Image: The late Joaquín Navarro-Valls, Director of the Holy See Press Office from 1984 to 2006. Editor’s Note: In the following text, first published this morning at MarcoTosatti.com, veteran Vatican journalist Marco Tosatti reflects upon his own experience with the nature and credibility of Vatican denials at a time when they have become so prolific. Food for…
Image: Mater Ecclesiae Convent, Vatican City (the residence of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) — Arzino CC BY-SA 3.0 Despite what some folks might say, we’re not in the business of trafficking in conspiracy theories. (Although if you want a good laugh, check out this Bon Iver-style rendition of some choice rants from conspiracy-king Alex Jones. I can’t…
Image: the Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio as it appears on Google Street View. This is the building where the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith are housed. Last week, we received a text sent to us from reliable Italian sources. It offers new details on a recent scandal which has made international headlines.…
I had an exchange with someone in the comment box today about how exhausting the slog is right now. I know you know what I mean. Every day, you’re out there fighting for your faith. Every day, you’re reading the stories that make you want to tear your hair out, but you still share them…
A Guest Book Review By Matt P. Gaspers* The Political Pope: How Pope Francis Is Delighting the Liberal Left and Abandoning Conservatives George Neumayr Hachette Book Group 220 pages $18.36 Hardcover; $9.95 Paperback In early May of this year, I was browsing the headlines at OnePeterFive and came across one that peaked my interest: “An…
We reported last week on the death of Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Germany, Archbishop Emeritus of Cologne and one of the four so-called “dubia cardinals”. Dr. Maike Hickson also shared a touching memorial of Meisner, who by all accounts was beloved by all who knew him. In a report on the German cardinal written last year, Hickson…
On Thursday, July 13, Cardinal Cristoph Schönborn — the pope’s chosen interpreter and advocate for his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia — addressed an audience at the “Let’s Talk Family: Let’s Be Family” conference in Ireland in anticipation of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin next year. According to Greg Daly of The Irish Catholic, Schönborn opened his talk…
As Vatican Radio reported on 22 June 2017, Pope Francis has named Professor Joachim von Braun as the new President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS). Professor von Braun is Ordinary Professor of Economics and Technological Change, as well as Director of the Center for Decvelopment Research at the University of Bonn, Germany. According…
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, we were given permission to re-print this text from the so-called “Eleven Cardinals Book”, issued…
Image: Baptism illumination, circa 13th century. Although few things can match the natural beauty of a fall day in the upper Midwest, I still vividly recall my wife and myself making our way from the cool outside air into the hushed baptistry of our local cathedral, to witness the striking splendor of the Sacrament of…
Image: Yet another downward spiral at the Vatican. Yesterday, when we hit publish on the story about five alleged questions the pope asked Cardinal Müller before informing him his mandate as prefect of the CDF would not be renewed, I knew we were opening the door to backlash, outrage, and accusations. This is only the second…
