Mar 06
I wrote a piece today on Crux. Ever since Pope Francis’s election, and especially since Laudato Si’ and Amoris Laetitia, there have been clear tensions between the pontiff and some more conservative Catholics. I think we need to examine both from within the framework of what they believe the Church needs. I will discuss their …
Feb 28
I wrote a piece over at the Catholic Stand. In the debate over Amoris Laetitia, many people have made reference back to Familiaris Consortio 84 where John Paul II commands that for Communion, the divorced and civilly remarried “take on themselves the duty to live in complete continence, that is, by abstinence from the acts …
Feb 20
I summarized an important new book over at Crux: Three professors from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Rome indicate Amoris Laetitia upholds traditional teaching in a new bookAcompañar, Dicernir, Integrar: Vademécum para una nueva pastoral familiar a partir de la exhortación Amoris Laetitia (“Accompany, Discern, Integrate: Handbook for a new family ministry starting …
Feb 10
I published this on Crux. Ever since it came out in April 2016, there’s been an avalanche of debate in Catholic circles about Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’s document on the family. At least in English, both sides seem to agree that it permits Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried who continue relations in some …
Jan 29
On Friday January 27, well over half a million gathered in Washington to commemorate 44 years since Roe v. Wade made abortion legal nationwide. (2013 was 650,000 and regulars kept telling me this was the biggest crowd ever.) Many people held printed signs with phrases like “I Am the Pro-Life Generation,” “Stop Abortion Now,” or …
Dec 01
I wrote about our need for heroes over at Aeteia: Modern society seems to find it tough to find heroes. Instead of turning to the saints, we often look to celebrities (who often aren’t real heroes) or to superheroes (who often aren’t real). Where can we find heroes for ourselves and for the next generation? …
Sep 17
I think there is a storng moral argument to help persecuted Christians and this argument was just published on Crux. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40) Usually, we apply this verse to serving the …
Sep 13
I have commented a few times on what helps teens stay active in their faith. About 2 weeks ago, Catholic News Agency contacted me to interview for a story they were doing on a recent CARA study on the how many kids leave the Church. I later got a Google alert that I was mentioned on …
Sep 07
I was intervewed by Catholic News Agency on preventing teens from leaving the Church. Fr. Matthew Schneider, LC, who worked in youth ministry for four years, emphasized that faith and science must be presented to young people in harmony with each other. A challenge, he explained, is teaching how “faith and science relate” through philosophy …
Aug 07
I just posted this on the Catholic Stand. About a month ago, during the Euro Cup, I was impressed reading a few pieces in the press about Mesut Özil, an extremely talented Muslim soccer player who often opens his palms in prayer during stoppages in play and reads the Koran before matches. I saw a quote …
Jul 10
If you’ve grown up in the United States in the 20th or 21st century, you might miss how revolutionary the religious liberty in the Constitution is. Until 1791, no national government in human history had officially declared that there was no established religion and people were free to practice whatever religion, and almost every state …
Jul 07
Several times, Pope Francis has said things that have really shocked a number of North American Catholics. Yet if we put the comments in the context of Catholicism in other countries, often we’ll be shocked by the situation in those countries, not by the pope. Pope Francis is Argentinian and, save a few years of …
What You’ve Said (Comments)