Cardinal Dolan and Toppling the ‘Barriers of Horror’

“Good for him. … So I would say, ‘Bravo!’” That was Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s reaction when asked about NFL hopeful Michael Sam’s recent decision to come out publicly as a homosexual. Cardinal Dolan’s words were the success of a very well studied and carefully prepared maneuver intended to generate impact on public … Read more

Can Someone in Mortal Sin Receive Communion?

Can Someone in Mortal Sin Receive Communion? 2

The question seems absurd as any child preparing for First Communion knows the answer: “No! To receive Holy Communion one must be in the state of grace.” The Sin of Adulterous Concubinage The same 7-year old knows that a serious fault against any of the Ten Commandments (for example, adultery or concubinage) … Read more

Opportune Clarifications on Islam

“To tell the truth, Jesus is not an object of veneration in the Muslim tradition[…] in the Koran, Jesus is a great prophet, famous for his miracles on behalf of a poor and sick humanity, but he is not the equal of Muhammad.” So says one of the most outstanding Catholic scholars … Read more

The Approval of Same-sex “Marriage” in Illinois and Pope Francis’s Statements

“After months of false starts, the Illinois House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to legalize same-sex marriage, and reports suggest that Pope Francis’s recent comments about homosexuality may have played a small but significant role.” This is how Fabien Tepper begins her report in The Christian Science Monitor of November 6, 2013 … Read more

In Times of Extreme Confusion “Stand Fast; and Hold the Traditions Which You Have Learned.”

In Times of Extreme Confusion “Stand Fast; and Hold the Traditions Which You Have Learned.” 1

On September 19, the Jesuits’ America Magazine published the interview that Pope Francis granted Civiltà Cattolica, an Italian publication controlled by the same religious order. The interview was published simultaneously in other magazines of the Society of Jesus and widely disseminated and commented on by the international media. The interview’s impact on … Read more

Priestly Celibacy, a Tradition of Apostolic Origin

Priestly Celibacy a Tradition of Apostolic Origins

Not infrequently some ecclesiastic raises the question of priestly celibacy implying that it can be discussed because it is not a dogma of the faith. The secular media immediately take such statements and scatter them to the four winds, implying that the Church is about to abandon the discipline of celibacy. The … Read more

“Rehabilitation” of Liberation Theology?

“Rehabilitation” of Liberation Theology? 6

“Not only is participating in class struggle not opposed to universal love, but today, this commitment is the necessary and inescapable means of making this love concrete, as this participation is what leads to a classless society, a society without owners and dispossessed, without oppressors and oppressed.”This statement is not found in … Read more

Balance and Harmony Between Riches and Poverty

Balance and Harmony Between Riches and Poverty 2

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Pauperist Heresies Heresies requiring material poverty for eternal salvation have sprung up since the dawn of Christianity. Here we refer more particularly to medieval miserabilists. Under the influence of the Cathars or Albigensians, who adopted the Manichean principle that … Read more

A Cardinal Gives Holy Communion to Mr. Lust

By their power of attraction, the seven vices or deadly sins are as it were, the sources from which almost all other sins spring. Lust is undoubtedly the most common and overwhelming of these deadly sins, particularly in our hyper-sexualized society. Mr. Luxuria (Lust) goes to Mass Hence, by adopting ‘Luxuria” (‘Lust’ … Read more