Pope Francis has just published his long-awaited Apostolic Exhortation on the Family, Amoris Laetitia. In it, he repeats many of the problematic and controversial statements of the previous 2014 and 2015 Synods of Bishops on the Family. Among these, one finds the law of gradualism with regard to sinful relationships, the claim that there are “seeds”…
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, Austria, has been chosen by Pope Francis to present his apostolic exhortation, Amoris Leaetitia, on 8 April. We’ve already explored some of his statements over the past few days, because we believe it may shed light on why he was chosen for this particular task. Of special importance in this regard is…
The German Katholikentag is an event organized every two years by the German Catholic lay organization Central Committee of German Catholics (Zentralkomitee der Deutschen Katholiken – ZdK) which has close ties with the German Bishops’ Conference. This year, this event will take place 25-29 May in Leipzig, hosted by the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen, and there will…
Many observers were troubled by the news that Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, Austria, was chosen by Pope Francis to be one of the main speakers at the press conference on 8 April in order to present the Apostolic Exhortation on the Family. He had caused a controversy shortly after the last October 2015…
When the Students for Life group at Purdue University tried to draw attention to the disproportionate number of abortions performed within the black community — tying their event into Black History Month — they received a predictably negative reaction. They responded on their Facebook page with a conciliatory explanation. In their statement, they made their intent clear: Regarding…
And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. – Mt 9:36 In an interview last month with Asia Times, Pope Francis opined at length about China. China, where Communist policies have ended the lives of roughly 100 million men, women, and children, and where a…
During college, I attended a Melkite Rite parish of mostly Lebanese origin. It was during my time there that I became painfully aware of the persecution of Christians by Islamist extremists throughout the Middle East, especially Syria, which borders Lebanon. Parishioners spoke with startling familiarity of the persecutions which their own acquaintances and even relatives…
Earlier this year, I shared a video with you by a young Christian filmmaker named Michael Chang. The video, entitled, “Who Would Dare to Love ISIS?”, was an incredibly moving glimpse into the mind of authentic Christian love as directed to the men are perpetrating unspeakable atrocities in the Islamic State. The kind of love…
The road show is over. The spectacle flamed up and subsided, a Roman candle of demonic sanctimony. Think of it as pre-game warm-up for the main event: the global climate summit in Paris, November 30 to December 11. The Vatican is partnering with the Obama administration, at the U.N. and later in Paris, in magnifying…
CHECK IT OUT: You can listen to this post as a mini podcast – available exclusively on this page: In a discussion with one of our writers this morning, I mentioned the absolute glut of Church news. He responded, “Reading the headlines at Pewsitter these days is like trying to bat away a thousand bricks.”…
CHECK IT OUT: You can listen to this post as a mini podcast – available exclusively on this page: Well, here we are again at the end of another week that has moved with break-neck speed. Lots of stories. Too many to cover. Some links and highlights: Nearly 1,000 US priests have now signed a letter asking…
