I first came across Dr. Marcus Mescher late last year when a friend of mine shared something he posted on Twitter about an upcoming research study he worked on titled, “Measuring & Exploring Moral Injury Caused by Clergy Sexual Abuse.” Because of my own interest and research into spiritual abuse in the Catholic Church,...
A reflection on the readings of September 3, 2021 — the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. When available, the audio of this homily will be available here. I could be wrong, but I think one of the things we might believe is that life is easier with God. “Jesus take the wheel,” right?...
In the past, great damage was done by a failure to appreciate the close relationship existing in the Church between the exercise of charity and recourse — where circumstances and justice so require — to disciplinary sanctions. This manner of thinking — as we have learned from experience — risks leading to tolerating...
Pope Francis is in Mongolia, where it’s currently late morning on Saturday, the second day of his apostolic visit. If you are so inclined, can watch the replay of his plane landing in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar via the Vatican News YouTube Channel (the real action doesn’t start until almost five and...
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...
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