During the March for Life this year, I posted a tweet about a mom who chose life over abortion. This tweet blew every tweet I’ve posted ever out the water for most viewed. However, many – especially those contrary to the pro-life message – misunderstand it and the pro-life message. I want to set the stage, respond to this misunderstanding, and conclude with some lessons for us. 2 Million Saw This Tweet Here’s my most-viewed tweet ever. This mother almost... Read more
On Friday, January 18, thousands in the pro-life movement marched in DC for an end to abortion. I took pictures of some of the best signs. Here you go (titles link to Tweets). 1. This woman is glad she walked out of an abortion clinic 2. The way we respect different forms of life should lead us to respect unborn heartbeats 3. Everyone deserves to live 4. I saw a bunch of signs pointing out the science in support of... Read more
As Catholics, we understand every human has a unique dignity. Society denies dignity in many cases. We have made strides in the pro-life movement to see the dignity of the unborn; however, I think we can grow a lot in understanding the dignity of the disabled. A recent story illustrates this need. A female patient who’s been in a vegetative state a decade was pregnant. However, as someone told Arizona’s Family, “None of the staff were aware that she was pregnant until... Read more
As the clerical sex abuse crisis continues to unfold. Each of us in ordained ministry needs to confront it. Our answers might be slightly different but they all need to return to what really matters. The local paper in Sandusky, Ohio carried the testimony of a local young man, Tyler Boyd, in the Priestly Discernment Program at Franciscan University of Steubenville: One afternoon, after reading article after article about the extensive abuse, I asked myself why I was still studying to be a... Read more
I was surprised to see an article from the New York Times being negative about contraception. They don’t get the intrinsic problem with contraception but they see the eugenic problem when society uses contraception as a poverty cure. The new wave is pushing the IUD on poor women. The Wider Use of IUDs The Times begins factually, Over the past decade, more and more women have begun using long-acting, reversible birth control methods like intrauterine devices and implants. These birth... Read more
The Vatican updated a ruling on the morality of hysterectomies today. 1993 Ruling on Hysterectomies The Vatican ruled in 1993 if a hysterectomy can be moral. It is moral “when there is a grave and present danger to the life or health of the mother.” On the other hand, it is immoral “insofar as they are methods of direct sterilization.” It ruled this immorality applied even if a pregnancy would be dangerous for the mother so “the removal of the uterus and... Read more
Fr. Virgil Bradley Tetherow was forbidden from saying Mass and removed from the clerical state. However, he was recently celebrating Mass in public, at a rogue chapel disconnected from the Catholic Church. This story obviously has some unpleasant details: I present them because I think the story shows us some lessons, not to be salacious. The last section will give three lessons: but between here and there, I tell the story. (You can skip right to that section if you... Read more
It’s crazy what gets spread online today. One website was posting that Pope Francis denied the Immaculate Conception in his Christmas greetings to Vatican employees. Really? I will include their claim, explain why it’s wrong, point to the times Francis affirmed the Immaculate Conception, and conclude with a note on interpretation. The Claim of Denial Gloria.tv wrote a piece titled, “Francis Denying Immaculate Conception: ‘Mary Not Born A Saint.'” This attributes heresy to the following lines: In his Christmas greetings... Read more
People have asked me a bunch of theological questions online. I collected the best on my CuriousCat recently and am posting them here as a Q&A. This is the third in a series: the other two have been on prayer but this is theology. Hopefully, you enjoy these theological questions on laicization or defrocking, free will, fate, the death penalty, papal infallibility, Hell and Isalm. I hear talk about “laicization” or “defrocking” of priests. Practically, what does this look like? Is priesthood... Read more
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles was aware of accusations against Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar since 2005. The Vatican investigated around that time and decided to give him secret restrictions on his ministry. However, he was only barred from public ministry this week. How would have this case gone down were he a priest? It would have been quite different. I will quote the story then relevant norms. The Case of the LA Auxiliary Bishop CNS reported: Pope Francis has accepted the... Read more
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