Trying to Control the Church by Changing the Words

Trying to Control the Church by Changing the Words

  A Pastoral Revolution: Six Talismanic Words in the Ecclesial Debate on the Family, Guido Vignelli   Language changes over time, so the linguists say. Many changes creep in as people use and reuse a word over centuries. Sometimes, though, a change in meaning is quite deliberate. That is the topic of … Read more

The Other Sexual Abuse Culture That No One Dares to Mention

The Other Sexual Abuse Culture That No One Dares to Mention

With the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, the sexual assault debate ignited once again, as it will with each new accusation—whether true or false—of high profile celebrities or public figures. Every time, we hear the same message: There is an abuse of power that allows people to force themselves upon others. We are urged … Read more

Why Apple Is Shaking in Its Boots

Why Apple Is Shaking in Its Boots

I have always believed that Apple fears no one. Valued at over one trillion dollars, the maker of iPhones and iPads can do whatever it wants when marketing its products. It can count on the loyalty of tens of millions of passionate customers that make it immune to market fluctuations. Apple is … Read more

When Misery Has Too Much Company

When Misery Has Too Much Company

Misery has a lot of company these days. Perhaps too much. The number of those unhappy, stressed, or lonely has reached its highest point on record. America is not alone in its misery. However, it is hardly consoling that the whole world keeps it company. This climate of discontent is the consistent … Read more

Save Us From the Deniers of Hell

Save Us From the Deniers of Hell 1

Anyone who wonders why the Catholic Church is in its present crisis need only read Dr. Scott Bruce’s “Do We Still Need to Believe in Hell?” The Wall Street Journal article (9/15-16/2018) recently appeared in its popular weekend review section. It was a rather typical yet brutal appraisal of the notion of … Read more

“Paradigm Shift”–A Critical Assessment of the Francis Pontificate

“Paradigm Shift”–A Critical Assessment of the Francis Pontificate 1

  Pope Francis’s “Paradigm Shift”: Continuity or Rupture in the Mission of the Church? An Assessment of His Pontificate’s First Five Years.   Pope Francis places Catholics in a dilemma. Many have the very understandable, indeed holy, desire to obey the Successor of Saint Peter. At the same time, Pope Francis seems … Read more