In the New York Times the other day, Frank Bruni hit on something that’s been bothering me, too: I’m haunted by…how easily a person these days can travel the globe, and travel through life, in a thoroughly customized cocoon. I’m not talking about the chain hotels or chain restaurants that we’ve long had and that somehow manage to be identical from time zone to time zone, language to language: carbon-copy refuges for unadventurous souls and stomachs. I’m talking about our... Read more
A valuable overview, from the National Catholic Reporter: Traditionally, moral theologians have argued that to use military force justly, one must have a just cause; the use of force must be the last resort; success must be probable; the means must be proportionate; and the military action must be by a legitimate authority. As the Obama administration prepares to respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, what are the ethicists saying about the morality of military intervention? In... Read more
I needed this. From the Orthodox, via Leah Libresco: “Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst command us to love our enemies, and those who defame and injure us, and to pray for them and forgive them; Who Thyself didst pray for Thine enemies, who crucified thee: grant us, we pray, the spirit of Christian reconciliation and meekness, that we may heartily forgive every injury and be reconciled with our enemies. Grant us to overcome the malevolence and offences of people with... Read more
Photo: by Huy Mach Details from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: It has stood up to three Catholic bishops. It has weathered a decade-long legal storm. It has embraced doctrine far afield from its Roman roots. Now St. Stanislaus Kostka Church is on the verge of aligning with a different denomination entirely, joining forces with the Episcopal church. Bishop George Wayne Smith, who leads the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, posted a letter to clergy on the diocese’s website over the weekend telling them... Read more
I got this e-mail this morning from Kampala, Uganda: I am a Ugandan Catholic, aged 30. I am a father to a 6-year-old girl. However, I’ve never married and I am currently single, living a more or less celibate life. Is it possible for me to become a Catholic priest? Well, as someone once said, nothing is impossible with God. I’m reminded of Thomas Merton, who fathered a child when he was in college in England. He was rejected by... Read more
Here’s Part 1 from last night. I’ll add the second part when they make it available. The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive And Part 2: The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive Read more
Tonight, EWTN unveiled one of its most ambitious undertakings ever: a nightly Catholic news program, anchored by Colleen Carroll Campbell. Dubbed EWTN News Nightly, the title for now appears a misnomer. Seconds into the program, Campbell announced that this was a “preview” of what would at first be a weekly program, but which would then eventually air every day. The EWTN team is clearly treading carefully. The show was originally announced to launch in June, but the date got postponed three... Read more
A little diaconal news from my neighbors to north in Toronto, Canada, via the Catholic Register: St. Augustine’s Seminary is not only a training ground for priests but it has been a centre for deacon formation since the permanent diaconate came to Toronto 41 years ago. “It’s been a very good relationship at the seminary because the deacons got a chance to integrate with the priests, the seminarians got a chance to integrate with the deacons,” said Deacon Stephen Pitre,... Read more
From the Washington Times: Bishop Thomas Paprocki is not the kind of Catholic leader who minces words. The prelate, who presides over the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, warns that anti-Christian bigotry in the U.S. is on the rise and that the media is to blame. In this exclusive interview with the Communities @TheWashingtonTimes, Paprocki shared his concerns about the growing hate and hostility for Judeo-Christian values in the U.S. and the attacks on Pope Francis and the Catholic Church in... Read more
From Politico: Geraldo Rivera has been uninvited to speak at Duquesne University after posting a revealing picture of himself on Twitter, according to a report, in a manner the radio and television personality called “incredibly rude” to POLITICO. Rivera had been scheduled to appear in October on a panel at the school in Pittsburgh on the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. In a statement to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the university said Rivera’s actions — he recently tweeted... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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