A sub-category of News.
“There are decades in which nothing happens, and there are weeks in which decades happen.” I don’t often quote Lenin, but I feel like decades of change have happened in the Catholic Church over the past several weeks. When historians look back on our time, they will undoubtedly see it as one of upheaval and…
Above: Antwerp, Belgium. Photo credit. Johan Josef Bonny has been the bishop of Antwerp in Belgium since 2009. He has made problematic individual statements in contradiction to the Church’s teaching about various ethical questions including sexual ethics, the blessing of same-sex couples, and most recently euthanasia. Regarding the latter, he stated this past September “Euthanasia is…
The vehemence of the arguments against playing Christmas music before Christmas intrigues me. I don’t disagree with the arguments, but the sheer emotionalism that so often accompanies them makes me wonder. I’ve concluded that the passion that surrounds this issue reveals a certain fear. We know the importance of Advent, but are we afraid that…
Recently, I came across an article in Becker’s Hospital Review celebrating the newest crop of “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officers” in health systems across the country. Among other vital tasks to the health of the nation, these newly deputized C-suite denizens are “instituting training sessions” and “improving hiring practices” in order to “uplift diverse populations”…
Above: one of the televised sessions of Vatican II. The liturgical reform document, Sacrosanctum Concilium, was promulgated sixty years ago today on December 4th, 1963. Introduction Turning 60 can be traumatic: all of a sudden retirement looms on the horizon, less than optimal physical fitness or even the prospect of bad heath beckons—if it has…
Is the Theory of Evolution compatible with the Christian faith? It depends on who you ask. For many traditionally-minded Christians, the answer is a quick “no.” But is the answer that easy? The bad relationship between Science and the Church is proverbial, but it need not be. “Reality is like a jewel with many facets…
In any area of human endeavor, the testimony of others and certain types of authority are necessary to producing agreement about what is true and false, even in the realm of the natural sciences. The historian Steven Shapin argued many years ago that We must find our interlocutors in debate credible, and trust their basic…
Early on living in Rome I learned always to close doors so they latched and to block or latch windows, often the tall, vertical kind that meet in the middle. Why? Because when the wind is blowing, by opening a door in one area, the air flow changes, and – BAM! – a door or…
Editor’s note: since we have a very short Advent this year, we will begin our annual Advent reflections on the Four Last things today and continue henceforth every Friday until Christmas. The World Fears Death, but Catholics Must Remember It There is perhaps no truth today more shunned, suppressed, and vehemently ignored than the reality…
Along with the usual repeated exhortations regarding submission to the bishop on matters of faith and supplications to God for St. Ignatius of Antioch on the matter of martyrdom—to cite the two most obvious and defining themes of the correspondence—there is a third item of unfinished business about which we cannot remain silent. Even in…
