ROME – This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, and since we’ve framed that world-changing event for a half-millennium now as “Catholics v. Protestants,” it’s easy to forget a simple truth about what happened on Oct. 31, 1517, and everything that followed: Martin Luther’s original audience was made up entirely, 100 percent, by Read more
Aboard the Golfo Azzurro — an urgent plea woke the ship’s doctor, John Vallentine, at 6:30 a.m. He was needed on the bridge. The rescue ship was steaming south in the Mediterranean Sea in a race to reach a deflating rubber dinghy packed with migrants. Italy’s coast guard had transmitted the coordinates, along with a Read more
Most of what we know about demonic activity and possession comes from what is seen in mainstream media – think “The Exorcist”, “Poltergeist” and the like. But there is so much more to learn about the tricks of Satan and his devils than what is shown on the television. Father Gabriele Amorth’s new book, An Exorcist Read more
In film history, the priest has been among the most common and enduring characters, and to a large extent has been played by actors of Catholic background. From the 1930s, Catholics were prominent in Hollywood, whether actors such as Spencer Tracy and James Cagney or directors like John Ford and Leo McCarey. Producers turned to Read more
Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis has hit the headlines in recent weeks due to an extraordinary number of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar into Bangladesh. It is estimated that in less than three weeks, up to 400,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar. They are fleeing mass human rights violations and atrocities, including: the burning of villages and crops, using petrol and rocket Read more
Matt Talbot was a drunk. His father was a drunk. Nearly every one of his brothers was a drunk. He was uneducated and unskilled, and he died in obscurity. And someday soon, God willing, Venerable Matt Talbot will be a saint. Talbot (1856-1925) was the second of 12 children born to a working class Dublin Read more
America is a Christian nation: this much has always been a political axiom, especially for conservatives. Even someone as godless and immoral as the 45th president feels the need to pay lip service to the idea. On the Christian Broadcasting Network last year, he summarized his own theological position with the phrase: “God is the ultimate.” And Read more
Jacinda Ardern says neoliberalism has failed, as does former National Party Prime Minister Jim Bolger. “Any expectation that we just simply allow that the market to dictate our outcomes for people is where I would want to make sure that we were more interventionist,” Ardern told Radio New Zealand. So what is neoliberalism? As colleague Henry Cooke put it: “neoliberalism Read more
Not that long ago conservative politicians in the United States could get away with touting their “pro-life” bona fides solely because of their opposition to abortion. Political leaders on the right who slashed safety nets for the poor, denied climate change and made life harder for pregnant women rarely felt any real heat from bishops, never mind Read more
“Magnum Principium” is one of the major documents of Francis’ pontificate. For this reason it deserves an analysis that is not only one of historical-theological context—and not just from the point of view of its possible consequences for the liturgical texts in English—but also an analysis of the institutional context in which it was decided and published. Read more