Since 16 August 2016, many reports have been published in Germany indicating that Cardinal Reinhard Marx — Archbishop of Munich, head of the German Bishops’ Conference, and one of the close collaborators of Pope Francis — may be guilty of negligent conduct concerning a sexual abuse case in the Diocese of Trier (of which he was then-bishop) ten years ago. The…
Something about a road trip helps focus the mind. Perhaps because it’s one of the few activities that demands we be truly free of distractions. The Internet and all its pomps and works, while always available on my phone, are unable to snare me when I’m barreling down the highway. Instead, as I stare out at the vast expanse of…
Vatican expert Dr. Sandro Magister revealed yesterday – a day before the announcement was officially made – the troubling news that Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia has been chosen by Pope Francis to be the new head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, as well as of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. Paglia is…
The Catholic bishops of Germany are praising Martin Luther, calling him a “Gospel witness and teacher of the Faith” and lamenting that the Church hasn’t given him an “adequate hearing.” In a report released August 9th by the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Gerhard Feige, chairman of the German Bishops’ Ecumenical Commission, asserts that “theological differences…
While you lay sleeping, I sat in the hallway and folded the laundry. I pulled warm clothing from the pile and as I folded it, I delighted in small t-shirts emblazoned with cartoon characters. I marvelled over toddler sundresses, I grinned at tiny pairs of socks. I folded your dad’s white t-shirts and noticed the…
“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” – Apocalypse 12:1 “How do we know Mary ascended into heaven?” I asked. I was standing in the clergy dining room of my high school, where I had…
I just took the screenshot above from our August campaign page. We’re almost half-way through the month, but we’ve raised only 23% of our goal. Last month, donors rode in to the rescue with just 48 hours to go and pushed us over the top. Can we do it again? Will you help us to meet…
On 17 July, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, Austria – one of the pope’s preferred theologians and his designated interpreter of Amoris Laetitia – gave an interview to the Austrian newspaper Der Standard. For the first time since the many recent signs of a serious resistance against the papal document Amoris Laetitia – such…
Can Amoris Laetitia (AL) be read in light of Catholic tradition? This is the question which confronts any serious Catholic who wants to “think with the Church” but who has serious concerns about Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, particularly Chapter 8. In a recent interview with Vatican Insider, Rocco Buttiglione, renowned authority on the philosophy of St.…
Holy Saturday is perhaps the most mysterious day in the liturgical calendar. On this day, God is silent; He is in the tomb. The Church is silent as well; no liturgies are celebrated for the day. From the end of the Good Friday liturgy to the beginning of the Easter Vigil, the Church contemplates the…
In a recent interview published by the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit (32/2016), Italian Archbishop Guido Pozzo (64), Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED), made some important statements concerning his qualitatively progressing negotiations with the Society of Saint Pius X — negotiations which fall under the purview of the PCED. His comments make it clear…
