In the recent weeks, there has been some debate at Where Peter Is (among the contributors, in the comments, and on social media) about the similarities and differences between dissent on the so-called right and left wings of the Church. Mike Lewis published an article last week arguing that right-wing dissent is “uniquely...
During these first eight years of Pope Francis’s time on the Chair of Peter, one theme that has come up again and again is the periphery. Francis made “going to the peripheries” a priority—perhaps even the priority—of his pontificate very early on, and we have devoted a great deal of attention to it...
Refugee resettlement in the United States has become the latest hot-button issue in the debates over who is permitted to enter (or remain in) the most prosperous nation on the planet. Church ministries and advocates are hardly staying on the sidelines. The Biden pledge to raise the number of refugees allowed to settle...
This is the second in “Postcards from the Camino” by Gareth Thomas, a series of reflections on the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage route leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Holy Father...
My recent piece about dissent on the so-called “Catholic right” has generated a bit of a buzz. In the piece, I argue that dissent from what is described colloquially as the Catholic “right” is uniquely dangerous because it presents itself as orthodox and faithful to Catholic tradition, even when it objectively and directly...
A reflection on the Sunday readings for April 18, 2021 — The Third Sunday of Easter It is rare for all three Sunday liturgy readings to have a common theme. Today is one of those rare Sundays. Sin, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation—we discover that all of these themes are prominent in each reading, in one...
“Everything in the Church originates in prayer and everything grows thanks to prayer. When the Enemy, the Evil One, wants to combat the Church, he does so first by trying to drain her fonts, hindering them from praying. For example, we see this in certain groups who agree about moving ecclesial reform forward,...
Immigration has seized the political spotlight again, with a record wave of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border seeking asylum and reunification with family members in the US. The “surge” is being labeled a humanitarian and political crisis by partisans, and it may imperil the Biden administration’s immigration-reform agenda. But it represents a...
Our regularly-scheduled livestream will be happening TONIGHT at 8pm EDT / 5pm PDT. Rachel Amiri, Melinda Ribnek, Mike Lewis and David Lafferty will be discussing dissent, discernment, and how we learn to think with the Church–especially in a polarized Catholic media environment. You can watch right here or find us on YouTube or...
Around a decade ago, after being deeply inspired by Pope Benedict XVI and his work—especially Jesus of Nazareth, his masterful three-volume exploration of the life and ministry of Our Lord—I craved to know more and learn more about the faith. Catholic radio had just recently arrived in the DC market, and every evening...
This is the first of an occasional series “Postcards from the Camino” by Gareth Thomas. These are sketches with a theme of pilgrimage to the shrine of the Apostle Saint James (Santiago in Spanish). Pope Francis declared a double Holy Year 2021-2022 for pilgrims to Compostela. The writer is British but lives in...
Intercessory prayer has been a part of my life since I can remember. My family prayed daily since I was an infant. Our prayer time included worship songs, Scripture, and petitions. We would close by singing the Our Father together. By the time I was in elementary school, we had added a decade...
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