The Holy Father, Pope Francis, issued a Motu Proprio (a document issued by the Pope himself which has a legal effect in the Church) on July 16, 2021, called “Traditionis Custodes” (The “Guardians of the Tradition”).
Guest Columnists
A March and Call For Peace in Nigeria
Brooklyn Priests marched in solidarity with the people of Biafra to say no to injustice, nepotism, terrorism, and ethnic cleansing by the Nigerian Government against the Indigenous people of Biafra.
The Widow With Four Eggs
My encounter with the widow with four eggs early on in my priesthood has taught me a great lesson in my ministry. That happened way back when I was sent to a mission area on an island in the tropics.
The Bishops, Donatism, And President Biden
In an article first posted at Commonweal and republished on July 7 in La Croix International, Professor John Thiel of Fairfield University, while criticizing the U.S. bishops’ decision to prepare a teaching document on Eucharistic coherence and integrity in the Church, performed the not-inconsiderable feat of striking out four times (swinging).
Liberal Authoritarianism and The Traditional Latin Mass
I don’t agree that the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Pius V in 1570 entombed the Roman Rite in ecclesiastical amber, such that it forever remains (as one traditionalist friend recently put it) “the most authentic expression of the Roman Church’s lex orandi [rule of worship].”
Pope Francis and The Life Issues
Pope Francis’ tendency to use colorful expressions and abrasive adjectives in commenting on ideas, habits, and practices of which he disapproves have puzzled Catholics for years now.
The DeLauro Democrats And the Bishops
At 1 p.m. EDT on June 18, it was announced that three-quarters of the U.S. bishops had voted to develop a statement on the eucharistic integrity of the Church and the eucharistic coherence of Catholics. Within an hour, a “Statement of Principles” was released by 60 Catholic Members of Congress, all Democrats and led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.
Read Books But Beware of Bad Ones
Spiritual reading has made a lot of great saints. For instance, very instrumental to the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, is precisely reading books that would nourish the spirit well. We may know his story already, which happened 500 years ago.
Collegiality and Eucharistic Integrity
If the Church lives from the Eucharist and yet the people of the Church don’t participate in the Eucharist as often as they should, or don’t understand what they’re celebrating and receiving when they do, then the Church suffers from a serious eucharistic deficit. Those ordained to leadership in the Church are obliged to do something about that.
The Heart of a Parishioner Changing Pastors
I was moved by Father Christopher Heanue’s “The Heart of a Priest Changing Assignments” (in the June 5 edition of The Tablet). It is refreshing to hear the genuine reaction of a pastor who is changing assignments. As parishioners, sometimes, we forget that they too have sentiments.