Pope Francis departed Rome on a flight to Mongolia today, becoming the first pope to visit the country. During the trip, the pope will visit and encourage the tiny Catholic community (with under 1,500 members) in Mongolia — a country with a population of 3.3 million, of whom 60 percent identify as religious,...
I thought I was used to it — after the rage that followed the publication of Dawn Eden Goldstein’s critical analysis of a devotional book with a devoted following (and a severely troubled author); after the disgusting personal attacks on me following a piece I wrote in America about the damage Pope Francis’s...
In 2022, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched a National Eucharistic Revival to be held across the US, including a Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis next year. This revival is meant to counter the dire situation showcased in a recent Pew study, where only 30% of respondents seemed to believe in...
As St. Augustine, whose feast day the Church observed yesterday, famously said, “He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.” From the very moment we begin to freely choose ourselves, sin, and the world over the will of our loving God and creator, the epic battle for...
Dominic and I are back to discuss Pope Francis’s comments released today on the problem of a reactionary US Church, the upcoming “Part 2” to Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, and a recent pastoral letter by Bishop Strickland and a surprising endorsement by Scott Hahn. Notes and Links: 1) Pope Francis’s dialogue with Portuguese...
Editor’s note: Today the Jesuit newspaper La Civiltà Cattolica published a nearly 6,000-word transcript of Pope Francis’s dialogue with the Jesuits of Portugal on On August 5, 2023, during his apostolic journey for World Youth Day. During his apostolic pilgrimages, it has become customary for the Holy Father to gather with the local...
I’ve been following Dr. Dawn Eden Goldstein for several years and have valued the perspectives she offers in Catholic discussions. I also appreciate hr love for Pope Francis and the ways she has supported and explained his teaching. Two year ago, Dawn wrote a thread on Twitter about a talk she had just given for...
The audio version of this reflection can be found here. Jesus wasn’t conducting a straw poll when he asked his disciples. “Who do people say I am?” Neither was he having an identity crisis when he asked, “Who do you say that I am?” The passage we have as today’s gospel reading (Mt...
A reflection on the readings of Sunday, August 27, 2023 — The 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time Friends, Jesus is Lord. What an audacious statement to make in Caesarea Philippi! A city known for its temple to the Pan God and dedicated to Tiberius Caesar, who is considered to be the Lord. The majority...
A reflection on the readings of Sunday, August 27, 2023 — The 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time Over a decade ago, I was blessed to be present as a young priest in St. Peter’s Square on March 12 as white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. Then, as now, I...
This week, someone sent me a link to Scott Hahn’s Facebook page, where the prominent Catholic professor, author, and speaker shared Bishop Joseph Strickland’s latest pastoral letter, writing, “I am grateful for Bishop Strickland’s inspiring words.” Later, another reader mentioned the fact that Hahn is scheduled to speak in Strickland’s diocese of Tyler,...
[God] has constituted the Church the guardian and the teacher of the whole of the truth concerning religion and moral conduct; to her therefore should the faithful show obedience and subject their minds and hearts so as to be kept unharmed and free from error and moral corruption, and so that they shall...
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