The Importance of the Value of Reputation, Part II

Go to Part I As the Church was the sign and sacrament to the world, there was a direct link between the reputation of the Church’s ministers and the mission of the Church itself.[1. Liguori cites the “rigorous discipline” of the early Chu … [Read more...]

Can Forgiveness Help Heal a Hurting Church?

“Love is the greatest strength of the powerless . . . Love is all-powerful and will even overcome hatred. And only love can do this!” ― Václav Havel Forgiveness is a great wellspring of personal healing. It can repair shattered relati … [Read more...]

Anger Reconsidered

Note: This essay first appeared on the Christ-Animated Learning Blog with Christian Scholar’s Review. The Prince of Peace said, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Mt 10:34). Amid the ubiquitous anger of present America, espec … [Read more...]

Clergy Sex Abuse: Why Do We Still Need to Talk About This?

  Often at the scene of a horrific accident, police will tell bystanders to “Move along. There is nothing to see here.” The Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is a terrible tragedy and many laity feel they are being given this very mess … [Read more...]

No Peace, No Justice

Why the Rioters Are in the Wrong

In cities across the country, people are rioting in the streets in response, they say, to the death of George Floyd, who lost his life on May 25, while police, in Minneapolis, apprehended him on suspicion of passing counterfeit currency — a … [Read more...]

Canon Law, Civil Law, and the Current Crisis in the Church

Reflections of a Civil Lawyer Studying Canon Law in Rome

Last fall I left my job as a corporate lawyer and began studying canon law in Rome. Explaining my rationale to my colleagues wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined. Whether they were practicing Catholics, fallen-away Catholics, not-yet C … [Read more...]

God Isn’t Your College Professor

It’s the end of another semester. Final exams need to be marked and grades need to be assigned to a group of students anxious to learn “what they got” for the course. There’s so much in all of this that begs for the usual justification. T … [Read more...]

Late Autumn Book Reviews

All the Pope's Saints: The Jesuits Who Shaped Pope Francis, by Fr. Sean Salai, SJ (Our Sunday Visitor, 2017) 144 pages; $15.00. Reviewed by Deacon David Paternostro, S.J. How I Stayed Catholic at Harvard, by Aurora Griffin (Ignatius … [Read more...]

When the Church Defames Her Priests

Over the last two decades, the Roman Catholic Church in the United States has reeled under claims of clerical sexual abuse. The claims resulted in extraordinary liability and wide-spread publicity. When bad things happen in any … [Read more...]

Thomistic Reflections on Divine Mercy and Divine Justice

Many paths can be taken during this Year of Mercy. Above all, we must tread the path of experiencing mercy—in our own participation in the Sacraments, and in our extension of Divine Mercy to others. Nevertheless, knowledge of the faith and, … [Read more...]

Sacrificing Priests on the Altar of Insurance

Fr. Bob (that’s what we’ll call him) was a faithful parish priest for more than 25 years. One day, a process server showed up at the rectory door and handed him a summons and complaint. The complaint alleged that some 20 years earlier he had … [Read more...]

Accusations against Priests

The Need for More Justice and Psychological Science

The evaluation process of accusations against priests in regard to determining their suitability for priestly ministry would benefit from greater justice and knowledge of psychological science. There are presently severe weaknesses in this … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

Does the Church endorse a school of philosophy? Is there only one standard for all justice? Question: I have heard that the Church does not canonize any particular philosophical school. Is there any guidance given from recent … [Read more...]