My blog neighbor Kate O’Hare has the full story and interview with the headline-making hitmaker right here. Meantime, check out the singing nun’s interpretation of Lady Gaga’s hit below. I didn’t think anything could top her rendition of “Like a Virgin.” But this is something else — proving, once again, that almost any song can be reborn and reinterpreted, depending on the singer and the context. This takes on a different meaning when sung by a woman in a habit:... Read more
My friend, blog neighbor and fellow Queens resident Dr. Pat McNamara offers us the long view of a Church historian: From the 1930’s through the early 1960’s, many large dioceses ordained 30-35 men a year on average. The overwhelming majority turned out to be good, loving men, on call 24/7 for the people they served. But the fact is some men should never have been ordained. Some acted out their sexuality in a way harmful to others, especially the young.... Read more
In America magazine, the Rev. Nathan W. O’Halloran, S.J., writes about — and defends — his hobby of amateur boxing: On Tuesday night, Feb. 19, I will fight in the 89th annual Bengal Bouts boxing tournament put on by the University of Notre Dame’s amateur boxing club. Three years ago, I was the first priest to fight in the tournament—and lost in a split decision in the heavyweight final. I consider it an honor to participate again (under the boxing... Read more
From The New York Times: The Vatican has confirmed, apparently for the first time, that its department overseeing the world’s priests has general guidelines for what to do when clerics break celibacy vows and father children. “I can confirm that these guidelines exist,” the Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti wrote in response to a query from The New York Times. “It is an internal document.” The issue is becoming harder to ignore. “It’s the next scandal,” [Vincent Doyle, the son of... Read more
It was one of the most famous moments in the early years of John Paul’s papacy when the future saint arrived in Nicaragua for a visit and greeted a kneeling Father Ernesto Cardenal with sharp words and a wagging finger. Watch below. Now, with the elderly priest evidently facing the last days of his life, Pope Francis has reportedly lifted a suspension that was imposed by John Paul: Pope Francis has rehabilitated Father Ernesto Cardenal, a priest-poet that John Paul... Read more
Great news: A bill that would outlaw abortions solely based on a Down syndrome diagnosis cleared the Utah House of Representatives on Friday. Unlike a version of the bill that died after the clock ran out during last year’s legislative session, HB166 includes a provision that its sponsor, Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, said addresses concerns that the bill would be unconstitutional and result in millions of taxpayer dollars spent to defend it in court. “This bill is not unconstitutional,” Lisonbee said on... Read more
From Catholic New York: Deacon Eugene Burke, who served for 46 years at St. Gabriel parish in the Bronx and was a member of the first class of permanent deacons ordained for the archdiocese, died Jan. 28. He was 93. Deacon Burke, who was ordained in 1973, had served at St. Gabriel’s until his death. He was engaged in the parish’s sacramental and liturgical life, performing baptisms and witnessing weddings. He visited the homebound and individuals in nursing homes. He... Read more
Hot on the heels of the McCarrick defrocking, and just in time for the summit in Rome, The New York Times offers a glimpse into the lives of gay Catholic priests. The timing is notable, but so is the prominence of the coverage: this story is the lede on the Times website Sunday afternoon. An excerpt: The closet of the Roman Catholic Church hinges on an impossible contradiction. For years, church leaders have driven gay congregants away in shame and insisted... Read more
From The Washington Post: In Catholic Church law, being forcibly laicized is sometimes called the death penalty for priests. A dismissal from the priesthood is permanent — something that can’t even be said of excommunication. Even priests who request laicization are told to move away and, unless necessary, to keep quiet about what happened to avoid scandalizing other Catholics. No working in parishes, seminaries, Catholic schools. Your previous identity is wiped out. But, in the eyes of the church, the... Read more
From Vatican Media: The Holy Press Office has published a statement from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, concerning the case of Theodore Edgar McCarrick. The Congresso of the CDF, which investigated the accusations, has issued a decree finding McCarrick “guilty of the following delicts while a cleric: solicitation in the Sacrament of Confession, and sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power”. The Congresso has imposed the... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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