More than 500,000 people have signed a petition asking Pope Francis to reinforce traditional Church teaching on marriage and the family. The petition, launched by TFP Student Action, asks the Pope to take this action at the synod on the family in October. Backed by 25 pro-family groups around the world, the petition is titled Read more
Dr. Paul Kengor is a professor of political science at Grove City College (Pennsylvania) and the author of several best-selling books, including Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century; God and Ronald Reagan; God and George W. Bush; God and Hillary Clinton; and The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. Read more
A Maltese bishop has appealed for pathways for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics who want to experience God’s mercy. In a pastoral letter, Bishop Mario Grech of Gozo wrote that “God’s mercy is not only a doctrine alongside the doctrine of marriage and the family, but is at the heart of Christian doctrine”. The pastoral Read more
A cardinal has said the synod on the family in October must not forget those who are left alone by divorce. Speaking to the National Catholic Register, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna said “we have to speak about mercy and be merciful to the divorced and remarried, who often experience many sufferings and troubles”. “And Read more
In preparation for the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2015, Pope Francis has encouraged bishops around the world to undertake wide consultation on the topic ‘The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Contemporary World’. The New Zealand Conference of Bishops invited people to add their Read more
On June 26th the Supreme Court ruled (by a slim 5 to 4 majority) that all states must now grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Writing for the majority Justice Anthony Kennedy contended that committed same-sex partnerships should be treated as fully equivalent in dignity and honor to traditional marriage, and that by not doing Read more
A Jesuit moral theologian has taken issue with the labeling of some human acts as “intrinsically evil”. In a presentation at the so-called “shadow council” at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University in May, Fr Alain Thomasset, SJ, described such labelling is one of the main problems in the pastoral care of families. Understanding some acts as intrinsically evil, Read more
The campaign to redefine marriage has recently gained such momentum – with now three and soon four bills before the Commonwealth Parliament – that many think it is inevitable. This can leave those with misgivings feeling that they are already losers in a done deal. Some think it is the inexorable progress of liberty and Read more
20 is much too young to be engaged… Oh, you’re 30, and you’re not married yet? Whatever age we tie the knot, people are going to have an opinion. But what do the statistics say? Research has generally told us that the older, the better (younger couples lack the maturity), and that your thirties are Read more
One of Britain’s leading lay Catholics has called on the Catholic Church to allow Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried. Lord Patten of Barnes cited the example of parents unable to receive the Eucharist when their children made their first Holy Communion. “I’ve been thinking about that recently because one of my grandsons is Read more