Catholics in High Public Office Today

Today there are approximately 51 million Catholic Christians in the United States. The U.S. population currently numbers approximately 330 million, and thus Catholics make up only about one fifth of the population. Nevertheless, there is an … [Read more...]

Newman, Aquinas, and the Development of Doctrine

The question of the development of doctrine, and his investigation of its implications, was crucial to John Henry Newman’s conversion to the Catholic Church. The question with which he struggled was this: how can it be that the Christian f … [Read more...]

The Death Penalty Is a Failed Sacrifice

The final abolition of the death penalty in the 2018 revision of the Catechism[1. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2267.] and follow-up confirmation in the latest Pope Francis encyclical, Fratelli tutti,[2. Pope Francis, Fratelli … [Read more...]

The Best Medicine for Racial Healing

A physician once said, “The best medicine for humans is love.” Someone asked, “What if it doesn’t work?” He smiled and said, “Increase the dose.” We are at a period in our nation where we need to increase the dose of love when it comes to th … [Read more...]

A Cross Like Yours: Perspectives On Infertility

According to the CDC,[1. www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/infertility/index.htm.] about 6 percent of married women in the U.S. between the ages of 15 and 44 fit the medical definition of “infertility,” that is, being unable to conceive a chi … [Read more...]

“The Canon of Issues”: When Catholics Disagree With the Church

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI named the long list of questions that we Catholics confront in contemporary society the “canon of issues.” This canon includes women’s ordination, contraception, celibacy of priests, and remarriage of divorced pers … [Read more...]

Preaching Politics from the Pulpit

With the 2020 electoral campaign now behind us, candidates in close races strategize about how to garner votes among religious believers in two and four years. So, too, religious leaders will once again have to brace for political battle in … [Read more...]

Male and Female He Created Them: Ecumenical Reflections

Confusion. Division. Chaos. Heresy. These terms describe the effects of the serious flirtations with the Zeitgeist currently afflicting to a lesser or greater degree the Catholic Church — see the German and Belgium episcopacy — and other chu … [Read more...]

Making Pastoral Sense of Pope Francis’ “Civil Arrangement” Proposal

Pope Francis’ recent comments on “civil arrangement/union” for same-sex couples have caused concern among many across the world. Several Catholic bishops, archbishops and even a few cardinals have not minced words in their criticism. Even so … [Read more...]

The Remarks of Pope Francis on the Legal Recognition of Homosexual Unions

In the documentary “Francesco,” which premiered on October 21, 2020, Pope Francis is recorded in an interview as arguing for the legal recognition of homosexual civil unions: “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re c … [Read more...]