The best thing I’ve read all day: We need to become more fully Catholic, but in the sense of personal conversion, not in the sense of purging the church of lukewarm believers. By that I mean helping people to become more fully Catholic, as Pope Francis has been trying to do. This challenge, to me, is what the Catholic blogosphere has most needed for a long time. I’m sure Francis is challenging some people on the left end of the... Read more
It’s rare to hear a bishop be so blunt, but Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin is that and more in his column for his diocesan newspaper: I understand completely the arguments against taking a more “pastoral approach” to this topic, primarily that to do so would betray the sacred teaching of Christ we are obliged to uphold. I know that even within the current discipline, divorced and remarried Catholics, though barred from Holy Communion, are still valued members of the Church... Read more
Details: The Bishop of Parramatta, Anthony Fisher, has been appointed the ninth Archbishop of Sydney, replacing the controversial Cardinal George Pell. The Vatican announcement comes several months after Cardinal Pell was appointed to a newly created Secretariat for the Economy in Rome, charged with cleaning up the Vatican’s finances. Bishop Anthony immediately committed the church to “doing better” in its response to victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests and brothers. “Victims of abuse and all young... Read more
CNN has this glimpse at a curious strain of religion in Latin America, blending elements of Catholicism and magic. The notion of “Catholic gods” is bizarre and false, and some of this is just not Catholic at all, dwelling in a limbo between the sacred and the superstitious. But it’s an interesting phenomenon many may not know about: On the vast plains of the Altiplano plateau in South America live people who believe in magic. Many of the Aymara — an ancient,... Read more
From The New York Times: At a Vatican meeting a few years ago, Pope Benedict XVI unexpectedly asked Vice PresidentJoseph R. Biden Jr. for some advice. “You are being entirely too hard on the American nuns,” Mr. Biden offered. “Lighten up.” Last year, Mr. Biden seized on an audience with Pope Francis as another opportunity to praise the sisters who remained the target of a Vatican crackdown for their activism on issues like poverty and health care. And on a visit to Iowa... Read more
From his column in New York Catholic: I haven’t been in this much hot water since I made the comment, right after I arrived as your archbishop five-and-a-half years ago, that Stan Musial—my boyhood hero of my hometown St. Louis Cardinals—was a much better ballplayer than Joe DiMaggio! Now I’m getting as much fiery mail and public criticism over my decision to accept the honor of Grand Marshal of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. According to the critics, I... Read more
The folks over at Vocation Boom, the non-profit working to boost vocations to the priesthood, contacted me this morning about a great opportunity for all of you to get involved in their project—and get something extra in return. They’re hoping to expand their offerings over the next several months. To do that, they need bucks. So here’s the deal: make a donation of any size between now and Friday September 19th and receive a free download of their Faith Database.... Read more
Details: Protests over the proposed introduction of a male-only lay ministry in the Catholic diocese of Killaloe have forced the local bishop to back down and postpone the move. In a letter read out in parishes on Sunday, Bishop Kieran O’Reilly acknowledged the concerns raised by lay women and groups in the western diocese about the permanent diaconate. The move came after Kathleen McDonnell, a member a parish pastoral council in west Clare, had criticised the move to set up the... Read more
Suddenly, the mainstream media has discovered religious folk on the web. Who knew? Details: In 2006, Julie Vieira was getting ready to take her vows to become a nun. As she browsed the web, it became clear to her that nuns had an image problem on the Internet. “The pictures of nuns that popped up in searches were mostly of women in erotic nun outfits or ugly cartoons,” she says, over the phone. “Those of us who have devoted our lives to... Read more
Details: When the Honorable Marc R. Kellams speaks at the dinner following the Red Mass in Fort Wayne on Wednesday, Sept. 24, he will bring the perspective of a Catholic deacon and a circuit judge in southern Indiana’s Monroe County. The Red Mass — an ancient custom dating back to the 13thcentury when the solemn votive Mass began being celebrated annually at the opening of the judicial year — will be held in Fort Wayne at 5:30 p.m. on Sept.... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In