fool's Day, this Facebook Haggadah is the ticket. (And it pretty well sums up my views toward MyFace. Or Spacebook. And Twitter. or Tweeter. Or whatever.)
Hat tip to Steve Waldman
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When I first saw the text of the 13-page letter from U.S. Father Hugh W. Cleary, Holy Cross superior general in Rome, to President Obama, regarding Obama's scheduled commencement address at Notre Dame, I couldn't make heads or tails of it. It seemed to circle around on itself so much I thought
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Michael Steele, the ostensibly pro-life Catholic and, also ostensibly, the new hope of the GOP--though that's dimmed considerably since he won election as head of the RNC--is being boycotted by Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger of Evansville, Indiana. Steele is to be the keynoter at the local annual
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Well, let's hope it's final. Just as a bit of housekeeping, it seems that after changing some of Pope Benedict's comments on condoms when he was in Africa--and prompting an uproar about the uproar--the official text is back to what the pope originally said on the plane to reporters. Why? Perhaps
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A post below about Obama's follow-up musings on stem cells and ethics prompted some interesting discussions, in particular surrounding a paper that Cathleen Kaveny cited, "The Ethics of Stem Cell Research," by Gene Outka, a Lutheran ethicist at Yale. The paper is posted at the web site of
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A remarkable development in the Obama-to-Notre Dame saga, via Thomas Peters, the "American Papist": Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix has sent Fr. John Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, an email saying his invitation to Obama to speak at the May 17 commencement and receive an honorary
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In his press conference last night President Obama took a question from The Washington Times' John Ward about his controversial stem cell decision last month--an announcement that left me, and many others, rather cold.
Obama's response was intriguing in that he grappled more humanly with the
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I saw this photo while flipping through the Times this morning, and at first I thought it might be a new installation by the artist Richard Serra. Instead, it is an image, beautiful yet terrible, of a recently completed section of the fence the United States is building across dunes along the
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Bishop John M. D'Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, which includes Notre Dame, has released a statement on the university's invitation to President Obama to deliver the main commencement address and receieve an honorary degree on May 17.
Bishop D'Arcy says ND president Father John
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In his homily Saturday in Luanda, the pope confronted the delicate question of superstition in African culture:
Today it is up to you, brothers and sisters, following in the footsteps of those heroic and holy heralds of God, to offer the Risen Christ to your fellow citizens. So many of them are
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This should get the Irish fighting, along with lots of other Catholics. Or am I wrong? Via The South Bend Tribune:
Obama will be the principal speaker and the recipient of an honorary doctor of laws degree at the university’s 164th commencement ceremony [on May 17], which will be in the Joyce
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Nothing else was close. Benedict's April visit to the U.S. took up 37 percent of the religion newshole, while religion stories from the campaign accounted for 21 percent, according to an analysis of the mainstream media in 2008 conducted by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in
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UPDATE: John Thavis has a good look at the whole Vatican "redaction temptation" issue as regards the pope's "official" comments. It's called, "There they go again..."
Not to worry--unlike the feisty cub the pope sported with in the Vatican last month, this one
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During the in-flight newser to Cameroon for his first African trip, Benedict XVI responded to six questions, one regarding the urgent issue of AIDS in Africa. His response, via CNS:
"One cannot overcome the problem with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem,&
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...The one true American faith, that is: Free-market capitalism. Praise be its name forever! And don't any of you go backsliding during what Rev. Brooks rather euphemistically calls this momentary "pause" in our economy:
But if there is one thing we can be sure of, this pause will not
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Another coda to the terrible story of the 9-year-old girl in Brazil whose serially abusive stepfather impregnated her with twins, leading her mother to take her for an abortion on the advice of doctors who said her life was at serious risk. The story shocked Brazilians but was made worse (and
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Benedict XVI today announced a "Year for Priests"-- a fine idea, though one that apparently also comes with a tough message for lay people dealing with a shortage of priests, and the Eucharist.
First, the announcement. According to the Vatican press release:
"Benedict XVI
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That's the headline on the Times story regarding Cheney's remarks on CNN on Sunday.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday that President Obama had made the country less safe, asserting that the new administration’s changes to detention and interrogation programs for terrorism suspects
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He's Ross Douthat, erstwhile Atlantic editor and blogger and a serious upgrade from William Kristol, who started badly--not entirely unexpectedly--and went down from there during his year-long stint, which ended--not entirely unexpectedly--a couple months back.
I'd hoped that Douthat would get
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New York's Cardinal Edward Egan a closet liberal? Who knew?! Well, he's out now. In a 30-minute interview with a NY radio show--part of Egan's valedictory tour as he prepares to leave office--His Eminence did indeed say that celibacy is "a perfectly legitimate discussion."
"I
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"Believing without belonging" has been the American religious mantra for years, and the real-time effects of that anti-"religion" (or anti-institution?) bias was never so apparent as in the latest American Religious Identification Survey. ARIS 2008 surveyed more than 50,000
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Monday at sundown marks the start of the Jewish festival of Purim, drawn from the story of Queen Esther and recounting the deliverance of the Jews from disaster at the hands of the Persians. As The Jewish Encyclopedia notes, this is the most secular of all holidays--barely registering as "
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Well, only if you're not a real conservative...For everyone else, it's a bit like watching--well Comedy Central. (More on that in a moment.) The Rush-Steele matchup (Rush by TKO in the first, if you were out getting a snack) is the driving narrative, thanks also to Rush's Orson Welles imitation
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The new RNC chairman Michael Steele got into a smackdown with Rush Limbaugh over who is the de facto leader of the GOP. Guess who backed down?
Mr. Steele bristled after a questioner on CNN referred to Mr. Limbaugh as the de facto leader of the Republican Party on Saturday.
“No he’s not –
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Obama's choice of Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius to be HHS secretary was long-rumored after Tom Daschle's withdrawal. But now that it's a fact it is likely to set off another round of the Catholic Culture Wars, since Sebelius is a practicing Catholic (as best she can, I suppose, as her
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Job losses are mounting everywhere, and this sight--employees of The Rocky Mountain News reacting to word that today's edition would be the last for the 150-year-old paper--is all too common. But I hope I always find it deeply affecting, and less common
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UPDATE: The Vatican is underwhelmed by Williamson's "apology" as well. Read here and here.
The Holocaust-denying schismatic Traditionalist was just kicked out of Argentina, which seems unjust to me, despite Williamson's noxious views. Today, back in his native England, Wiliamson issued
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With the 80th annual Academy Awards this Sunday the focus will be on the latest and greatest, and of course the slinky numbers on the red carpet, and how the caring celebs have toned it down so tastefully in recognition of the global economic calamity. There will be another moment of grace, when
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You've likely read the story about the crazed chimp that went ape and critically mauled a woman in Stamford, CT (where such creatures are considered house pets). Police had to shoot and kill the poor simian. This morning, in an eye-popping interpretation of the event, a New York Post cartoonist
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An Italian fellow named Graziano Toni from the northeastern Italian city of Faenza has catapulted holy card collecting into a serious hobby--he has 50,000 cards in his personal collection and has compiled about 2,000 of his finest ones in a 512-page book titled “The First International Catalog of
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The Austrian priest whose appointment earlier this month (as posted by Mollie) caused an uproar due to his earlier remarks about Katrina being the fault of sinful Lousianians (among other things he said) has asked that his nomination as the new auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Linz be
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Is Boston College Catholic? No, that's not a joke, at least not to those whose hackles start raising at the phrase "in the Jesuit tradition." But it seems that BC, and specifically its president, Fr. William P. Leahy, SJ, are moving to re-emphasize the Jesuit school's Catholic bona fides
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About one in four Americans (27 percent) who are married or living with a partner are in "religiously mixed" relationships. That's the word for this Valentine's Day from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, which mined data from last year's huge U.S. Religious Landscape Survey
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Ah, spring training starts this weekend. Yes, hope springs eternal, even for a woeful Mets fan like me. Of course the ritual springtime melodrama of the crosstown Yankees is usually enjoyable for me--practically a season highlight, lately--except that with the "A-Roid" revelations (who
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That is certainly my sense of Benedict's address at the Vatican this morning to U.S. Jewish leaders. The meeting was the latest and probably last high-profile effort to soothe Jewish-Catholic relations in the wake of the pontiff's outreach to the schismatic Traditionalists of the SSPX, including
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"All I want is a small corner of the earth where I am master," Pope Pius IX said in 1871, when the reunification of Italy had finally overwhelmed church resistance and the Papal States were no more. And a small corner is all he got--108 walled-in acres on the far side of the Tiber, the
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That's the question I was asking as I tried to parse the latest blog posting from Bishop Richard Williamson, the un-excommunicated SSPX bishop who has become the focus of p.r. efforts by both the Vatican and his own confreres, who are distancing themselves from Williamson and his Holocaust-denying
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In an important and I would think necessary step toward healing the Catholic-Jewish rift over the papal outreach to the SSPX, Benedict XVI is reportedly to meet next Thursday with leaders of the major Jewish organizations. A meeting with the Chief Rabbinate in Israel, which had broken off
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Not only has the SSPX started removing questionable texts on Jews from their websites, but word is now that clergy who refuse to adopt a new line are also getting the boot.
