Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being on Trent Horn’s podcast, the Council of Trent. We discussed some issues around the ethics of vaccines. The recent mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna for COVID were a large part of the discussion as they have a very remote connection to abortion. We went over Catholic teachings that apply like the principle of double effect and remote material cooperation in evil, along with science about how vaccines work. The Counsel of... Read more
Fr. Harrison Ayre and Michael Heinlein just released Finding Christ in the Crisis. It’s a short book reflecting on the current COVID crisis with lockdowns, etc. It is a good simple reflection thinking about how we – individually and communally – can profit from this situation. This is not a collection of one-liners that work as pull-quotes but a more thoughtful reflection. They take the pandemic seriously but without hysteria. Their book can be divided into three topics: general reflections, personal... Read more
There have been different bad pastoral ideas. But I think recently I may have seen one of the worst. During COVID, a dying woman wanted to confess before she died. Then the Deacon attending her suggested she shouldn’t confess. What!?! Really, this unfortunate thing is reality. I now offer a translation of the piece with the author’s permission. For months, many have discussed the pastoral response of the Church during the COVID pandemic. I can’t agree with complaints that there... Read more
We are now at about two weeks since the documentary Francesco came out. This documentary misconstrued the Pope’s position on civil unions. The Vatican was slow to respond but now we have an official English version of the clarification they offered. Skip to the second section if you already know the background. Background First, a little background can be found in my two prior articles. This documentary had a bunch of clips of the Pope taken out of context and resown together... Read more
States have slowly been adopted assisted suicide legislation. This is unethical as it is taking a life before it is over. It often means the elderly or disabled are pushed towards taking pills to kill themselves. Almost any state could be next. And as a Catholic, this is a top voting issue as it involves the taking of human life. Until Roe v. Wade is overturned, states are unable to make significant abortion restrictions. If no significant restriction of abortion... Read more
Canada approved “Medical Aid in Dying” in 2016. This law legalized both assisted suicide and euthanasia. Now, with a possible expansion in the works, some claim that this offers great cost-saving. This claim dates back to the passage but now it is in a government report. Right now, many US states are passing assisted suicide laws. These are happening quickly and stealthily without large public debate. And once passed, it seems like only a matter of time before insurance companies start... Read more
On Wednesday, quotes from a new documentary came out where Pope Francis seemed to indicate support for civil unions for homosexuals. On Thursday, I posted an article here analyzing this in light of Francis’s prior comments and the interview in question. I proposed that Pope Francis was supporting civil unions instead of or in place of “gay marriage.” Most media was still assuming an absolute approval of civil unions. Now on Saturday, the full transcript came out. Not only was I right that that... Read more
On October 21, 2020, I woke up to find every news source in the world claiming Pope Francis approved civil unions. Then, when I looked at the video, I see a bunch of statements of the Pope being switched together to give a certain impression. Putting the statements together like that contradicts the Pope’s words on other occasions. Pope Francis seems to approve of civil unions in place of “gay marriages” but many might listen to the segment in the... Read more
Do you remember the top bioethical topic of discussion in 2004? It was California voters approving a $3 billion bond for embryonic stem cell research. Now they are asking for even more money 16 years later. But despite promising all kinds of therapies 16 years ago, there is still no FDA-approved therapy using human embryonic stem cells. This 2004 initiative was in response to George W. Bush cutting off federal funding for research on new embryonic stem cells in 2001.... Read more
Several times people have sent me talks or writings by Fr. Michael Copenhagen claiming that he explains the actual Catholic teaching on vaccines. This is despite the fact that he disagrees with the overwhelming majority of bishops and theologians, as well as official Vatican statements. I maintain the position of the Vatican and the majority of theologians. I have responded in personal correspondence or in general terms before. However, as Fr. Michael has decided to speak at a national anti-vax... Read more
Through Catholic Lenses
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