It is well known that Pope Benedict XVI loved music, and that Mozart was his favorite composer. He was also an accomplished pianist and there is no doubt that he was familiar with Mozart’s piano sonatas. There is a saying among pianists that “Mozart’s sonatas are too easy for beginners and too difficult...
Ten years ago, the world met the first Pope Francis with an unassuming wave from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. The first pope from outside Europe since the eighth century, he arrived from Argentina also the first from the Western Hemisphere and south of the equator. Pope Francis famously went to the...
As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the election of Jorge Bergoglio to the Holy See of Rome, I’d like to look back on some of the major contributions of his pontificate to date. I’ve identified seven: dialogue and synodality, pastoral accompaniment of remarried and LGBT Catholics, the consistent ethic of life, tightening...
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’s election to the pontificate, we are remembering some of our favorite teaching moments from the past decade. Mike Lewis “Everyone is in need of reassurance, and if we, who have touched ‘the Word of life’ (1 Jn 1:1) do not give it, who will? How...
Ten years ago today, on March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was elected as the 266th bishop of Rome, taking the name Pope Francis. From the moment he walked out onto the loggia, this pope has captured the world’s attention with his humility, simplicity, and warmth. Those who have...
A reflection on the readings for March 12, 2023, the Third Sunday of Lent. Catholicism in the US is at a very critical juncture at the moment. Just as an example, 20 years back, we used to have four sessions of the Rite of Election in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati – two at...
A reflection on the readings for March 12, 2023, the Third Sunday of Lent. “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty…” Jesus was not afraid to break through cultural boundaries in order to bring the healing mercy of God. Since this Samaritan woman was considered “impure” to Jews,...
[Editor’s note: I didn’t realize until moments ago that no one hit “publish” on this post yesterday. But it’s never too late to catch up on a novena, so I’m hitting publish now! — ML] At the beginning of the Year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis wrote an Apostolic Letter about Joseph...
Hence it is contrary to social justice when, for the sake of personal gain and without regard for the common good, wages and salaries are excessively lowered or raised; and this same social justice demands that wages and salaries be so managed, through agreement of plans and wills, in so far as can...
Among the Argentine bishops who knows Pope Francis best is Oscar Vicente Ojea, who was appointed by the then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as his auxiliary in the archdiocese of Buenos Aires in 2006. These days he is Bishop of San Isidro and president of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference. Ojea here reflects on...
This is the third installment of the three-part essay “Integrating Philosophical Paradigms toward Theological Unity” by Deacon Tracy Jamison, OCDS, PhD. Click here for part 1. Click here for part 2. It is often difficult to balance compassion with truth, but both are necessary in Christian mission as well as every other human relation which...
“Synodality is not seeking a particular set of outcomes. It is, rather, a culture that we’re trying to build up in the life of the church so that we truly listen with respect to one another. That’s so difficult in our society now, across lines where there’s deep disagreement.” Cardinal Robert McElroy, Jesuitical...
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