De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Pope Francis accepts an issue of 'La Civilta Cattolica' from Father Antonio Spadaro, editor of the Jesuit-run magazine, during a Feb. 9 meeting with editors and staff. (Credit: CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano, handout.) Part of the problem with the Franciscan papacy are the clowns he seems to rely on. They are petty, ignorant and, far from the much lauded models of dialogue & accompaniment, seem intent on simply bullying anyone they disagree with. Who can forget this ridiculous episode?  Or this fiasco ? The latest cringe-making event has been co-authored by Francis' confidants, Antonio Spadaro and Marcelo Figueroa, the editor-in-chief of the Argentinean edition of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano . It is this extraordinary essay on US religious politics published in the Jesuit magazine La Civiltà Cattolica . Writing for Crux , Fr Raymond de Souza states: If Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro was not the editor of La Civiltà Cattolica , his recen...

I really do try to understand that in the USA people have a different perspective on weapons. I tried to sympathise and understand their position in a post recently, provoked by the terrible tragedy in Connecticut. But I have to report feeling 'unsettled' when Fr. Z attracts public controversy by posting in a way that seems to support guns. I'm sure he doesn't see it that way, attitudes are very different in the USA, but his blog has a world-wide audience and he is a hero to many of us. Does he understand how strange this appears to non-American readers? I'll be frank --I find general support of weapons very difficult to reconcile with the teachings of Christ and His Church. I also do not think it is in any way edifying and detracts from the value of his contribution. Now in actual fact, his article there is more about obfuscation and abortion than gun rights, but I still think he should be careful. The argument is purportedly about the Second Amendment. Th...

The cry is always the same when we hear about events such as the tragic Newtown massacre that took place last weekend and it is all too familiar to me, as I noted in my post yesterday . So where was God? Tanya Marlow wrote beautifully on how this affected her yesterday. Lisa Graas identified with this in just the same way as I do and posted this beautiful reflection . It might seem a little abstract to you if you're not a Catholic or familiar with the spirituality. But suffering is one of the ways we feel close to God: God is not distant or removed from suffering, He is present in it. If you are a Catholic, or at least familiar with this spirituality, you will certainly benefit from reflecting on her post there. In my darkest days, I identified with Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, which culminate in the Crucifixion, which for me, constitutes the death of my child. There's a huge debate raging about gun cont...