The Vatican has announced this morning that Pope Francis has chosen the themes for the next three World Youth Days. The Holy Father invites young people to focus for the next several years on the Beatitudes, the eight Blessings which Jesus explained in the Sermon on the Mount. Specifically, Pope Francis chose the following themes for the three-year spiritual journey: 2014 – Twenty-ninth World Youth Day: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 2015... Read more
This week, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent a letter instructing U.S. bishops not to permit appearances of the Medjugorje visionaries in their churches unless and until the apparitions are ruled to be authentic. The news sparked a firestorm of commentary, of both the “I-told-you-so” variety and the “Oh-no-they’re-wrong” variety. Given all the excitement in the blogosphere, I thought I’d share my personal report of an experience I had a dozen or so years ago, when... Read more
Well, it seems there’s been a little confusion over this whole “synod survey” thing. First, we heard that the Vatican was conducting a world-wide survey. In an effort to move away from a “Vatican-centric” approach and to involve local church leaders in decision-making, news reports claimed, the Vatican has invited Catholics around the world to participate in a survey which addresses sensitive issues such as contraception, divorce and same sex marriage. Then, the phony surveys. Several versions cropped up, notably... Read more
From the Brazilian webcomic Mentirinhas… a sad young man realizes that his new three-legged puppy is perfect. Read more
This just in: This morning the Vatican ambassador’s office (Apostolic Nunciature) in Syria has been struck by a mortar shell. The situation has been increasingly tense in Damascus, since the war reached that city this summer. Monsignor Mario Zenari, apostolic nuncio in Damascus, said in a recent interview, “People are afraid to go out during the day in some neighborhoods. Dark days are coming.” And Monsignor Zenari was right. Following is the news report I’ve just received from the Vatican... Read more
The Archbishop of Canterbury has hinted that we should expect “a few surprises” in terms of ecumenical relations between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican Communion, is in Busan, South Korea, attending the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches. In his address to the Assembly, he noted that the WCC Assembly really reflects the depth and breadth of God’s great Church; and he called... Read more
For years Hallmark, the Kansas City-based greeting card company, has produced a line of original Christmas ornaments. We have many of them in our family’s collection: ornaments which were gifts to our children, or which commemorated a birth or a move or a new job or a new pet. But this year, Hallmark has faced widespread criticism from people across the political spectrum for its 2013 Ugly Christmas Sweater ornament. On the ornament, the company edited the lyrics of the... Read more
A few days ago, I told you the story of an anti-religious incident at the University of South Florida, in which a professor had equated priests with excrement. I had contacted the professor, Dr. Timothy Weil, for comment; but instead, I received a response from his dean, Dr. Julianne Serovich. The case was being reviewed, she assured me, and a response would be sent to the Catholic League. I expected the usual “academic-freedom-blah-blah” sort of statement to be issued by... Read more
On Thursday mornings, a group of Polish worshippers gather in the St. Sebastian Chapel, just inside St. Peter’s Basilica on the right side. There, at the tomb of Blessed Pope John Paul II, they attend Mass and receive the Eucharist. This morning, it was Pope Francis himself who celebrated the liturgy in the St. Sebastian Chapel. Vatican Radio reported on his homily, which focused on the love of God, and on two powerful images illustrating the different ways this love... Read more
The National Security Agency didn’t only spy on Angela Merkel and on our own citizens. They may actually have spied on Pope Francis, both before and after his election to the papacy. A new report by the Italian weekly news magazine Panorama claims that the NSA monitored the telephone calls of many Catholic cardinals and bishops during the March 2013 conclave. The magazine also stated that the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the residence where many cardinals including Jorge Bergoglio stayed... Read more
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