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For the better part of three plus decades the Catholic Church was known in part as a faith community led by the charismatic figures of John Paul II and his deputy, Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger). Their leadership was defined by many things that can be summed up as the authoritative interpreters of Vatican II, which included things like the New Evangelization, clarity in teaching, new ecclesial movements, reform of seminaries, the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the 1983 Code of Canon Law, forceful diplomacy that reshaped the geopolitical world, the empowerment of the laity, and so much more. George Weigel’s monumental biography of John Paul II, A Witness to Hope, is an important reminder of the expansiveness of the pontificate of John Paul II, which continued with...

Pope Francis greets then-Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik during a private audience at the Vatican in this Jan. 3, 2022, file photo. Rupnik, whose mosaics decorate chapels in the Vatican, all over Europe, in the United States and Australia, is under restricted ministry after being accused of abusing adult nuns in Slovenia. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) The Vatican communications chief, Dr. Paolo Ruffini, faces mounting criticism from voices across the spectrum of opinion in the Church after he defended—on Friday, at the premier Catholic media event of the year in the United States—the use of digital and other reproductions of artwork by the accused serial rapist, Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik. A worldwide public scandal You may not have heard Rupnik’s name, but if you are a Catholic who has darkened the doo...

Readings:Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-132 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15Mark 5:21-24, 35-43 God, who formed us in His imperishable image, did not intend for us to die, we hear in today’s First Reading. Death entered the world through the devil’s envy and Adam and Eve’s sin; as a result, we are all bound to die. But in the moving story in today’s Gospel, we see Jesus liberate a little girl from the possession of death. On one level, Mark is recounting an event that led the disciples to understand Jesus’ authority and power over even the final enemy, death (see 1 Corinthians 15:26). On another level, however, this episode is written to strengthen our hope that we too will be raised from the dead, along with all our loved ones who sleep in Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:18). Jesus comm...

Vatican communications prefect: Removing Rupnik art ‘not the Christian response’ Skip to content The prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication told a group of Catholic journalists Friday that removing artwork by disgraced religious artist and alleged serial sexual abuser Fr. Marko Rupnik is “not the Christian response.” Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, speaks at a synod on synodality briefing at the Vatican on Oct. 14, 2023. Screenshot from Vatican News YouTube channel. Share “I don’t think we have to throw stones, thinking it is the way of healing someone,” said Paolo Ruffini, according to video footage of his remarks obtained by The Pillar. “The Christian faith is saying other things. Jesus said other things.” Ruffini, who since 2018 has hea...

The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles — founded by Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, whose body was discovered last year to be remarkably well-preserved — shared some exciting news in their spring 2024 newsletter: Not only is this burgeoning religious order, with its motherhouse in Gower, Missouri, putting the finishing touches on its Ava, Missouri, monastery and preparing to move into a recently vacated Poor Clare monastery in Evansville, Indiana, but a combination of necessity and Providence has allowed the sisters to expand beyond the United States to England.  Immigration difficulties have exiled some of the order’s sisters who come from countries outside the U.S.; and, in response, Archbishop Bernard Longley of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England, has welcomed the order into ...

The Traditional Latin Mass: Third rail of the Eucharistic Congress? Skip to content Since it was announced, critics of the National Eucharistic Congress have expressed concern that the July event, which coincides with the Republican National Convention, would be co-opted by politics.  A Mass celebrated by a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in Zagreb, Croatia. Servus Tuus via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Some have speculated that Congress talks will take on a partisan tone, or that some speakers will advocate for conservative political engagement. Others have lamented the inevitable comparisons that will be raised between the two national gatherings in late July — the Catholics in Indianapolis, and the Republicans in Milwaukee. Organizers of the Congress, for their part, hav...

From a reader… QUAERITUR: You’re probably the only priest who can properly help me navigate this, given your knowledge of the fine arts, particularly classical music, as well as being solid on Catholic morality. You’re also the only priest whom I know is familiar with Carmina Burana (I saw you mention it in very old posts). I’m slated to perform Carmina Burana along side my city’s philharmonic orchestra in its chorus. I’m feeling uneasy because of the subject matter and the piece that parodies the Ave Maria.  I want to sing it because it’s a major piece of the Canon of Western Music, but I also don’t want to sin and blaspheme Our Lady or anything else sacred. Frankly, the subject matter makes me want to vomit. Navigating the arts, particularly secular choral music that is questionable...

By Phil Lawler ( bio – articles – email ) | Jun 20, 2024 Rome’s rumor mills are buzzing. According to multiple sources, a new Vatican document is being prepared, which would impose still tighter restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). If approved in its current form, our informants tell us, the document would bar diocesan priests from celebrating the TLM; only the communities specially formed around the old liturgy (the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, the Institute of Christ the King, etc.) would be allowed to use the ancient rite. Whether these reports are entirely accurate, and whether the proposed document will gain final approval, remain to be seen. The rumors suggest a publication date in July. But the official publication date of a Vatican d...

By Clement Harrold June 21, 2024 Sometimes we Catholics can struggle with the emphasis the New Testament places on the figure of St. John the Baptist. What makes this quirky, locust-eating prophet such an important figure? To answer this question, it’s worth reflecting on what Jesus Himself says about John the Baptist: I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. (Lk 7:28) In this verse, Jesus discloses a twofold reality: first, John is the fulfillment and indeed the greatest of all the Old Testament prophets; but secondly, even the greatest figures of the Old Covenant lack the depth of spiritual riches available to those of us living in the New Covenant. What makes John the Baptist so amazing, therefore, is ...

Haim was set to make his first court appearance on Monday afternoon, the attorney’s office said. The doctor allegedly “obtained personal information including patient names, treatment codes, and the attending physician” from the Texas children’s hospital without authorization.  He “allegedly obtained this information under false pretenses and with intent to cause malicious harm to TCH,” the press release said.  If convicted, Haim “faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine,” the government said.  Texas has in recent years been at the forefront of the ongoing cultural and legal fight over transgender issues. The Biden administration in 2022 condemned the state policy whereby parents who facilitate “gender transition” medical treatments for chi...

It may come as a surprise to many lay people, and perhaps even priests too, that worldly opposition can come from within the Church.  Pat sits down with his friend Fr. John Riccardo of ACTS XXIX to discuss the different ways we can face this truth, overcome worldly opposition, and avoid being discouraged in the process.  Services Marketplace – Listings, Bookings & Reviews Entertainment blogs & Forums

Spanish nuns accused of schism must appear before tribunal Skip to content Nuns at a Spanish convent accused of embracing schism have been given a June 21 deadline to appear before a Church tribunal, as they face the prospect of excommunication. Monastery of the Poor Clares in the north of Burgos, Spain. Credit: Raul GC / Shutterstock. Three of the nuns, from the Poor Clare convent of Belorado, Spain, were originally expected to appear before the tribunal by June 16, but received an extension, sources close to the case explained to The Pillar.  The nuns announced a separation from the Catholic Church in May of this year, by claiming to fall under the jurisdiction of an excommunicated sedevacantist self-proclaimed bishop, rather than the governance of their actual territorial bishop. T...