Despite changing times, the Church's perennial teaching has never changed By Thomas Storck* In the 1745 encyclical of Pope Benedict XIV, Vix Pervenit, he argues that “One cannot condone the sin of usury by arguing that the gain is not great or excessive...” Insofar as people think about usury today, it is usually understood [...]
Leo XIII condemned it; how will Leo XIV approach it? By Aurelio Porfiri The Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, donated by the French in 1884. At the election of the new American Pontiff, many were struck by his choice of name: Leo XIV. Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878-1903) Indeed, the [...]
As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI tried to remind us in 2018, "The state of Israel cannot be regarded as the fulfillment of God's promise of land" By Matthew Tsakanikas, STD* The Church's closeness to Palestinian Christian communities: Pope Francis celebrates Holy Mass in Bethlehem in 2014 in Manger Square. Behind him, a giant image of [...]
The modern papacy is actually a product of centuries of change By Darrick Taylor, Ph.D.* Pope Leo XIII (r. 1873 to 1903) addressed the great social questions of his time in a series of encyclicals. Pope Leo XIV chose his papal name as a nod to Leo XIII The election of Pope Leo [...]
Epiphany celebrates Jesus’ first appearance to the Gentiles, as represented by the Magi, while the Eastern Churches commemorate the Baptism of Christ, where the Father and the Holy Spirit give combined testimony to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt. 2:1-12 Homily starter anecdote “Because you never know what’s going [...]
