While Catholic moral theology forbids absolutely the direct or intentional killing of the innocent, it does not prohibit all actions that result in the deaths of innocents. Under the doctrine of the double effect (also known as the principle of side effects), an action resulting in the deaths of innocents may nevertheless be justifiable so long as those deaths are not intended either as a means or as an end, and as long as the good that results from this... Read more
Ever since I picked up a copy of Innocence, Sir John Tavener has been on my radar as one of the best contemporary composers. At that time, I bought copies of most of his earlier works, and found my favorite to be his Akathist of Thanksgiving, and I continued to buy his titles as they came out. One of the things I really appreciated was that Tavener was fundamentally a religious composer, and that he was able to mix Orthodox... Read more
Remember this? How about this: Anyone else picture Obama entering Washington, DC on a donkey when they watch this one? Read more
The big news are no longer related to Chávez sending troops to the Colombian border. Instead, latest evidence may link Chávez with the funding of a terrorist organization. The Colombian government claims that documents found in the computer that belonged to “Raúl Reyes” (second in command of the FARC killed this past Saturday by the Colombian government) show that Chávez may have given over $300 million dollars to the Marxist group. There is also some evidence of Uranium trade in... Read more
This year, the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal will be awarded to actor-activist Martin Sheen. (Story here.) Here is the statement of Notre Dame’s President, Fr. John Jenkins: “As one of our nation’s most recognizable and accomplished screen actors, Martin Sheen has achieved a level of celebrity that few Americans enjoy,” said the Rev. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president. “He has used that celebrity to draw the attention of his fellow citizens to issues that cry out for redress, such... Read more
If you live in the DC area, or are visiting, St. Matthew’s Cathedral is hosting a viewing of the wonderful movie, Into Great Silence, this Friday evening. This the award-winning documentary– about the lives of the Carthusian monks at the Grand Chartreuse in the French Alps– is a visually stunning and deeply moving portrayal of a group of men who have left the modern world to devote their whole lives to God. The film has no score and hardly any dialogue.... Read more
The United States led “precision” airstrikes on a small Somalian village that destroyed two houses. The dead? So far, three women and three children. The injured? 20 and counting. No terrorists yet accounted for. Read more
Now that’s what you call playing the Hitler card: (more…) Read more
I am excited to announce the launching of a new online monthly magazine, The Catholic Blues. Each issue will focus thematically on an official document of the Catholic Church. This month’s issue takes its queue from Pope Benedict XVI’s most recent encyclical, Spe Salvi, focusing on hope. The editor of The Catholic Blues is already soliciting articles and notes for the April issue, which will center on the theme of mercy as outlined in Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Dives... Read more
Despite his diminishing chances to pull off a miracle at the RNC, Mike Huckabee gained a big endorsement in Texas today, only two days before the state’s primary (in which I will be voting). The Dallas Morning News announced its support for Huckabee, calling him a top leader in tomorrow’s Republican Party...[Huckabee] truly is representative of the next wave of evangelical chieftains and, if nothing else, will emerge from this primary season the leader of one of the most influential... Read more
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