Under it’s new editor, Matt Malone, S.J., America Magazine is doing a very good thing: America aspires to nothing more than to live up to the fullest meaning of our motto, to pursue the truth in love, for as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has written, “The only strength with which Christianity can make its influence felt publicly is ultimately the strength of its intrinsic truth.” The fundamental truth of Christianity is personal, the person of Jesus Christ, the one for... Read more
When Pope Benedict XVI abdicated his papacy and was succeeded by Pope Francis, one particular fact seemed to delight the press — and Benedict-haters — more than any other: Francis was not wearing the red shoes! Google his red shoes (once incorrectly reported and forever incorrectly misunderstood to be Prada-made) and it feels like more was written about them than Benedict’s encyclicals, his books, his travel, his kissed babies. Those red shoes drove secularists, and some Catholics crazy, and the... Read more
I should only be so thin, but still — this is a riot!: The Anchoress is a young woman whose years in Arkham have noticeably withered her away as she continues to add thousands upon thousands of tick marks upon the stones of her cell. There’s a delicate sense of fragility surrounding this character, making her seem as vulnerable as she is frightening. But what did she do to deem her Arkham’s very first prisoner? See more here. Okay, guys…what... Read more
So, I found it excruciatingly painful to watch this video clip,. Excruciating because I love and value cursive writing, and I felt really bad for this young woman, and for what is apparently a whole generation (or two) that has been denied the experience of learning to use it. Cursive enhances brain function, helps to develop fine motor skills and gives a student a daily dose of something that is both an art and a discipline. Ranting about it in... Read more
A nice piece by Sister Mary Ann Walsh who recalls being in Denver for the first really huge World Youth Day: As a reporter in Rome, I had traveled with Pope John Paul II. But sitting on a plane with him was a far cry from organizing media for an event to draw about 2,000 journalists and setting up a structure for TV and radio coverage. Early on, I took my concerns to Tim Russert, enthusiastic Catholic and host of... Read more
That would be surprising! Refreshing, too! Says Obama, today: On an issue as sensitive as [gay marriagte], knowing that Americans hold a wide range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s commitment to religious freedom is also vital. How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil marriages – changes that. This from the man who said, during his Commencement address to... Read more
My First Thought on hearing the big news might surprise you: In other words, “Keep Calm and Catholic On”. In terms of pure law, DOMA was unconstitutional and was not surprisingly struck down. Seriously, though, I have nothing more to say on the DOMA story than I already laid out, here, and the Gay Marriage angle only solidifies it: Civil unions (which I support) will not be enough. I suspect the churches to quickly be expected to conform to the... Read more
One of the loveliest moments of my career occurred in Pittsburgh, during the 2011 Catholic Media Conference, when Dr. Matthew Bunson strolled up to me and wondered if I wanted to get a cup of coffee. I did, and our conversation was a delightful and unusually frank first chat between strangers. Matthew Bunson wears many hats; he is Senior Correspondent for Our Sunday Visitor and a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and serves as editor... Read more
I am very nearly positive that in the years I’ve been writing this blog I have never left it completely unattended for a full week — not when I’ve traveled to Rome. Not when I’ve traveled to Rome and been lying on the tile floor, at death’s door, even! Nor when I’ve vacationed anywhere. Except for the days following my brother’s passing — for which there were no immediate words — I’ve blogged or arranged for a guest blogger when... Read more
The memory of Rome, and the illness that overtook me halfway across the Atlantic is still fresh in my mind and I’m frankly dreading getting on another airplane, but I’m off to Colorado to meet up with the Big Kahunae who invented Patheos and also to attend the Catholic Media Convention, along with the likes of Deacon Greg Kandra, Kathryn Lopez, Lisa Hendey, Dr. Matthew Bunson, the OSV Gang — the cool people who let me hang out with them,... Read more
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