Pope Francis: Intervention for a Hoarder Church

March 21, 2013 By 15 Comments
hoarder

I got my wish. Last week, the conclave elected as a successor to St Peter and to the retired Pope Benedict XVI a man who seems to embody the best of my two favorite popes (John XXIII and Benedict)---doctrinal faithfulness and pastoral joy. I even called St Joseph's Day as the perfect date for the inaugural Mass. What I couldn't predict is that the erstwhile Cardinal Bergoglio, with whose name I wasn't even familiar when it was announced, would take the papal name and embody the best of my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Catholicism, In the News, Pope Francis Tagged With: , , 15 Comments

Salus Populi Romani—A New Pope Goes Home to Mamma: UPDATED

March 13, 2013 By 5 Comments
250px-Virgin_salus_populi_romani

Image source Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, you've just been elected pope. What're you going to do next? According to a tweet from the always knowledgeable Rocco Palmo, Papa Francesco is not going to Disneyland. He's doing what every good Italian boy---and the new pontiff, though hailing from Argentina, is of Italian extraction---and every good Bishop of Rome does first. He's going home to Mamma. Specifically, in this case, Pope Francis will make a private visit sometime tomorrow to … [Read more...]

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A Clock Set to Eternity: Why It’s Never ‘Time’ for the Church to Do Something

March 2, 2013 By 9 Comments
michelangelo_sistinechapellastjudgment9

What time is it? For Catholics, it's always eternity. My Patheos Catholic Channel colleague Mark Shea asked for prayers yesterday because he'd been invited to participate in a HuffPost discussion about "whether it's time to end the celibate priesthood." Leaving aside the chances (nil) that what the Huffington Post wants to do with this topic is anything resembling discussion, the question itself gives me fidgets. It's emblematic of the cluelessness of so much of the interregnum blather, from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Catholicism, In the News Tagged With: , , 9 Comments