Some Catholics are unhappy with Pope Francis. Conservatives read his closing speech to the Synod on the Family with relief and gratitude, but after the events of the last two weeks they are diconcerted. disoriented and disturbed. Damian Thompson observed here that the final result may not have been the earthquake John Thavis spoke of here. [...]
Here are excerpts from the Pope's final address to the synod with my observations in red. Read the whole speech here. And it has been “a journey” – and like every journey there were moments of running fast, as if wanting to conquer time and reach the goal as soon as possible; other moments of fatigue, as [...]
What good has come from all the bishops boxing--all the wrangling in Rome? Now that the Synod of Bishops has ended with a beautiful, but bland final message from the bishops, Damian Thompson reports on the week's drama here at the Spectator. ‘Thanks be to God’, as we Catholic children used to say with heartfelt enthusiasm as [...]
Worried about that Synod in Rome? Read This UPDATE: Here is John Allen's summary of the day's happenings at in Rome. He says the synod is turning out like a high drama soap opera...Go here. Whew! has there ever been such a furore amongst the faithful! We've got the clash of cardinals, a [...]
Pope Francis has been criticized in some quarters because he has said, “Proselytism is solemn nonsense.” He has also told Evangelical Christians and an atheist interviewer that he “doesn’t want to convert them.” In a meeting last week in Caserto he explained to his priests that their job was not “proselytizing” and he quoted Pope Benedict [...]
This report says that while the Vatican has yet to confirm the date, Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia has indicated that Pope Francis will visit the city for next September's World Meeting of Families. If the pope is planning to visit the City of Brotherly Love next fall what's the big deal? Kathy Schiffer reports here that the pope [...]
After meeting with a group of Pentecostal Evangelicals Pope Francis reportedly wants to preach in a Protestant church in Rome. This article reports on the meeting held in Rome with Pope Francis and TV Evangelist Kenneth Copeland and other Evangelical leaders including theologian Brian Stiller and Anglican bishop Tony Palmer. The Pope wants to go to [...]
John Allen continues his excellent reporting from the Vatican with a bumper crop round up of what has turned out to be a wildly busy week with Pope Francis. There has been the meeting of the eight cardinals helping to reform the church, a Vatican bank scandal, the controversial interview with Scalfari and the intriguing report [...]
Someone has joked, "In Central America it's not really a valid Mass unless there is a dog present." I was therefore amused to see that at one of the Pope's liturgies in Brazil a stray dog wandered onto the stage. For five years I took some American high school kids to El Salvador on a mission trip. [...]
Guest blogger Mantilla Amontillado is the founder of Veritas Vestments. She holds a degree in Ecclesiastical Haberdashery from Salamanca University. She has done the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella three times on horseback and is engaged to the famous matador, Senor Augusto Torquemada. OK Hon, everybody been asking me what I think of the new Pope. [...]