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Category Archives: Church News
The Latest on FP
The piling on of Frank Pavone continues: sexual misconduct added to blasphemy and disobedience, and one of the best summations I’ve read: Thus Pavone was a priest meant for the age of Trump. He became a Republican political hack who … Continue reading
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Cardinal Pell Moves Forward
Another well-known church figure has died and moves into eternal glory. Cardinal Pell has been the subject of a few bits on this site, mostly in the early to mid-2010s. He was part of a group of bishops that tinkered … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News
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American Magi, Vatican Babies
While American Catholics were doing Magi and hearts throbbing, Pope Francis was ahead of our game, baptizing infants in the Sistine Chapel. How long has that tradition been in place now? Dear parents, thank you for bringing your children here … Continue reading
Posted in Christmas, Church News
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It Was a Temporary Thing, After All
My wife showed me the news piece last night of Frank Pavone being dismissed from Holy Orders. The reasons? Blasphemy and disobedience. (Which of the two is more serious, do you think?) I hadn’t remembered he had turned up so … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News, Politics
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Ecclesiastical Maps
Move and merge. A bit to the south of me, I heard Bishop Robert Barron has scored a huge anonymous donation to acquire land and build a new pastoral center nearer the center of his Winona-Rochester diocese. Seems to me … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News
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Not Lobbies
DDWDS head Arthur Roche’s red hat day comment: But you know, you touch this area, and everyone starts screaming. That should tell us something straight away. What is this, that’s almost becoming hysterical? Because the Church has decreed at its … Continue reading
Posted in Church News, Liturgy
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The Innocents of War
I see Pope Francis taking a bit of heat for referring to Darya Dugina, a Russian nationalist and vocal supporter of war, as an innocent. What is the distinction between a soldier who pulls a trigger, and a citizen who … Continue reading
Posted in Church News, Peace, Politics
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The Role of Women and the Tide
I saw a few posts in social media this week on the various local iterations of the universal synod. The topic was and is the role of women. Another lay person, a non-woman, wrote this: I will climb on this … Continue reading
Posted in Church News, Ministry, Politics, synodality
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Revival
The three-year USCCB Eucharistic Revival began yesterday, or a bit earlier maybe. There’s a website already up. I noticed Notre Dame theologian Tim O’Malley suggesting catechesis alone isn’t going to cut it. His meme is a “Eucharistic culture.” The bishops … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News, Commentary
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New Neighbor
My wife, not Liam, not the whisperer, broke the news to me this morning. One of my favorite authors will be my new neighbor in Minnesota. Bishop Barron can strike the “auxiliary” from his office; he’s to be in charge … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News
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Red Hat to California
So, a California bishop gets a red hat, and he’s not an arch. A social media friend asked, “Is he liberal? Conservative? Pastoral? Rigid?” I responded that he appears reasonable and he listens. Plus, the Catholic Right have already labelled … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News, Commentary
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Membership Privileges Revoked
While no one objects that a bishop has the power to excommunicate, or even in some cases put a parish or community under interdict, the question a lot of people are asking is this: is it a prudent move? I … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News, Politics
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New Document on Liturgical Formation?
A Spanish language interview with CDWDS head Arthur Roche intrigued me for a few details. First, that a liturgy document on formation is in the works. (T)wo years ago, the Holy Father asked this Congregation to hold a plenary meeting … Continue reading
Posted in Church News, Liturgy
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Mother’s Day, Inclusion and Exclusion
Inevitably, a day like Mother’s Day invites the occasional complaint. I remember one person in a parish long ago who seemed desperate to be a mother. She was middle-aged and not married. She also objected to the Mother’s Day blessing … Continue reading
Posted in Church News, Commentary
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Catholic Sensibility 
Frank Pavone Responds
Poking around a bit after the sensational news of Frank Pavone being laicized, I found this open letter. I’m not enough of a celebrity-hanger-on or a critic or a church insider to know the full story. But I did find … Continue reading →