Unsurprisingly, some in the pro-choice camp find that prospect alarming. From the New York Times: Politicians seeking to restrict access to abortion, a marked trend this year from North Dakota to Arkansas, tend not to get much traction in this part of the country. Washington is heavily Democratic, leaning left especially on social issues. A majority of voters even put into law a statutory right to abortion in 1970 — the only state ever to do that. The governor, Jay... Read more
Here they are: the Magnificent Seven who were ordained two Saturdays ago in Camden. Thanks to Carl Peters of the Catholic Star Herald for the picture! Congratulations, brothers! Ad multos annos! Read more
Here they are: the Magnificent Seven who were ordained two Saturdays ago in Camden. Thanks to Carl Peters of the Catholic Star Herald for the picture! Congratulations, brothers! Ad multos annos! Read more
Details: The latest report on child protection in the U.S. Catholic Church found a total of 11 credible allegations of abuse of minors by diocesan clergy in 2012, with a 20% decrease in the numbers of new credible abuse allegations about incidents in the past 60 years. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the U.S. bishops’ conference president, said in reaction to the report that Catholic bishops renew their “steadfast resolution” not to lessen their commitment to protect children and... Read more
From the Vatican Radio: The number of Catholics globally remains largely unchanged at 1214 million, rising only slightly higher than global population growth for the 2010/2011 period. The number of priests (religious and diocesan) has grown, largely thanks to a rise in vocations in Asia and Africa which has helped balance the continued decline in Europe (-9% in the last decade). The same cannot be said for the number of professed women religious with a downward trend registering a drop... Read more
How’s this for a pro-life story? Details: A San Francisco man who almost took his life eight years ago by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge has been reunited with the hero who saved his life. Kevin Berthia was perched on the iconic bridge ready to take a fatal leap on March 11, 2005, when he heard the voice of California Highway Patrol officer Kevin Briggs calling out to him from above. Over 60 life-changing minutes, Briggs managed to convince... Read more
From The Tonight Show last week. What happened next? Check out the followup. Read more
Details: A prominent American priest of the Legion of Christ religious order has decided to leave the priesthood after admitting he fathered a child years ago. The Legion said Saturday the Rev. Thomas Williams, a moral theologian, author, lecturer and television personality, had asked Pope Francis to be relieved of his celibacy and other priestly obligations. A friend, the Rev. John Connor, wrote in a Legion blog that Williams wanted to care for his son and the mother. After Williams’... Read more
A shout-out to my friend Deacon Sean Keller, who received the sacrament of Holy Orders yesterday along with 15 other men in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in my beautiful home state of Maryland. (The pictures here are cribbed from the good deacon’s Facebook page. He’s the tall one. He will be an invaluable gift to the people of God, especially when it comes to changing lightbulbs.) A write-up about the deacons from a recent issue of the Catholic Review: All... Read more
This weekend marks the Holy Father’s two-month anniversary (!). Vatican Insider sums it up so far: What has Bergoglio done in the two months since he was elected Pope and what kind of a Pope has he been? Fondness and confessions The wave of affection for the new Pope is undeniable, with requests to attend papal audiences skyrocketing. Bergoglio has made contact with the crowds a focal point of his papacy. He spends a great deal of time among the... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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