Posts
Pope Francis, Meet Facebook
You may have heard that Pope Francis recently met with Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and his wife, Priscilla Chan. While many news sources covered this meeting, The Atlantic published a thoughtful essay on the event that I encourage…
A Great Benefit of Having a Universal Church
It seems clear that God is permitting a loss of the Universal Catholic Faith in one part of the world, while fueling its growth in another. The growth is seen in the Southern Hemisphere and the loss of faith in the Northern Hemisphere, where…
Outdoor Weddings and the Theology of Encounter
In an effort to integrate young Catholic couples into the parish community and educate them in the Faith, Bishop George Leo Thomas of the Diocese of Helena has decided to allow some weddings to take place at suitable outdoor locations, provided…
Pope Francis, SSPX, and a Charism of Dialogue
Some headlines catch my eye and strike me as “micro” trends. In and of themselves, they may not be earth-shaking issues, but they hint at other trends that could be significant. Such is the case with the past week’s headlines regarding…
Why is the Popularity of Pope Francis Dropping?
Recently, YouGov released a survey on the world’s most admired men, and while last year, Pope Francis ranked number six on the list, this year his position fell to thirteenth. Crux covers this in a recent article, explaining that this is the…
A New Type of Seminarian?
It’s now a little more than three years since the world was introduced to Pope Francis. It has been a fascinating, engaging and, at times, somewhat bumpy ride for many. The world’s increased interest level in the Catholic Church because…
Roles for Women in the Church
In light of what we have recently been hearing from Pope Francis regarding certain aspects of the Church’s life, the issue of the role of women in the Catholic Church will surely continue to be in the news. In the past week, I have seen saw…
Italian Catholics on the Decline Despite Pope Francis’ Popularity
When people think of Italy, a few things often come to mind—pasta, wine, coffee, and the pope. It might come as a surprise, then, that a recent poll found that only fifty percent of Italians call themselves Catholic. A recent RNS article highlights…