Introduction The Pontificate of Pope Francis has been full of surprises.[1. This essay was written over the summer as an exercise in synthetic theology with a goal of better understanding and interpreting the Mind of the Magisterium. Only … [Read more...]
The Revised Catechism on the Death Penalty
A Careful Reading
September 18, 2018 by Joseph Arias
With popular news articles beginning on August 2, 2018, various media agencies have been proclaiming: “Pope Francis has declared the death penalty wrong in all cases, a definitive change in church teaching . . .” (New York Times), “Pope Fran … [Read more...]
When Does Sin Stop Being Sin?
July 31, 2018 by Dr. John M. Grondelski
Imagine I’m poor. Not dirt poor. Not homeless. Not living on the edge of extreme poverty. Just poor. Poor enough not to be able to afford some of the nicer things in life. Now, let’s imagine that I’m riding on the subway. I happen to noti … [Read more...]
Dear Troubled Catholics,
July 31, 2018 by Dr. Ralph Martin, STD
I have never seen so many "ordinary Catholics" — who usually never follow or hear about Church news — as deeply troubled as I have seen them in response to the recent revelations about the retired archbishop of Washington, D.C. Cardinal T … [Read more...]
Jesus Offers Us His Sacred Heart
June 14, 2018 by David Vincent Meconi
For millennia, the human heart has served as a living sign of love and affection. For the Greeks, the heart—or kardia—was where the nerves of all sensate animals met; but in humans, it was also the place where the soul enlarges, “when it des … [Read more...]
On the Truth that Heals the Crisis of Marriage
June 14, 2018 by Francis Etheredge
Part II: On Christ’s Love of the Sinner[1. This is now a part of the book, The Family on Pilgrimage: God Leads Through Dead Ends, (Chapter 4: Part I: enroutebooksandmedia.com/familyonpilgrimage/)] Do we believe that God can act in our l … [Read more...]
A Church Without Borders
June 1, 2018 by Nicholas Zinos
In a recently published book-length interview with Pope Francis, French sociologist, Dominique Wolton, questions the Holy Father about his repeated references to the borders of nations, wall-building, the plight of refugees, and the … [Read more...]
Kazakhstan Bishop Schneider Broadcasts Seeds of Faith Around the World
May 18, 2018 by Roseanne T. Sullivan
His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider, O.R.C, has been referred to in the National Catholic Register as “one of the leading voices of fidelity, continuity, and tradition in the Church today.”[1. Pentin, Edward. “How Bishop Athanasius Sc … [Read more...]
Frank Sheed on Church Teachings
April 28, 2018 by Fr. James V. Schall, SJ
We hear much discussion of late about church teaching, especially with regard to marital issues, and whether statements of the Pope violate classical norms. Cardinals issue their doubts; sixty theologians inaugurate what they call … [Read more...]
Teaching Desire: Mimetic Pedagogy in Catholic Schools
April 28, 2018 by E. Tyler Graham
Three important documents have emerged in the last decade of the American Catholic educational scene: Archbishop (now Cardinal) Dolan’s clarion cry to resurrect the dying “Catholic Schools We Need,” the Diocese of Lansing’s proclamation to m … [Read more...]
Corrupt Pastoral Practice Means Corrupt Doctrine
Amoris Laetitia’s Dirty Little Secret
March 30, 2018 by Jeffrey Tranzillo
When Amoris Laetitia (hereafter AL) was first published in March 2016, Pope Francis’s episcopal cheerleaders insisted that the document has introduced no changes to Church doctrine: it merely explores how we are to understand the “pastoral a … [Read more...]
Proselytism, Evangelization, and “Ecumenism of Return”
December 12, 2017 by Eduardo Echeverria
In a 2016 interview that was arranged by Fr. Antonio Spadaro, S.J., the editor of La Civiltà Cattolica, prior to the trip to Sweden for an ecumenical gathering anticipating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Pope Francis expressed … [Read more...]
Late Autumn Book Reviews
November 27, 2017 by Book Reviews
All the Pope's Saints: The Jesuits Who Shaped Pope Francis, by Fr. Sean Salai, SJ (Our Sunday Visitor, 2017) 144 pages; $15.00. Reviewed by Deacon David Paternostro, S.J. How I Stayed Catholic at Harvard, by Aurora Griffin (Ignatius … [Read more...]
Further Dubia for the Confused
September 27, 2017 by Rev. Basil Cole, OP
The Holy Father is given very special graces to guide the Catholic Church, being the successor of Peter. He is the vicar of Christ to which I adhere. Yet, when reading his latest exhortation, Amoris laetitia, I feel confused. In 1998, … [Read more...]
Memory, History, and the Elderly
Pope Francis’s Plan for Saving Society
May 29, 2017 by Matthew B. Rose
Author’s note: The following article is expanded from a talk given at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, as part of the symposium entitled: "Pope Francis’s Vision for the Renewal of the Church," November 10-12, 201 … [Read more...]
Recent Comments