Rorate Caeli cites Italian sources reporting that Father Floriano Abrahamowicz, the SSPX priest responsible for Northeast
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A perceived Catholic "silence" over Benedict XVI's fiasco with the SSPX was raised earlier, with a focus on the relative absence of strong American voices. But overseas, at least, and from the Pope's native Germany in particular, objections are being raised as the furor grows among both
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This does not come from an angry ex-con-turned-lib, but from Austin Ruse, a stalwart of orthodoxy who writes regularly at The Catholic Thing. His latest column, "Up from Traditionalism," is a must-read. He details with affecting honesty his immersion into the movement at a time of crisis
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I mean football, not Catholic-bashing--though any faithful Catholic should be outraged at this morning's Super Bowl headlines announcing "Steelers beat Cardinals." I will look for Bill Donohue's righteous anger at some point today. ("Would The New York Times have allowed a headline
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The GOP mandarins are voting now for a new chairman of the Republican Party, a move expected to signal how the party will apporach the post-Bush future--bigger tent, more of the same, or something else. This is also of course a debate within the wider conservative movement. Via Mark Silk, Marc
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The post below focused on accounts of Benedict XVI's statements vis-a-vis Judaism and the SSPX rehabilitation effort which has ocassioned such controversy and pain. But the CNS story that just moved focuses on his remarks at the general audience on his thinking in lifting the excommunications:
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At today's weekly general (public) audience, Pope Benedict XVI weighed in with remarks aimed at distancing himself from the Holocaust denials of one of the recently un-excommunicated ultra-right "Tradical" bishops. Here's the AP account:
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday
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Picking up on Father Imbelli's preceding post re the Obama-Roberts "do-over," neuro-psycho-linguist Steven Pinker has an op-ed in today's NYT, "Oaf of Office" (bad title) which posits that the original problem stemmed from Chief Justice Roberts' grammatical pedantry. (Some
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Even more than most inaugural addresses, today's speech by the new president will be greatly anticipated but, like most of these addresses, little remembered. Though who knows, Obama could join the ranks of JFK, FDR, and even Lincoln (especially the second time out), though that is doubtful. Part
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Tomorrow's inauguration will be historic for many reasons, the most obvious being the installation of the nation's first African-American president. What will not change, however, is the Protestant monopoly of the event.
The new president is a Protestant (though in search of a new church),
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That phrase is from Ethan Bronner's NYT analysis this morning of Israel's strategy going into the Gaza campaign, which has now been suspended. It is meant to be a boast of sorts, not recognition of a mistake. It comes from a Hebrew phrase, “baal habayit hishtageya,” or “the boss has lost it
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The jet splashdown in the Hudson yesterday was one of those riveting spectacles, such that I almost felt sorry for George W. Bush since no one seemed to pay attention to his farewell address. (Okay, I didn't feel too bad.) It was really astonishing, even if it did mess up the West Side Highway
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A Pew Forum survey of the religious make-up of the new Congress shows that the 535 members generally reflect the country's religious demographic, though Catholics--24 percent of the population--comprise 30 percent of the House and Senate.
But here's the kicker: 50 members overall--9 percent--are
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Those are the words of Fr. Manuel Musallam, a parish priest in Gaza, in an interview with Caritas Internationalis following the destruction of a Caritas health clinic by an Israeli F-16 fighter jet. According to a Caritas release, which also appeals for funds to replenish medical and other supplies
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Only now he's Joe the Journalist. (Well, he wasn't really a plumber, either.) As Sarah Pulliam reports, Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. "Joe the Plumber" of campaign fame, told a local Ohio TV station that he plans to report from the Middle East for www.pjtv.com, a conservative Web site
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Stanley Fish, the New York Times' online "Think Again" columnist, is always good for sparking debate, and today's column is no different: An argument for seating Illinois' disputed senatorial appointee, Roland Burris, based on St. Augustine's response to the Donatist controversy:
This
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"I don't golf. As a matter of fact it leads many people to wonder if I'm really validly ordained."
-- Detroit's Archbishop-elect Allen Vigneron, in an interview upon being introduced as the successor to Cardinal Adam Maida, who is
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Speaking of Jesus...I just got round last night to The Tablet's fat Christmas issue, which had many fine offerings, as usual, but an especially good review by Eamon Duffy of Timothy Radcliffe's book on the Eucharist, "Why Go to Church?" I am a fan of Radcliffe's writing, and had heard
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According to a Jesuit spokesman in Rome, via this CNS story, the action against Fr. Roger Haight reported below is "a suspension" rather than a final punishment. The process is ongoing, as a committee of three (unnamed) U.S. Jesuit theologians study Haight's work, with Haight's
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Or just pro-Palestinian? Or anti-Israel? Or are they distinctions without a difference?
As the violence continues in Gaza the prospects for a papal visit to the Holy Land, anticipated for May, grow more remote. In his weekly analysis, Vaticanista Sandro Magister lays out the case for what he
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Jesuit theologian Roger Haight, whose writings on Christology, especially in his 1999 book “Jesus: Symbol of God,” led the Vatican to bar him from teaching in Catholic institutions, has received a further punishment: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has barred Haight from
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Inspired by William Safire's annual column of predictions, I have come up with my own exercise in prophetic futility, only in a deluxe Catholic version, "The 2009 Catholic Pool." Some seriousness, some piffle, the column may do neither well, but it is well-intentioned--and safely
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The escalating warfare in the birthplace of the Prince of Peace may claim an unexpected casualty: Benedict's visit to Israel this May. According to CNS, Vatican sources have said a worsening of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict could alter the pope's travel plans.
Such a visit could provide the
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I thought the old saw that suicides increase during the holidays--the result, it was assumed, of isolation and despair deepened by the camaraderie ostensibly being enjoyed by everyone else--was an Urban Legend that I was the last to catch on to.
Apparently not. This story by Jim Nichols of
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Scandals galore, the Fall of Man, the Pope on Original Sin (as per Cathleen Kaveny's post below)--how did it all happen? Answer: Evolution made us do it. From Natalie Angier's science column in the NYT:
Deceitful behavior has a long and storied history in the evolution of social life, and the more
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Interesting linkage (or wild leap, to some) that Pope Benedict XVI made in his annual address to the Roman Curia earlier today.
