Women’s group plans to use drone to drop abortion pills on Poland

Last updated on: June 23, 2015 at 1:45 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Seriously: This weekend, the international women’s rights group, Women on Waves, will launch something called an “abortion drone” into the skies in Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany, fly it about a mile to Slubice Poland, and pepper the country with packets of abortion pills. The stunt is meant to make a statement about the current reproductive rights in Poland, versus the rest of Europe. Access to abortions have been limited since 1993, and currently women are only allowed to have them in the... Read more

The obligatory Niagara Falls post

Last updated on: June 23, 2015 at 4:59 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Wherein I’m photographed in the company of the Ann Rogers and Brian Finnerty, Communications Director for Opus Dei. We look like we have the makings of a bad sitcom. But we had a great time. We’re in town for the Catholic Media Conference in Buffalo. More news from that in the days to come…after Brian dries off… Read more

In new book, Pope Francis speaks out on Medjugorje

Last updated on: June 23, 2015 at 4:56 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Diane Korzeniewski at Te Deum Laudemus!: A pro-Medjugorje website in Brazil is reporting that Pope Francis, while in Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day, made some rather blunt comments concerning Medjugorje, and about activities of the alleged visionaries. The title of the post says a lot: “Pope Francis says those who say they see Our Lady have psychological problems and that the seers of Medjugorje lie to the people.” Now, we are at the mercy of the website which... Read more

Shuffling off to Buffalo

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 10:28 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

I’m departing early in the morning for the Catholic Media Conference up in beautiful Buffalo. Looking forward to reconnecting with some old friends and breaking bread with some new ones. If you’re in the nabe, stop by! We’re slated to visit Niagara Falls Tuesday afternoon. Blog post to follow. Photo via Wikipedia Read more

Historic: Francis becomes first pope to visit Waldensian temple

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 3:49 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Vatican Radio: On the second day of his Apostolic Visit, Pope Francis made an historic visit to the Waldensian temple in Turin. Although numbering only about 30,000 adherents, the Waldensian Evangelical Church is an important dialogue partner with the Catholic Church, as it is one of the only non-Catholic Christian communities native to Italy. The early morning meeting marked the first time a Pope had visited a Waldensian house of worship. Pope Francis began his speech to representatives of... Read more

Superb: Fr. Michael Duffy’s homily for a new priest

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 3:45 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A deep diaconal bow to my blog neighbor and FOTB Fr. Michael Duffy, who was invited to preach yesterday at the Mass of Thanksgiving for the newly ordained Fr. Andrew Garnett —and knocked it out of the park. Snip: While this new reality is Fr. Garnett’s in a particular way because of his ordination yesterday it’s all of ours too, isn’t it? By virtue of our baptism we are all called to love as Christ does. To seek the good for the other,... Read more

Gallup reports 93% of Americans would vote for a Catholic, 58% for an atheist

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 3:36 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

[getty src=”169196664?et=mgtykYWnS2BKnT2dpznMXg&viewMoreLink=on&sig=bPRHsURSfSe-OcCJLOgudujAP-pKc31ZQ5WpVH-8iEk=&caption=true” width=”594″ height=”395″] View image | gettyimages.com Socialists, however, don’t fare as well. Details, from Politoco: Americans say they are more likely to support an atheist than a socialist for president next year, according to the latest Gallup survey, released Monday. Just 47 percent of Americans would vote for a socialist if their party nominated one, while 50 percent said they would not, while 58 percent said they would have no problem voting for an atheist in their party. Independent... Read more

Great moments in journalism: “Pope Franchise” appointed “head of catholic Christian”

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 3:34 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Editing doesn’t get much worse than this. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and presume someone hit “publish” before proofreading this. From Lauderdale Daily News: On Sunday, head of around 1.6 billion Catholic Christian around the world Pope Franchise came heavily on the weapons manufacturer countries and call them hypocrites if they call themselves Christain, Pope said. The pope issued his toughest condemnation till date since he was appointed head of the catholic Christian on the weapons industry... Read more

Ordination update: 11 new deacons for Denver

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 3:26 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The first picture, from Saturday’s big event, via The Denver Catholic Twitter feed: I’m hoping the archdiocese will have more details soon. Meantime, you can read more about the men here. Congratulations and welcome, brothers! Ad multos annos! Read more

Ordination update: 4 new deacons for Greensburg

Last updated on: June 22, 2015 at 3:16 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: There were peaks and valleys both en route to becoming a permanent deacon and in the final destination — the ordination itself, which occurred June 13 at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg. “Lying prostrate and being prayed for by everyone was the highlight for me,” said Deacon William M. Newhouse, 60, of Hempfield Township, a parishioner of St. Paul Parish, Greensburg, one of four men ordained a permanent deacon this past week. “The high point for me was when... Read more