Where Peter Is

there is the Church

Where Peter Is

Author: Mike Lewis

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Amoris Laetitia / Family / Pope Francis / Sunday Angelus / Uncategorized

Pope Francis and Flying Plates

In his Sunday Angelus this week, Pope Francis returned to a topic that he’s discussed many times, one that hasn’t received as much attention as more “controversial” subjects related to doctrine and moral theology, but is central to his papacy nonetheless: handling problems in the family. Indeed, while Francis has convened two synods on the family, traveled to two World Meetings on the subject in Philadelphia and Dublin, and written an apostolic exhortation on the...

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Amoris Laetitia / Dissent / Pope Francis

Amoris Laetitia and avoiding reality

In yesterday’s piece, I explored why most of those who reject Pope Francis’s teaching about sacraments for divorced and remarried Catholics in Amoris Laetitia are resistant to the idea that they are dissenting from Magisterial teaching, and why it’s vital for them to see themselves as orthodox. Most of their argumentation centers on the content of the teaching, its possible interpretations, and comparisons of Amoris Laetitia with prior teaching and discipline of the Church. I...

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Amoris Laetitia / Pope Francis

Orthodox dissent?

Much of the content of this website has been dedicated to the defense of Pope Francis and his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. We’ve striven to demonstrate how both Pope Francis and his teaching are consistent with Catholic tradition. We’ve responded to various arguments and critiques of the document, as well as clarified what it contains. We’ve defended papal primacy and authority, and have argued in favor of the orthodoxy of both Francis and his teachings....

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abuse crisis / McCarrick / Racism / USCCB

USCCB Fall Meeting highlights: abuse crisis, McCarrick, racism

The public portion of the annual November meeting of the US Bishops has just concluded. It was certainly an eventful — and at times dramatic — three days. The week began with the news that the Vatican, through the Congregation of Bishops, requested that the US bishops delay their vote on accountability measures for US Bishops involved in the sex abuse scandal until after the February meeting of the global bishops’ conference leaders in Rome....

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Amoris Laetitia / Dissent / Marriage / Pope Francis

The Pianist and the Pope

I feel certain that this book will be helpful to families. I pray for this.” — Pope Francis Preface, Pope Francis, the Family, and Divorce from the Vatican, August 2017 Back in August, Where Peter Is published a two-part interview with our friend and British author Stephen Walford, as well as a review of his new book, Pope Francis, the Family, and Divorce: In Defense of Truth and Mercy (order directly from publisher here, Amazon...

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conspiracy theories / Dissent / Synod 2018 / Uncategorized

Are we really talking about “Vatican censorship”?

Although we are still awaiting the official English translation of the final document of the 2018 Synod, journalists and other commentators have been publishing translations of individual sections with their commentary. One of the passages that has been receiving a great deal of attention is paragraph 146, on the need for the Church to contribute fruitfully to digital culture and to create new tools and systems for evangelization and encounter. The document also suggests that...

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Archbishop Viganò / Cardinal McCarrick / Cardinal Ouellet / Pope Francis / Uncategorized

A Church at odds over Viganò’s “core charges”

As the drama of the Viganò testimony continues, two competing interpretations have developed regarding whether Viganò’s most important accusations have been discredited or substantiated. Since the initial document was released on August 22, Viganò has released two additional “testimonies,” and Cardinal Marc Ouellet issued an impassioned response with papal approval on October 7. Catholic pundits seem to be at odds over whether Viganò’s core allegations hold up against the factual record, and whether Pope Francis...

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Pope Benedict XVI / Pope Francis / Rigidity / Uncategorized / Western Culture

Why does Pope Francis pick on “rigid Christians”?

Be careful around those who are rigid. Be careful around Christians – be they laity, priests, bishops – who present themselves as so “perfect,” rigid. Be careful. There’s no Spirit of God there. They lack the spirit of liberty. And let us be careful with ourselves, because this should lead us to consider our own life. Do I seek to look only at appearance, and not change my heart? Do I not open my heart...

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Pope Francis / Uncategorized

Printable Rosary Guides – Full Page and Wallet Sized

As those who have been following our site know, Pope Francis has called for all to pray the Rosary every day during the month of October, as well as the Prayer to St. Michael and the Sub Tuum Praesidium. For those who would like to join in this prayer with the Holy Father but might be a little out of practice with praying the rosary, I’ve laid out a few printable resources that can assist you...

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China / Church News / Pope Francis / Uncategorized

Perspective on the China/Vatican deal

On Saturday, September 22, a long-anticipated “provisional agreement” between the Chinese government and the Vatican was announced regarding the process of appointing bishops in the Catholic Church in China. Officially, this agreement puts an end to the decades-long division between Chinese Catholics who worship in state-sanctioned churches whose bishops are appointed by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), and the “underground” Church whose bishops have Vatican approval. In reality, the situation is much more complex....

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abuse crisis / Church News / Evangelii Gaudium / Homilies / Pope Francis / Social Media / Uncategorized

Fake news and seething contempt for Pope Francis

Some Catholics disagree with much of what Pope Francis says and does — this is undeniable. Believe it or not, I don’t think there is anything intrinsically wrong with criticizing a pope on prudential matters, at least when done thoughtfully and when consideration is given to the context and circumstances around the pope’s decision or action. In recent months, however, I have noticed that some papal critics appear to respond immediately to anything he says...

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abuse crisis / Archbishop Viganò / Cardinal McCarrick / Pope Francis / Uncategorized

Polarized over the pope, Viganò style

More than two weeks after the release of the sensational “Testimony” of former US apostolic nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, in which he calls for the resignation of Pope Francis, the Church finds itself in a period of intense polarization that’s difficult to assess. First, if you haven’t read it, I wholeheartedly recommend Greg Daly’s recent piece in the Irish Catholic, in which he heroically attempts to parse out what we know and what we...