The address is usually a look back at the highlights of the past year--or what the pontiff would like seen as the highlights--along with a meaty idea tor two that the
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That's nice. He's done so much. He and his conscience should rest easy. At least until the trials...But that's off topic. Here's the money quote from his "exit interview" (not to be confused with an "exit strategy") on "Fox News Sunday":
"Eventually you wear
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Others who may have attended or concelebrated at the funeral yesterday for Avery Dulles, SJ, at St. Patrick's Cathedral may have better accounts, but this photo from The New York Times story is as evocative as any of the wonderul words spoken and written about the "dean of American
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Super-evangelist Rick Warren in as, expected, taking flak from his base for accepting Obama's invitation to give the invocation at the inaugural--the most high-profile slot for a religious leader that day. Steve Waldman has the round up at Beliefnet, including Nicole Russell of American Spectator
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In another sign that Barack Obama is more forgiving than I am--or more politcally savvy--or likely both, he has drafted megachurch pastor and mega-selling motivational author Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation on Jan. 20. Warren was a strong supporter of John McCain and was viewed by
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I've written about Anh (Joseph) Cao, the neophyte New Orleans Republican and former Jesuit seminarian who won a surprise victory over the once invincible but now disgraced (allegedly) Rep. Wiiliam Jefferson earlier this month in a storm-delayed Congressional election. Cao is an affecting mix of
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Last week Grant Gallicho posted here about a Boston Globe op-ed by Judge Michael Merz, head of the lay-led National Review Board that is supposed to ensure that the bishops follow their own policies on child protection. Merz's view that the hierarchy was doing a good and no one should have any
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I had just finished ordering our annual sheaf of seasonally tacky and nicely inexpensive Christmas cards--our three-year-old on a carousel in various stages of glee, below her a wish for joy to the world and peace in 2009 and all that stuff--when I received a link to Father Jim Martin's annual
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The Times' Paul Vitello had an interesting piece yesterday on how churches are seeing a surge in attendance as the economy tanks. But it is mainly the "enthusiastic" denominations of Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism that are doing well. Even Jehovah's Witnesses are doing more door-
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Word has come down that Cardinal Avery Dulles, SJ, one of the great figures of the Catholic Church, certainly in the United States, died this morning in the Jesuit infirmary at Fordham. He was 90, and his generally good health had begun to fail of late. America's blog has the announcement. I was
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I, among others, have posed the question (here and here) of what the future of Catholic politics might look like--if it has any future--in light of the great splits between and among Catholic voters and leaders during the recent presidential campaign. There seem to be few good answers, and clearly
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Father Komonchak beat me to the punch in citing the NY version of the Senate Replacement Sweepstakes, as detailed most recently in the NYTimes. I wouldn't say the political machinations rise to the level of actually profiteering from public office, as the Illinois governor (I refuse to attempt
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As disgusting as I found the McCain-Palin attempts to tar-and-feather Barack Obama with the concocted Bill Ayers association, I was less-than-impressed with Ayers' own post-election interviews about his Weather Underground past. I think his decision not to become a public player in the campaign
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Silliness aside, what do you give for Christmas? Scrooges can harrumph that it's hyper-commercialized, yes, but Christmas has always been that way. Done properly, there is a great joy in giving (and receiving) an actual material gift, but of course the economy and other consierations make it
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Answered prayer. Just came across this--the perfect Christmas gift for my daughter AND the perfect solution to the vocations crisis: My Mass Kit, the "flagship product" from a new Catholic toy company called Wee Believers™.
According to the website, "Children will enjoy '
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Since election day, failed GOP contender and true-blue (or is that red?) evangelical, Mike Huckabee, has been settling some scores, as this TIME magazine piece on his new book shows.
Now it has gotten ugly. In the latest New Yorker, Huckabee tells Lauren Collins he was a bit cheesed that McCain
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The focus of much of the Catholic right's doomsday prophesying about Barack Obama, a.k.a. the anti-Christ (see Stafford, Cardinal Francis, et al) has been about the inevitability of Obama signing the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which would enshrine Roe into federal law and make abortion-on-demand
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Pope Benedict XVI gave an insight into his thinking on this topic in a letter to a friend and co-author, Marcello Pera, a philosopher and former president of the Italian senate and an agnostic (perhaps even an atheist) who has nonetheless been a great champion of Benedict's project to protect
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...Or at least that is the task that NCR columnist John Allen sets before himself in his weekly column out today. You'll recall the outcry after the initial report of Cardinal Stafford's remarks at CUA in Washington.
Today, Allen argues that Stafford's remarks must be viewed in context. John has
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...That's the doubt angry conservatives are trying to sow as a way to undermine the CCHD, the principal anti-poverty program of the U.S. bishops conference, and the Roman Catholic Church in America. Some bishops are among the harshest critics, though a group oddly named "Laity for Life" (
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As Father O'Neal noted in a comment on the previous post, the public letter by a Greenville, SC, pastor, Father Jay Scott Newman, saying those who voted for Obama should go to confession if they are to receive communion, has been repudiated by the adminstrator of the Diocese of Charleston. (The
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Father Jay Scott Newman, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Greenville, SC, wasn't waiting for the bishops to figure out what they should do. He sent a letter to his parishioners telling them that if they voted for Obama ("Barack Hussein Obama," as he makes sure to note) they should
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Everyone has an opinion, but I think Padre Imbelli and others need to weigh with a definitive judgment on this libretto currently making the rounds:
"L’Obama, ossia L’Avvento del Messia: Opera in Tre Atti"
I can't quite figure out the original source, but some say it's the "
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The Chicago priest, novelist, sociologist, newspaper columnist, friend of Commonweal and many others, remains in critical but stable condition at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Father Greeley fell and fractured his skull last Friday in a mishap getting out of a cab. Family and
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The bishops have concluded their intense debate on what they should do about politics and abortion and the new president and Catholics in public life and denying communion and...well, there was a lot to discuss, and not much consensus. And in the end the USCCB leader, Chicago Cardinal Francis
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Not the Dream Team some Catholics envisoned, but the President-elect dialed the Pope personally to thank him for the congratulatory telegram. According to CNS:
The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, confirmed to Catholic News Service Nov. 12 that the president-elect telephoned
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...Or the Maryknoll priest faces excommunication, according to the CDF. NCR has the story, based on a letter Bourgeois sent to the Vatican.
According to Bourgeois’ letter, which is dated Nov. 7, the congregation has given the priest 30 days to recant his “belief and public statements that
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Over at "The Catholic Thing," Hadley Arkes considers his post-election options:
I’ve been on the internet, looking at real estate in … Malta. Just think, a four-bedroom townhouse, near the new marina, in Zabbar, $350,000 USD (asking). Hmm. It is not only that the outcome of our
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If and when the bishops do start talking about a new political strategy, they may want to keep in mind the remarkable victory of Tom ("Common Good Catholic") Perriello over Virgil (Good ol' Boy) Goode in Virginia's fifth CD. Wish I could claim the WWF monikers as my invention, but they'
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...At least officially. Dan Burke at Religion News Service has the scoop, that the USCCB has decided to remove from the agenda a discussion about Catholics and politics. They put the item on the agenda in September, and even this week archbishops Chaput of Denver and Myers of Newark (and likely
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Judging by the headlines this campaign, you might have thought the shepherds were headed one way and the flock in another direction. That's not quite the case, as reports of 50 or 60 or even 100 bishops promoting a "McCain-or-be-damned" approach to abortion and the civil sacrament of
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For what it's worth, I was struck by this NYT op-ed by Johnson biographer Robert Caro back in August. Caro pinned his piece to Obama's convention speech, but what remained with me was the remarkable transformation he described in LBJ: From good ol' Texas pol to civil rights leader. Such
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Open thread: Feel free to post observations from your voting (or non-voting) experience--anecdotes and data, impressions and technical glitches, joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties
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Young Thomas Peters, a.k.a. the "American Papist" and one of the more popular bloggers among the conservative Catholic set, has a sit-down with Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput about the election. The Papist's excerpts from the video indicate that Archbishop Chaput will be one of those
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Via Sarah Pulliam at Christianity Today, some links and info to be sent around by Tuesday:
ONE: Google may be taking over the world before our eyes, but at least they're doing it with a sense of civic duty. Just plug in your address and this locator map shows you where your local polling place
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When the 2005 Vatican document on homosexuals and the priesthood came out, there was some debate over what Rome meant by its terms--such as "deep-seated" homosexuality, and whether the church wanted to bar even homosexuals capable of living a chaste life. When the follow-up document on
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Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa is a Franciscan Capuchin priest and since 1980 the Preacher to the Papal Household. In that job, he gives weekly homilies during Lent and Advent to the Pope and officials of the Roman Curia. He is also an internationally-renowned preacher. His words carry. I especially
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...A major component of the new document, reported today by CNS, is to screen out men who, as Rome put it before, "are active homosexuals or who have "deep-seated" homosexual tendencies." The document says psychological testing was appropriate in "exceptional cases that
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Or, pro-choice voters as Muslim invaders? I don't know if Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph wanted to go there, but he did, in his latest column in the diocesan newspaper:
"Our Catholic moral principles teach that a candidate's promise of economic prosperity is
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Despite all the wayward threads this election season, there have been some substantial and useful discussions here on Catholic faith and public life, in particular on the employment of prudential judgments--the lifeblood of politics. That said, a constitutional amendment on the ballot in Colorado
