While he’s not saying anything we didn’t already know, it is the first he’s spoken about the issue as pope. Details: Pope Francis says he believes that Roman Catholic priests should be celibate but the rule was not an unchangeable dogma and “the door is always open” to change. Francis made similar comments when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires but his remarks to reporters on a plane returning from a Middle East trip were the first he has made... Read more
An ad spotted on the New York subway this morning: Read more
I’ve been waiting since last night for this video to pop up online, and it finally did. (Spoiler alert: if you missed “Mad Men” and have it waiting for you on DVR, just click this window closed now…) Below is the superlative, wonderful, grin-inducing, spirit-refreshing, heart-swelling end to Sunday’s mid-season “finale” of “Mad Men.” Kudos to director Matthew Weiner and the brilliant Robert Morse for creating what is a minor television classic. In another era (maybe the “Mad Men” decade),... Read more
Details from CNS: Pope Francis will meet with a group of sex abuse victims for the first time in June, he told reporters May 26. During an inflight news conference on his return to Rome from the Holy Land, the pope also confirmed reports the Vatican is investigating charges its former secretary of state misappropriated $20 million from the Vatican bank. And he announced he plans to visit the Philippines and Sri Lanka in January. The pope described the abuse... Read more
The question arises after I posted the image below on Facebook. It comes from my own parish: a display that was set up for Memorial Day, next to the ambo. Normally, the flag sits in a back corner of the sanctuary, with the papal (Vatican) flag in the other back corner. A couple of readers expressed surprise and suggested it was inappropriate. In fact, there are not official norms guiding the use of a national flag in a Catholic church.... Read more
From The Charlotte Observer: The Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, whose flock is more than 10 times larger than when the diocese was created in 1972, has embarked on a $65 million fundraising campaign that organizers say would address an increased demand for services and sacred space that shows no signs of letting up as more Catholics relocate here. The campaign is by far the most ambitious in the history of the 46-county diocese. And if the goal is reached, the... Read more
A friend from Georgia sent this my way. All I can say is: wow. It’s an impressive example of how one parish is using modern media. This comes from Transfiguration Catholic Church in Marietta, GA. It’s a parish news show called “Transfiguration Today,” which is almost like a broadcast bulletin. But it’s done with a flair and polish that would put a lot of local stations to shame. Even better: judging from what’s on display here, Transfiguration appears to be... Read more
Are we seeing a new papal tradition? St. John Paul in his travels would famously kiss the earth of every country he visited. His successor, Francis, appears inclined to kiss something else: hands. A few weeks ago, Pope Francis caused a small sensation when he kissed the hand of the elderly Salesian Don De Paolis, a priest who has worked to try and change the church’s teaching on homosexuality. This weekend, Francis kissed the hand of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Video of... Read more
From CNS: Half a century after a historic encounter between their predecessors, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met in the same place to seek inspiration for Christian unity at the site of Christ’s death and resurrection. “We need to believe that, just as the stone before the tomb was cast aside, so, too, every obstacle to our full communion will also be removed,” the pope said May 25 during a prayer service at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.... Read more
Two remarkable moments from a remarkable day, via CNS. Pope Francis makes an unscheduled stop to pray at the West Bank wall dividing Palestine and Israel. And he meets and embraces the Patriarch of Constantinople. Read more
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