2016-09-30T15:58:13-05:00

“The Jesuits, ah, the Jesuits.  They know everything—but nothing else.” The wisecrack is attributed to an Italian nun who spoke in 1991, on the 450th anniversary of the founding of the Society of Jesus.   And while the Jesuits have enjoyed a reputation for scholarship, playing an important role in founding and operating institutions of Catholic higher education, at the same time it is well known that some prominent Jesuit theologians have publicly dissented from official Church teaching.  In 1981 Pope... Read more

2016-09-30T15:58:13-05:00

The faithful were not sleeping last night in Buenos Aires!  In fact, thousands of them were standing in the cool summer air—gathered in the Plaza de Mayo, the main square of Buenos Aires, expecting to watch the new Pope’s inaugural Mass. And what a surprise they got!  At 7:32 a.m. Rome time (3:32 a.m. in Argentina), the loudspeakers in the Plaza began broadcasting the familiar voice of their shepherd, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Clarin, an Argentine newspaper, reported... Read more

2015-03-18T17:13:49-05:00

St. Francis, after whom our new pope is named, is most often associated with the Italian village  of Assisi.  And fair enough:  Assisi was home base for Francis and the other monks of the Order of Friars Minor. Sometimes, though, he just needed to get away.  That’s what happened when, in August 1224, Francis withdrew to La Verna, about a day’s walk away, for an extended 40-day period of prayer and fasting. Pope Francis has invited the monks of La... Read more

2016-09-30T15:58:14-05:00

Glenn Beck was the first person to point this out, but the image is becoming a media sensation: In Episode 3 of the miniseries “The Bible”, created by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, it appears that President Obama makes a cameo appearance as Satan.  He wears a black hood—to differentiate the Prince of Lies from the angels who come as visitors in other scenes, I suppose. Before the rumor goes viral, I’ve got to tell you that it’s not really... Read more

2016-09-30T15:58:14-05:00

Pope Francis continues to surprise.  On March 15, the second full day of his papacy, he signaled his desire to move forward the dialogue between Jews and Catholics which had its start during the Second Vatican Council. In a message to Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, the Chief Rabbi of Rome, the Holy Father said, “On this day of my election as Bishop of Rome and Pastor of the Universal Church, I send you my cordial greetings, informing you that the... Read more

2016-09-30T15:58:14-05:00

It’s going to be hard to hold this pope down!  With the popemobile nowhere in sight, he’s stepped into the crowds to greet the faithful, shaking hands and kissing babies along the way. He’s reached down to stroke the fur of a service dog. He’s emerged as @Pontifex on Twitter, sending his first greeting to his nearly 2 million followers on Twitter.  (The old tweets from Pope emeritus Benedict XVI have been deleted.) Read more

2016-09-30T15:58:14-05:00

This Thursday, I’m betting on the Sisters!  At 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, March 21, three of the Ann Arbor-based Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist will compete for a $140,000 top purse on the Game Show Network’s top-rated show, “THE AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE”. The Sisters are tight-lipped about the outcome of the show, which has already been taped; but comedian Jeff Foxworthy, host of the program, obviously had a good time at the taping.  Foxworthy said... Read more

2016-09-30T15:58:14-05:00

The surprises continue.  Today Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., archbishop of Buenos Aires, held his first press conference.  Speaking to 6,000 journalists gathered in the Pope Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the pope ended the media speculation regarding his selection of the name “Francis.” “Some people didn’t know why the Bishop of Rome wanted to call himself ‘Francis’. Some thought of Francis Xavier, Francis de Sales, even Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the... Read more

2016-09-30T15:58:14-05:00

Oh, no.  This is just so sad. A British court is about to reach a verdict in a sexual assault case against Father William Finnegan, pastor of St. Clare’s Roman Catholic Church in Fagley, Bradford.  According to a report in the Daily Mail, Father Finnegan is accused of forcibly kissing and inappropriately touching a 17-year-old girl last Easter Sunday. The priest insists that he was not at fault—that in fact, the teenager had initiated the encounter, kissing him on the... Read more

2015-08-06T03:49:37-05:00

Early on the morning of March 14, on the first full day of his pontificate, Pope Francis paid a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major).   There, he presented the Virgin with a bouquet of flowers and spent half an hour in prayer. Again flashing that irresistible humility, he asked that the basilica be kept open to the public during his visit.  “I’m a pilgrim,” he said, “and I just want to be one among the... Read more




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