Saturday 27th April 2024

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Synagogue Attacked, Church Burns . . . Has Spiritual Aridity Fed Anti-Religious Outbursts?

May 5, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on Synagogue Attacked, Church Burns . . . Has Spiritual Aridity Fed Anti-Religious Outbursts?

By DEXTER DUGGAN The image of southern California as a Mediterranean-style garden spot is, like a Hollywood studio’s false fronts, only what the eye first sees. It’s true the territory looks lush along the temperate narrow band of land that abuts the huge, cooling Pacific Ocean, but go beyond the coastal mountains and there’s a lot of downright aridity. Headed west toward coastal San Diego, Interstate 8 rolls through the California desert, even dropping below sea level near El Centro, before starting a sharp climb of more than 4,000 feet with switchbacks up the mountains. The land no longer is desert but still dry. No ocean in sight yet, but its promise lies ahead. Descending toward the Pacific Coast, Interstate…Continue Reading

Ruminations Amidst The Ruins

May 4, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on Ruminations Amidst The Ruins

By CHRISTOPHER MANION A group of Catholics, among them some esteemed theologians, have addressed an open letter to the prelates of the Church. “The words and actions of Pope Francis amount to a comprehensive rejection of Catholic teaching on marriage and sexual activity, on the moral law, and on grace and the forgiveness of sins,” they write. We “respectfully request the bishops of the Church to investigate the accusations contained in the letter, so that if they judge them to be well founded, they may free the Church from her present distress, in accordance with the hallowed adage, Salus animarum prima lex (‘the salvation of souls is the highest law’).” This is a serious business. The particulars of the letter…Continue Reading

Why I Didn’t Sign The Open Letter Accusing The Pope Of Heresy

May 3, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on Why I Didn’t Sign The Open Letter Accusing The Pope Of Heresy

By FR. BRIAN W. HARRISON, OS (Editor’s Note: Fr. Brian W. Harrison, a noted theologian, offered the following comments about the open letter denouncing Pope Francis as a heretic. See page 1 of this week’s issue for more on this issue.) + + + I was one of those invited to sign this new statement publicly denouncing Pope Francis to the world’s Catholic bishops as a formal heretic. However, I declined, because I don’t think you can judge someone — especially a Pope! — to be a formal (i.e., pertinacious or obstinate) heretic without first hearing what he might have to say in his self-defense. That’s an elementary question of due process! The Church (via the Congregation for the Doctrine…Continue Reading

Planned Parenthood Suit . . . Says Law Shouldn’t Require That Licensed Doctors Perform Abortions

May 2, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on Planned Parenthood Suit . . . Says Law Shouldn’t Require That Licensed Doctors Perform Abortions

By DEXTER DUGGAN PHOENIX — When Planned Parenthood Arizona recently filed suit in federal court against Arizona’s legal regulation of permissive abortion because the number of abortions had declined, the importance of pro-life activism was illustrated. When Democrats win elections, Democrat politicians usually promote more abortion. When Republicans win elections, preborn babies and their mothers usually receive more support. Democrat officials also attack pro-life pregnancy centers and shut down Catholic adoption agencies. This serves to refute misguided liberal Catholics who say they’re impelled to vote for Democratic candidates because that party is closer to Catholic social teaching. Instead, on the foundational issues of life and morality that precede all else, the Democratic platform is at war against innocent life and…Continue Reading

The Keys To The Catholic Restoration

May 1, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on The Keys To The Catholic Restoration

By SHAUN KENNEY The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast was last week, with such luminaries as Knights of Columbus President Carl Anderson, Abby Johnson, Curtis Martin with FOCUS, and Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix, among a crowd of 1,400 lobbyists, socialites, and prominent thinkers of various Catholic political sensibilities. I attended my first National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in its early days — 2007 perhaps? — and like most I was impressed by the size and scope of those gathered. There goes this person, there goes that person. Defend marriage, defend religious freedom, and serve the Holy Father. Attendees seemed quite proud of what they had accomplished, and with other things to do, departed into the wilds of…Continue Reading

A Movie Review… This Film Is A Breakthrough

April 30, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on A Movie Review… This Film Is A Breakthrough

By REY FLORES I believe that most parents like myself have a constant concern or worry, even a fear that any harm should come to our children. Since they are babies, then toddlers, school-age, and eventually adults we never stop worrying about them. Ultimately, we have to trust God, knowing that He always has them in His hands. This movie, Breakthrough, is exactly about that. In this film, we follow the story of a young man who we learn is adopted and has always had a sense of not belonging. These feelings aren’t manifested in him as much as they are in his adoptive parents’ desire to provide their son with as normal an upbringing as possible. Adopted or not,…Continue Reading

Another Legal And Political Swipe At The Catholic Church

April 29, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on Another Legal And Political Swipe At The Catholic Church

By MIKE MANNO The Democrats in the state of California are preparing for a new attack against the Church. This time it is against the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In response to the clergy sex-abuse crisis, State Sen. Jerry Hill has introduced SB360, a bill that would require priests to report suspected child abuse that was learned through the confessional. All clergy are mandatory reporters; however, the current law in California and in most other states protects the seal of the confessional. As a result, priests who gain knowledge of possible sex abuse through other means, such as acting as a school principal, would have the duty to report. The bill introduced into the California legislature would require clergy to report…Continue Reading

What Does Future Hold?. . . Easter Finds Uncertainty As Worshippers See Hostile World

April 28, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on What Does Future Hold?. . . Easter Finds Uncertainty As Worshippers See Hostile World

By DEXTER DUGGAN PHOENIX — Kneeling, seated and standing before the Blessed Sacrament in the parish hall on Holy Thursday evening, April 18, we began to sing the traditional Latin hymn Tantum Ergo without a song leader or printed sheets as the journey through Lent came to an end. Like prayers and incense, the song rose up among us. Memory resurrected old tunes of worship at our English-liturgy parish, before the Resurrection would be observed shortly thereafter. People always have been on a journey, whether their own personal one that could end at any time, or larger journeys of societies and cultures. Although we may think we have the luxury of decades ahead in our own lives, who can say…Continue Reading

Missing Fr. Schall

April 27, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on Missing Fr. Schall

By CHRISTOPHER MANION On Wednesday of Holy Week, God called Fr. Schall home for Easter. Fr. James V. Schall, SJ, was a friend to untold thousands. He was a master teacher, inside the classroom or wherever else he happened to be. He taught even when he was asleep, since his works have been read for years in every time zone. And when you read Fr. Schall, you learn. We first met in 1975. Things got off to a rocky start. Fr. Schall was teaching in Rome, and so was I, so Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ, suggested we get together. I suggested lunch at a nice restaurant on the Tiber. He arrived, along with his colleague, Fr. John Navone, SJ, and…Continue Reading

May Our Lady Of Paris Rise Again

April 26, 2019 Frontpage Comments Off on May Our Lady Of Paris Rise Again

By SHAUN KENNEY The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris looks a lot worse than she actually is. The roof fire looks horrible from the air, but the 850-year-old timbers did not damage the structure as a whole. The relics were indeed saved, as were works of art, golden crosses, the Crown of Thorns, and more. Yet amazingly enough as folks were watching the tragedy unfold, no one asked the serious question: “Who saved the Blessed Sacrament?” Good news is that a priest at Notre Dame rushed into the burning building to save the Eucharist. The secular media certainly did not find this noteworthy, but more alarmingly was that even Catholic media did not comment on this for quite some…Continue Reading