Nonetheless, I was struck last May by Bergoglio’s sharp mind, his familiarity with issues throughout the world Church, and his prudence in judging people and situations. He was, for example, completely realistic and lucid about the Church’s situation in Latin America. Rather than complaining about Evangelical Protestant “sheep-rustling,” as more than a few Latin American churchmen do, the archbishop spoke with insight and conviction about the imperative of Catholicism rediscovering the power of the gospel through personal conversion to Jesus... Read more

On Sunday, former pastor and author Rob Bell expressed his support for gay “marriage” during a forum at Grace Cathedral, the Episcopal Cathedral of the Diocese of California. http://www.worldmag.com/2013/03/first_hell_now_marriage Read more

Just as chess requires players to seriously consider every possible consequence of their moves, we need to seriously consider every possible consequence of the push for same-sex marriage, especially for children. http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2013/03/9622/?utm_source=RTA+Mainwaring+SSM+Chess&utm_campaign=winstorg&utm_medium=email Read more

The familiar stark divide between people of religion and without religion is too crude. Many millions of people who count themselves atheists have convictions and experiences very like and just as profound as those that believers count as religious. They say that though they do not believe in a “personal” god, they nevertheless believe in a “force” in the universe “greater than we are.” http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/apr/04/religion-without-god/?pagination=false Read more

Now, if normative principles and guiding purposes can be gleaned from our reflections on nature, there would seem to be no truth more obvious than that human sexuality is oriented by its nature toward uniting man and woman, with a view to procreation and family life. If nature cannot tell us that, then it cannot tell us anything. It is completely mute, and human beings are utterly left adrift to invent themselves according to whatever standards they like. This is... Read more

Our politicians should learn from Bishop Shirley first-hand why government programs fail and why community-centered efforts succeed, and then they should make this the center of their political agenda, not some patronizing and insulting divide between makers and takers. Were we to do this, we conservatives would finally have something concrete and constructive to say about low-income communities and how they might be revived. http://www.philanthropydaily.com/robert-nisbet-and-our-continuing-quest-for-community/ Read more

Defenders of marriage need some entrepreneurial thinking. America has been governed by no-fault divorce, illegitimacy, and disordered desires of every kind for two generations; there are fewer and fewer people around who even remember living in a world where the Christian position was the default. We need to stop imagining real marriage is like the Apple of 2013—assuming we are the dominant entity and our opponents are upstarts trying to displace us from our position at the top. We need... Read more

Listening to the doctors on cable TV, you might think that it’s better to cook up a batch of meth than to cook with butter. But eating basic, earthy, fatty foods isn’t just a supreme experience of the senses—it can actually be good for you. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323393304578358681822758600.html?mod=WSJ_hp_EditorsPicks Read more

Vatican City, 16 March 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Paul VI Audience Hall, the Holy Father greeted over 6,000 journalists and those working in the media as well as for the Holy See, accredited either permanently or temporarily, to cover the events related to the Conclave. He addressed them with the following words: http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-oh-how-i-wish-for-a-church-that-is–2 Read more

The Bishop of Argentina and former primate of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone, the Most Rev. Gregory Venables, has praised the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio saying the Argentine Archbishop is a devout Christian and friend to Anglicans, who has stood in solidarity with the poor against government corruption and social engineering. http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17316#.UUTKYzfoss0 Read more