To be Catholic in a post-Christian age is to suffer many misconceptions. One example is the idea of papal infallibility. Many assume the doctrine requires Catholics to hold that the Pope makes no mistakes. But the actual terms of papal infallibility is narrowly defined. So much so that it hardly ever applies. In fact, there Read more
Pope Francis gave a talk at the TED international conference, which brings in influential speakers, in Vancouver on the evening of Tuesday, April 25. The talk – a surprise for all in the audience – recapitulated the key themes of the Argentinian pope’s view of the human person: We are all related and interconnected; scientific Read more
There has been attention on Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation that elaborates on discussions regarding marriage and the family, which took places in 2014 and 2015 within the Synod of Bishops. But something has largely been neglected. It is the reception of the pope’s focus on synodality and its importance for the Church Read more
The date 13 March 2013, marks the day on which Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the first South American in history to become Pope. Four years later, “La Croix” asks four individuals to give their perspectives on what changes the Pope has brought about in their particular domains. “A real encouragement of our activities” Sylvie Read more
You may not have heard about it, but it was a big deal – big enough to inspire Pope Francis to get involved. The big deal was the under-reported U.S. Regional World Meeting of Popular Movements (WMPM) that recently gathered (Feb. 16-19) in Modesto, Calif. Drawing together hundreds of faith-based and social justice organizers from Read more
The Young Pope is a new television series that premiered in the northern hemisphere in October. A youthful pope is in the job because the other cardinals hope to manipulate him, particularly the superficially cheerful Secretary of State. But Pius XIII, Lenny Belardo, makes it clear early on that he will be his own man. Read more
The National Catholic Register’s Matt Archbold went back and looked up some movies in which the pope and the Church were portrayed. What he came up with was not encouraging. Many Catholics are rightly upset about the scandalous anti-Catholic new HBO show called “The Young Pope.” But Hollywood has been attacking the Church for years. Read more
Here are four ideas that have helped me move forward with my dream of making a difference in the Church Last month, Pope Francis had an inspirational message for the laity, “Dare to dream!”. I am energised by his words because they reminded me why I left everything to follow Christ. Five years ago, I Read more
Pope Francis keeps making headlines, but not in a way that soothes all Catholics. This week CNN reported that “Pope says Christians should apologize to gay people”, a story which was relayed by NPR as “Pope Francis: Church Should Apologize To Gays And Other Marginalized Groups”. As usual, this upset a few Catholics who have Read more
The Pope’s recent comments on marriage, which have raised a few eyebrows, do at least contain one statement with which I wholeheartedly agree. It is this: “Marriage is the most difficult area of pastoral work.” As for the rest of what the Pope has said, most of this raises a “Yes, but…” response from me. Read more