Birds of a feather flock together, says the old English proverb. But when it comes to the Church’s cardinals, is that really the case? More specifically, are all the men who got the red hat from Pope Francis moving with him in the same direction? Recent events suggest yet again that not all of Francis’ Read more
Pope Francis was supposed to be in Dubai this weekend to attend the UN climate change conference COP28. But his doctors forcefully insisted that he not make the trip. They told him it would be too risky for a man of his age who has been fighting a bronchial infection and shortness of breath for Read more
It’s no secret that the Roman Catholic Church is deeply divided right now, perhaps as much as it’s ever been in the six decades since the end of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The fractures are most obvious on social media where even priests, bishops and cardinals preach from cyber pulpits all along the theological Read more
As this column is being written, the Synod of Bishops is bringing to a close the most opaque assembly ever to be held in its relatively brief, post-Vatican II history. Actually, once the members of the October 4-29 gathering have voted on a final document (Saturday evening) and then celebrated the concluding Mass in St. Read more
The big day has finally arrived. Pope Francis on Wednesday will open the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The October 4-29 gathering inside the Vatican is just the first of two sessions of what is commonly called the “Synod on Synodality”. It will be followed up by another session in October Read more
Most Christian Churches and communities throughout the world are currently in the midst of a five-week period called the “Season of Creation” – officially, at least. Unfortunately, most of their members around the globe – including the overwhelming majority of those belonging to the Catholic Church – seem to be completely unaware of this. That’s Read more
There is probably no pope in all of history — certainly not in the last 400 some years — who served so briefly as Bishop of Rome and yet had such an immense impact on the Catholic Church as John XXIII. [That’s leaving aside Sixtus V. He’s the hard-nosed pope who, in just five years Read more
Hunting season doesn’t normally begin in most places in the United States until the autumn. But some self-appointed US Catholic intelligentsia members apparently agreed that, this year, it would start on March 13th. That was the day we marked the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election to the papacy. And while writers generally used the Read more
Catholic traditionalists attached to the Old Latin Mass have their rosaries beads in a knot again over Pope Francis’ latest move to strictly curtail use of the Tridentine Rite, the complex and heavily rubricised ritual that pre-dated the liturgical reform mandated by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The pope, on February 20, ordered the Dicastery Read more
“Commentators of every school, if for different reasons, with the possible exception of Father Spadaro SJ, agree that this pontificate is a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe.” Thus spake George Pell. The Australian cardinal, who died of a heart attack on January 10, has been described by friends and admirers as a Read more