Many aspects of Pope Francis’ remarkable program of ecclesial renewal weare prefigured in Hans Urs von Balthasar’s vision for the church.
Vatican II
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Pope Leo XIV: The overlooked experiences that will shape his papacy
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Mark Francis, C.S.V., who attended Catholic Theological Union with Leo XIV (then known as Bob Prevost), about the unique education that shaped the future pope.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Seven decades in the classroom: The teaching legacy of Ladislas Orsy, S.J.
In a long life as a priest, teacher and scholar, Ladislas Orsy, S.J., left an impressive legacy at his death last week at the age of 103.
Posted inFaith, News
Report: Man charged in murder of Kansas priest wrote letters railing against Vatican II
An Oklahoma man charged Friday with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Catholic priest wrote letters to a newspaper railing against the Catholic Church reforms of Vatican II and referring to a “strange new version of ‘Catholicism.’”
Posted inFaith, Features
Where is God in the liturgy? A way forward for reform and renewal
How do Catholics in the United States understand the liturgy today? Five different approaches are prominent, but some share more with Pope Francis’ synodal and liturgical vision.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
The move away from the Latin Mass was about more than aesthetics
The Eucharist is not simply a cultural legacy. It is more than a moving performance or a beautiful ritual symbolizing transcendence. And liturgy is more than aesthetics.
Posted inFaith, News
Richard Williamson, excommunicated bishop who denied Holocaust, dies
Richard Williamson, an ultra-traditionalist Catholic bishop whose denial of the Holocaust created a scandal in 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated him and other members of his breakaway society, has died.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Remembering David Lodge, the ‘agnostic Catholic’ who captured the post-Vatican II zeitgeist
David Lodge’s novels—as well as his many works of nonfiction—made him an important figure in 20th-century British literature. He also captured well the angst of many lay Catholics in the aftermath of Vatican II.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Bishop John Cummins and the Catholic history of Oakland
Bishop John Cummins had a significant and lasting impact on the Catholic Church in his own diocese and elsewhere through his quiet leadership and ministry. He was a reminder to many of what Pope Francis meant when he called for bishops who are “pastors, not princes.”
Posted inFaith, Synod Diary
Synod Diary: The synod is going back in order to move forward
Synod observers, especially those who feel like the document has not gone “forward” enough, would do well to learn from Vatican II and its rollout.