Anglicans meet Rome’s Big Ben
Father Peter Toon is a strict traditionalist in all things liturgical, which is fitting since he leads the Society for the Preservation of the Book of Common Prayer. Thus, the Anglican priest has...
View ArticleThe popes and evolution, part I
Editor’s note: The first of two columns. Vatican watchers pay close attention to the sermons a pope preaches during the historic rites that immediately follow his election. Yet few flinched when Pope...
View ArticleThe popes and evolution, part II
It would be hard to name two more radically different men than the late Pope John Paul II and New York Times columnist Frank Rich. Nevertheless, the acerbic culture-beat scribe did his best to say...
View ArticleWas Ahmadinejad story left behind?
Imagine the following event in your mind’s eye. President George W. Bush is addressing the United Nations amid global tensions about nuclear weapons. He closes with evangelical language that expresses...
View ArticleA Catholic education flashback
The young pope was friendly, but blunt, as he faced the 240 college leaders from across the nation who gathered at Catholic University to hear his thoughts on faith and academic freedom. “Every...
View ArticleBig Ben preaches human rights
It would be hard to pick a more symbolic moment to join the church than during an Easter Vigil Mass — the high point of the ancient Christian calendar. Thus, the pope traditionally baptizes several new...
View ArticleSearching for Catholic sins
One tough challenge that Catholic shepherds face, Pope Benedict XVI said this past Lent, is that their flocks live in an age “in which the loss of the sense of sin is unfortunately becoming...
View ArticleThe pope, Twitter and what comes next
As soon as Pope Benedict XVI announced he would surrender St. Peter’s throne, messages stopped flowing to the 1.5 million or so readers following his newborn @Pontifex feed at Twitter. This wasn’t...
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