Gag order imposed on cardinals

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the indispensable John Thavis: U.S. cardinals abruptly canceled their planned briefing today, and no further briefings were scheduled. Sister Mary Ann Walsh, who had coordinated the U.S. press encounters, said in an email: “Concern was expressed in the General Congregation about leaks of confidential proceedings reportedin Italian newspapers. As a precaution, the cardinals have agreed not to do interviews.” In other words, because some anonymous cardinals fed Italian reporters a few details about their discussions, a gag order now... Read more

Cleveland bishop excommunicates priest

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

This doesn’t happen very often, but it happened yesterday in Ohio: The Rev. Robert Marrone, who broke away from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland after Bishop Richard Lennon closed his downtown church in 2010, has been excommunicated, according to a statement issued by the diocese Tuesday. Lennon said in the statement that Marrone violated terms of a leave of absence he had received from the diocese and that he refused to abandon a worship space he and his followers had set up outside... Read more

Poll: U.S. Catholics say church is out of touch; most approve of pope’s resignation

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the New York Times: Roman Catholics in the United States say that their church and bishops are out of touch, and that the next pope should lead the church in a more modern direction on issues like birth control and ordaining women and married men as priests, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. Seven out of 10 say Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican have done a poor job of handling sexual abuse, a significant rise from three years ago.... Read more

What we have come to: Yale marks “Sex Week” with workshop on bestiality, incest

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

According to its web page, Yale University traces its roots “back to the 1640s, when colonial clergymen led an effort to establish a college in New Haven to preserve the tradition of European liberal education in the New World. This vision was fulfilled in 1701, when the charter was granted for a school ‘wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences [and] through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil... Read more

Ready to hold history: the urns of the conclave

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From VIS, some details behind the urns that will hold the votes for pope: The function of the urns is described in Chapter V of the Constitution, which also speaks of a plate to be placed on top of the first urn. Every cardinal, in fact, must “place his ballot on the plate, with which he drops it into the receptacle beneath.” The second urn will be used only in the case of the presence in the Conclave of cardinals... Read more

A married priest writes about the “c word”: celibacy

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Take it away, Fr. Dwight: I can speak from experience. I was a celibate Anglican priest for seven years. Then I got married. I was a married Anglican priest for three years. Then we joined the Catholic church. I was in the married state as a layman for ten years. Now I am a married Catholic priest and have been for six years. This week the question of mandatory celibacy for Catholic priests is in the news again. The question... Read more

Meet “the most powerful woman in Rome”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: If the leadership of American nuns is the vanguard of a progressive spirit up against the Vatican, Mother Tekla Famiglietti is a throwback to the past: an orthodox leader who learned the rules of the game and wields power in the all-male world of the Roman Curia. The 75-year-old head of an international order and a staunch traditionalist, Italian-born ‘Mother Tekla’ has for more than three decades built a power base with considerable financial prowess. She established a long... Read more

What did the Joe Flacco do after becoming the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback?

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Why, he went to McDonald’s, of course: When you’re the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and you’ve just signed the most valuable contract in NFL history, it makes perfect sense that you celebrate by eating whatever meal you want. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco did just that Monday, hours after inking his new record deal with the Ravens. Flacco celebrated by ordering a 10-piece McNugget meal at a local McDonalds’s drive-thru, according to Twitter user John Norman (@hjnorm), who later... Read more

Must-see video: the father of the bride says a few words

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Break out the Kleenex. This is wonderful. Read more

“The church knows young Catholics are leaving; I don’t think it knows what to do about it”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:59 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CentreDaily.com in suburban Washington: As the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new pope to guide it into the future, church leaders are struggling to keep young people from leaving the faith. Four out of five Catholics who have left the church – and have not joined another – did so before the age of 24, according to The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Some young Catholics have drifted away as they moved from home and failed... Read more