In February 1968, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła wrote Father Henri de Lubac, SJ, about a project in which the cardinal was engaged: a philosophical explanation of the uniqueness and nobility of the human person.
Guest Columnists
The Next Pope and Vatican Diplomacy
During a short papal flight from Boston to New York on October 2, 1979, Father Jan Schotte (later a cardinal but then a low-ranking curial official) discovered that Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, had done some serious editing of the speech Pope John Paul II would give at the United Nations that day.
The Next Pope and Vatican II
Polemics about the Second Vatican Council continue to bedevil the Catholic conversation. Some Catholics, often found in the Churches of western Europe, claim that the Council’s “spirit” has never been implemented (although the Catholic Lite implementation they propose seems more akin to liberal Protestantism).
Books for the Summer Of Our Discontent
Since plague time began, I’ve found the following books reassuring, challenging, illuminating, and in some cases just plain fun: which is to say, apt reading in, and for, this troubled moment.
Will Nancy Pelosi Take a Page From Her Father’s Playbook?
In 1918, Mayor James Preston presented a 264-piece silver service to Cardinal James Gibbons on behalf of Baltimore and its citizens — a municipal tribute to the city’s beloved archbishop on the 50th anniversary of his episcopal consecration.
A Devotional Alliance of the Two Hearts
In June, we honor both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The title “Immaculate” belongs to the whole being of our Mother, and not just to her heart. This title ‘Immaculate’ flows from God’s gift to her by becoming His Mother. “One is my dove, my perfect one and Thou art all fair my Love and there is not a spot in thee.” (Can 4:7)
The Biases of a Royal Commission
A brief dip into Latin helps us understand how preconceptions can lead to biased judgments that falsify history — as they did when an Australian Royal Commission on sexual abuse recently impugned the integrity of Cardinal George Pell.
Annual Mission Appeal Is Latest Victim of COVID-19
People, events, and programs have all fallen victim to the effects of the coronavirus in our diocese. The latest, and one of the biggest victims, is the annual mission appeal.
God in the Pandemic
The Coronavirus pandemic has been the cause of much upheaval in the lives of many people. From the devastating death of loved ones to the minor inconveniences the lockdown has caused, people have suffered in various ways.
‘The Heavens Declare The Glory of God…’
In his “Life of St. Augustine,” the 5th-century bishop Possidius tells us that the greatest of the Latin Doctors of the Church, knowing that his earthly end was near, had four penitential psalms copied and hung on the walls of his room.