“Don’t give up on us…. We need each other!” That was the message from Archbishop Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Orthodox and Catholic churches this week, after the General Synod of the Church of England voted to ordain women bishops. With so much troubling the world today, Archbishop Welby emphasized that common witness to the Gospel was of greater importance than ever. But try as he might, Archbishop Welby will not be able to reconcile that controversial vote... Read more
As news becomes available, we learn that it was a head-on collision in Chelwood, U.K. that led to the death of evangelical pastor Tony Palmer July 20. Bishop Palmer caught the attention of the world in February 2014, when he carried Pope Francis’ video greeting to Pentecostals gathered at the Kenneth Copeland conference. A reader has sent this information from the Bath Chronicle. Although the article doesn’t name the victim, the reader–who lives in the local area–confirms that this is... Read more
R.I.P. Bishop Tony Palmer Died July 20, 2014 = Tony Palmer, the charismatic young preacher who enjoyed a friendship with Pope Francis, has apparently died in a motorcycle accident. Not a Catholic, Palmer was bishop in the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, a group that is inspired by the “middle way” of classical Anglicanism and considers itself part of the Convergence Movement. News is spotty at this point; but according to Archbishop Charles Hill, presiding prelate at Ambassadors for Christ... Read more
I try hard not to be a cranky Catholic. I may have a personal preference, but I can appreciate all kinds of worship styles, even those that some folks regard with disdain: Organ and guitar. Choir and community. Gregorian chant and David Haas vocals. Latin and vernacular. I do have one issue, though, which no one from the post-Vatican II era of the St. Louis Jesuits seems to understand: I can’t pray over the sound of pop music. That... Read more
The news is chockful of bad news about the fate of Christians in Mosul. If you’re not careful, your eyes glaze over and you shake your head and move on to the next story–because after all, it’s not happening here. The burning of an 1800-year-old church is the latest in a series of burnings and desecrations by ISIS. A Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian website released this photo of a church being destroyed. According to Shoebat.com: The burning of the church... Read more
You’ve heard the old saw that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice? We’ve seen that played out in the music industry this week, as two rabidly anti-Catholic numbers hit the news: First, that downright nasty performance by Kristeen Young on the Late, Late Show; and now, Tom Petty’s release of a new, hitting-below-the-belt number which chastises the Catholic Church for the abuse crisis. * * * * * First, there’s the abrasive... Read more
Of course, every life that was lost aboard the Malaysian jet which was shot down over eastern Ukraine was of immeasurable value. Lost are vacationing Dutchmen, a helicopter pilot, AIDS researchers, university students, and entire families including 100 children. My goal is not to tell you that one life was worth more than the others–only to show, by citing the contributions of one individual who lost her life this week, how much all of humankind has lost with the deaths... Read more
The world’s a mess, it seems. The downed airplane in Ukraine; the drug cartels and irrepressible violence driving children northward from Mexico and Central America; the unremitting terrorism in parts of the world where Islamists seek to impose their culture by force…. And of course, the rising tensions in the Holy Land, where Israel and Palestine continue their struggle to define their borders. * * * * * And into that strife... Read more
I just heard the sad news: Catholic writer Stratford Caldecott has died today of prostate cancer. “Strat” Caldecott, the G.K. Chesterton Research Fellow at St. Benet’s Hall, Oxford, was a giant in the Catholic world. Among his many credits, he served on the editorial board of the International Theological Journal Communio, as well as the Catholic Truth Society. He was co-editor for Magnificat UK, and he published his own literary journal Second Spring. Caldecott was involved with T&T Clark publications... Read more
This is amazing. I happened upon an article today about the website My Little Sweet Pea, where Carrie Preston, a 27-year-old artist from Cornwall, showcases the “belly bump” paintings she does on the bellies of pregnant women. According to the Daily Mail, in only two years the artist has completed more than 130 intricate belly paintings to help pregnant women celebrate pregnancy and impending birth. Because a big canvas allows for the best artwork, she prefers to paint mothers when... Read more
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