At a distance, it’s easy to judge Pope Francis’ visit to Myanmar, the first by a pope to this overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, in absolutes – will he or won’t he publicly acknowledge the plight of the Rohingya, for instance, or will his presence push the nation in the direction of greater democracy and peace, or won’t it?
Pope Francis’ call to ‘go into the peripheries’ is real. In his brief pontificate, he has shown his concern for the poor by calling the Church ‘of the poor and for the poor.’ He has drawn the attention of the world leaders and all concerned by declaring Nov. 19 as a day of the world poor.
Every now and then, I find in the offices of pastoral leaders and theologians, as well as in the homes of some families I know, a picture of them shaking hands with one of the recent popes.
Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia said Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation ‘Amoris Laetitia’ offers great wisdom, but the controversies over it have “obscured much of the good in the document.”
Following the latest incident of gun violence in America, Pope Francis has sent his condolences to the victims of the Sutherland Springs mass shooting in Texas, saying he is “deeply grieved” by the “senseless violence.” On Sunday, a 26-year old gunman entered into a Baptist Church and killed 26 people during the service. The tragedy has prompted Catholic bishops from around the United States to speak out against gun violence.
During a week in which the U.S. bishops issued a statement expressing loyalty to Pope Francis and encouraging greater charity in dialogue, the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. praised the pope’s “spirituality of synodality and discernment” and argued for greater unity in the Church.
Dear Editor: In August, reader Ed Moffitt projected his feelings of being troubled by what our Pope Francis has publicly stated about the President and building the wall. Pope Francis’ view is public opposition of our president who wants to keep our country safe from harm; his primary duty as president.
One perk that comes with floating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is NASA arranges for occasional calls with celebrities to keep the astronauts’ spirits high during their monthslong flights.
In an interview with The Tablet, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego spoke of how he believes local solutions are necessary to combat the poison of partisanship which has contributed to a “cancer in our Church.” One such measure to combat this is the initiation of a local synod within his diocese to focus on hearing the real life needs of Catholics and providing concrete responses.
As Bishop Gerald Kicanas prepares to hand over the reigns of the diocese of Tucson, Arizona next month, he looks back on his 51 years as a priest and a Church that has dramatically changed since he was first ordained. In an interview with The Tablet, Kicanas laments the current polarization in the Church and says he hopes to see more “Francis-like actions” by the U.S. bishops.