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Amid the final campaign push, the 10th anniversary of the nation's landmark covenant on international religious freedom passed largely unnoticed on Monday. That is more than a shame. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by a
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It's a curious assertion by the pope, it seems to me, but it is the headline in the ZENIT report on Benedict's address to the new ambassador to the Holy See from the Philippines. Here's the full quote:
"The Catholic Church is eager to share the richness of the Gospel’s social message, for
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That's one intriguing element in the final message from the Vatican Synod on the Bible to the world's Catholics. It was news to me--weren't women already reading at mass? But yes, Proposition 17 (there is a Proposition 8, but I suspect the Roman version has little to do with the California
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Interesting piece in Sunday's NYTimes about the Democratic Party fielding and backing a dozen anti-abortion candidates in congressional races, the most anyone can recall. This was a response to the 2004 defeats. Does this signal the start of a sea change? A new openness? Simple tactical, short-end
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"Blue state, Red Bishops." This time it is the other side of the Keystone state from Scranton's Bishop Martino. In the Diocese of Greensburg, Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt has issued a statement decrying the invitation extended by Seton Hill University to Douglas Kmiec, to speak on campus
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...Out of 197 active diocesan bishops. That's Rocco Palmo's count in the latest edition of The Tablet. He gathers his numbers from a review of interviews as well as their writings
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For Iraq's Christians, "the Surge" has been more like "the Purge" as ethnic and religious fighting continues to decimate this ancient and once-thriving Christian population. Before the U.S. invasion, Iraqi Christians numbered about 1.5 million. Now the figure is less than half
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The "Battle of the Bishops" get raucous...A remarkable story, via Whispers, about Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino, who has become one of the most vocal proponents of the "single-issue" theory of voting and a fierce opponent of voting Democratic. Martino's recent letter on
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That is one of the divides emerging during the current Synod on the Bible being held at the Vatican. (The formal title of the meeting of some 250 bishops and sundry experts is the Synod on the Word, and it ends this Sunday after three weeks.) The issue of Catholics and Scripture is an excellent one
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Seriously. His entire track record is hearsay. The four accounts we have of his life contradict often each other and they're probably not historically reliable. Besides, he was born in Palestine, for crying out loud. We have to ask these hard questions. The MSM won't. Maybe this ad is a good
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Very good posts below, both Peter Nixon's parsing and Cathleen Kaveny's essay. Couple of additional reads to suggest--one a very welcome (IMO) piece by Bishop Blase Cupich of Rapid City, S.D in the latest America, titled "Racism and the Election." It is one of the only pieces I've seen
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Now this would be a serious change of tone--and the smartest move yet in the heretofore hapless McCain-Palin campaign. The LATimes reports (via Sarah Pulliam at Christianity Today) on McCain's make-up appearance on Letterman last night and McCain's revelation that Palin would be going on Saturday
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...And as predicted, he may want to give it back. Read the rather funny Times' "Caucus" piece about "Joe the Plumber," star of last night's debate...Or, rather, Samuel J. Wurzelbacher. And he's actually not a plumber. But he is an angry Republican who owes back taxes and may
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That might be heresy to some in the Catholic universe, but the argument has much to be said for it--though don't expect Cardinal Edward M. Egan to be making that claim at tonight's Al Smith Dinner. The quadrennial white-tie gala fundraiser at New York's Waldorf Astoria is a glitzy affair and a rare
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So, impressions and opinions on last night's debate? Okay, I'll go first. It's clear by now that these candidates need to swap meds: Obama should be taking McCain's juiced Geritol and McCain should channel the Human Valium across the desk from him. I didn't think either man was particularly on his
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It would be interesting to see Supreme Knight Carl Anderson (see Paul Moses' post below) face off with Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, who told NCR's John Allen that he would "obviously" vote for Barack Obama if he could. That seems consistent with what I've heard from and
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Today is the Day of Atonement, which concludes the High Holy Days. The 1901-06 Jewish Encyclopedia (which might be comparable in tone and content to the 1914 Catholic Encyclopedia, but still fascinating if outdated in some respects) is online. Here is part of the entry on Yom Kippur:
In rabbinic
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Speaking of English saints (or would-be saints, as in the case of Newman, below)...In today's NYtimes, reviewer Ben Brantley broaches the unspeakable:
Is it heresy to whisper that the sainted Thomas More is a bit of a bore? Even Frank Langella, an actor who can be counted on to put the pepper in
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Was Cardinal Newman gay? Or (as the joke has it) simply divine? That was the controversy that dominated the dust-up over exhuming John Henry Newman, the great nineteenth-century English convert to Rome, in order to move his body to a more suitable location for veneration--that in anticipation of
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That's the title of this interview in Scientific American with a social pyschologist, Chen-Bo Zhong, who explains why we use certain metaphors to describe certain feelings--because, he says, we are describing the way we actually feel. (Or is it the other way around?) Hence the subhead of the piece
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McCain and Palin are behind in the polls and checking Mapquest every day for the lowest road in the region. The campaign has made it clear they want to dirty up Obama in the stretch, and Tuesday night's debate should be a test of whether McCain will bring that tactic into the open, with Obama a few
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Who's afraid of Sarah Palin? And her faith? I'm one of those who thinks all the hand-wringing about her supposedly ideological right-wing faith is way overblown. Could she be a right-wing religious ideologue if in office? Perhaps she'd follow the script if that's what she was told to do. But
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A strong statement from the head of the U.S. bishops domestic justice committee offers five conditions to guide any rescue/bailout package. In the Sept. 26 statement (it didn't get much press; I just found it now via ZENIT), Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre (Long Island) stressed "
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Former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, recently promoted to the Vatican as head of the Apostolic Segnatura (a kind of church Supreme Court, only more complicated) wastes no time making waves on the other side of the pond. In an interview with Avvenire, the daily of the Italian bishops
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The bailout/rescue package has gone down in flames. May be resuscitated later in the week. But the House vote wasn't close, and no one wants to be seen taking responsibility for what may be a turkey--or a lifeline.
So what now? Will a broad stock market fall sober everyone up? Or will a modest
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From the Washington Post, the McCain statement:
John McCain's decision to suspend his campaign was made in the hopes that politics could be set aside to address our economic crisis.
In response, Americans saw a familiar spectacle in Washington. At a moment of crisis that threatened the economic
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I'll miss newspapers when they're gone, and accounts like this one from today's NYTimes on the budget summit fiasco are one reason:
WASHINGTON — The day began with an agreement that Washington hoped would end the financial crisis that has gripped the nation. It dissolved into a verbal brawl in
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I haven't seen much from church leaders on a Catholic view of the financial crisis, though the church has long-standing teachings and resources that I think could be useful--and an antidote to some of the idolatry and fatalism of unfettered free-marketeering. ("Hey, stuff happens. No pain, no
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"Whatever the New York Times once was, it is not today by any standard a journalistic organization. It is a pro-Obama organization that every day attacks Senator McCain, attacks Governor Palin, and excuses Senator Obama."
That was McCain campaign CEO, Steve Schmidt, on Sunday's Times
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I am in Washington for the annual conference of the Religion Newswriters Association, which gathers together journos on the God beat at secular media outlets. Many good sessions and interesting surveys and speakers. I won't clutter the blog with my reports for Beliefnet, but here are summaries and
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...Sort of. An Italian comedian, Sabina Guzzanti, said nasty things about the Holy Father at a rally in Rome and according The Times of London account is facing prosecution for "offending the honour of the sacred and inviolable person" of Benedict XVI. Apparently this is some hangover
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NCR has the obit. I interacted with Dean Hoge as a journalist, and have to agree with the NCR lede that he was but "an unparalleled figure in the field of sociology of religion," and a Presbyterian who did as much to foster constructive study of the Catholic Church (and in particular
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I understand next to nothing about the turmoil on Wall Street, even though it is closer to me than even Russia is to Alaska, and yet the human toll of the crashes and crises and meltdowns is becoming clear, and is spreading. My wife pointed out this morning that AIG, possibly the next giant to fall
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News out this ayem about political correctness run amok at this weekend's Values Voters Summit...er, well, maybe there's something else at work? A vendor at the annual summit, a creation of James Dobson's Family Research Council, was selling "Obama Waffles," with a just oh-so-funny Aunt
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The seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the crashed airliner in Shanksville, Pa., brought renewed focus on relations between Islam and the West. But today, Friday, Sept. 12, marks two years since "9/12," the date when Pope
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For all the wilful disparaging of the MSM by the GOP and its allies on the Christian right, there is a good argument to be made that the "media" (whatever that is, today) is reading straight out of the McCain playbook. The latest evidence was Joe Biden's appearance on "Meet the Press
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"Hockey Mom" (and GOP veep nominee) Sarah Palin is ringing up big numbers, according to the Rasmussen poll, which has her approval rating at 58 percent, a point higher than Obama or McCain. She is especially popular with the party faithful, a.k.a. evangelicals. According to this God-o-
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On the anniversary of 9/11, the two rivals will suspend hostilities and meet in No Man's Land
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Whether Sarah Palin's family, or Sarah Palin herself, should be a subject of commentary and scrutiny has itself become a much-debated topic. But let us agree that the issues raised by her candidacy, notably the revelation of her 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy, may be a "teachable moment,&
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I had thought the terrifying onslaught of Gustav and the efforts by the GOP to dodge the Katrina bullet--or turn it to McCain's benefit--would be the story of the day, but the bombshell news that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant is worth addressing given the stakes
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John McCain has certainly revived his maverick label by picking--or plucking from obscurity--freshman Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. (WaPo coverage here, and NYT coverage here.) Like every candidate, there are pluses and minuses.
