There’s a LOT going on in the Church right now as we ramp up towards the Synod next month. I’m sorting through news and submissions looking for the stories we should be covering, and discarding those that are a distraction. It is, to borrow a cliche, like drinking from a fire hose. But life,…
Mark Silk is a guy who evidently fancies himself as knowing something about Catholicism. And journalism. But neither of these things is in particular evidence in his most recent piece for Religion News Service. On Tuesday evening, a few hours after the Vatican announced Pope Francis’ streamlining of the Catholic marriage annulment procedure, Cardinal Raymond Burke,…
Many people have expressed an interest in hearing or reading the lecture I gave at Franciscan University of Steubenville earlier this week. The lecture wasn’t taped, but the full text is now available at Rorate Caeli. Apart from my book, this lecture is the closest I’ve come to a sort of “manifesto” of the reasons…
Last night I finally had a chance to get back to Ed Pentin’s fantastic book, The Rigging of a Vatican Synod. There was a particular section that, once I read it, led to an almost audible “click” as pieces fell into place in my mind. Allow me to explain. On Monday, as I was preparing for my…
Over at Creative Minority Report, Pat Archbold has posted a lengthy excerpt from the prophecies of Ven. Bartholomew Holzhauzer, who seems to have used his God-given gift to predict our present moment in history: “The fifth period is one of affliction, desolation, humiliation, and poverty for the Church. Jesus Christ will purify His people through cruel wars,…
It has been fourteen years since Muslim terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the religion of Islam was made visible to the American public. At the time, there were already many small and medium-size Muslim-only enclaves in many major western European cities – places where if a non-Muslim entered, he would most likely not return.…
One of the best things about being a one-man show behind the scenes of a website is that everything flows through you; the articles, the design, the videos, the editorial tone and policy – it offers a fine degree of control in service of your vision as content producer. One of the worst things about being…
It has been announced that two letter Motu Proprio are expected from Pope Francis tomorrow, each on the intended reformation of the annulment process. From Rorate Caeli: The Vatican today announced that a press conference will be held at noon tomorrow for the presentation of two Apostolic Letters of Pope Francis, given motu proprio: Mitis iudex…
Part 3 of a 3-part Series. You may read the other parts here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Now for something really practical: How should we sing the chant? An experienced choir director will have plenty of advice and know-how, but it requires persistent and persevering effort to educate a congregation to the point where the people…
As a part of Franciscan University’s Henkels Lectures series, Cardinal Raymond Burke will be offering a keynote at my alma mater, Franciscan University of Steubenville, this Tuesday, September 8th at 6:00PM. His topic will be “The Synod on the Family: Addressing the Instrumentum Laboris,“ which will be followed by a panel discussion including “eight experts in various fields…
Benedict Nguyen is a civil and canon lawyer who writes for the National Catholic Register. In a piece published yesterday, he tries to piece together what legal implications Pope Francis’s odd letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichella on the Jubilee year for Mercy really has. First, on the issue of abortion: Because of the importance of the Holy Father’s desire…
