The outrage over both the sexual scandals and the complicity of members of the hierarchy is definitely morally justified. This makes a discussion of the causes all the more necessary. A Sin That Cries to Heaven for Vengeance The sin of homosexuality is extremely grave. Consequently, catechisms and other texts used to … Read more
Frontier Catholics? What frontier Catholics? The idea that there were Catholics on the American frontier is unfamiliar to many. The early history of the United States is often thought of as a product of Protestantism. Our earliest settlers, so the accepted story goes, were English—some Puritans and others Anglican—but all Protestants. Maryland … Read more
Since the hierarchical structure of the Church is a truth of the Faith, it is not surprising that the Popes uphold this teaching. A sampling of Papal declarations on this point illustrates the importance of this truth. Old Condemned Heresies In the fourteenth century, Marsilius of Padua, in his book Defensor Pacis … Read more
In the Nicene Creed, the faithful profess: “Credo in unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam”—“I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” When reciting the Creed, Catholics profess, therefore, to believe in the sanctity of the Church. This sanctity, nonetheless, is often not visible, especially when the weaknesses of Her members … Read more
The late-nineteenth-century conversion story, En Route, by J. K. Huysmans is a book that penetrates deeply into the mind of the reader. It is an autobiographical yet fictional account of the return journey to the Church of a famous French art critic and novelist in decadent Paris. The book has weathered well … Read more
The town of Houghton-le-Spring in England is hardly the sort of place that you would expect to find an uproar over schools and religion. Mark McLachlan’s twelve-year-old step-daughter goes to the Kepier School in Houghton-le-Spring. Mr. McLachlan was looking through his stepdaughter’s school planner when he noticed an assignment that angered him. He … Read more
Many articles have been published throughout the Catholic world about Pope Francis’s change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, stating that “the death penalty is inadmissible.” Such articles show how this statement contradicts Scripture and Tradition and represents a clear break with the constant teaching of the Church. In these brief … Read more
Everyone talks about the addictive aspect of Twitter but not its moral effects. Can Twitter lead to sin? Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I. evidently thinks so. In a final tweet, he wrote that the social media platform had become a “distraction” to him, an “obstacle” to his spiritual life and an “occasion … Read more
There is nothing as vile as using an office, position or situation of influence to oppress or abuse a weaker person. This is particularly true in the case of sexual abuse. Still worse are those acts that not only violate the laws of justice and charity but those of nature. This is … Read more
After Ireland’s vote to end its ban on abortion last May, the next step is a campaign to normalize the practice of homosexuality. The most visible Catholic spokesman for the attempt to “build bridges” in this area is Fr. James Martin, S.J. He is scheduled to speak at the World Meeting of Families to … Read more