On the plus side, Christian conservatives (as
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...And speaking of renowned Jesuits, Brad Pitt has been cast as Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit scientist, in the film version of Mary Doria Russell's "The Sparrow." Father Jim Martin (not unknown, himself) has the news over at "In All Things," and asks the central theological
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That's the promise of the new study released today by Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. According to the group's news release, the study is the first of its kind and looks at the "long- and short-term effects of public policy on the abortion rate over a twenty-year period. The
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A moment likely to interest Catholics in particular will be this evening's speech at the Democratic Convention by Pennsylvania senator Bob Casey, Jr.. The younger Casey's invitation is clearly something of a make-up for the 1992 episode when his father, the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey
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By choosing the longtime senator insider and foreign policy expert, Joe Biden, as his running mate, Barack Obama got a well-respected congressional insider to help his prospective legislative agenda as well as sharp-spoken (too much, at times--but good for a veep) campaigner and an opponent of
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Steve Waldman over at Beliefnet has a detailed account of the machinations that led to the altered language on abortion in the Democratic platform, as we all discussed here. I think it shows how much Obama was able to accomplish under difficult circumstances. As at Saddleback, he is trying to
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Avant le deluge--that is, the imminent announcement of Obama's VP pick and the 24/7 run-up to the Dems' Convention--I was hoping to revisit a theme of Catholic-Jewish relations that has been in the news of late. Mollie Wilson O'Reilly posted earlier about the Vatican reiteration against using &
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Apropos of a recent wave of Wauviana (sp?) here, the NYTimes' reviewer Michiko Kakutani pans an intriguing new book, "The Same Man: George Orwell & Evelyn Waugh in Love and War," by David Lebedoff. As Kakutani writes, "Lebedoff takes a completely contrarian view, attempting
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The New Republic has posted "Everything you've ever wanted to know about party platforms--and then some," also titled, aptly, "The Corncob Pipe of Politics." It's very good, comprehensive, on the current platforms and debates, and also the history of platform fights--a history
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The Weekly Standard has a story from a campaign plane Q&A with John McCain in which he says he'd be open to choosing an abortion rights advocate like Tom Ridge. Analysts said McCain appeared to be floating a trial balloon, and was also facing political realities, such as the need to win
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Yes, we (I) wade back into the never-ending story. But this time I am forced by events, as the Democratic platform committee has apparently proposed new language for the party's abortion policy. Some will see it as a victory for Democratic pro-lifers, like those we discussed in the thread below
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Picking up on the post below, there is a very good piece today on The New Republic site about the Dems platform battle over abortion language, and the efforts of Democrats for Life, a small organization (need it be said?) founded in 1999 with chapters in over 40 states. It is led by Kristen Day.
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The New York Times has a piece today about Obama and the Dems and their efforts to appeal to Catholic voters who may be turned off by the party's pro-choice dogmatism. It includes comments from the much-pilloried pro-life, yet pro-Obama, Doug Kmiec. I expect this won't be the last of these sorts of
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Apropos of Cathleen Kaveny's post below regarding crucial social justice issues and their role in the campaign--versus charges of false messianism and the like--Steve Waldman at Beliefnet recounts a talk by former GOP senator Rick Santorum, who is seen by many as an uber-Catholic because of his
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I'd call such a comparison a compliment to the Newsweek folk. Over at TNR, Leon Wieseltier does not intend the same in this week's Washington Diarist. Though Wieseltier's orotund style makes it hard to know what he intends. But by the end of the column, I think his heart is in the right place,
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Vatican types often display a knack for language that can rankle friends as much as foes, with the latest example a speech by Rome's ranking guest at the Anglican Lambeth Conference, Cardinal Ivan Dias of the Congregation for the Evangeliz(s)ation of Peoples. In his intervention yesterday,
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Apropos (somewhat, I spose) of Bob Imbelli's post below, as well as several other recent posts on the translations issue, the USCCB announced today that the mail-in results of the inconclusive June vote on the new translation of the Proper of Seasons prayers did not reach the required two-thirds
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Fascinating story just moved by The New York Times about the recovery of a stone tablet which apparently came from the Dead Sea area and speaks of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days...and it is dated to decades before the time of Jesus.
Many questions to be sure, but this
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Just an addendum to my earlier post on the meaning of "historic," which prompted many fine insights: One of my favorite items in The Tablet--or any periodical that includes such a feature--is their column re-printing an excerpt from their pages of 50 and 100 years earlier. The editors
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Father Komonchak had a very interesting post two months back called "Remembering 1989" about trying to convey the sense of watching history being made (as we like to say) to those who were hardly born when historic events happened--like the fall of the Berlin Wall. I was put in mind of
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A story in this morning's NYTimes, "For Iraqi Christians, Money Bought Survival," reveals a little-known (to most of us in the U.S., I suspect) story of how Iraqi Christians have been paying off militias in exchange for their lives. The story starts with Chaldean Catholic Archbishop
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Over at Pontifications, I take a look at the latest numbers from both the voluminous Pew "Religious Landscape Survey" and the lesser-noted survey from Georgetown's CARA institute and the conclusion seems inescapable: The GOP is losing the Catholic vote by a huge margin, from near parity
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Forgive the self-promotion, but I'll make it brief: Beliefnet has asked me to continue as the blogger on things Catholic, supplanting the pope-oriented "Benedictions" blog with a re-baptized (ordinary tap water) with something called "Pontifications." Many would agree such a
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Above-the-fold story in this morning's New York Times breaks the news that Big Oil (the American variety) is getting a no-bid leg up on the oil industry in Iraq 36 years after Sadaam Hussein booted them.
The deals, expected to be announced on June 30, will lay the foundation for the first
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QUESTION: My son and daughter-in-law belong to a church with different beliefs from mine, and thus my new grandchildren, a few months old, were not going to be baptized. My 1950s Catholic background would not let me sleep, so I snuck them off to the laundry and performed private rites. Do I get
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In an op-ed in today's New York Times, "The End of Intervention," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright laments another bit of collateral damage from the Iraq debacle--namely, the further erosion of momentum for humanitarian intervention under the principle of the "
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James Wood's theodicy essay in the latest New Yorker, which Matt Boudway posted on below, was among the many fine entries in this double issue. While this is ostensibly the "Summer Fiction Issue," there is a religious core to it, including a series of brief essays under the title "
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Since the Pfleger Pfiasco broke people have been sending me links to video of Msgr. Jim Lisante, a Long Island priest, saying some rather mocking things about Barack Obama as well as some other pointed political comments during an invocation at a recent New York State Republican Party dinner. (
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The release of former White House spokesman Scott McClellan's memoir of his tenure as President Bush's spokesman adds to the discussion of the pope's comments to journalists that Paul Moses posted below. I suppose we shouldn't be shocked by stories of the Administration's manipulations at this
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I posted the other day about the Vatican reaffirming the ban on gay men taking holy orders. According to Radio Veritas, via Catholic World News, a cardinal in the Philippines is saying he doesn't read it that way at all:
Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of Manila told reporters that homosexuals who do
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I have been meaning to write about the opening the other day of an excellent exhibit called "Catholics in New York: 1808-1946," at the Museum of the City of New York. They had a very grand reception, and lots of people in very good form, including an expansive Cardinal Egan. (Though Ed
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There had been some speculation that a passing comment by Pope Benedict XVI during his in-flight press conference (well, a staged response to a few carefully-chosen questions--but who's to quibble!) may have signaled a change of policy regarding the ban on gay men entering the seminary. In
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Speaking of receiving communion, or not, an item in the current edition of The Tablet hints at a possible opening for divorced and remarried Catholics to receive communion--even though many do, obviously, their ban from the altar under church law remains one of the sorest pastoral points in the US
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A story in today's New York Times about a Buddhist couple--he's a monk--who have vowed never to have sex, but also never to be more than 15 feet from each other:
“It forces you to deal with your own emotions so you can’t say, ‘I’ll take a break,’ ” said Mr. Roach, 55, who trained in
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An earlier post on Bishop Murphy's pastoral letter ending services with the distribution of communion (to better highlight the connection between the mass offered by a priest and the eucharist, among other things) spun into an interesting discussion of homilies and lay preaching. Or not.
