Although somewhat unexpected the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to succeed Benedict XVI has the air of a safe compromise decision At age 76 he does not have the physical vibrancy and personal dynamism that a younger man might have brought to Rome Vatican watchers did not consider Be
Kevin Clarke
Kevin Clarke is America’s chief correspondent and the author of Oscar Romero: Love Must Win Out (Liturgical Press).
Posted inSigns Of the Times
Chavez Death Brings New Chance For U.S.-Venezuela Engagement
The passing of Chávez unleashed an epic outpouring of grief among his supporters.
Posted inIn All Things
Pew=Debbie Downer on Things Catholic
While the world ponders smoke signals from Rome the happy wonky warriors at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life have taken it upon themselves to prevent the mood among the world 39 s Catholics from getting too giddy Recent releases from Pew researchers have detailed the things about the chu
Posted inIn All Things
Democrats for Life’s Memo to Gov. Cuomo
Kristen Day the executive director of Democrats for Life of America offers some unsolicited advice in the Daily News to N Y Governor Andrew Cuomo as he seeks to extend some of the most permissive abortion laws in the nation In his second State of the State address in 2012 Gov Cuomo said that o
Posted inIn All Things
North Korea Comes Unglued; SK Church Calls for Dialogue
North Korean stalwart China joined the United States in a unanimous U N Security Council vote for tougher sanctions against North Korea on March 8 targeting the secretive nation 39 s nuclear program Just hours before the Kim regime in Pyongyang threatened a possible quot preemptive nuclear att
Posted inFrom Our Archives
The Emergency Contraception Question: When is it licit and when is it not?
A Feb. 21 decision by German bishops to allow emergency contraception to be administered to victims of sexual assault was a surprise to many Catholics, who saw it perhaps as an opening in the church’s monolithic rejection of contraception. They may have been further surprised when church offic
Posted inIn All Things
A Dolan Detente?
Are more cordial relations possible in the near term between New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and President Obama? The administration and the U.S. bishops have been at loggerheads over a Department of Health and Human Services mandate for cost-free contraception in new health insurance plans and have seemed to have had more than a few brittle moments during the 2012 election. After H.H.S. recently took another crack at revising exemptions and accommodations for religious employers in its mandated coverage, Cardinal Dolan, while not signing on to the latest revision, seemed to tone down the confrontational rhetoric a notch or two, offering to continue to work with the Obama administration to find a resolution that was amenable to the consciences of all parties. That more conciliatory stance was encouraged publicly by two bishops.
Posted inIn All Things
German Spring?
Two events out of the Spring meeting of the German Bishops Conference in the western town of Trier are worth noting today A diaconate for women was proposed by Cardinal Walter Kasper during a study day on Feb 21 discussing how to involve more women in church life today Kasper spoke of a ldquo dea
Posted inIn All Things
NY’s Dolan in Gun Control Plea
Highlighting the president rsquo s quot call for sensible steps on gun control quot in his State of the Union address mdash and similar actions by NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg mdash N Y Cardinal Tim Dolan added his voice to those appealing for stricter gun regulation He
Posted inIn All Things
CHA notes ‘substantial progress’ on HHS revisions
In a statement released today the Catholic Health Association reports that it will continue to study the recent revision of HHS guidelines on the exemption from its contraception mandate for health insurance by religious employers but notes quot substantial progress quot in Obama administraiton p