The Vatican engages in bilateral diplomacy to secure the freedom of the Catholic Church to be itself in the countries with which the Holy See has, or wishes to have, diplomatic relations.
Guest Columnists
‘American Sniper’ Drama Hits Home
For those seeking an insight into an individual veteran’s perspective on the Iraq War, director Clint Eastwood’s sober drama “American Sniper” (Warner Bros.) – which stars Bradley Cooper as real-life Navy SEAL Chris Kyle – will likely hit home.
Building Esteem For Our Elders
by Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. Occasionally we hear disturbing stories in the media about young people who perpetrate abuse against the elderly. In a widely reported 2009 story, for example, caretakers at the Quadrangle Assisted Living facility outside Philadelphia were charged in connection with the abuse of an elderly patient named Lois McCallister. Three employees, aged […]
Bouncing Back from Broken Resolutions
By Carolyn Y. Woo BY NOW, MANY OF US have broken some of those New Year’s resolutions that seemed so promising weeks ago. Research shows that the majority of Americans engage in this practice of setting goals at the start of a new year, yet few of us see it through with resolute consistency. I […]
Owning Our Baptism
THE TRANSFER OF the celebration of the Epiphany to a Sunday from Jan. 6 (the solemnity’s traditional date), and the elimination of Sundays-after-Epiphany in favor of the ill- named Sundays of “Ordinary Time,” has made a hash of the Christmas liturgical season, as I suggested in my book, “Evangelical Catholicism.” Still, the liturgical calendar of […]
Wondering What Awaits Us
By Effie Caldarola After Christmas, a brutal cold descended on my part of the Midwest and ushered in our new year. We returned from our holiday travels to find a light dusting of snow. Most of it had been blown away by the harsh winds of the Plains, but when I awoke in the morning, […]
Moments That Define Our Lives
By Erick Rommel Many moments in life are just that, moments. They aren’t momentous. They aren’t memorable. They just are. These are the moments we forget. You probably don’t remember that moment five minutes ago when you scratched your nose. It’s likely that you’ve already forgotten moments from your drive to work or school. And […]
Wondering What Awaits Us
By Effie Caldarola After Christmas, a brutal cold descended on my part of the Midwest and ushered in our new year. We returned from our holiday travels to find a light dusting of snow. Most of it had been blown away by the harsh winds of the Plains, but when I awoke in the morning, […]
Africa’s Catholic Moment
According to an old Vatican aphorism, “We think in centuries here,” and viewed through that long-distance lens, the most important Catholic event of 2014 was the dramatic moment when Africa’s bishops emerged as effective, powerful proponents of dynamic orthodoxy in the world Church. The scene was the Extraordinary Synod of 2014, called by Pope Francis […]
The Humbling of The Wise Men
IT MIGHT SEEM that everything that could be said, has been said, about the shepherds, the wise men and the Christ Child. But that’s one of the marvels of Scripture: The unfolding history of the Church draws out of the inspired Word of God allegories and images previously unrecognized. Thus the familiar Christmas story and […]