Apropos
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Michael Paulson had an in-depth article in yesterday's Globe about the apparent victory of Catholic bishops and alums and advocacy groups who have been pushing Catholic universities to bar Catholic commencement speakers with questionable public views, usually on the flashpoint issues of
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Why beat around the bush? Let everyone know how you feel without the mediation of a blog. (So Catholic anyway.) The evil geniuses at Slate have come up with a series of cellphone rings that will leave those around you with no doubt about your political views. They include Hillary's laugh (I'd use
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Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Center on Long Island released a pastoral letter today [beware: PDF file] ending the fairly common practice of communion services in the absence of a priest--an "extraordinary" form that came into being because of the priest shortage.
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Barack Obama's Catholic National Advisory Council responded late yesterday to Bill Donohue's charges a week earlier that they are dissident Catholics with more in common with Jeremiah Wright than Pope Benedict. (The Obama advisors include a number of "Commonweal Catholics.") Now Donohue
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Following on an interesting discussion in a previous post about Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and his view of the relationship between his Catholic faith and his rulings--or rather the lack of said connection--John Thavis over at the CNS blog picks up the thread and expands on it greatly.
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Arguably the most identifiably Catholic (for the wrong reasons, many would argue) justice on the Supreme Court is Antonin Scalia, and he spoke to Tim Russert in an MSNBC interview Sunday about the impact of his faith on his jurisprudence. It ain't much, apparently, and ought to be enough to get
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Never thought you'd see that headline, huh? Well, that seems to be the upshot of this Politico report that National Right-to-Life is making robocalls in Indiana asking Democrats to vote against Obama. I guess, as Tim Roemer surmises, they think Clinton would be easier to beat in the general
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Melinda Henneberger in Slate and the Boston Globe in South Bend offer two good overviews and explanations, though Melinda--a Commonweal contributor--takes aim at the race issue that generates much heat. Her analysis is strong, however. "Hillary for Mother Superior?" We'll see again
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Haven't kept up with the campaign? Afraid to start now? Not sure about all those reviews you've been reading? Here's a nifty summary--like one of those movie trailers that gives it all away--for those of you who may not trust everything you read on this blog. Au contraire (as John Kerry would say
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Bill Donohue may not be tired of the culture wars--or internecine Catholic wars. The head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is often over the top in denunciations of anti-Catholicism, real or perceived, and of other Catholics who Donohue sees as not toeing the proper Catholic
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Someone suggested that the Egan v. Giuliani "Holy War" (the wood on today's NYPost) is passe. Probably so. What is really galling is this: Notre Dame is trying to dictate terms to Rutgers over a six-game Big East football matchup. The Knights responded by telling the Fighting Irish (NOT
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Not to distract anyone from the other highjinks (and lowjinks) on the blog today, but an interesting smackdown is brewing between Rudy Giuliani and Cardinal Edward Egan over Giuliani's decision to take communion at the papal mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on April 19. We were all surprised to
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The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is back in the news, delivering some fiery (the indispensible adjective with the Rev. Wright) rhetoric yesterday at the close of a meeting of the NAACP's Detroit branch. Wright's unrepentant talk and prophetic style are likely to make you smile if you are a black
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My preferred era of historical study began with the Renaissance and moved on from there, in other words, modern history. But I have over the years grown increasingly taken with the medieval period (though in church history and spirituality I am in some sympathy with Benedict XVI, who is a
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At a news briefing just ended, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi sought to quell speculation in news reports (including yesterday's posting here) that Rome was considering changes in the canonical statute of limitations to make it easier to laicize future clergy abusers.
Reports,
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Benedict's homily (text via CNS) at the mass with priests and seminarians this morning at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York (the first papal mass ever at the great church) was a heartfelt and often lyrical call for American priests to overcome divisions so that the church can grow once again
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At a lunch meeting today with journalists sponsored by Time magazine, Cardinal William Levada, the former San Francisco archbishop who Joseph Ratzinger named to replace himself at the CDF when Ratzinger was elected pope, answered a number of good questions about the papal visit so far. But in
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A couple of items from last night's Faith Forum debate with Obama and Clinton. I'll try to avoid the "bitter" bandwagon that rolls along. But Mark Silk at Spiritual Politics points to a couple of interesting takeaways, one from Hillary's newser that day regarding a question on the church
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Well, you should read the entire interview with the President conducted by EWTN's Raymond Arroyo. (I just posted on it at Beliefnet.) It was largely an exchange of softballs and back-pats, with more than enough odd interpretations of world affairs to chew on for a while, especialy from this "
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Benedict's vintage vesture has been a topic of much blog-babble and tongue-wagging. No, not just the Prada shoes (knockoffs, actually). Vestments of greater import, including the news that the pope has commissioned a set of 30 new vestments modeled on those worn by the notorious Medici pope, Leo X
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Dan Burke of RNS poses the question in today's Washington Post
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A couple of notes from the David Gibson Department of Self-Promotion:
Not that you need another website to check out, but I have begun covering Benedict's visit for Beliefnet at the aptly named blog, "Benedictions". It is, of course, the only papal visit blog you'll ever need...We
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Over at SpiritualPolitics, Mark Silk has a follow-up on the mystery of Mrs. Clinton's religious affiliation (Bill is a Southern Baptist--now there's some baggage). It seems Hillary has been associated with something called "The Family," which is not the Family of cult infamy. Alternately
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Hillary Clinton knows a good thing when she sees it, and is riding the Rev. Wright issue for all it's worth. As she tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Wright "would not have been my pastor...You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend." (Perhaps she also
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The self-consciousness of Jesus (even before he was in the womb he knew he was God--or not) has prompted many interesting discussions here. Such discussions necessitate shades of meanings and incorporate mystery. But they usually coalesce around two camps. Now it seems Anne Rice, with her latest
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From the Pope's homily at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, via Zenit
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AsiaNews is reporting that the Chaldean archbishop of Mosul, Archbishop Faraj Rahho, who was kidnapped last February 29 after the Stations of the Cross, is dead. This is a terrible drama that has been largely lost under the wave of other news, often more ridiculous than sublime. I haven't seen
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Peter Steinfels' "Beliefs" column in the New York Times is always informative, and two weeks ago it was especially moving as Peter wrote about an exhibit at Lower Manhattan's Trinity Church called "Through His Eyes", Stations of the Cross as if viewed from the perspective of
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The Gospel story of Jesus healing the blind man (from yesterday's readings) is always moving on many levels, but I found it especially poignant and on point in light of the recent threads on baptism (a sacrament of which this miracle story is a symbol):
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from
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Catholic News Service reports on a ruling by the Vatican holding that baptisms performed by invoking "the Creator, the Liberator, and the Sustainer"--rather than the old-fashioned Father, Son & Holy Ghost--are invalid, as are all sacraments that follow thereof, such as marriage
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The passing of William F. Buckley made me reflect on how fortunate we were that he did not pursue a career in academia. Not that there's anything wrong with academia. It's just that one could never imagine him in an ivory tower. But maybe his career choice was not just coincidence (or Providence
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Continuing their campaign follies, Hillary Clinton and/or her aides are reportedly circulating a "stunning" photo of--get this--Obama dressed as a tribal elder while on a visit to rural Kenya in 2006. According to Politico.com the Clinton campaign is not denying sending the shot to Matt
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My own reaction to the New York Times story on John McCain and allegations of ethics problems and intimations of playing footsie with a lady lobbyist (I feel free to use tabloid language here as that's what the story is, at heart) was decidedly negative. For one thing, they tried to mask a
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I'll raise Father Komonchak one Hail Mary (at least) for posting this story about a Topeka Catholic High School that told a female basketball ref she couldn't work a boy's hoops game because it would put a woman in a position of authority over men (well, soon-to-be men).
