A Guest Essay by Willem Jacobus Cardinal Eijk Archbishop of Utrecht This chapter is taken from Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family ©2015 Ignatius Press. It is reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. Editor’s Note: Through the gracious assistance of a reader, …
On Light and Lawyers: A Response to Dr. Edward Peters
My article – regarding the dilemma created for Catholic lawyers related to whether or not the local ordinary’s permission is required before seeking a civil divorce – has received a reply from the internet’s pre-eminent canon lawyer, Edward Peters. Since I am …
Permission for Divorce and the Catholic Lawyer’s Dilemma
We live in an age of demagoguery, where would-be petty tyrants grasp at power from behind the stalking horses of “oppressed” or “powerless” surrogates. We must “help the kids” or “save the planet” or do something-or-other for the peripheral groups …
Does Paragraph 298 of Amoris Laetitia Promote Adultery?
Among the more controversial paragraphs from Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia (AL), 298 seems to be a real ideological Rorschach test. Some people see the problem with it, and some don’t (or choose not to). Since it has come up several times …
New Papal Interview Addresses Cardinal Burke, Married Priests
(Image: Screenshot of the papal interview as it appears [with Google translation] in Zeit Online) Today, 8 March, the German newspaper Die Zeit published an interview with Pope Francis which was conducted at the end of February at the pope’s …
Pope Francis: Jesus Did Not Tell the Pharisees that Divorce is Forbidden
There are coming to us now different reports about Pope Francis’ Santa Marta homily of today which are very troubling. He mentions the Pharisees’ question about divorce and whether it is permitted and then comments on the reaction of Our Lord …
The Maltese Falcons
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat recently published a widely circulated commentary on the recent fall-out from Amoris Laetitia entitled, “The End of Catholic Marriage”. In it, he argued persuasively that if Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on marital love comes …
Hard Cases Make Bad Law: A Response to Austen Ivereigh on Amoris Laetitia
The following guest editorial was submitted by a reader who works in the office of Marriage and Family Life of a US diocese. With retributive action already having been taken against several of the signatories of the theological censures against …
A Provoked and Unsettled Catholic Layman’s Earnest Commentary and Moral Tale
A (Fictional) Letter Recently Written by Erasmus of Rotterdam – a Trusted Friend of St. Thomas More – Concerning the Confusion Worse Confounded Surrounding Amoris Laetitia and Its Own Ambiguities Dr. Markus Büning Dear College of Cardinals, High Senate of …
“A Grave and Pressing Duty”: Statement of Support for the Four Cardinals’ Dubia
We received the following statement of support for the four cardinals’ dubia this morning. It has been signed by various pastors, theologians, and scholars from around the world. As Catholic scholars and pastors of souls, we wish to express our …