If you are watching Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, did you know I am responsible for a scene in the movie? Well now, the tale goes like this: I was living in England and Mel Gibson had completed the rough cut of the movie but was worried that he would not be able to get any distributors to take the movie. You can make a film, you see, but if you can’t get a distributor to pick it up... Read more

The tired and emotional progressives at National Catholic Reporter have published a piece which actually praises the brutalist “Catholic” suburban architecture of the seventies and eighties. This article quotes Michael deSanctis a theology professor and church building consultant from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. DeSanctis says, Restoration-minded pastors, most who came of age well after Vatican II, are ordering the changes. Gone are what they sometimes disparage as “Pizza Hut” churches. The goal is to restore tradition. They impose altar rails, the... Read more

When I was a priest in the Church of England the authorities introduced a delightfully Anglican phrase, “two integrities”. We were all supposed to embrace “two integrities”. So when it came to the issue of women’s ordination for example, we were supposed to “listen carefully and dialogue with those with whom we disagreed.” We were supposed to “accompany them” as they moved from one position to another. Those who were opposed to women’s ordination were supposed to stand by, observe, welcome... Read more

When I was in Oklahoma a few weeks ago some good folks from the parish drove me out to visit Clear Creek Monastery. After lunch with the monks I happened to meet the oblate master, Fr Francis Bethel. Bethel was one of the original students of the teacher John Senior at University of Kansas. He went to become a Benedictine monk at Fontgombault the returned to the USA to help found Clear Creek. Fr Bethel has written a book about... Read more

Wall Street Journal reports here today: Within 20 years, more babies will be born to Muslim women than to Christian women world-wide, the latest sign of the rapid growth that could make Islam the world’s largest religion by the end of the century. As John Allen reports in Future Church the center of Christianity is shifting from Europe to Africa, Asia and South America. Christianity is dying in Europe while Islam continues to surge demographically. What is very disturbing is the... Read more

This article from Slate outlines the arguments the 7th Circuit Court has made regarding the employment rights of homosexuals. They have formally equated sex discrimination in the workplace with discrimination against homosexuals. On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit issued a landmark decision in Hively v. Ivy Tech holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sexual orientation discrimination. The 8–3 ruling is an extraordinary victory for LGBTQ advocates—an emphatic declaration from a bipartisan group of judges... Read more

Here are 10 things you can pursue to not only avoid sin, but to lead a full, happy, peaceful, abundant and holy life. Read more

Over at CRUX John Allen speculates on how the American bishops might push the envelope over immigration reform. He suggests that the American cardinals and Archbishops might make another visit to the Mexican-US border like the one Cardinal O’Malley made in 2014. You might remember the Cardinal took advantage of a photo op and gave communion to some folks through the slats of a fence. It was an emotional and manipulative picture to be sure, but it was powerful and... Read more

In re-reading Dante for Lent I am reminded of the legacy of waste and shame he communicates in his vision of hell. The damned experience the frustration of the waste and shame of their lives. This is terrible enough, but more terrible is the fact that while they have regrets they do not have remorse. The experience of waste and shame when we see our sin as it really is may plunge us into feelings of guilt, but those feelings... Read more

Somebody has quipped, “America is a Protestant country. Even the Catholics are Protestant.” It can’t be avoided. Protestantism has been a pervasive influence on the formation of America’s consciousness. I’m thinking particularly about the Calvinistic strain of negativity that seems to be woven into the genetic code of Americans. On the surface we are a pragmatic, optimistic and positive people, but scratch the surface and there is a self loathing pessimism. Despite the wonderful, rich, healthy technologically whizzy world we... Read more