This is easily explained
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It seems that Catholic University of America has abruptly cancelled an 11-part lecture series, titled "Building Catholic Communities" (no wisecracks needed) due to the participation of two controversial figures, E. Michael Jones, editor of the South Bend, Ind.-based Culture Wars magazine
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So says Doug Kmiec, writing in Slate...Kmiec is former dean of the Catholic University of America School of Law and currently chair of constitutional law at Pepperdine University in Malibu--and no mushy-headed Catholic liberal
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V-Day strikes again. According to the Catholic News Agency and other outlets, a meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine is moving off the Notre Dame campus because students are planning to present a performance of "The Vagina Monologues" on
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That is the question posed by a post over at the CNS News Hub, which links to articles in the other NCR (the Register) that say, first, that McCain is not, then with a response from Senator (and convert) Sam Brownback saying he is. This is likely to be an ongoing debate, and McCain would seem
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Here's a Baptist Press story headlined, "Andy Rooney rebuffs street corner witness."
This is a rare case when I'm on Andy's side. Except for the atheism part
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In a Jan. 11 post I noted that a bishop from Kazakhstan wrote an essay in the Osservatore Romano about the superiority of receiving communion on the tongue, while kneeling. As with most posts on liturgy, it occassioned a good deal of comment, and many informative historical references. In those
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An interesting item via Amy Welborn, regarding a debate on abortion--to mark the Roe v. Wade anniversary--between Peter Kreeft of Boston College, for the pro-life side, and philosopher David Boonin of the University of Colorado, for the pro-choice side. The debate took place at the University of
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Following up on an earlier post about Mike Huckabee's ear-catching claim that we should "amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards," the Huckster has expanded on his remarks in an interview with Beliefnet. It's not quite as fuzzy as his apparent reversal on a federal
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If I have a vote, I would use it to take a brief station break from the internecine Democratic political warfare and focus on the GOP politics of identity and/or victimization, just for the fun of it. Heck, I guess one of those guys could get elected president. If it is Mike Huckabee, this
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I hesitate (though not enough to stop, of course) to post something about Harry Potter, as I've never read the series, and have seen just a couple of the movies. They seem fine, not the Apocalypse. Like much other great children's fiction that I missed the first time around, I'll probably get to
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An auxiliary bishop from Kazakhstan (no Borat jokes, please), Athanasius Schneider of Karaganda, has written a commentary in the Osservatore Romano arguing that kneeling and receiving Communion on the tongue is the proper posture. The article is titled "Like a nursing child in the arms of the
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"Listen up, Jesuits," would be my own translation of that phrase in light of the speech by the Vatican's envoy to the CG35 in Rome. Papal legate Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, spoke to the General
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Sorry, Peter. But Pat is really funny. Well, if you consider predictions of never-ending Apocalypse humorous. Read the 2008 predictions of the Visionary of Virginia Beach here. Among the main divinations that God whispered in his ear: oil at $150 a barrel, big stock market crash...Hey, maybe he'
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The New York Times is adding William Kristol as an op-ed columnist. Good choice, I think. They need a successor to William Safire. David Brooks has often been called the conservative that liberals like, and I don't think that's necessarily a compliment
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Despite the maddening last-minute rush, I find myself inexorably warmed by the folk customs and wonderful bad taste that is the American Christmas. Perhaps this bustle is a necessary gantlet, a preparation for the wonder and stillness of tonight's Mass, and tomorrow festivities. In short, I don'
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Okay, it's not a very original hedder, I'm sure. But it's not easy to come up with something new on the worst-kept secret in Christendom: Tony Blair has swum the Tiber. His reception by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor at Archbishop’s House was warm, though elsewhere it was somewhat hotter, as
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So all along I thought Benedict XVI was getting props for his daring attire, from Prada (or bespoke, still unclear) red shoes to Gucci shades to glittering gold Pio Nono vestments. The Santa Claus camauro, the ermine-trimmed red velvet hat the Pope likes when it's cold, should be coming out any day
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Reprising Marianne Tierney's previous post on Our Lady of Guadalupe, check out a story in today's NYTimes about the play, “La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin,” which takes place at the cathedral in Los Angeles. Great slide show, and video. Is this the Passion Play of the American Catholic
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To all you Neo-Roundheads on the blog who have been decrying Christmas consumerism, take this: According to this story in the infallible New York Times, "psychologists say it is often the giver, rather than the recipient, who reaps the biggest psychological gains from a gift." In other
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The U.S. bishops' Committee on Doctrine today panned Father Peter Phan's book on religious pluralism for containing "pervading ambiguities and equivocations that could easily confuse or mislead the faithful." The American bishops began an investigation of Phan, a Vietnamese-born priest
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The Mitt Romney speech continues to attract a good deal of attention, to the extent that it might be worth a new thread. Over at The First Things blog Richard John Neuhaus says that folks (like me) who think Romney is stooping to respond to what is effectively religious bigotry are themselves
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In an intriguing (to me) coda to a September post "Church or Faith?" about the Catholic conversion of Episcopal Bishop Jeffrey Steenson, it turns out that Steenson was received into the Church this past weekend--by Cardinal Bernard Law, no less, and in Law's Basilica of
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The National Intelligence (Oxymoron Alert!) Estimate report on Iran's nuclear program is one of the more stunning turnabouts of a turbulent and tragic stretch of American history. Let us hope (byword of the week) that this convinces Bush and the candidates and the American public to ease up on the
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Paul Lauritzen's earlier post, "Liberal Creationism," about William Saletan's three-part series on Slate.com on a possible genetic basis for IQ occasioned a rather lively back-and-forth. A story in today's New York Times recounts the ensuing viral
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Newsweek has a lengthy profile of Giuliani that burrows into his youth to explain Rudy the Politician. The piece quotes from the John Judis piece in The New Republic, which we posted earlier, that tries to explain Giuliani's authoritarian streak in terms of traditional Catholic thought. To
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As usual, there were many amusing and moving story lines at the recent consistory for the creation of 23 new cardinals, all of which got ample play elsewhere. Most poignant had to be the elevation of the Chaldean patriarch in Baghdad, Cardinal Emmanuel-Karim Delly. The personal favorite
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In a recent New Republic article, "Authority Figure," John Judis traces Giuliani's bully law-and-order character back "to his childhood in New York and to his enrollment for 16 years in Catholic schools." It is a worthy endeavor, but
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Shocked at such language? John McCain apparently wasn't when a woman posed the question to him to other day at a kaffe klatsch with voters. No doubt you realize the "bitch" in question is Hillary Clinton. (I guess we can be thankful Barack Obama didn't come up.)
The response? The crowd
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Mark Noll is as good as they get in church history, and much else--and he is a Wheaton evangelical at Catholic Notre Dame! (Someone ought to report an identity theft. I'm just not sure whose...) More to the point of several recent posts here, he has an essay on hymnody in the
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Amy Welborn has cornucopius thoughts and links on the liturgical music debate going on in Rome and, next week, at the bishops' meeting Baltimore. She links to a post by Jeffrey Tucker at the New Liturgical Movement site titled Top Ten Unknown Truths About Sacred Music.
