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
The emeritus bishop of Rome, Benedict XVI has a pilot’s license, and liked to fly from the Vatican to the papal summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, but he does not have a driver’s license as he never learned to drive a car. April 16th was Benedict XVI’s birthday. He turned 89. Other trivia about Benedict: He loves Read more
By consensus, while emeritus Pope Benedict XVI was a great teaching pontiff, ecclesiastical governance on his watch often left something to be desired. Space does not permit a full listing of meltdowns and crises, but here are a few highlights: The appointment in 2007, followed by the swift fall from grace, of a new Archbishop Read more
On Monday night I was in the diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, to give the annual Bishop Raymond Lucker lecture. Lucker served as the bishop there for a quarter-century, from 1976 to 2000, and is remembered in New Ulm primarily as a caring pastor who loved his people and his place. Nationally, however, Lucker is Read more
The Vatican released Pope Francis’ liturgical schedule for March and April, including Holy Week and Easter. The pope’s schedule includes a penitential celebration and a consistory for several causes of canonization. However, the schedule does not say where he will celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Greg Burke, vice director of the Read more
The “overview effect” is a term used to describe a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts and cosmonauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from orbit or from the lunar surface. It refers to the experience of seeing first-hand the reality of the Earth in space. From space, national boundaries vanish and Read more
Cardinal George Pell is one of 15 prelates who will plan and organise the next synod of bishops. He was one of 12 prelates elected at the recent 2015 synod. Pope Francis added three others to the “synod’s ordinary council”. While the names of the 12 elected members had been circulating for some time, the Read more
I was visiting Canberra’s splendid Arboretum the other day and I ran into an historian who is not one of us. He greeted me: “That new pope of yours is doing quite well, isn’t he? I don’t know that he will show us the road to paradise but he has definitely opened a few doors Read more
There’s perhaps no other signature vehicle in the world more well-known than the popemobile. Tall and boxy or sleek and chic, it’s the one white ride that always catches people’s eye, mostly because of the special passenger waving inside. The popemobile is a specially modified vehicle that gives the pope enough elevation and visibility that Read more
Test your knowledge about all things papal with this quiz. Answers are at the end. WHICH IS NOT ONE OF POPE FRANCIS’S OFFICIAL TITLES? a) Emeritus Bishop of Buenos Aires b) Primate of Italy c) Vicar of Christ d) Successor of the Prince of the Apostles 2) THE WHITE SKULLCAP THAT POPE FRANCIS WEARS IS Read more