Earlier today, Pope Francis declared that 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians, who were beheaded by Islamic militants in Libya in 2015, would be added to the Roman Martyrology. Francis made the announcement during an audience with Pope Tawadros II, the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. The “21 Coptic New Martyrs of...
Last night I read a longform article in the English edition of the Madrid-based newspaper El País about a Spanish-born Jesuit priest named Alfonso Pedrajas. After Pedrajas died in 2009, he left behind a diary that filled 383 printed pages, comprised of 350 entries chronicling his life and career as a priest. El...
I have learned the Lord’s Prayer three times in my life—in English, German, and Italian. Like many Catholic children, I learned the English version at Mass. I have a very clear memory of the first Mass in which I was able to recite it from start to finish all by myself around age...
A review of Cardinal Sin: Challenging power abuse in the Catholic Church by Brian Devlin, published by Columba Books. Amazon link (paperback). Ebook link (epub and mobi). Cardinal Sin is the memoir of whistleblower and former priest Brian Devlin, a victim of the late Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien. From 1985 to 2013, O’Brien...
“And recently we held a flash sale and gave all the proceeds to Planned Parenthood,” my interviewee recounted proudly. “Because I support women’s rights.” The old familiar sadness welled up in my heart, paired with professional restraint, and I carefully chose my words. As a local freelance writer for a city life magazine...
A reflection on the readings for May 7, 2023, the Fifth Sunday of Easter. An experience that Fr. John Kavanaugh, S.J., had with Saint Teresa of Calcutta can help us to reflect on our desire for clarity, and God’s invitation to trust. Long ago, Fr. Kavanaugh worked at Mother Teresa’s Home for the...
Note that Abraham is called our patriarch, our ancestor. Antisemitism is incompatible with the thought and the sublime reality expressed in this text. It is alien to us, a movement in which we Christians can have no part. The promise was made to Abraham and to his descendants. It is realized in Christ,...
We end the week with a treat: a recent address by the papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre. He delivered the Francis John Cardinal Dearden Lecture at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, last Wednesday, April 26. The title of his lecture is, “The Eucharist and Ecclesial Discernment,”...
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, Dominic de Souza and I discuss Pope Francis’s visit to Hungary. We talk about the political challenges Pope Francis faced, especially in his interactions with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. We talked about areas of disagreement and common ground, especially with regard to the war between...
I don’t envy Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia’s position. Having one difficult job is bad enough. Having two can be especially challenging. When both jobs are subject to public scrutiny and any mistake will lead to an onslaught of harsh criticism and personal attacks, it can be a nightmare. Archbishop Paglia has two such jobs....
What do our many and varied calendars reveal when we pause to examine them? They both impose and reflect rhythms, some of them natural, some invented. The calendar year seems to be one of the latter. There isn’t anything special or unique about January 1 or December 31, yet we begin and end...
In an address to the members of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life on Saturday, April 22, Pope Francis emphasized the need for laypeople to never become “self-referential” when carrying out their ministries, reflecting on the meaning of ministry in the Church. He pointed out that Church ministries encompass more than just...
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