News from the war front, suggesting the imminent danger of a wider war. Below is an article about recent drone attacks deep inside of Russia, presaging an expansion of the war... And, below that, a news analysis from Italy critical of Pope Francis' efforts to try by whatever means possible to reach some sort of [...]
"It is contrary to a 'truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith' to reject or condemn 'a theology of eucharistic coherence that multiplies barriers to the grace and gift of the eucharist,' as if no such barriers existed. They do exist, and they are a matter of divine revelation." —The central [...]
The late Fr. Alfred Kunz in front of his parish garden. Kunz was murdered 25 years ago on March 4, 1998, at the age of 67. The case has never been solved "Man's days are like those of grass; like a flower of the field he blooms; the wind sweeps over him and he is [...]
(Photograph by Dmitri Kessel, 1954) Pope Paul VI with Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro (1891-1976). Lercaro served as Archbishop of Ravenna from 1947 to 1952 and of Bologna from 1952 to 1968. Pope Pius XII made him a cardinal in 1953. Lercaro's reputation as an outspoken critic of communism is believed to have been a contributing factor in Pius's decision to [...]
Some of you may already of heard of a struggle between Church authorities and a group of 13 Catholic Benedictine nuns in Tuscany, Italy, whose life in their convent has become difficult in part, it appears, because somebody would like to sell the monastery where they have been living for a great deal of money. [...]
"You do a lot of good for the Church and I’m grateful, but publishing Vigano’s very disturbed rants might be moving into the area of partaking in his sin." —A friend, a Catholic theologian, writing to me a few days ago, asking me to cease publishing the letters of Archbishop Viganò "A Catholic who is [...]
The Chinese government on February 24 — the 1-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022 — published a 12-point "Position of the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," that is, a proposed Chinese framework for a ceasefire in the war and the beginning of peace talks. The US leadership [...]
Letter #57, 2023 Fri Feb 24: Francis in Hungary? The article below reports that, according to not yet validated Vatican sources, a papal trip to Hungary is "in the cards" for late April. That would bring Pope Francis into one of the key "hinge countries" in Europe right now, the Hungary of Prime Minister Viktor [...]
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, one of the Holy See's top diplomats; Caccia gave an address to the UN in New York on Wednesday, two days ago, as we were drawing closer to the 1-year anniversary of the start of the terrible war in Ukraine, which is today... Letter #56, 2023 Friday, February 24: Ukraine One of [...]
"If Christians walk together, as the two disciples of Emmaus did, they will be accompanied by Christ, who will support, motivate and complete their journey." —Pope Francis, to young priests and monks of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, who were visiting Rome in recent days. Letter #55, 2023 Thursday, February 23: Orthodox Today in Rome, [...]
