I’m not aware of other dioceses doing this, so kudos to Bishop Christopher Coyne of Burlington for setting a new standard for transparency. His statement: My friends, I speak to you as the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Burlington concerning the recent disclosures of the sexual abuse of children by clergy and the mishandling of the claims of abuse by bishops in America. The crimes of the past were horrific and the damage to the victims and their loved... Read more
With the Supreme Court now solidly conservative, more people are asking that question. The Washington Post offers an analysis — but the bottom line seems to be that the battle for life will not be over if and when the law is overturned: There’s been a lot of talk among abortion-rights activists and Democratic lawmakers that Brett M. Kavanaugh’s ascension to the Supreme Court might provide a majority to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Here’s the thing: even if that happened, abortion... Read more
From CNS: Procuring an abortion is wrong, inhumane and like hiring a hit man “to fix a problem,” Pope Francis said. It is a contradiction to allow for killing a human life in a mother’s womb “in the name of protecting other rights,” he said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 10. “How can an act that suppresses the innocent and defenseless budding life be therapeutic, civilized or simply humane?” he asked the more than 26,000... Read more
Amazing story: A Muslim family hid for three years two ancient Syriac Orthodox books in Mosul during the city’s occupation by the Islamic State (ISIS) group to prevent their destruction at the latter’s hands. They did so, putting their own lives at risk. Their courage and action show that Mosul and Iraq can be rebuilt and reborn on the basis of unity and coexistence of its various groups, above all Christians and Muslims. Upon the city’s liberation, the manuscripts’ protectors... Read more
Over the summer, as the news broke about the Grand Jury report from Pennsylvania and the deepening crisis surrounding then-Cardinal McCarrick, I began hearing from deacons around the country, asking the persistent question: what about us? As the weeks have gone on, more have been wondering why there has been no discussion about involving the diaconate in helping to reform, to heal, to accompany the Church and Her members more closely during this troubled time. Deacons, after all, have a... Read more
Details: The families of Eastern-rite Catholic priests give an important witness to what is healthy and wonderful about family life, Pope Francis said. Speaking to laypeople, clergy and religious of the Slovak Catholic Church – a Byzantine-rite church that has maintained its tradition of ordaining both celibate and married men – the Pope said, “the families of priests live a unique mission today.” “When the very model of the family is called into question, if not attacked outright, you offer... Read more
Some fascinating and important history here, from Crux: Amid this summer’s wave of sexual abuse scandals, the Catholic apostolate Courage lauded its founder, Father John Harvey, who died in 2010, for his work with priests who “experienced same sex attractions and were striving to live chaste celibate lives.” Yet while Courage proclaimed Harvey a “prudent spiritual director” and “a keen student of moral theology and psychology,” a review of his writings and public speeches raises new questions about how his... Read more
Incredible, but true, via USA TODAY: The city of Columbus, Ohio, will not observe the controversial federal holiday honoring its namesake, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, for the first time this year. City offices are instead scheduled to close on Veterans Day in November, though a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said the decision was not spurred by movements to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, a counter-celebration held on the same day to commemorate Native Americans. Critics say the holiday honors the mass genocide and... Read more
The scriptures this Sunday focus on a subject that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: marriage. Whether you are married or not, everyone here this morning has some experience with marriage—through our parents, our friends, our relatives. It is intrinsic to who we are, how we live. It is as old as time. Genesis this morning tells us, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” and describes how God created for him a perfect companion, woman. And in... Read more
From The Catholic Register: In a prestigious medical journal, doctors from Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children have laid out policies and procedures for administering medically assisted death to children, including scenarios where the parents would not be informed until after the child dies. The article appears just three months before the Canadian Council of Academies is due to report to Parliament on the medical consensus about extending voluntary euthanasia in circumstances currently forbidden by law. The Canadian Council of Academies is specifically looking... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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