This statement was released by the Vatican Press Office today. How timely: Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr Federico Lombardi, has issued a statement in which he emphasized the Holy See’s “strong commitment against any form of torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment”. The statement comes ahead of a meeting between the Holy See and the United Nations Committee on the Convention against torture, which is set to take place on 5-6 May. Please... Read more
From the Vatican: Pope Francis’ universal prayer intention for May is: “That the media may be instruments in the service of truth and peace”. His intention for evangelisation is: “That Mary, Star of Evangelisation, may guide the Church in proclaiming Christ to all nations”. Amen. Read more
Photo by Michael Alexander/Georgia Bulletin Some wise words from Atlanta’s archbishop to a group of diaconate directors last week, from The Georgia Bulletin: Speaking to a national convention of permanent diaconate directors in Atlanta, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory said that priests and deacons may think it’s a modern problem to feel “utterly overwhelmed” in the ministry and all it entails. “Haven’t we read Paul?” asked the archbishop, reflecting upon the apostle’s struggles in preaching the word of God in faraway... Read more
Do we recognize Jesus when we encounter him? That’s a question I’ll be addressing in this weekend’s homily—it’s one of the themes buried in the story of the disciples traveling to Emmaus—and I’ll be talking specifically about this controversial sculpture by Timothy Schmalz. The Christian Post has more: Chicago is the most recent city to give the controversial “Jesus the Homeless” sculpture a permanent residence. Even though some Christians feel that the image of Jesus as a homeless person is... Read more
Photo: Ed Wilkinson/The Tablet From Bishop Ed Scharfenberger’s weekly column in The Evangelist newspaper: Our defense of the value of each and every human life – from conception to natural death -is really about much more than drawing a line in the sand in the so-termed “culture wars.” It is not about taking sides. It is much more fundamental because it is about all of us, no matter where we stand on other issues and political strategies. Whatever threatens... Read more
From his homily this morning: In his homily at morning Mass in Casa Santa Martha Friday, Pope Francis lamented that in today’s world there are still “masters of conscience” [thought police – ed] and in some countries you can still go to jail for possessing a Gospel or wearing a Crucifix. He also confessed to those present that he has wept at the news that some Christians were crucified, because still today there are people who kill others in God’s... Read more
Details: Harbor Area Rep. Janice Hahn stormed out of Thursday’s National Day of Prayer gathering on Capitol Hill, saying she was outraged by what she later characterized as a “hateful political rant” by one of the speakers. Evangelical Christian radio host James Dobson delivered strong words to President Barack Obama, who was not in attendance, over his administration’s position on abortion, calling Obama the “abortion president.” “When the ranting and rambling started about Planned Parenthood, I was like, ‘Are you... Read more
This is the National Day of Prayer—every day, for some of us, is a day of prayer!—and there’s some interesting background on this day, from the folks at the Pew Center: Today is the National Day of Prayer, on which presidents annually proclaim that “the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.” The day has spawned a rival National Day of Reason on the same day, started by opponents of the National... Read more
From The Georgia Bulletin: A state bill loosening gun restrictions, and opposed by the Georgia Catholic Conference, was signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal and will take effect July 1. In his column in the May 1 edition of The Georgia Bulletin, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory said that he regrets the enactment of the new gun law “more than I can possibly express in this brief column.” He said, “Before this legislation takes effect in July, I will officially restrict... Read more
Over at his blog, Deacon Bill Ditewig describes the process that unfolded in the wee hours of Sunday morning. It started by arriving at the Lateran, where priests and deacons piled into big buses that took them to various churches, which were more or less the “staging areas” for the big event. Details: We were then escorted “a piedi” (by foot) around St. Peter’s and the Via della Conciliazione. And then I saw a remarkable sight: As we approached the... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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