Comments 0
The opening days of the Amazon Synod have been marked by the familiar polar tensions at the heart of the Catholic Church: between center and periphery, universal and local; between the demands of the law and the pastoral needs of a particular people. But now there is something new, something that is tilting the balance Read more
Comments 0
Catholic laity are generally understanding about priestly indiscretion. We know that a hungry man cannot be judged for stealing a loaf of bread. But for some reason, many lay people believe that the tradition of celibacy for priests, goes back to the apostles. That is not so. Paul tells us that he apostles, including Peter, Read more
Comments 0
At dusk in this small indigenous village, Antelmo Pereira calls local Catholics to prayer, changes into a white robe and leads a religious service that is the closest thing the faithful in this remote part of the Amazon can get to a proper Mass. Speaking in the indigenous Ticuna language, he leads a recital of Read more
Comments 0
Pope Francis has jokingly referred to a newly released book chronicling the American-led resistance to the papacy as a “bomb.” Now, in a new interview with Crux, Nicolas Senèze, (pictured) author of said book and Rome correspondent for the French Catholic newspaper La Croix, unpacks why he believes a small minority of American Catholics have Read more
Comments 0
For both admirers and critics, the personal authority and moral legacy of Pope Francis will be hanging in the balance this month. On Monday (NZ time) he will invite a gathering of bishops, men and women from religious orders, indigenous people and secular experts to think boldly about a remote but ecologically sensitive corner of Read more
Comments 0
With the upcoming Amazon Synod, some people are only focused on whether it will recommend that the priesthood be opened to the ordination of married men, but there is a lot more at stake. True, the synod will discuss the possibility of ordaining married men because there is a shortage of priests to serve such Read more
Comments 0
A former colleague got in touch this week to ask me a question I’ve heard often since The Next Mormons was published. He understands the problems we’re all facing with religious retention in America; now he would like to be pointed to solutions, especially for Millennials and Generation Z. What ideas or practices are actually Read more
Comments 0
“If we can get rid of enough people,” the El Paso terrorist wrote in his grotesque manifesto, “then our way of life can be more sustainable.” His bigoted rampage left little doubt who he meant by “we” and “our way of life.” The eco-fascism of the far-right couches its racist intent as concern for the Read more
Comments 0
Of the 2,422 people with tickets for the sold-out final concert by the St Louis Jesuits, it is likely that Donna Benton is the only one who brought along the program from her wedding Mass. Standing in the midst of the cream-and-gold walls and red velvet curtains of Powell Hall in St Louis, she pointed Read more
Comments 0
Issues on the table at the upcoming Vatican summit on the Amazon region are not just political and ecclesiastical, but also down to earth and mundane, including the funding difficulties for Amazonian dioceses and parishes. According to local bishops, the geographic and economic challenges in the Amazon make the Catholic mission in the region a Read more
