there is the Church
Having recently introduced/re-introduced myself at Where Peter Is, it seems appropriate to briefly touch on a troubling trend I have seen in recent years. I will do that courtesy of a flashback to the archives of my weblog from 2017… One positive about the pontificate of Pope Francis is he is exposing many conservatives as Pharisees. One problem is Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI inadvertently gave not a few conservatives the false...
I have the firm conviction that, since at least 1939, the Church of Rome has been led by saints in the persons of the Roman Pontiffs. Some may mock it, deride it, think it naive, or whatever they like; but it seems right and fitting to me that the Lord would ensure us such holy leadership in such an unprecedented time of cultural, social, philosophical, theological, and anthropological, upheaval. In other words, right when we...
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith recently published in English a wonderful summary of Catholic teaching on markets and money. Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones discusses broad principles and then applies them to specific situations, including the most recent financial crisis, the LIBOR rigging scandal, and the abuse of derivatives. One development that lacks explicit mention, however, is Universal Basic Income (UBI). The reason for this may be that UBI is more of a...
As an American it is difficult at times to think beyond the Right/Left, Capitalist/Socialist dichotomy that permeates our economic and political landscape. This often makes it difficult for Catholics on either side of the aisle to understand what the Church teaches about the ownership and use of property. It also makes it difficult at times for us to understand, let alone support, some of Pope Francis’ harsh criticisms of Capitalism. Back in 2015, in an...
When I wrote my 3-part series “Was Pope Benedict forced to resign?”, I was able to gather a lot of evidence showing how the Pope Emeritus has a positive opinion about the reigning pontiff. So, imagine my contentment when, just the week after I published that series, a letter from Benedict was made public where the Pope Emeritus said, and I quote: “I applaud this initiative that wants to oppose and react to the foolish...
First, an apology is in order. When we launched this site, one of our stated intentions was to let stories unfold in their entirety before posting our commentary. When the original story of Benedict’s letter was published, I jumped the gun and posted my analysis of the contents that were publicly available as part of my five-year tribute to Francis’s papacy. The following day, more details were revealed, from a previously unpublished third paragraph, as...
What I am about to propose, for those of you who might be interested in a plausible explanation, is a hypothetical scenario that might explain the missing paragraph from the original news reports on Pope Emeritus Benedict’s letter, as well as the deliberately blurred text in the accompanying photograph. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already read a more than a handful of papal critics claiming that this is “proof” that there’s a conspiracy...
“There is more value in a little study of humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge in the world.” — quote attributed to St. Teresa of Avilla Shortly after Pope Francis’ election, an awful meme went viral on social media, probably done by uneducated folk who don’t know better. This meme featured a side by side photo of Popes Benedict XVI and Francis at the same spot, but sitting...
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam It is hard to believe that five years have passed since Pope Francis stepped out onto the loggia at St. Peter’s for the first time, looked out on the vast crowds in St. Peter’s square, waved simply with his right hand, and spoke his first public words: “Buona sera.” Today, I would like to offer a brief reflection on Pope Francis and on the continuity between his and Pope Emeritus Benedict...
This is Part 3 of a 3 part series. Click here for part 1. Click here for part 2. So far, the evidence seems to be piling up in favor of Pope Benedict’s free resignation and his affection for Pope Francis. But then, on July 2017, breaking news boomed all across the ultratraditionalist media, which had mounted a concerted resistance against Pope Francis since his election and/or since his publication of Amoris Laetitia (AL): Benedict had...
Adam Rasmussen
Brian Killian
John Cavanaugh-O'Keefe
Daniel Amiri
Joe Dantona
Lillian Vogl
Mike Lewis
Paul Fahey
Pedro Gabriel
Pete Vere
Shawn McElhinney