“The pope is the successor of Peter. The bishops are the successors of the college of the apostles. The priests share in that to a limited degree. And that’s my summary of ecclesiology.” That’s funny–as […]
Thanks partly to tunnel vision reporting and commentary, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium—“The Joy of the Gospel”—could be the occasion for a fresh round in an old argument between Catholic prolifers and Catholic social […]
One way to describe the present situation of the Church in the United States is to say American Catholicism is in a state of cultural crisis. And if that is true, then restoring a healthy […]
In the years since Vatican Council II, American Catholics and Jews have pursued a positive dialogue aimed, among other things, at exploring areas of common ground. Far from positive, but a crucial area of shared […]
Among Catholics who’ve been rattled by remarks by Pope Francis in his famous interviews, some have sought solace in blaming the media. They have a point. Sensationalism, oversimplification, and ignorance (headline writers notwithstanding, “proselytism” and […]
As I was reading Joseph Bottum’s rambling brief in Commonweal arguing that Catholics should accept legalized same-sex marriage, I happened to dip into Father Dwight Longenecker’s new book The Romance of Religion (Thomas Nelson). There […]
On the face of it, the religion clauses of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment seem pretty clear: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” That isn’t […]
Well up on the list of things Pope Francis abhors is religious careerism. “Careerism is leprosy. Leprosy! Please, no careerism,” he exclaimed in a talk last June to young priests in training for the Vatican […]
Recently I read about a group in Switzerland that’s agitating to remove all reference to God from the Swiss national anthem. Since the national anthem of the United States says nary a word about God, […]
Pope Francis is contemplating a major reworking of the top-level administrative machinery of the Church. Commentators sometimes describe this as “reforming the Roman Curia,” but if the Pope’s own words—together with public and private proposals […]
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