IN PART ONE, I began my discussion of gun control by saying that I have some real ambivalence about the issue, based in part on the makeup of my extended family — how it is divided between mostly rural folks on my Mom’s side and Dad’s far more urban side of the family. As someone who has feet in both camps, I see an awful lot of mythologizing about guns from both the pro- and anti-control sides of the debate.... Read more
Well, Pope Francis has confounded the media again. One day after he was reported to have told Catholics not to talk about abortion, the Pope himself talked about abortion in what Lifesitenews rather ridiculously called his “strongest pro-life comments to date.” But, as Mark Shea clearly sees, the only reason groups like Lifesite are forced into making such statements is because they themselves buy the New York Times party line about what the Pope had actually said the day before.... Read more
Okay, maybe I am overstating things. Here is what happened. As part of the media hype over Pope Francis’ six month anniversary in the Chair of Peter, Bishop Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, gave a fairly extensive interview in his diocesan paper in which he reflected on Pope Francis. During the interview he made two mild criticisms of the pope. The first for the “unintended consequences” of his new simplicity: One of the things we have to get used to... Read more
Sandro Magister provides a translation of one of eight stories of conversion compiled by an Italian journalist, and brief English bios of the other seven people. The interview is quite uplifting. Here is a beautiful quote: I converted to Christianity because of Christ! As I have already said, what still fascinates me is the love of Jesus for men. He loved us to the point of giving himself for us on the cross. If Jesus gives his life for me,... Read more
A recent series of iPhone ads aims to portray a very human side of that product’s technological features. Not surprisingly, these ads cast technology in a rosy light, which challenges my often critical perspective toward a cultural infatuation with the latest gadgets. I say “challenges” because these ads both reflect and perpetuate a certain cultural vibe, and because in my opinion they make a better case in its favor than most advertising I’ve seen. For these reasons, I consider the narrative... Read more
A few days before Pope Francis’ heartfelt plea for peace in his Sunday Angelus message, President Obama took a break from gearing up for yet another Middle East conflict – audaciously being called a “humanitarian intervention” – to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic March on Washington with these words in tribute to the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement – words that, under other circumstances, might have been as inspiring as the pope’s. [T]hey had every reason to lash out in... Read more
The pope’s Sunday Angelus message this week contained an important announcement: the proclamation of Saturday, September 7 as “a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world.” Here is his message in full, courtesy of Vatican Radio: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Hello! Today, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to make add my voice to the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world, from every people, from the... Read more
A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, on my BART train commute home, I got distracted by my smart phone and accidentally got off one stop too soon. I realized my mistake just as the train doors were closing. D’oh! I buried my face in my phone again to pass the time until the next train, but something made me look up and forget the electronic toy in my hand. Someone was playing a jazz standard on a trumpet upstairs, and there was... Read more
A week ago, I posted a link on my FaceBook page to an blog post by William Briggs responding to an article by Charles Camosy on Catholic Moral Theology in which he is exploring a concept he calls “an innocent aggressor.” A non-Catholic friend asked me in the commbox about Catholic teaching on ectopic pregnancy. I found a nice summary at the Catholics United for the Faith website. This satisfied my friend, but after reading the posts by Camosy, Briggs... Read more
If there were a prize for the most egregious affronts to human dignity, the anonymous letter sent to the family of a 13-year-old autistic boy in Ontario last week would doubtless be a top contender. The writer, who signed the letter “one pissed off mother”, did not stop at complaining very rudely about the boy’s presence in his grandmother’s neighborhood where he often spends his summer days, but went on to thoroughly disparage his overall worth, ultimately suggesting that the family “move or euthanize him”. ... Read more
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