Reverend Fr. Brian Harrison: I am writing to you after reading your recent open letter to the Roman Pontiff with much interest. While I recognize your concern for the life of the Church, I regret to say that I found certain statements in your letter which appear ambiguous and may contribute further to...
There is a line in the 2nd reading from Hebrews that struck me, and it is the following: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely…” (Heb 12, 1-4). This notion that we are surrounded by...
It pretty much goes without saying that our world today is a decidedly unhappy and unsettled place. Conflicts and violence, disagreements and disrespect, partisanship and othering seem to dominate the public square. So it’s a good thing we can come to Mass to hear a word of comfort in our readings. Love your...
The Spirit opens our interior borders, so that our lives can become places of welcome and refreshment. The Spirit also opens borders in our relationship with others. Jesus tells us that this Gift is the love between him and the Father that comes to dwell within us. We then become capable of opening our hearts...
Orthodoxy isn’t about picking sides—it’s about holding them in tension. In this video, Pedro Gabriel looks at why critics of Pope Francis are wrong when they say the Church should “eliminate tensions” by choosing one side over the other. From the Council of Nicaea to today’s debates over Amoris Laetitia and Veritatis Splendor,...
What is particularly interesting about faith is that most of what we do every day is based on faith, not so much supernatural faith, which is a theological virtue, but natural faith in the sense of accepting as true something somebody tells you because you have evidence that the speaker is well informed...
Recently it emerged that in August 2014, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote a personal reply to questions from Msgr. Nicola Bux about the legitimacy of his resignation from the papacy in February 2013. The late pope’s response leaves no ambiguity about the validity of his resignation. In it, Benedict flatly rejected the “Benevacantist”...
Neither individuals nor nations should regard the possession of more and more goods as the ultimate objective. Every kind of progress is a two-edged sword. It is necessary if man is to grow as a human being; yet it can also enslave him, if he comes to regard it as the supreme good...
Catholic Fundamentalism in America By Mark S. Massa, S.J. Oxford University Press 240 pages, $28.15 In August 2023, during his apostolic journey to Portugal for World Youth Day — the one where he made his appeal to build a Church for “todos, todos, todos” (everyone, everyone, everyone) — Pope Francis met with a...
[Editor’s note: Pope St. Paul VI entered into his eternal reward 47 years ago today, on August 6, 1978. A devoted servant of the Church, this courageous pope brought the Second Vatican Council to its completion and led its implementation, including the massive undertaking of the reform of the liturgy. Pope Paul VI’s...
During an interview with Australian Jesuit Father David Holdcroft, the Economic Inclusion Specialist for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Rome, he remarked how, “Pope Francis seems to not be popular in America.” This statement came as both a surprise but no surprise to this West Coast-based Catholic because the portrait of the...
What does it really mean to be a “faithful Catholic”? And can that term be misused—sometimes dangerously? In this video, Pedro Gabriel explores a growing and worrying trend: Catholics who proudly wear the title “faithful” while openly rejecting the authority of the Pope, the Magisterium, or key Church teachings. We’ll break down: –...
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