Reflections on life, meaning and purpose

Texas law criminalizing crossing into U.S. from Mexico blocked again

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision late March 19 once again blocking Texas from enforcing its controversial law that makes it a state crime for unauthorized migrants to cross into Texas from Mexico. Earlier the same day, a divided U.S. Supreme Court March 19 lifted its temporary pause on the law […]

Vatican disputes report Pope Francis will travel to Russia to meet Putin

Pope Francis has not accepted an invitation to travel to Moscow in June to meet with Vladimir Putin, the director of the Holy See press office said. A report on the website of Intelligence Online, a French journal, “does not correspond to the truth,” Matteo Bruni told reporters March 20. A story on the website […]

New Biden rules restrict faith-based federal contractors (City Journal)

Writing in the City Journal, Nicole Stelle Garnett explains how new rules issued by the Biden administration restrict the autonomy of faith-based organizations that receive federal funds for social programs. The new rules put pressure on religious organization to secularize, and limit their freedom to hire only employees who share their religious belieffs.

Texas priest suspended after calling Pope ‘usurper’ (Crux)

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, Texas, has suspended a priest who has referred to Pope Francis as a “usurper.” Father John Mary Foster had established a religious community known as the Mission of Divine Mercy, and posted online statements that he said were “prophetic messages” from God. The archbishop has removed the priest’s faculties […]

New statutes for Roman basilica of St. Mary Major (Vatican Press Office)

Pope Francis has issued new statutes for the clerics of St. Mary Major basilica in Rome, to ensure that the canons who minister there “may dedicate themselves, fully and with renewed vigor, to the spiritual and pastoral accompaniment that pilgrims from all over the world seek.” The Pontiff has also appointed Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas, a […]

Rupnik worked featured on Vatican News site (Catholic World Report)

On the feast of St. Joseph, the Vatican News site featured an image from the studio of the disgraced former Jesuit, Father Marko Rupnik. Writing in Catholic World Report, Christopher Altieri remarks: “It is getting more and more difficult to imagine how the Vatican types from Pope Francis on down could possibly mean it when […]