“Love is the greatest strength of the powerless . . . Love is all-powerful and will even overcome hatred. And only love can do this!” ― Václav Havel Forgiveness is a great wellspring of personal healing. It can repair shattered relati … [Read more...]
The Sad Tale of Spiritual Father vs. Spiritual Son
March 26, 2022 by Dr. Janet E. Smith
Due to the overwhelming response to Msgr. Bochicchio’s essay on the inherent injustices in the way the Dallas Charter (drafted in part by then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick!) has been implemented, we are here rerunning Dr. Janet Smith’s har … [Read more...]
An Open Letter to My Bishop and to All U.S. Bishops
February 26, 2022 by Msgr. Paul L. Bochicchio
I write this letter after much prayer and reflection and with the utmost respect for the complex issue of leadership in the church. I am not naïve regarding the challenges that bishops and church leaders face in the light of many crises a … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – October 2021
October 28, 2021 by Book Reviews
The Burden of Betrayal: Non-Offending Priests and the Clergy Child Sexual Abuse Scandals. By Barry O’Sullivan. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (skip to review) Our Lady of Hope: The Soul of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. By Patrick C … [Read more...]
Deferring Absolution in Clerical Abuse Cases
March 12, 2021 by Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Deferring absolution is the key moment of decision on several key moral issues like contraception and relations with legal but not legitimate spouses, so it ends up being somewhat controversial. However, regarding clerical abuse, I think … [Read more...]
Clergy Sex Abuse: Why Do We Still Need to Talk About This?
Often at the scene of a horrific accident, police will tell bystanders to “Move along. There is nothing to see here.” The Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is a terrible tragedy and many laity feel they are being given this very mess … [Read more...]
Dangerous, Creeping Globalism in the World and in the Church
November 13, 2020 by R. Thomas Richard, PhD
Part One: The Crisis Grows Closer This is a very dangerous age we live in. The danger is existential, because the forces at work today ultimately threaten the temporal lives of us all, so boldly and arrogantly do they deny and insult God, … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – October 2020
October 1, 2020 by Book Reviews
Can Francis Change the Church? How American Catholics Are Responding to His Leadership. By Thomas P. Sweetser. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (skip to review) Into His Likeness: Be Transformed as a Disciple of Christ. By … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – June 2020
June 24, 2020 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Absence of God? Question: Pope Emeritus Benedict published a letter last year in which he attributed the pedophilia crisis in the clergy to an absence of God. Our Church and clergy are wholly dedicated to God, right? Can you explain how … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – March 2020
March 20, 2020 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Last Rites for the Clinically Dead? Question: Is it possible to perform the sacrament of the sick on someone who has been pronounced clinically dead? If so, up to how long after clinical death can this sacrament be performed? Answer: … [Read more...]
Canon Law, Civil Law, and the Current Crisis in the Church
Reflections of a Civil Lawyer Studying Canon Law in Rome
November 25, 2019 by Michael J. Mazza
Last fall I left my job as a corporate lawyer and began studying canon law in Rome. Explaining my rationale to my colleagues wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined. Whether they were practicing Catholics, fallen-away Catholics, not-yet C … [Read more...]
An Anthropological Reflection on the Church’s Sexual Scandal
Assuaging God for the Rape of Abel
October 30, 2019 by Deacon Thomas Baca
The kind of penitence that must take place to move the Church away from the precipice of destruction is the kind that comes from a much deeper well of ancient understandings of man who is flesh and spirit. We must mine the deeper … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – October 2019
October 30, 2019 by Book Reviews
The Smoke of Satan By Philip F. Lawler. Reviewed by Sean J. Donnelly. (skip to review) Mind, Heart & Soul: Intellectuals and the Path to Rome By R.J. Snell and Robert P. George. Reviewed by K.E. Colombini. (skip to … [Read more...]
Perserverance in the Face of Imperfect Ministers
September 30, 2019 by Richard P. Maggi, Esq.
Too frequently, practicing Catholics encounter family members and friends who are dismayed by the priestly and hierarchal abuse scandals. They have lost faith in the hierarchy and priests, not knowing whom they can trust. Consequently, they … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – September 2019
September 30, 2019 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Love in Context of Abusive Relationships Question: Am I wrong and sinning if I do not like family members who mistreat me? Answer: This question actually has two prongs to it. The one has to do with the relationship of volitional to … [Read more...]
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