A few months back, The Catholic Herald asked me to interview about an article on “conservative” defenders of Pope Francis. I objected to using political labels like “conservative” and for Catholicism but I did the interview. (I have written before about why we should not use these labels.) Today the article was published and including a few paragraphs on my comments: For the Legionary priest and blogger Fr Matthew Schneider, defending Pope Francis is part and parcel of his priestly… Read more
June 20, 2019
Defending Pope Francis as a “Conservative”
June 20, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
June 19, 2019
Autistics Should Be Welcome in Church (Re: Evensong at Cambridge)
June 19, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Last Sunday, Dr. Paul Rimmer took his autistic son to Evensong at King’s College at Cambridge. They were asked to leave when his son made noise. Let me cover his letter and the apology then talk about autistic inclusion. Dr. Rimmer’s Letter The main point Dr. Rimmer makes is that Evensong, although a choral – not congregational – action is liturgical. Thus, it should be open to all trying their best to participate. However, he felt it was treated as a secular… Read more
June 15, 2019
The Confusing Changing Results from DNA Ancestry Tests
June 15, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
As I’ve noted before, companies like 23andMe or AncestryDNA use probability not precise science to determine where your DNA is from. This is why different companies might give you different results. Despite this, in their promotions, they seem to promote its certainty. Recently an article on STAT pointed out a further issue about the psychological stress of changing DNA Ancestry. Companies change their charts as they get a larger index of samples of people they know are from different places…. Read more
June 11, 2019
Decent Answers to Faith and Science
June 11, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Ian Hutchinson recently wrote, Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?: An MIT Professor Answers Questions about God and Science. Most of the book is a set of questions and answers he’s taken up in various presentations on faith and science. Having read his book, I find most of it is good but a few of the questions could be better explained with some Catholic presentations like John Paul II’s Fides et Ratio. The first chapter is a spiritual biography tracing… Read more
June 6, 2019
Disability Should Be Part of Christian Witness
June 6, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Benjamin T. Conner recently wrote an interesting book trying mission and disability studies together. It attempts to show the disabled as part of the mission and the mission as involving and directed towards the disabled. In an interview, I said some similar lines specifically about autism: “Autism is part of the peripheries. We often think of peripheries geographically, but so often the dividing line of the periphery is due to a trait the person has such as being on the… Read more
June 4, 2019
Both Republicans and Democrats Should Be 100% Pro-Life
June 4, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
I recently wrote about the need for both parties to be pro-life and how this matches the principles of each party. The National Catholic Register just published it. Protecting the most vulnerable killed through abortion is a fundamental civil rights issue. It shouldn’t be a political issue that is different between the two parties. Unfortunately, in today’s climate, so often it is an issue that divides the two main parties. However, if we go back to the principles of both… Read more
May 28, 2019
Why the Pro-Life & Disability Rights Movements Should Cooperate
May 28, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
I wrote up on why the pro-life and disability rights movements should work together as I think that there are common principles. Today, it was published in America. When I read about disability rights advocates who accept or silently condone abortion, or when I look at pro-life materials and find almost nothing on the disabled, I cringe. Both disability rights and pro-life groups adhere to the same basic principle—that humans have inherent dignity based on who they are, not what… Read more
May 28, 2019
New Chinese Law Makes Embryonic DNA-Editing Illegal
May 28, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
The world got a lot closer to preventing genetically edited babies, at least for the near future. I worried that China would be a place where this would happen as they have the resources and are trying to become a top tier country for innovation, not just manufacturing. However, China has just clarified that at least for now they will be banning gene editing on babies. Technode reports: The most recent draft of China’s updated civil code includes new regulations… Read more
May 23, 2019
Bioethics Must Outpace Technology
May 23, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Today, technology is moving at a fast rate. Things that were science fiction 20 years ago are now experimental procedures. Many of these procedures, especially those around humans, raise ethical questions. We need to answer those ethical questions before we move forward. However, too often we ignore these questions or companies hire bioethicists simply to rubber stamp their procedures. Even if we decide to go ahead with a procedure, it is important to discuss whether we should first. Hearing such… Read more
May 15, 2019
Key Quotes from Christus Vivit
May 15, 2019 By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
With Pope Francis issuing a letter to young people as after the synod on youth, we have an opportunity to reflect on what the Pope is saying to youth. As I read it, I pulled out some quotes and summarized other parts to hopefully give you a nice summary. Introduction Pope Francis begins “Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!” (1) Right after, he continues, “He is in you, he is with you and he never abandons… Read more
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