Politics
Beyond Left and Right: Awaiting the Pope’s Next Encyclical
G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “The whole modern world has divided itself into conservatives and progressives. The business of progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected.” The tired categories of Left and Right, which we associate with Liberal (or Progressive) and … READ MORE >
Faith
Meeting the War Wearied with Christ
“eternally scourged…” Plate 3 Miserere et Guerre—Georges Rouault (1871-1958) One day last week I stood in front of St. Stephen Martyr Church in D.C. with a young religious sister and the pastor of the parish. The scene would have made for a typical beginning to a joke, “A priest, a nun, and a friar, were…” We were talking, laughing, … READ MORE >
Faith
Gazing Upwards: The Pope’s Homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Although I’d followed Pope Benedict from event to event during his visit to the U.S., one of the most moving moments for me was watching him on TV as he delivered what I believe was his most personal statement, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. As pastor of the Universal Church, the Pope is most at home with the Eucharist and the … READ MORE >
Faith
After the Pope: Time to Hit the Books?
It’s going to take a while for all (or any) of us to absorb the significance of Benedict XIV’s first apostolic visit to the United States. Unlike his predecessor, the larger-than-life John Paul the Great, who from the first displayed an actor’s genius for what one observer described as “the symbolic gesture”, Benedict’s public demeanor is … READ MORE >
Faith
Valedictory to Pope Benedict XVI
What made me weep, as I watched television coverage of Pope Benedict’s visit, was the simple act of the pope giving communion to people. The news media relayed many over-the-top comments about what the pope’s visit meant: “It’s like Jesus coming to America.” I wrote a panegyric myself about Benedict’s gifts. But Pope Benedict’s … READ MORE >
Culture
‘The Father of the World’—The Pope at the U.N.
As I listened to the Pope’s U.N. address, while driving through Manhattan with Godspy editors John Romanowsky and John Murphy, and my son Gianni, on our way to videotape among the crowds at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, just outside U.N. headquarters, I thought to myself—what could I possibly write about the Pope’s astonishingly deep and complex … READ MORE >
Faith
Following Christ in the Footsteps of Peter
I am not a morning person, but this morning I extracted myself from the warmth of slumber at 4:30. I dragged myself to the shower and groggily went out into the chill. My destination was Annunciation Parish in Northwest Washington. There a happy party of about 100 waited to board buses to go to the residence of the Vatican nuncio. We were … READ MORE >
Faith
Reflections on the Pope as he is about to speak at the United Nations
When I first heard that Cardinal Ratzinger had been elected to the papacy, my reaction was, “Good. We’re going to stick it to the liberals!” There had been so much discussion following John Paul II’s death about whether the Church would now accommodate herself to the secular city via women’s ordination, etc., that I could only … READ MORE >
Faith
With the Pope at Nationals Park
1:30 p.m. I’m just back to St. Stephen Martyr from the Pope’s mass at Nationals Park. Without a ticket to get inside the stadium, I watched the mass on a giant TV screen set-up just outside the security gates. (My homemade sign reading “Prayers for a Ticket” didn’t land me any supernatural luck – just what I get for trying to … READ MORE >
Faith
How the Media is Missing the Pope’s Radical Critique of American Religion
I sometimes think that Catholic theology operates on a super high frequency that just doesn’t register on some people’s hearing. That’s the conclusion I came to when I read veteran NY Times Vatican-beat reporter Alessandra Stanley’s summing up of the papal visit so far. Comparing it to Prince Charles’ second wedding to Camilla Parker … READ MORE >
Faith
Close to Benedict at the Basilica
9:30 pm. I’m beat and a more than a bit sunburned after a day spent in hot pursuit of the popemobile through Washington D.C. This afternoon I was on the campus of Catholic University, where Pope Benedict arrived at around 5:30 to attend Vespers and address the US Catholic bishops in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate … READ MORE >
Faith
The Pope’s Birthday Party
11:50. am In roughly fifteen minutes the popemobile will pass by. I walked down Pennsylvania Ave. towards the White House this morning and the mood is electric. Thousands of people line the sidewalk behind the barricades, holding aloft the Vatican flag and chanting “Viva il Papa!” Praise music is the soundtrack (and lots of ‘Happy Birthdays’): … READ MORE >
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