Prayer has always been a struggle for me, and I know I am not the only one. There’s a reason that books on prayer continue to flood our bookshelves. Very few of us pray as often and as earnestly as we would like. Very few of us are confident that we pray well. Fewer still feel Read more
My wife, Nay, fled the Khmer Rouge 35 years ago when she was a little girl. Her father had already been killed by the murderous regime there, and her young mother managed to escape with two young children in tow through the Cambodian jungle. They cheated death with every step as they avoided landmines and Read more
For as long as anyone can remember, the Vatican has had a special genius for snatching public relations defeat from the jaws of victory. Even by that standard, the fracas surrounding Pope Francis’ meeting with Kim Davis last week, which broke out immediately after his massively successful US trip, sets a new standard. Without necessarily Read more
It is true that the issue of “remarried divorcees” is mainly a Western concern. It is also true that it has drawn a great deal of media attention. On the one hand, Instrumentum laboris, the summary of topics for discussion at the Synod, presented a highly superficial view. On the other hand, the issue is Read more
What are we to make of the story that Pope Francis met Kim Davis at the Vatican Embassy during his stay in Washington? The story was first reported by Robert Moynihan at Inside the Vatican; subsequently, ABC News interviewed Ms. Davis. Confirming the meeting, but offering no further details, the Vatican spokesperson, Father Federico Lombardi, Read more
Recently, my family and closest friends gathered for my son’s baptism. We were joined by our larger church community, people we’re connected to in varying degrees, some of whom we embrace upon greeting, others whose hands we clasp briefly with a single word–peace–only once a week. Even my husband’s parents, unable to make the trip, Read more
Some of the people who convert to Catholicism, come from other Christian traditions. Others are simply hi-jacked by God. I’m privileged to share a story of the latter kind, the experience of a young woman who had never had any interest in religion. Her passion was architecture, and she was in Rome with a camera, Read more
Well, that was interesting. At the official “religious freedom” event during his U.S. visit, Pope Francis never mentioned the U.S. bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” campaigns, nor their battles over alleged religious discrimination on Obamacare provisions and conscience protection issues. The bishops have certainly made this a priority. Here was Archbishop William E. Lori last June Read more
One of Pope Francis’ favorite novels is “The Betrothed” by Alessandro Manzoni. It is about two lovers whose longing to marry is thwarted by a cowardly and morally mediocre priest and a grasping nobleman. A good simple friar shelters the suffering couple. Then a plague hits the country, reminding everyone of their mortality and vulnerability, Read more
Pope Francis is part of the way through his much-anticipated visit to Cuba and the US, which he is visiting for the first time. He is following in the footsteps of his immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who visited Cuba in 2012 and expressed his opposition to the US trade embargo. Now Cuba and the Read more