If you can see something that’s obvious, it’s a pretty sure bet that the Pope can see it, too.: In an audience with members of an international Marian movement, Pope Francis warned that the sacrament of marriage has been reduced to a mere association, and urged participants to be witnesses in a secular world. “The family is being hit, the family is being struck and the family is being bastardized,” the Pope told those in attendance at the Oct. 25... Read more
Not everyone is in love with Pope Francis’ remarks at the beatification of Blessed Paul VI, in particular they don’t like all that talk of surprises: This is the perennial newness to be discovered each day, and it requires mastering the fear which we often feel at God’s surprises. God is not afraid of new things! That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways. He renews us: he constantly makes us... Read more
Part three in the ongoing Saga of the Satchels, or “what happens when Lizzie tries to do something really simple and girly, like buy a new handbag.” So, these arrived yesterday, both of them: On the left, the red Baggallini, which is a little larger than the bag I have carried for five years, but a little smaller than I had hoped. It may yet be too small to stash a light scarf. But I still really like it. On... Read more
Good for Voris. A manful apology and restatement of his mission, and a sound refutation of a contingent of Catholics who are becoming increasingly unhinged toward Pope Francis and vile toward any who will not agree that he is an antipope and a threat to the church. I myself deleted several comments about Pope Francis today, including one calling him “Frank the Fraud”, and I dropped a banhammer on someone actively wishing for his death. It is certainly interesting to... Read more
Remember, just a couple of weeks ago, when Cardinal Walter Kasper was asked about the publication of Remaining in the Truth of Christ, which responded to his frequent public discussions on the reform of doctrinal disciplines? Kasper remarked, “that’s how politicians talk.” We could perhaps say the same about his latest words and apologies concerning his remarks about the African bishops participating in the Extraordinary Synod. The apology goes like this: “If one of my remarks about Africans was perceived... Read more
It may have gotten a four minute standing ovation from his Bishops, but Pope Francis’ closing remarks to the synod, which I thought were pretty beautifully wrought, are being praised-but-quietly by others, at least as I am surveying today. It seems to me people aren’t really appreciating what Francis said there — how capably and clearly he let both the “left” and the “right”, the progressives and the traditionalists, know that neither side has a corner on the fullness of... Read more
The Deed is Done! Despite all the great suggestions — both here and on Facebook — which ended up giving me lots of places to go and waste time while oo-ing and ah-ing over stuff, and feeling quite the covetous-and-materialist thing, I had to go for the tried-and-true, and ordered the red Baggallini. So, red it is; Baggallini it is, again. Thanks for your input though; it was fun to talk about something besides church and a-world-in-crisis. Refreshing! Sometimes we... Read more
As we swiftly move toward November — what Rumer Godden calls a time “full of howling winds and holy souls,” — the Patheos Public Square is taking a multi-channel look at death and religious customs, with Remembering the Dead: Ancestors, Rituals and Relics. This is of interest to Catholics because, let’s face it, we do death very well, we are often entertained by it (Tom McDonald has been writing about ghosts and floating songs about death all month!), and we... Read more
Well, the clock is ticking. A final paper will soon be forthcoming from the Synod Fathers, and there will no doubt be drama, because there is always drama. But people should remember that no matter what is handed out from the synod it’s still going to be, in a manner of speaking, a “working document”, in anticipation of next year’s synod. It is not a teaching document, nor an authoritative one; it is meant to get people thinking and praying,... Read more
Cardinal Walter Kasper today addressed his recent remarks to a group of reporters, numbered among them Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register (and Zenit). You can get the background by reading through these posts. The controversy involved his words concerning the bishops of Africa — which he brought up — and his denials about ever having spoken to Zenit (a misunderstanding) or having spoken the words that came out of his mouth (intent does matter, and it may have... Read more
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