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While Benedict XVI was expected to trim the Vatican bureaucracy, in keeping with his preference for institutional minimalism, the Curia may be set to expand by an office--one that would set limits on liturgical music. Before his election, Joseph Ratzinger advocated for such a
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Pat Robertson has endorsed Rudy Giuliani. Pat is a Pentecostal televangelist who wanted to be president once. Rudy is a Catholic who wanted to be a priest once, but will settle for pope if his own presidential ambitions don't work out. Read about it here for now, but much more coverage to
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"Values voters" aside, I don't see how Rudy would get through primaries--much less a General Election campaign--if he continues to show the bumptious stubborness he was infamous for pre-9/11. The latest episode was his defense of his disgraced former NYC police commissioner, Bernie Kerik
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John Kerry has finally spoken about his faith and the 2004 campaign, and if he is not exactly eloquent, he is a good deal better than he was three years ago. (Sure, that's a low threshold.) Kerry spoke to journalists at what was billed as an "informal session" at the Pew Forum, and
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A month has passed since I read a startling review in The New York Times about a startling Tony Kaye film on abortion, called "Lake of Fire." Critics indicate that the film has great virtues, great flaws, but is relentlessly provocative. In an apparent effort to confound the cherished
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The Lawrence Downes column about the denigration inherent in the "illegal immigrant" tag, cited here on Oct. 28, prompted several letters in today's NYTimes. Almost all of the writers rejected Downes' argument (which I support), and the tone of the letter-writers struck me by the
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Lawrence Downes, who recently wrote a comment-catching "Editorial Observer" column about the return of the Old Rite, is back with a column in today's New York Times titled "What Part of 'Illegal' Don't You Understand?". Amid the freeway pile-up of commentary
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Jerry Renner, former RNS editor and longtime religion writer at the Hartford Courant, has died. Jerry was born a Catholic and raised a journalist, and brought honor to both vocations, perhaps most notably in his investigative work on the Legionaries of Christ. He started digging in the 1990s,
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In a rejoinder to those who view the media as inimical to religion, and to the church in particular, the Providence Journal-Bulletin has been running a lavish--and largely positive--series on Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence. At the same time, however, court documents sought by
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Kudos to Associated Press national writers Martha Irvine and Robert Tanner for a series on a story that has gone largely unreported until now: the plague of sexual abuse of children by educators.
The mainbar story is here along with a sidebar here and here (that I've
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The Blackwater scandal of American (and other) mercenaries in Iraq and elsewhere popped up on my radar as yet another dark chapter in this national nightmare surrounding Iraq. Yet I didn't explore it as much as I would have liked (or should have) until channel-surfing the other night I came across
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This is why I am a Catholic. The "Bonfire of the Inanities" image of JPII in flames arrives just as "sugar shock" artist Cosimo Cavallaro tries to resurrect his "Chocolate Jesus" sculpture (which rotates counter-clockwise. I think). Coincidence?
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In a much-discussed Op-Ed in the New York Times last week (yes, that paper, of all places), James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and a leading player in Evangelicalism, laid it on the line. He warned his political soulmates in the GOP that if they don't deliver a
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Here's a wacky one--at least to me. Perhaps you Minnesota readers are up on this story, but thanks to the Dallas Morning News blog I just read the Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages story about the University of St. Thomas rescinding an invitation to Nobel laureate and
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At the America Web site, John Donahue, SJ, has some shocking news about the latest Church investigation of an unorthodox thinker. Have things always been this bad? Well, maybe...(Satire alert
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The Connecticut bishops have reversed themselves and will now allow Catholic hospitals to dispense emergency contraceptive pills, known as "Plan B" pills, to rape victims. See the Hartford Courant story here. This has naturally caused many tongues to
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The NYTimes went and did it again. First their secret campaign to help MoveOn.org was unmasked, leading to embarassment and a shift in focus from President Bush's war in Iraq to the Liberal Media--the real threat.
Now the Times' story from Sept. 10 about the banning of religious
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While attention was focused on the Anglican-Episcopal meeting of bishops in New Orleans that hopes to avert schism, yet another Episcopal bishop departed from Canterbury for Rome. Bishop Jeffrey Bishop Steenson of the Diocese of Rio Grande has written a letter to
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The NCR's John Allen, who has owned the Peter Phan case from the get-go, has important details and analysis in his weekly column just posted today. Two of the many points John makes strike me as worthy of elaboration: One is the idea that the investigation of Phan and others is about
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D. Paul Sullins, a sociologist at Catholic University of America and himself a married priest-convert from the Episcopal Church, has a new survey of married convert-priests that shows they are generally as conservative as we suspected--only moreso. As summarized in the September issue of
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A recent web-only piece over at Christianity Today pulled together some string on what could emerge as the next front in the abortion wars, especially with the silly campaign season coming on--namely, challenging pro-lifers to articulate the penalties in a society of re-criminalized abortion. The
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Following on my earlier post regarding the problems of some Southern Baptists with a pastor who was still safely in ministry after sexually abusing several girls, here is a story out of South Dakota about an ELCA case. The local TV report, which you can read here, seems to have some element missing
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Two instructive items from a world Commonwealers rarely visit, that of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
One is a Chicago Sun-Times article about a Southern Baptist pastor who was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1996 for sexually abusing four girls, ages 15 to 17. He was paroled in 2001
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Vanity Fair (via Arts & Letters Daily) has an eye-opening, truly disturbing story about the late great Arthur Miller and the son with Down Syndrome that no one knew he had--because Miller made sure the child was put away, and kept away. Sure, you can be a great
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Before the blog is taken over by parsings on Rove's departure or similar stories of real import, here is some light-hearted fare appropriate for these August days. It seems the Christian Outdoorsman company has put out a camo bible for deer
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The San Diego diocese is in bankruptcy court over payouts to victims of sexual abuse, yet a parish like St. Peter's, written up in the latest NCR (that's "Reporter" not "Register") is demonstrating how truly counter-cultural the church can be. The story is a quick read,
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I was going to add my personal testimony on behalf of the Jesuits for the Feast of St. Ignatius, but as it also happens to be my daughter's birthday (there are no coincidences!), her second, things got a bit busy. Then, late last night I was directed to this "clarification," as it is
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Sandro Magister has the text of Benedict's Q&A with priests at his vacation home in northern Italy. (This is the pope's preferred way of communicating in a more casual manner; it is effective, and enlightening, as he seems comfortable in this setting.) The excerpt Magister has
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The Los Angeles abuse settlement continues to reverberate to a degree that surprises me. There were several powerful letters to the New York Times after their news story and editorial, including one from Anne & Ed Wilson of the VOTF chapter here in Brooklyn, and one from the venerable Msgr.
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Roma locuta. This should settle the matter for faithful Catholics. Though I have to agree with Jean that I can't take being as trendy as all those AppleHeads, like B16. I actually feel kind of retro with a PC, as if I am banging away on a Remington. Or using the Old Rite
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No, this is not dotCommonweal's first invocation of Paris Hilton. I'm referring instead to one of those other "what-were-they-thinking" stories last week, this one from MSNBC. (HT to "Get Religion") Investigative reporter Bill Dedman tracked down campaign contributions made by
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Apropos of the earlier post on the church's "dry drunks," the well-regarded Bishop of Stockton, Stephen Blaire, gave a savory homily last month at the ordination Mass for two new priests from his diocese. (HT: Rocco's Whispers) In motifs reminiscent of John XXIII--but perhaps aimed at
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Greg Erlandson is president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor, and a colleague in the Catholic journalism dodge who I've known for years, since he was covering the Vatican for CNS in the 1980s. People like Greg--though he might be shocked to hear this--are the types who first drew my interest
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I suspect the Benedict-on-Jesus debate will continue, as it should. But I'd like to propose a brief interlude for a bit of entertainment--and because it doesn't seem right to go a whole day without citing or bashing The New York Times. I was certain the item I have in mind would be up on this blog
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Reviews of Benedict XVI's book Jesus of Nazareth--his first personal work as pope--are starting to hit the street. I am sure many there will be many more posts here as the book makes the rounds, and I have a few thoughts myself, having given it the once over. Those future posts may be more
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Sister Dorothy Stang's name was not mentioned (as far as I know) during the Pope's just-completed trip to Brazil, but before the focus moves away from that country it would be right and good to recall the memory of this remarkable martyr for the faith.
Many readers probably know the story of this
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The Vatican has graciously "cleaned up" the Pope's tempest-causing remarks on abortion and excommunication from the in-flight press conference, as you can read in this AP story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR2007051002386.html or in the CNS version http
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As Pope Benedict XVI heads to Brazil, where a major challenge in what is technically the world’s most populous Catholic country is sheep stealing (actually, I think they’re often letting themselves out an open gate) by Protestant “sects” (the Vatican’s term), or what John Paul II called
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