End of an era: National Geographic magazine ends non-profit status, partners with Fox

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 2:38 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

This is a big deal: The National Geographic magazine, a nonprofit publication since its founding in 1888, will shift to for-profit status under a new partnership with 21st Century Fox, the entertainment company controlled by the family of Rupert Murdoch, the two partners said this morning. The partnership, which will also include the National Geographic cable channel and the National Geographic Society’s other media assets, will be called National Geographic Partners. Fox will own 73 percent of the partnership, and... Read more

Philadelphia requires parents to sign “Memorandum of Understanding”

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 2:35 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Philly.com: Parents of children attending Archdiocese of Philadelphia schools are now being required to sign a document pledging support for the schools’ “Catholic identity” and recognizing that in all questions involving church law, “the final determination rests with the archbishop.” The archdiocese is asking all its schools to include the one-page “Memorandum of Understanding” in entrance applications and school handbooks, said spokesman Ken Gavin. The purpose “is to simply inform parents that we are Catholic schools, that we will... Read more

Archdiocese announces plans to sponsor 100 refugee families from Syria and Iraq

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 2:25 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The Toronto Star: The Archdiocese of Toronto plans to sponsor 100 refugee families from Syria and Iraq with the launch of its Project Hope campaign. The archdiocese is asking its parishioners and 225 Catholic churches to step forward to help raise $3 million over the next 100 days as well as form 100 refugee sponsorship committees to help with the settlement of the refugees once they land here. The campaign to bring in 100 refugee families to the GTA within the... Read more

Philadelphia requires parents to sign “Memorandum of Understanding”

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 2:08 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

End of an era: National Geographic magazine ends non-profit status, partners with Fox

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 11:44 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Great moments in journalism: camerawoman trips fleeing refugees

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 10:54 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

The video says it all: That little stunt cost her her job: A Hungarian camerawoman has been fired after she tripped refugees who were fleeing from police, her employer announced Tuesday. The incident, which was captured on video by a German correspondent Stephan Richter, occurred as dozens of refugees attempted to flee an overcrowded camp near the Hungarian-Serbian border, the WashingtonPost reports. Around the 15-second mark, the camerawoman, who was working for Hungarian broadcaster N1TV, appears to trip a man holding a child... Read more

What happened when an Orthodox Jewish woman met the pope

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 10:33 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

She couldn’t bow to him. So he bowed to her. I’m surprised this story hasn’t gotten more attention: The pontiff has drawn the attention of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, after bowing to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s bureau chief. Various Orthodox blogs released an image of the papal bow on Sunday, from Rivlin’s trip to Rome last week. According to the reports, when it came time for Rivlin’s trusted assistant, Rivkah Ravitz, to meet the Pope, she declined the traditional handshake, explaining that for religious reasons (adhering... Read more

Stephen Colbert: making the Sign of the Cross and making a splash

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 10:24 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

He had me with the Sign of the Cross. Stephen Colbert made the gesture in the first few moments of his debut on “The Late Show” last night. And that was it. I was willing to forgive him anything. There was a lot to forgive. The show was sprawling, outrageous and wildly unfocused. But it was also by turns smart (a conversation about Darfur?!), funny (Trump and Oreo cookies?!), and endearing (I loved seeing Colbert’s family in the front row, and the sincere tribute he paid to David... Read more

Jorge Bergoglio’s personal experience with annulments

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 7:40 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

What does the pope know about the process? A lot, and much of it is personal: A good anecdote to help us understand Pope Francis’ interest in swiftly resolving cases of matrimonial nullity is the case of his niece María Inés Narvaja. In an interview previously published on Aleteia, she explains how Pope Francis, when he was still just Jorge Mario Bergoglio, took an interest in her marital situation. “I married my husband in a civil marriage first, and then... Read more

On pope’s annulment reforms: “I find the implications of some of these norms stunning”

Last updated on: September 9, 2015 at 1:00 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Ed Peters takes a longer and closer look at details of the new annulment process—and he has some serious reservations. After going over them, he concludes: At the pope’s request, a tiny group of experts, most from just one country, developed these new canons and explanations in a very short time. I find, however, the implications of some of these norms for marriage law in general, and for diocesan bishops in particular, stunning, and I join Dr. Kurt Martens of CUA... Read more