Vatican publishes new norms to discern alleged supernatural phenomena
The Vatican has published new norms for the church to discern alleged supernatural phenomena, such as Marian apparitions and mystical visions, which streamline the discernment process for bishops, allow the Vatican to avoid making definitive judgments on the authenticity of the events and reaffirm that Catholics are not obliged to believe in the purported phenomena. […]
Pro-life UK groups vow to oppose ‘barbaric’ proposal to list all restrictions on abortion
British pro-life campaigners have vowed to step up opposition to law changes that would lift all restrictions on abortion and called on church leaders to speak up more forcefully. “It’s time to remove the smokescreen of counterfeit compassion — I was delighted to see so many saying no to abortion up to birth,” said Isabel […]
Ecce homo
Early crosses didn’t depict Christ but rather symbolized faith. Today, making the sign of the cross acknowledges our redemption and Christian identity.
Pentecost Sunday reflection: Receive the Holy Spirit
5 May 2024: PENTECOST SUNDAY Readings: Acts2:1-11/Psalm104:1.24.29-30.31.34/1Corinthians12:3b-7.12-13orGal 5:16-25.Sequence:VeniCreatorSpiritus/John20:19-23orJohn15:26-27;16:12-15
Pentecost: What are the fruits of the Holy Spirit?
Christians celebrate this weekend the Pentecost, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the Apostles. Advocate, educator, comforter, liberator… The fruits of the Holy Spirit’s action in each person’s life are many.
Between a “Great Replacement” and a “Great Collapse”: Pope declares 2025 to be a Jubilee Year
A papal bull proclaiming a Jubilee Year in 2025 may, at first glance, seem peculiar, but Pope Francis’ declaration is not only meant as an invitation to hope but also remarkably pertinent in a society often overshadowed by an apocalyptic imagination.
What the Imagination Knows
What the Imagination Knows At the close of his best-selhng travel book, The Great Ratlway Bazaar (1975), Paul Theroux reflects that “… the difference between travel writing and fiction is the difference between recording what the eye sees and discovering what the imagination knows. Fiction is pure joy….” In emphasizing recording and discovenng, in makIng […]
Liberal Catholicism, Beyond the Caricatures
Liberal Catholicism, Beyond the Caricatures The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat is an often-persuasive critic of cultural, political, and religious liberalism, and I welcome the attention he gives to Catholicism in the pages of the paper of record. That said, his instinctive skepticism toward Pope Francis can be vexing. He often casts Francis as […]
Catholic pilgrimages in the United States: a new renaissance?
Catholic pilgrims on the Katy Trail Pilgrimage begin the route from Augusta on Oct. 9, 2023. / Jonah McKeown/CNA CNA Staff, May 17, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA). This weekend, the longest Catholic pilgrimages ever organized in the United States — poss… […]
Religious symbols ban does not violate student rights, says top EU court
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that prohibiting students from wearing religious symbols does not violate their rights.