This reflection was first posted by The Southern Cross – The Catholic Magazine for Southern Africa on December 29, 2025. The world is a wonderful place. Our God is so good in giving it to us, but to a large extent we have not taken good care of it, nor of each other....
What exactly are prudential teachings—and how much authority do they really carry? In this video, Pedro Gabriel explains where prudential judgments fit within the hierarchy of the magisterium, why they are often misunderstood, and how they are frequently misused to sidestep Church teaching altogether. While prudential teachings are not infallible, they are far...
It is true that in the Church, at times, the figure of the formator as “pedagogue”, engaged in transmitting instructions and religious competences, has prevailed over that of the “father” capable of generating faith. Our mission, however, is much loftier, and so we cannot stop at transmitting a doctrine, an observance, an ethic,...
This reflection was first posted by The Southern Cross – The Catholic Magazine for Southern Africa on December 29, 2025. The world is a wonderful place. Our God is so good in giving it to us, but to a large extent we have not taken good care of it, nor of each other....
What exactly are prudential teachings—and how much authority do they really carry? In this video, Pedro Gabriel explains where prudential judgments fit within the hierarchy of the magisterium, why they are often misunderstood, and how they are frequently misused to sidestep Church teaching altogether. While prudential teachings are not infallible, they are far...
It is true that in the Church, at times, the figure of the formator as “pedagogue”, engaged in transmitting instructions and religious competences, has prevailed over that of the “father” capable of generating faith. Our mission, however, is much loftier, and so we cannot stop at transmitting a doctrine, an observance, an ethic,...
Note: This article was published in September of last year on Indian Catholic Matters. It is being shared again at this time in light of Pope Leo XIV’s recent message for the 34th World Day of the Sick. In 2022, Pope Francis made a quiet but powerful statement—not through grand speeches or lofty...
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). With these words Jesus inaugurated his mission. The “good news,” the kerygma, was first for the poor and powerless. And it is with the poor where we encounter Christ (cf. Matthew...
Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. Pope Benedict XVI wrote these words in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est. It was the core of his theology, but...
“That teaching isn’t infallible, so I don’t have to accept it” This argument shows up constantly in Catholic discussions, especially when a particular teaching is unpopular. But while it sounds theologically informed, it actually misunderstands how the Church has always understood her own teaching authority. In this video, Pedro Gabriel looks at: –...
In the search for a solution to the problem of migration in general and illegal migrants in particular, the attitude of the host society has an important role to play. In this perspective, it is very important that public opinion be properly informed about the true situation in the migrants’ country of origin,...
Pedro Gabriel was recently interviewed by Christine Harrington on the Eternal Life Plan channel for a wide-ranging conversation on the life of the Church today. In the interview, Pedro reflects on several important themes, including the living magisterium, the challenges of rigid religiosity, and the role of constructive doctrinal tensions in deepening our...
If you are fighting poverty by supporting charities, you are doing it wrong. The real solution? Buy Elon Musk’s robots! Really? Well, that is what Musk promised about Tesla’s Optimus robots when tweeting on X, his social media platform: “Optimus will eliminate poverty and provide universal high income for all.” Uh, sure. Of...
On January 9th, in his Address to Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, Pope Leo XIV stated that “rediscovering the meaning of words is perhaps one of the primary challenges of our time.” The pope’s concern might seem to some to address a issue of mere semantics – if...
In this video, Pedro Gabriel shares his personal faith journey, as a gradual process shaped by study, experience, and a desire for intellectual coherence. Pedro talks about the moments that forced him to take his beliefs seriously again: his growing up in Portugal, the 2007 abortion referendum, his work in medicine, and his...
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