Herman Cain attacks Planned Parenthood for "planned genocide"

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

He raised the issue during an appearance today on “Face the Nation.” Details: Planned Parenthood is fighting back against a claim by Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain that abortion clinics are put in African American communities as part of a “planned genocide” to kill black babies before they are born. Cain stood by his statement when questioned about it on Sunday, saying he would direct people to the words of Margaret Sanger, the late founder of Planned Parenthood and a... Read more

The new translation: "A few years down the road, most people won't even remember it happened"

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A lot of secular media are beginning to report on the new Mass translation — and here’s one report with some reaction and analysis from Pittsburgh that notes an effort to have the new missal delayed: Catholics in English-speaking countries will begin using a new translation of the Mass next month with language more formal and closer to the original Latin, but the change is sparking protest. “We probably won’t face changes of this size in our lifetime,” said Michael... Read more

Worth a thousand words

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Snow! In New York City! In October! Above, the scene in Washington Square this afternoon. Happy Hall-o-winter. Read more

A deacon's special link to the new seminary in Washington

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The new Blessed John Paul II Seminary in Washington was dedicated recently by Cardinal Donald Wuerl — and its chapel contains some interesting history: Tangible reminders of Blessed John Paul II’s life and legacy abound in the archdiocesan seminary named in his honor. His name graces the seminary’s entranceway, and a portrait of the pope painted by Pittsburgh artist Robert Daley is displayed at the chapel’s entranceway. Inside the chapel is displayed an amice, a liturgical vestment worn by Blessed... Read more

Oops

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

“The reports from the Phoenix Diocese concerning the expiration of an indult regarding Communion under both kinds seem to have been mistaken…” — Diocese of Madison, 29 October 2011 They’ll still be restricting use of the cup, but for different reasons. Read more. Read more

Homily for October 30, 2011: World Priest Day

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

We often say that God writes straight with crooked lines. Few stories could be more crooked, or surprising, than what God wrote with the life of a boy named Martino BaThong Nguyen. He is Vietnamese. His parents worked for the U.S. government in Saigon in the 1970s. Because of their connection to the U.S., when Saigon fell, his parents were declared enemies of the state, and sent to separate prisons – even though, at the time, Martino’s mother was pregnant. ... Read more

Women deacons: "an open theological question"

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

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Deacon Bill Ditewig has just posted on his blog a report from Chicago, where he launched (with Phyllis Zagano and Gary Macy) the new book “Women Deacons: Past, Present and Future.” (I wrote about that earlier right here.) A snip: Here are some things to know before blood pressures are raised: 1) No one, not the pope, nor any part of the Roman Curia, has EVER ruled out the possibility of ordaining women AS DEACONS. It is, according to the... Read more

From death to life: couple seeks to help others heal after abortion

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

It’s something many couples would prefer to forget. But from the St. Louis Review comes this inspiring story of a courageous couple who can’t forget — and who are reaching out to help others. Chuck Raymond clearly remembers the moment a visiting priest came to his parish and spoke at Mass on the subject of abortion. It was a moment in which the Holy Spirit was “calling me out,” he said. More than two decades ago, when they were teenagers,... Read more

Lawyer sues over “offensive” Christian images at Catholic University — UPDATED

Last updated on: October 28, 2011 at 12:10 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Those images include things like the cross. Details: Crosses in every room at Washingon D.C.’s Catholic University of America are a human rights violation that prevent Muslim students from praying. That’s the complaint to the Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights filed by a professor from rival George Washington University across town. GWU Law School Professor John Banzhaf takes the Catholic institution to task for acting “probably with malice” against Muslim students in a 60-page complaint that cites ”offensive” Catholic imagery all over the Catholic school, which he... Read more

How Catholics could affect the GOP race for president

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Catholics — making up about a quarter of the Republican primary electorate — could form a formidable voting bloc in the months ahead. And so TIME magazine looks at some of the choices: There is no natural fit for the conservative Catholic voter. Or, as Deal Hudson, who directed Catholic outreach for both Bush/Cheney campaigns, recently put it to my TIME colleague Elizabeth Dias: “All of the potential nominees will have their challenges with Catholics.” That assessment, of course, excludes... Read more