“I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen!” By Robert Wiesner St. Paul states in First Corinthians (15:17) “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” The resurrection of Jesus is the single most astounding and important miracle He [...]
By Matthew Trojacek Moscow Patriarchate seeks to “open more parishes” across Africa Amid songs and dances, a diplomatic-plated car pulled up in front of a church in Akpakpa, a suburb of Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. Exiting with a smile, Constantin of Zaraïsk, Metropolitan of the Russian Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa and representative of the [...]
By Peter Anderson On October 26, 2024, the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church issued its Final Document on the subject, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.” The Final Document is the culmination of a long process that began three years ago and [...]
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins By Robert Wiesner The history of water, beginning with Creation itself, provides a sort of unifying theme throughout salvation history. At the very beginning, we find the Holy Spirit brooding over the primordial waters, already prefiguring the vital role water is to play for humanity: water is [...]
By Matthew Trojacek Pope Francis meets Middle East Catholic bishops amid fears of all-out war in region August 28, 2024. Vatican. Led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (above left), Pope Francis met with the Latin rite Catholic leaders of several Middle Eastern and Arabic-speaking countries Pope Francis met August 28 with the Latin-rite Catholic leaders [...]
By Peter Anderson Building of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. (Photo: Wikipedia) On Sunday, August 25, Pope Francis at the end of his Angelus address expressed his concerns about a law recently adopted in Ukraine. He stated: “I continue to follow with sorrow the fighting in Ukraine and the Russian Federation. And in [...]
"I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" By Robert Wiesner ”The Divine Trinity” in this 1905 Neo-Gothic back of the Klaren Altar in Cologne’s Dom by artist Wilhelm Mengelberg These four marks of the Messiah’s Church have been a part of Christian belief from early times without any notable dissent; their inclusion [...]
By Matthew Trojacek The dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, already put in crisis by the latter's support for the invasion of Ukraine, is becoming more complicated after the release of the document Fiducia supplicans on blessing same-sex couples. Here, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, on a peace mission to Moscow on Pope Francis' behalf, speaks with Russian [...]
By Peter Anderson In this icon we see the face of Christ between the Fathers of the Western and Eastern Church In the early Christian Church, the primary organizational structure was the “diocese” – an area under the jurisdiction of a single bishop. However, certain dioceses were more important than others. The First Ecumenical [...]
"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the lord the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father" By Robert Wiesner Thus begins the answer to Macedonianism, laid down by the Fathers of the Council of Constantinople in the year 381. The gathered bishops of course were aware of the existence of the Third Person of the [...]
