In his recent interventions, Pope Francis had repeatedly referred to a “paradigm shift” with regard to the Church’s attitude toward native cultures in different countries. It seems that he has in mind a return to rooted indigenous cultures and religions. …
A Departure from Tradition: On Nostra Aetate and the Mohammedans
On October 28, 1965, Pope Paul VI issued the declaration Nostra Aetate. The document deals with the relation of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions. There are many statements in Nostra Aetate‘s five sections that deserve to be examined against …
Islamic Converts Ask Pope in Open Letter To Change His Teaching on Islam
A new, open letter to the pope is making the rounds on the Internet, and it has gathered over 2,600 signatures so far. “Most Holy Father,” it begins, “Many of us have tried to contact you, on many occasions and …
The Two Guadalupes – Mary and The Crescent Moon
Today is the feast day of our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. She holds particular significance to the Catholic Church in America, as her appearance to St. Juan Diego on Tepeyac hill in Mexico was the first Marian apparition in the …
Why Catholics Are So Bad at Evangelizing—And What Has to Change
Image: The miracles of St. Francis Xavier (see full image here), by Peter Paul Rubens Two good friends, fellow parishioners, are having coffee and donuts after High Mass one Sunday. Maximilian: I really enjoyed Father’s homily today. His explanation of the parable …
The Old Evangelization: 5 Steps to Renew a Parish
Last week I wrote an article criticizing the Protestant character of some “New Evangelization” programs. I gave a few brief suggestions for true Catholic evangelization, and a number of people contacted me subsequently requesting more practical suggestions. In terms of …
The Protestantization of the New Evangelization
It’s no secret that the Catholic Church in the Western world has experienced a tremendous drop in practicing members over the past 50 years. More troubling—and not unrelated—is the fact that the desire to gain more members via evangelization has …
Jesus Doesn’t Water Down His Teachings
Editor’s Note: The following is adapted from the recently-published book The Old Evangelization by 1P5 author Eric Sammons, published by Catholic Answers Press. One day, back when I was a diocesan director of evangelization, I was meeting with a pastor and some …
Good News from across the World: Father Pilus and the Church in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is a country in the South Caucasus, bordered by Russia and Georgia to the north and by Iran to the south. While never a Catholic country (it has an overwhelmingly Shiite Muslim majority), there was until the mid-1920s a …
The Root Cause of Islamic Violence
Pope Francis’ most recent comments attempting to separate Islamic religious beliefs from Islamic violence are deeply misleading. They are not just slightly or partially incorrect, but dangerously wrong. They stand in direct contradiction to the Church and her saints’ long history of experience and …
