Following up on yesterday’s big news, a detail worth noting from this morning’s New York Times: The Vatican issued a statement saying that the pope had been “comprehensively and objectively” informed about what was going on in the diocese and that Tebartz-van Elst “currently cannot exercise his office.” It added that the Holy See considered it “advisable” for the bishop to spend an unspecified time away from Limburg. His duties will be assumed by a deacon, Wolfgang Rösch, who was... Read more
From the Air Force Times: The Air Force Academy is considering dropping or changing its honor oath because it has the phrase “so help me God.” The review is in response to a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which advocates for the separation of church and state in the military. Academy spokesman Maj. Brus Vidal said the Honor Review Committee met Oct. 22 to discuss the oath’s wording, but made no decision on whether or how to alter... Read more
From Huffington Post: Retired Catholic priest the Rev. Tom Pivinski and his partner of over 20 years, Malcolm Navias, celebrated a beautiful interfaith wedding on Monday at their home in Asbury Park, New Jersey. They wed on the very first day that same-sex marriage was allowed to happen in New Jersey after Governor Chris Christie dropped his appeal to overturn legalization. Pivinski had already officiated three marriages in the wee hours of Monday morning, as couples didn’t want to hesitate a minute more than they had... Read more
From today’s big event in London, via Reuters. Read more
A lot of us winced when this project was announced. Now it looks like it’s actually going to happen, airing live on December 5. From NBC: From executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (“Smash,” “Hairspray,” “Chicago”) comes an instant holiday classic: “The Sound of Music,” based on the original Broadway musical. Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer star as Maria and Captain von Trapp in this beloved story of the young novice who falls in love with Captain von... Read more
Some telling remarks from the Holy Father this morning: Pope Francis on Wednesday before the General Audience met with 200 Italian prison chaplains, whose ministry he called “very challenging and very important.” The chaplains are in Rome for their annual national convention, and come from all over the country. Pope Francis began his remarks by asking the chaplains to bring his greetings to the prisoners whom they serve. “Please say that I pray for them,” said the Holy Father. “I... Read more
The Windsors over in the U.K. are baptizing another baby today—the image above shows the happy family rejoicing at the christening of Prince Charles—and the BBC has some interesting insight into how the ritual has evolved: Prince George’s christening on Wednesday comes 31 years after his father Prince William in 1982. Here are ways in which baptisms have changed since then. 1. There are fewer christenings George’s christening is the exception rather than the rule. And not just because he’s... Read more
From AFP: The Vatican on Wednesday suspended a scandal-tainted German Catholic cleric dubbed the “bling bishop” for his luxury lifestyle, despite multiple calls for the prelate to be dismissed. “The Holy See deems it appropriate to authorise a period of leave from the diocese for Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst,” the Vatican said in a statement. “The Holy Father has been continuously and objectively informed of the situation,” it said. “A situation has been created in which the bishop can no longer... Read more
From CNS: Amid rising expectations that the Catholic Church might make it easier for divorced and remarried members to receive Communion, the Vatican’s highest doctrinal official reaffirmed church teaching barring such persons from the sacrament without an annulment of their first, sacramental marriage. But Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, acknowledged that many Catholics’ first marriages might be invalid, and thus eligible for annulment, if spouses had been influenced by prevailing contemporary... Read more
From the Arlington Daily Herald outside Chicago: Random alcohol testing for students began this week at St. Viator High School, officials confirmed. The program, which was announced by the Arlington Heights Catholic school in August, randomly tests the hairs of 10 to 20 students each week for alcohol consumption. St. Viator has been doing random drug testing since 2007. All students were tested for drug use when the school year started, but random testing that includes screening for alcohol began... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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