Why the Catholic church is still a force for good

By Dawn Foster in The Guardian, 6 September 2018: Have you written a will?” my doctor asked, matter-of-factly, while taking my blood pressure last Saturday, in the same tone you’d use to ask someone whether it was raining outside. To a 30-year-old, outwardly healthy woman, the question felt odd. But I was leaning against the…

The Silence of Pope Francis

By Dr Austen Ivereigh Pope Francis refused to answer reporters’ questions about a letter released on Sunday by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, instead urging reporters to draw their own conclusions about the former papal nuncio’s accusations. Austen Ivereigh explains that the roots of Francis’ response might be found in an article that Jorge Mario Bergoglio…

Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis – To the People of God

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Cor 12:26). These words of Saint Paul forcefully echo in my heart as I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated…

The Evil of Clericalism

By Nicole Trahan in The Global Sisters Report, 31 August 2018: Since I was in high school, praying with Scripture has been one of my favorite ways to pray. I read and meditate on the readings of the day and draw from them challenge, edification, questions, and/or calls to conversion. Sometimes the fruit of my meditation…

How To Find A Good Husband

From Melanie Reid in THE TIMES, 25 August 2018: Age and experience, it’s said, impart wisdom. Age, experience and a bit of misfortune interwoven, perhaps, impart even more. Last sunny Saturday, one of my most cynical, worldly girlfriends and I drove past two wedding receptions in full swing. The flowers around the door, the lovely…

How dare the pope ask ordinary Catholics to atone for child abuse?

From Joanna Moorhead in The Guardina, 21 August 2018: The Catholic church is in meltdown: the appalling story emerged last week of clerical abuse stretching back decades in Pennsylvania, where at least 1,000 children were the victims of 300 priests. In the UK, a report on the behaviour of the monks at two leading Catholic schools was…