The passing of the personal secretary of Pope John XXIII on May 26 at the age of 100 brings a period of Church history, the period of Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council, to a close. What next? Robert Moynihan “There was a second envelope.” —The late Cardinal Loris Capovilla, speaking to [...]
Throughout the Church, there is intense debate over the new Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”). Some see it as a “rupture” with the Church’s doctrinal tradition, while others say that isn’t true... Robert Moynihan “My great joy as a result of this document resides in the fact that [...]
Robert Moynihan The great predicament in our modern age is less a belief that we moderns are “like gods” than it is a conviction that we are like animals, ruled by instinct — that we have no free will. But Christian belief is that man is in fact free... The early Church universally held [...]
Robert Moynihan On February 12, 2016, Pope Francis met with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill at the airport in Havana, Cuba. It was the first time a Roman Pope has ever met a Russian Orthodox Patriarch. What now? “In the contemporary world, which is both multiform yet united by a shared destiny, Catholics and Orthodox [...]
Pope Paul VI promulgated the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, known by its first words Lumen Gentium (“The Light of the Nations”) on November 21, 1964 —51 years ago. What did it say? “Christ is the Light of nations.” —First words of Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, promulgated by Pope [...]
May 5, 2015, Tuesday — In Praise of Bad Catholics Here below is a copy of the editorial in the May issue of Inside the Vatican magazine, which is about to be mailed. May 2015 Editorial, Inside the Vatican magazine In Praise of Bad Catholics We live in a strange time, with traditional words like “mother” [...]
“He didn’t have any fear of my illness. He embraced me without speaking... I quivered. I felt a great warmth... I felt like I was in paradise.”—Vinicio Riva, 53, who suffers from disfiguring boils on the skin, explaining how he felt as Pope Francis hugged him during a papal audience in Rome on November 6 “I [...]
Pat Morse and Pope John Paul II “The level of commitment required is determined by the value of the prize we seek.” —George “Pat” Morse, on the effort needed to prepare for death. From the moment of our birth, we are moving inexorably toward the most important event in our lives: our “Death.” [...]
“Stay quiet, marine. You will be OK. God is with us all this day.” — Father Vincent Capodanno, last words, spoken to a wounded marine on a battlefield in Vietnam 46 years ago in 1967. A few seconds later, Capodanno was shot and killed. On June 14 in Vietnam, not far from the spot where he [...]
August-September 2012 -- Editorial -- Benedict is spending his summer at Castle Grandolfo outside Rome, preparing for a trip to Lebanon in September and for the "Year of Faith" beginning in October. He is also working on his book on Jesus. Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass after the pallium ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica on [...]