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I'm always curious to see the Church in its most ancient settings, and I couldn't help but notice the work of Pope Shenouda III over the years. I'm afraid that the new guy has his work cut out for him.Egypt's Copts choose new pope for uncertain timesNov 4, 12:51 PM (ET ( Read more... )

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Opening of the Second Vatican Council, an event that has rightly been called the major religious event of the 20th century, and which went a long way to restoring the thriving diversity of the ancient and medieval periods to the life of the Church, which was increasingly mired in early modern political forms ( Read more... )

Been reading Rowan Williams, now finishing up his time as Archbishop of Canterbury, and about him. Wanted to jot a few passages down, such as this precise critique of the anthropological assumptions underlying peace movements (and the political and cultural Left more broadly, perhaps?) since the 1960s: When, in the late sixties and early seventies ( Read more... )

Here are two columns from The National Catholic Reporter that were worth reading and saving. The first is striking, especially as I go through this nasty surgery process. From the title, I expected "Manger/Baby Jesus" sentimentality. But in St. Paul's terms, this was meat, not milk. And good stuff. The second is a sensible article from John ( Read more... )

Ah! I'm pleased that one of the secret pieces of good news I've been carrying around in my head has finally gone public. Now I can shout my pride to the world that one of my best friends has done good (even though he is now threatening to professionally hound me!):BC Grad Goldschmidt to Lead C21 CenterBy Kathleen Sullivan | Chronicle Staff ( Read more... )

A good John Allen commentary on a more realistic sense of what's going on in implementing accountability in the Catholic Church with regard to the Church's involvement in our culture's sexual abuse crisis.The Policy Myth versus 'Accountability with Teeth'by John L Allen Jr [1] on Sep. 09, 2011 All Things Catholic ( Read more... )

I haven't heard about persecution by the Chinese government getting much better, though I'd be happy if that were true. And pray God that no one ever sees the inside of these Chinese prisons and endure what's done to prisoners there. But I'm a bit alarmed to hear Cardinal Zen in Hong Kong use the word "war." That doesn't bode well ( Read more... )

I actually remember having the thought. It was the spring of 1994 and I was taking Richard McBrien's Ecclesiology course at Notre Dame, which was hugely significant for me in connecting Vatican II and the contemporary Catholic Church with the patristic roots of the Church - all the ancient sources of Christianity that I had been reading and ( Read more... )

This last week or two has been distinctly pleasurable for me on an academic level. The Mardi Gras holiday gave me a bit of extra time, after the grading chores and such were done, to engage in reading that wasn't directly linked to prepping for my classes. Chapters from Michael Burleigh's Sacred Causes: The Clash of Religion and Politics, from ( Read more... )