Details: A panel of bishops is set to spark a fresh row over homosexuality by paving the way for the Church of England to relax its stance on gay clergy. Sources said the group will recommend that clerics wanting to enter civil partnerships should no longer have to promise their bishops that they will abstain from sex. Four bishops have been examining the Church’s teaching on sexuality as part of an official commission and will hand over their conclusions in... Read more
Don’t try this at home, kids. Read more
FOB (Friend of the Bench) Patrick Madrid dropped me a line this morning and asked if I’d alert deacons and priests to his online course for continuing formation that’s about to get underway. It’s happening through the Sacred Heart Institute, a cooperative effort between the Archdiocese of New York and two neighboring dioceses, Rockville Centre and Brooklyn. But any clergy in the U.S. can take it. His course is entitled “Apologetics: I’m Not Really Sorry” and it begins online Monday.... Read more
Following up on her remarks earlier this week, she posted this statement on her Facebook page: Just to clarify my comment to Jake Tapper about Pope Francis, it was not my intention to be critical of Pope Francis. I was reminding viewers that we need to do our own homework on news subjects, and I hadn’t done mine yet on the Pope’s recent comments as reported by the media. Knowing full well how often the media mischaracterizes a person’s comments... Read more
From The Chicago Tribune: Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield said he will offer prayers for “exorcism in reparation for the sin of same-sex marriage” at the same time Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign the same-sex marriage bill next week. Paprocki said he will offer the prayers intended to cast out evil at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the state’s capital Wednesday. “It is scandalous that so many Catholic politicians are... Read more
The prognostication begins, over at PolitickerNJ: New Jersey in November 2013 is inundated by images of one past president, and perhaps a future one. With the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy, JFK’s face and voice are everywhere – television, radio, print and online. America can watch, frame by frame, his life play out until the moment of his death, a horrific instant that ended, among other things, the sole American Catholic presidency. While Kennedy’s face... Read more
Noah? Who-ah! Wow. Just…wow. Check it out. No release date listed. Read more
That would be Thomas Peters. As you probably know, he’s facing a long road back from the debilitating accident that crippled him this summer. He’s written about it himself with pathos and poignancy—and a beautiful clarity. Now, his friends are rallying to help. Pray. Donate. Spread the word. Visit this website to learn how. But if you do nothing else, please just whisper a prayer of trust and hope. MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am... Read more
From Politico: Vice President Joe Biden’s message to immigration reform advocates: Don’t let your issue die like gun control did. Speaking on a conference call of Catholic clergy and other faith leaders, Biden said it will be incumbent upon immigration reformers to be louder and more engaged with Congress than reform opponents. “Work the districts so these members understand how all their constituents feel, not just the loudest ones,” Biden said. “This kind of reminds me of the gun control... Read more
Sounds that way: The spirit of curiosity generates confusion and distances a person from the Spirit of wisdom, which brings peace, said Pope Francis in his homily during Thursday morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta. The Pope began his homily by commenting on the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, which describes “the state of the soul of the spiritual man and woman”, of true Christians, who live “in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. And this wisdom carries... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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