2016-09-30T16:02:59-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:02 pm   By

It could happen as early as tomorrow, according to John Allen at NCR: Multiple reports suggest Pope Francis intends to name 58-year-old Italian Archbishop Pietro Parolin to the key position of Secretary of State, traditionally the most important figure in the Vatican after the pope himself. Although the pope is the head of state, the Secretary of State generally functions as the Vatican’s head of government, both for internal church affairs and for diplomatic relations, making him, effectively, the prime... Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:00-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

Details:  Pope Francis on Friday met with Father Carlo Casalone , provincial of the Society of Jesus for Italy, who was accompanying members of the “Fondazione Carlo Maria Martini” on the occasion of the first anniversary of the death of the famous Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, who died on August 31, 2012. The foundation was established to preserve his legacy. During the brief meeting, Pope Francis recounted his memories of the late Cardinal, in particular his address on faith and... Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:00-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

This video is making the rounds once more. Since it’s back-to-school time, this seems like a great opportunity to meet, once more, a great teacher. I first posted this video last December.   As I wrote back then:  Here is love, pure love.  Parental advisory: keep a Kleenex nearby and be prepared to hug your kids like crazy. Then be prepared to watch it again and send it to everyone you know. Ladies and gentlemen: Mr. Jeffrey Wright. Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:00-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

My blog neighbors over at Get Religion get the scoop on an important story that needed a followup—and never got one. Details:  What should we make of The Times coverage of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee abuse lawsuit? On 1 July 2013 The Timesprinted a story entitled “Dolan Sought to Protect Church Assets, Files Show”. This was followed on 3 July 2013 with an editorial entitled “Cardinal Dolan and the Sexual Abuse Scandal” and a 6 July op-ed piece by Frank... Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:00-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

Award-winning journalist (and Friend of the Bench) Paul Moses offers the reasons why he stays in today’s Wall Street Journal:  The new tone that Pope Francis has set in Rome seems to have quieted, at least for the moment, the movement aimed at persuading liberal Catholics to leave their church.Last year, the Freedom From Religion Foundation took out a full-page ad in the New York Times and other newspapers aimed at persuading Catholics like me to “quit the Catholic Church.” Bill Keller,... Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:00-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

Details:  The Diocese of Little Rock’s seminarian count is getting back to levels it enjoyed in the 1960s. For the first time since 1965, the diocese boasts 41 seminarians, up 27 percent from 2012 and up 56 percent in the past 10 years. “We have a very different future than we did eight years ago,” said Msgr. Scott Friend, vocations director. In 1960 the diocese had its own high school and college seminary and educated 64 seminarians, with five ordinations.... Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:00-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

Honk if you’re offended. Source.  Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:00-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

Some years ago, Umberto Eco posited the notion that computers are like religion: The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by the ratio studiorum of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory; it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to... Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:00-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

She made the announcement on her Facebook page: I will be leaving the Post-Gazette on Sept. 5 to become communications director for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. I haven’t swum the Tiber, but they told me that 33 years of wading in it have saturated me enough to do this job. I am deeply grateful to the Post-Gazette for 20 years of unparalleled support for the religion beat and for me personally. I have the best team of editors anywhere... Read more

2016-09-30T16:03:01-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:03 pm   By

Details:  An 11-year-old is recovering in the hospital after he was hit by a car on the way to school this morning, police said. South Bend Police Capt. Phil Trent said the boy, a student at St. Joseph School, darted onto Colfax Avenue, just east of St. Louis Boulevard, around 8 a.m. A woman driving eastbound on Colfax slammed on the brakes to her minivan but struck the boy, Trent said. The boy was conscious and alert after the accident,... Read more

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