Exiled Nicaraguan bishop asks world’s bishops ‘not to abandon us’ as wave of priest arrests ends year in dictator-run country
Since Christmas, Nicaraguan police and paramilitaries have detained more than a dozen priests, including an archdiocesan vicar, as the Sandinista regime escalates a campaign of terror against the Catholic Church — an institution it has struggled to subdue. Reuters reported in the afternoon of Dec. 30 that the number of priests detained numbered 12 in […]
Pope’s January prayer intention: For gift of diversity in the Church
Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of January, and invites Christians to embrace the diversity of charisms in the Church as a richness. Read all
A Weber for Our Times?
A Weber for Our Times? By Maeve Cooke December 26, 2023 Political scientist Wendy Brown is a relentless critic of neoliberalism, well known for her interrogations of power, citizenship, and political identity in contemporary liberal democracies. Given these theoretical and political leanings, the focus of her latest book may come as a surprise. Based on […]
The Poet Laureate of Losers
The Poet Laureate of Losers By Rand Richards Cooper December 27, 2023 There’s a fascinating scene late in Sideways, Alexander Payne’s 2005 hit comedy about two old college pals on a disastrous road trip through California wine country. Payne’s antihero is Miles (Paul Giamatti), a failed novelist whose real passion is wine; a nebbishy introvert, […]
The Poet’s Place
The Poet’s Place By Adam Fleming Petty December 27, 2023 Some friends and I have a running argument about Amanda Gorman, the young poet who read at Joe Biden’s inauguration. Gorman, they say, is not exactly a great poet. “The Hill We Climb,” the poem she read at the National Mall before thousands of spectators […]
ROME SHOT 899
In some places EPIPHANY is the big gift giving day, for obvious reasons. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE WHY? This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, … Read More →
Pornhub would rather block entire states than comply with measures to protect children
Pornhub was recently forced to admit that it has profited from sex trafficking. Every data point indicates that our culture is addicted to sexual violence, and Pornhub has been the primary dealer feeding that addiction.
Finding Mary in the Old Testament
The most obvious references to the Virgin Mary are those that mention her explicitly. These may be few, but they are the most important. Literal references take priority in any doctrinal discussion and are the basis for all other ways of reading Scripture. The Protestant theologian Daniel Migliore reminds us to keep in mind: The […]
Seek refuge in Mary, the Mother of God, Pope preaches in New Year’s homily (Vatican Press Office)
On January 1—the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God—Pope Francis presided at Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, was the principal celebrant. “At the beginning of the time of salvation, there is the Holy Mother of God, our Holy Mother,” Pope Francis preached. “Mother of […]
Pope expresses ‘deep concern’ for Nicaragua following arrests of priests (Vatican News)
Pope Francis expressed “deep concern” for Nicaragua following a Christmas crackdown that saw the arrests of a bishop, 14 priests, and two seminarians. “I have been following with deep concern what is happening in Nicaragua, where bishops and priests have been deprived of their freedom,” the Pope said on January 1, at the conclusion of […]