Dublin’s archbishop supports discussion of married priests

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has backed the Pope’s call for open and immediate discussion on married priests. Dr Martin told an Easter service at Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral that he is open to dialogue on married men in the priesthood. His comments, reported by the Irish Independent, come after Pope Francis signaled the need for the Catholic Church to discuss the issue. Celebrating his tenth anniversary as Dublin’s archbishop, Dr Martin said ordaining women into the church to make up for the shortage... Read more

Douthat: “The phone call and the coverage of it suggest perils for this papacy…”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat mulls the implications of Pope Francis’s controversial cold call to an Argentinian woman a few days ago: Whatever his intentions, the phone call and the coverage of it suggest two obvious perils for a papacy that leans too heavily on the distinction between the doctrinal and the pastoral, between official teaching and its applications. One is what you might call the late-Soviet scenario, in which Catholic doctrine is officially unaltered, but the impression grows that even... Read more

NY Times: Decline of religion is making church organists irrelevant

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

And the problem is particularly acute in Europe. Details: In the mid-19th century, organists knew where they stood — and it was at the top of the musical pecking order, thanks to their association with the church, which mostly supplied their instruments. According to Ms. Ennis, their average earnings compared favorably with bank managers and other middle-class professionals. And the chief among them, with cathedral posts, could hope for more. Now, all this has gone. With the decline in organized... Read more

“Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II were not afraid to look upon the wounds of Jesus…”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Pope Francis’s homily at the canonizations: The wounds of Jesus are a scandal, a stumbling block for faith, yet they are also the test of faith. That is why on the body of the risen Christ the wounds never pass away: they remain, for those wounds are the enduring sign of God’s love for us. They are essential for believing in God. Not for believing that God exists, but for believing that God is love, mercy and faithfulness. Saint... Read more

The debate over canonizing two popes

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the always-interesting John Thavis: The record-setting speed of John Paul II’s canonization does, indeed, raise some questions. The “Santo subito!” (Sainthood now!) banners in St. Peter’s Square at the funeral of the Polish pope reflected the sentiments of many faithful who thought his deep spirituality, evangelizing energy and strong defense of human rights made him a saint for our times. Yet what pushed his cause through so quickly was support at the highest levels of the hierarchy. At that... Read more

Pope Francis calls politician, persuades him to break dangerous hunger fast

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The Boston Globe’s John Allen: As he prepares to declare two revered 20th-century pontiffs as saints, Pope Francis once again proved that he rivals John XXIII and John Paul II in terms of star power by persuading a renowned anti-clerical politician to suspend a hunger and thirst strike that doctors and friends believed was putting his life in jeopardy. Marco Pannella, the 83-year-old leader of Italy’s Radical Party, had refused to eat or drink liquids to protest what he... Read more

Would you recognize a loved one who was homeless?

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

This video should give all of us pause. Details: In a video produced by ad agency Silver + Partners and Smuggler for the New York City Rescue Mission, several people come face-to-face with their relatives and significant others dressed as homeless people. However, not a single participant recognizes their mother, brother or wife. “There’s only one person that didn’t make it into the film — because they couldn’t handle the fact that they walked by their family,” video director Jun Diaz of Smuggler production company told Fast Company.... Read more

Catholic school retracts job offer to headmaster after his marriage breaks up

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

It happened in the UK: A headmaster was sacked from his job at a top catholic school before he even started because the governors discovered he had split up with his wife. Christopher Belli, 38, was offered the top job at Corpus Christi RC High School in Cardiff in February following a lengthy recruitment process. But governors at the faith school suddenly retracted their offer citing “marital reasons”. After learning that the experienced teacher’s marriage had broken down they decided... Read more

“Dear deacons, be active apostles of the new evangelization…”

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:30 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

With canonization fever under way, I thought it would be a good time to remember what one of the future saints had to say about deacons. In 2000, during the Jubilee, Pope John Paul offered these remarks to deacons: Dear deacons, be active apostles of the new evangelization. Lead everyone to Christ! Through your efforts, may his kingdom also spread in your family, in your workplace, in the parish, in the Diocese, in the whole world! This mission, at least in... Read more

The Nazareths of John Paul

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:30 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From the vault, here’s part of a homily I delivered in 2011, on the occasion of the beatification of Pope John Paul II: Less than a third of John Paul’s 85 years were spent as pope. Most of his life, in fact, was spent living and working and praying among ordinary men and women in small villages around Poland. From that experience, I believe, he came to understand in a very personal way how deeply the human heart seeks just... Read more