What next? It’s been a tough week for religion in public life. The Obama Administration’s attack on religious liberty via the EEOC (at least the Supreme Court gave them a handslapping in that case); the HHS Department’s insistence on forcing religious organizations to fund contraceptives; and now, the U.S. Air Force RCO has removed “God” from its official badge. That consequences of that last one are not nearly as dire, because fewer people are affected. As one of many recent... Read more
Here we go again. After losing in a landmark 9-0 ruling before the Supreme Court last week in the case of Hosanna Tabor Church and School v. the EEOC, the Obama Administration is moving boldly forward once again to crush religious liberty in America. The issue this time is whether religious organizations will be forced to include contraception coverage in their health insurance plans. At 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS), announced... Read more
Father Rafaeli Mallena was enjoying dinner when he heard the first explosion—and he immediately felt that something was seriously wrong. As Catholic chaplain aboard the cruise ship Costa Concordia, Father Mallena was accustomed to the ship’s lilting rhythms—and this was different. He rose and returned to the chapel to pray. He was still in the chapel forty minutes later, when the alarm sounded for passengers to abandon ship. As the alarm blared in the hallway, Father Mallena safeguarded the precious... Read more
Why marry? The Catholic Church teaches that there are two purposes for marriage, and that these two purposes have equal weight. The two purposes are unitive and procreative—or, stated simply, (1) growth in mutual love between the spouses, and (2) the generation and education of children. This is so obvious, so self-evident, one is tempted to say, “Well, duh….” Of course marriage is about sex and babies! But in today’s sex-saturated society, with contraception and the hook-up culture and abortion... Read more
We, the on-line community, were all talking about it yesterday: Newsweek magazine sent out an advance copy of its cover for next week’s issue, featuring far left political commentator Andrew Sullivan’s offensive story titled “Why Are Obama’s Critics So Dumb?” Sarah Palin, already no fan of the abrasive Sullivan, tweeted to Newsweek: “Know what’s truly dumb? Giving a cover story to the Trig Truther conspiracy kook writer who thinks I didn’t give birth to my son.” Palin was referring to Sullivan’s... Read more
One may well ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.” Now,... Read more
I know—I’m coming really late to the dance. In the last several months, everyone and his brother has jumped into the fray to beat up on Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback Tim Tebow. Actually, though, what I want to do is something quite different: I want to use this winsome young man as a foil, merely to talk about PREJUDICE. I have in mind two kinds of prejudice: Prejudice Against Faith. The prejudice against Tim Tebow and, by extension, against all... Read more
“We’re offering prayers of thanksgiving,” said Paul Undlin, senior pastor of Hosanna-Tabor Lutheran Church. “This whole thing has been a weight on my shoulders. It’s been a cloud over my ministry, over the whole church.” He was referring, of course, to the case of Hosanna-Tabor Church and School v. EEOC, the Supreme Court’s “ministerial exception” case which was decided this week by a landmark 9-0 vote. He accepted congratulations on the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of the church; and... Read more
I would stress that education, correctly understood, cannot fail to foster respect for creation…. Environmental protection and the connection between fighting poverty and fighting climate change are important areas for the promotion of integral human development. –Pope Benedict XVI, speaking to diplomats accredited to the Holy See on Monday, January 9, 2012 Our Holy Father is in love with Creation. That is evident in his teachings, in his writings, in his smile when he encounters an animal or gazes upon... Read more
Any typos in this article shall be blamed on the typist’s incessant giggling. The Vatican’s Secret Archives—arguably the world’s largest historical research institution—contains some 52 miles of shelves, on which are stored things known and unknown: precious documents from the Middle Ages and earlier; manuscripts and artwork; papal bulls and stuccoed walls; letters from Michelangelo; Henry VIII’s Bill of Divorcement; original works by Thomas Aquinas; and so much more. In all, the Archives hold 180,000 manuscripts and 1.6 million... Read more
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