Archives for 2009

The Year of St. Paul

Editorial, March 2009

The greatest missionary in the history of the Church was the convert Saul of Tarsus who, by the grace of God, was changed from a persecutor of Jesus and his Church to the Apostle to the Gentiles. He was born of Jewish parents in Tarsus, … [Read more...]

First Millennium Petrine ministry

The teachings of the Fathers show that the Church has always affirmed the primacy and supremacy of the bishop of Rome.

As I followed on television the pastoral visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States in April 2008, I was reminded of an observation made by a friend of mine during our vacation together the previous Christmas. My friend, marveling at … [Read more...]

True freedom is interior

Editorial, February 2009

Freedom is what makes man to be man. Freedom is what distinguishes man from the rest of visible reality—sun, moon, stars, elements, plants and animals. On the natural level, freedom is man’s greatest gift or quality. What is freedom? Fre … [Read more...]

Ravenna and the Roman primacy

How is it that no other bishop but the Roman bishop ever claimed a universal primacy in the Church?

After two decades of modest progress, the Joint International Catholic-Orthodox Theological Commission, meeting in Ravenna, Italy, October 8-14, 2007, issued a study document on ecclesial communion, conciliarity and authority[1. … [Read more...]

The Mystery of Faith

Editorial, January 2009

The text of the Roman Missal at the consecration of the wine refers to it as “the Mystery of Faith” (Myssterium Fidei). It is a mystery of faith because wonderful, miraculous things take place during the celebration that have eternal eff … [Read more...]

Reading Genesis with Cardinal Ratzinger

The author answers Catholic creationists by arguing that contemporary exegetes have sufficient reason to go beyond a literalist reading of Genesis.

How is a Catholic supposed to read the first chapter of Genesis that details the six days of creation? In a lecture entitled, “Restoration of Traditional Catholic Theology on Origins,” given at the First International Catholic Symposium on C … [Read more...]

The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey

Pastors across the country know that large numbers of individuals who were baptized Catholic have left the Catholic Church.

From May 8 to August 13, 2007, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life surveyed over 35,000 adults in an effort to learn more about current religious beliefs and practices within the United States. The first report on survey findings, … [Read more...]