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For Cardinal George Pell, being falsely imprisoned and suffering great trials for the past three years taught him that Jesus’ teaching “on many things is absolutely true” and that “the key to life is found in Christ’s words.” Speaking to the Register Dec. 1 in his first lengthy interview with a Catholic publication since his acquittal and release from prison, the former prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy said the Catholic faith “helped keep me going.”  The Australian cardinal was speaking ahead of the release of the first volume of his book Prison Journal, to be published by Ignatius Press in paperback on Dec. 16. The volume covers the period from Feb. 27, 2019, when he was remanded in custody, to July 13, 2019, a month before Victoria’s supreme court upheld his conv...

She’s a footnote in history, but she still makes the news. A few days ago, California’s governor blocked Leslie Van Houten’s release from prison for the second time. His predecessor did the same thing, also twice. She’s been in jail for almost fifty years, for something she did in 1969. Seems extreme to keep a little old lady in prison. Especially when the parole board wants to let her out. But that little old lady helped Charles Manson slaughter people they didn’t even know, and smear their blood on the walls. She served America’s great image of complete evil. You can get the basic story here. Everyone’s horrified now, but some people used to think a lot of Charles Manson. People like Neil Young and the Beach Boy’s Dennis Wilson took him up. Hollywood culture-shapers thought he was cool. ...

Seeking guidance, Leonardo wrote to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who wrote back telling him to “do something beautiful for God.” That Advent, he began performing The Gift of Peace: The First Six Chapters of Saint Luke’s Gospel, a title inspired by Mother Teresa’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. The following Lent, he toured the Northwest with The Passion According to Luke. Forty years and more than 4,000 performances later, Leonardo and his wife, Patti — who met in 1980 as actors at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival — have created 11 dramatic productions about the Gospels and saints, and produced seven films and numerous audio projects (including daily meditations from the writings of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), under their umbrella of Saint Luke Productions. They’ve performed live sho...

Front of Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger Clinic in New York City. Shutterstock It was a scene from hell. It will be hard to forget the man with a sign that read “Abortion is a gift.” It certainly does turn out to be convenient for a man who simply wants to use women for sex. “Abortion is freedom” was one of the other typical signs. Believe me when I tell you that I’ve been to some dark rallies in my time — including the time I took the train back to New York from Washington only to discover that I was in what was essentially the Planned Parenthood express, complete with a woman across from me talking extensively about how Barbara Bush should have aborted George W. What must you have suffered in your life to have such ugly thoughts — and that’s one of the ones you choose to expre...

The art of communication one may argue rests on the ability to deliver and demonstrate objective truth. If we take this premise at face value it would mean that the content of the communication has authentic value and thus is true. In other words, a honest communicator would in effect be able to persuasively present a piece of information and reveal its genuine value. Something comparable to this argument is when someone makes a promise to another person or more appropriately a vow, the person(s) who receive the vow anticipate and rightly so that the promise will be kept and thus honored. This leads us to the first promise we encounter in Sacred Scripture where God promises the coming of a Savior to conquer Satan;  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and...

In a Nov. 20 letter to his parish, Fr. Rutler denied that he “improperly touched” Gonzalez, but said he has offered to “step aside at this moment from my duties” while authorities conduct their investigation. MANHATTAN — A well-known New York City priest is maintaining his innocence amid an investigation into an allegation that he sexually assaulted a female security guard earlier this month. Father George Rutler, pastor of the Church of St. Michael in Manhattan, on Nov. 20 voluntarily stepped aside from his pastoral duties, while prosecutors are investigating the allegations, the Archdiocese of New York told CNA. Ashley Gonzalez, a 22-year-old security guard with MG Security Services, went public Nov. 26 with an allegation that Fr. Rutler forcibly groped her, after she had allegedly seen ...