I’m shamelessly stealing this from The Anchoress, who is right: I’m a sucker for this stuff. I haven’t seen any decent Christmas flash mobs this year. Until now. Right out of the gate, this one is sensational: heartfelt, surprising, and just thrilling. I’m loving it. Just watch the Air Force Band redefine the flash mob genre at the Air and Space Museum. You’ll grin. You’ll swoon. You might even cry. (I’m not crying. I have allergies. Really.) Check it out. Read more
From The New York Times: NBC’s gamble of filling an entire night with live musical theater paid off handsomely Thursday as “The Sound of Music,” with Carrie Underwood in the Julie Andrews role of Maria, posted the network’s best entertainment ratings for a Thursday night since 2009. In preliminary ratings, the special pulled in 18.5 million viewers, the best number for any entertainment show on NBC this season, and an excellent 4.6 rating in the most important category for advertisers,... Read more
The USCCB just sent out the e-mail below, regarding the Michigan lawsuit by the ACLU that made news earlier this week: Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called a suit by the American Civil Liberties Union against the U.S. bishops for their “Ethical and Religious Directives” (ERDs) “misguided” and promised to defend Catholic teachings “in season and out.” He issued the statement December 6. Archbishop Kurtz’s statement follows. The United States Conference of Catholic... Read more
I get the most interesting e-mails. After posting the news about Thomas Williams yesterday, I got this e-mail from Fr. Albert Cutié: Deacon: I don’t think you should use the term “former priest” referring to someone who was ordained – who received the sacrament of Holy Orders. It makes it sound like you don’t believe in Sacramental Theology and that priesthood is reduced to a canonical function. I think we both know you cannot “un-priest” a priest or “un-deacon” a... Read more
From the Vatican: Pope Francis on Friday paid tribute to Nelson Mandela expressing his hope that the late President’s example will inspire generations of South Africans to put justice and common good at the forefront of their political aspirations. The Pope’s words came in a telegramme of condolences that he sent to the South African President, Jacob Zuma. Please find below the full text of the telegramme: It was with sadness that I learned of the death of former President... Read more
While I’ve been reading a lot on social media about last night’s live version of “The Sound of Music”—I joined the production in progress, just before Carrie Underwood ran back to the convent and heard about mountain-climbing—few people have mentioned television’s last big experiment in live theater. It was a dud. And it also had a connection to “The Sound of Music.” In fact, it might be considered a forerunner to last night’s production—but without the nuns, the children, the... Read more
From the AP: Thomas Williams, the onetime public face of the disgraced Legion of Christ religious order who left the priesthood after admitting he fathered a child, is getting married this weekend to the child’s mother, The Associated Press has learned. The bride is the daughter of former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon, one of Pope Francis’ top advisers. Glendon, a Harvard University law professor, is one of the highest-ranking women at the Vatican as president... Read more
From canon lawyer Ed Peters: We live in pervasively antinomian times [editor’s note: read about antinomianism here], and basic unawareness of law is all around us. Yet ignorance of what law is, of why we have it, and even of how one needs to talk about law in order to make good sense, hampers the cause of clarity and reform. The recent comments of Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, new Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, regarding possible changes in the canonical... Read more
From Catholic News Service: Pope Francis accepted a proposal to set up a special commission on the sexual abuse of children, which will advise him on ways to prevent abuse and provide pastoral care for victims and their families. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, a member of the pope’s advisory Council of Cardinals, announced the decision at a Vatican briefing for reporters Dec. 5, during a break in the council’s meetings with the pope. The cardinal said the new... Read more
The reader who sent me this noted: “This is incredible for a Boston Globe editorial.” It comes from columnist Alex Beam. Details: Pope Francis (real name: Jorge Mario Bergoglio) has shaken up the Catholic church with some plain speaking about faith and about life in the 21st century. He has had an impact on other faiths, as well. Welcome to “pope envy.” I first encountered the term in an essay by Jana Riess, a liberal Mormon writer. “I’ve delighted in... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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