Discover

American Catholic priests are becoming more conservative, even as their flocks are becoming more liberal. U.S. Catholic bishops elected conservative leaders last month, continuing to resist a push from Pope Francis to put social issues such as climate change and poverty on par with the bishops’ declared priority of opposing abortion.   The U.S. hierarchy’s orientation reflects the wider trend of an American clergy with values at odds with those of an increasingly liberal laity and a pope who has encouraged the questioning of once-taboo subjects and leniency on some teachings of sexual morality. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops declined to comment. St. John Paul II, a champion of traditional Catholic doctrine, visiting the U.S. in 1987. Photo: Bob Galbrait...

Clarence opens our eyes to the reality that our virtuous actions are not done in a vacuum; they help heal the world. Even after repeated viewings, It’s A Wonderful Life refuses to grow stale in our hearts. The film is so rich that we can discover something in the tenth viewing we failed to notice in the ninth. Perhaps that is because — though each frame of the film remains identical — we have grown. Each viewing prompts new ideas and questions. Lately, I have begun to ponder the question: Who is the hero of the movie? Over the years, I have pridefully identified with George Bailey. After all, we both have big families; we both worked in the financial services industry in tiny towns; we both served the little guy, rather than mega-millionaires and corporate titans. George is the hero, right...

As disturbing abuse allegations against Fr. Marko Rupnik, SJ, became more well-known, Catholics around the world are asking – again – ‘What happened?’ How is it that a priest accused of serially abusing religious sisters was allowed to continue in a prominent ministry of celebrity, in which Rupnik has enjoyed appointments as a consultor to Vatican departments, designed high-profile Vatican logos, and been feted globally as a spiritual and artistic master — despite his declared excommunication for sacramental and sexual misconduct, and the appalling allegations of spiritual and sexual abuse? How could this kind of allegation be mishandled in the Church — again? Who is to blame? Who dropped the ball? With respect to more strait-laced readers — What the hell is going on around her...

A special classic episode of ‘Dragnet’ offers an unexpectedly sweet ending for Christmas. A Catholic parish’s report of a missing Baby Jesus statue from its Nativity scene might not be a top police priority right now as we reach the weary end of a year marked by vandalism against churches and pregnancy resource centers, surging crime and police staffing reductions. But in 1953 a primetime radio program told the true story of how two California police officers did take such a report from a Catholic priest seriously and spent a lot of time trying to get a worn statue of little monetary value back into the manger for Christmas Mass. The Dec. 22, 1953, radio episode of Dragnet, entitled “The Big Little Jesus,” has an unexpectedly sweet ending that offers evidence that the entertainment media o...

Here are the books I consider to be the seven pillars of wisdom on which Western civilization is built. This past week I gave a lecture on “Why Shakespeare Matters” at Colorado Christian University. In the dinner prior to the talk, the president of the university asked me to name what I considered to be the six foundational texts of Western civilization. Scurrying and scrambling to pull from the top of my head six titles that could plausibly fit the bill, I thought that such an exercise might provide inspiration for a thought-provoking essay. Permitting myself a little poetic license or literary leeway, I’ve allowed myself seven texts, not six. With an appropriate deferential nod to T. E. Lawrence, here are what I consider to be the seven pillars of wisdom on which Western civilization is ...

“All these years we’ve been so generous. I’m afraid we’ve given all our wealth away. I’m afraid we have no more to give.”Winter Cherries, as told by Odds Bodkin May this problem—one that brings into focus an amazing aspect of the gift of Christmas—be one we might have to face. Every year we listen to the story of Sir Cleges and his wife Dame Claris as wonderfully retold by Odds Bodkin in ‘Winter Cherries.’ I always cry. As Christmas approaches the old knight and his wife realize their generosity has outstripped their means. “You mean, we’re poor as well?”“I’m afraid we are.”“But the little children…”Sir Cleges’ thoughts go immediately to the little children. So he goes outside and kneels in the snow. “Oh Lord, I’m old, I’ve not got many more years. All I want is to spend the rest of my day...