The Myth of the Ontological Superiority of the Priest
The priest is not an angel sent from heaven. He is a man, a member of the Church, a Christian. Remaining man and Christian, he begins to speak to you the word of God. This word is not his own....
Tagged: clericalism
A Church of Saints and Sinners and Everything in Between
Recently while visiting the sick I spent some time in a section of the hospital for dementia patients waiting to be transferred to a nursing home. It is one of my favorite sections to visit. On this particular day, a...
Humble Service: The Antidote to Spiritual Worldliness and Clericalism
A reflection on the scripture readings of November 5, 2023, the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. The audio, when available, will be posted here. It is not the easiest of times to be a Catholic priest. On the one hand,...
St. George Preca and Pope Francis
During his trip to Malta, Pope Francis spoke to enthusiastic crowds, praised Malta for its historic values of openness and hospitality, called for charity toward migrants, and met with the sick at St. Paul’s Basilica. During an address to political...
The Burden of Co-Responsibility
The Second Vatican Council—specifically in its Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, Apostolicam Actuositatem and in the Apostolic Constitution Lumen Gentium—affirmed that the laity are co-responsible for the mission of the Church. One narrative of the post-conciliar years has...
Will Vos Estis Stop Another McCarrick?
The McCarrick Report details Theodore McCarrick’s rise through the ranks of the Catholic Church while he sexually abused young men and minors and successfully covered up his crimes. The Report captures the horror of Theodore McCarrick’s sins in a glaringly...
The McCarrick Report: What does it mean?
Where Peter Is · The McCarrick Report: Conversation with Christopher Lamb Our good friend, Vatican reporter Christopher Lamb, joined Dan Amiri and I this week to discuss the McCarrick Report. We discuss the harm he did to his victims...
My pastor was arrested for sex trafficking—My response
On Tuesday, August 18th, the pastor of my parish, Fr. Michael Zacharias, was arrested for sex trafficking. He seemed like a nice and normal person. He did not come off as creepy. I knew him casually in the way most...
My Clericalism and Querida Amazonia
After reading Querida Amazonia, my initial reaction was to think we have a Pope that believes there are some issues more important than the priesthood. Those of us who criticize clericalism certainly believe this, yet many of us were disappointed...
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