New Advent

When Benedict meets Barack

2009-07-10T01:58:08Z

With President Obama and Pope Benedict about to have their first face-to-face meeting tomorrow, commentators are weighing in on What It Will Mean. Here's the WaPo's (Catholic columnist) E.J. Dionne: Whether he is the beneficiary of providence or merely good luck...

Obama's Saintly Gift

2009-07-10T02:29:23Z

In this Year of the Priest, leave it to the POTUS to give the Pope a simple stole with a notable history: During President Barack Obama's July 10 meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, he will present the pope with a stole that was placed on the remains of St. John Neumann. "It's a delight that something of one of our Redemptorist saints would be given to our Holy Father...

The $64,000 question from Benedict's encyclical, and other Vatican goings-on

2009-07-09T20:41:39Z

[ Note: John Allen is in Rome covering the visit Friday of President Barack Obama to Pope Benedict XVI. Watch the NCR web site for his breaking news reports.] Now that Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical on the economy, Caritas in Veritate, is finally out, the predictable war of spin is well underway.

Female "Bishop" desecrates Mass in Linz

2009-07-09T05:43:56Z

From Catholic Church Conservation: In haste, late at night from the Upper Austrian News. The Sunday worship celebration in the Parish of St. Peter in Linz did not make the excommunicated "Bishop" Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger as happy as she would have wished. Bishop Ludwig Schwarz refused her communion with the Host.

Ecclesia Dei, Ecclesia Doctrina: Econe's New "Holy Office"

2009-07-09T02:30:28Z

...and just like that, an already full week got fuller still at Roman Noon. On the heels of yesterday's encyclical, this morning's Daily Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office carried another much-awaited text: the Pope's delayed motu proprio decree uniting the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei -- the Vatican organ overseeing all things traditionalist --...

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Pleasure

2009-07-08T21:28:49Z

When my siblings and I were young, we had no TV; my folks did not take us to the movies, and we loved spending time at home and with our young cousins. Were we rich or poor? We did not know nor did we ever think about it: The words meant absolutely nothing to us.

John L. Allen of NCR on the restructuring of the PCED

2009-07-08T18:46:43Z

My friend the nearly ubiquitous John L. Allen, normally fair-minded former Rome correspondent for the dissenting National Catholic Reporter has an article on the restructuring of the Pontifical Commission " Ecclesia Dei ". Let's have a look with my emphases and comments .

Everything I Know About Parenting I Learned from Mythbusters

2009-07-07T11:30:14Z

Image: Discovery Channel The geek cult around Mythbusters extends beyond the myths, urban legends, and movie magic that hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage bust on the Discovery Channel. Through their science and creativity, the lessons learned on that show are also inspiration for parenting.

On the Sheer Implausibility of George Weigel's Story

2009-07-08T20:42:26Z

In his 1989 book, Catholicism and the Renewal of American Democracy, George Weigel describes then-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as a "precise man" and that we should expect that the good Cardinal chooses and uses words "precisely" (p. 15). Roughly sixteen years later, at the election of Cardinal Ratzinger to the papacy...

Video: Muhammed comes to Dearborn

2009-07-08T20:37:18Z

Going back to the time of Muhammad, whenever the population of Muslims becomes significant, followers of other religions are suppressed, and the proclamation of non-Muslim beliefs is forbidden. This second-class status for non-Muslims is prescribed by Sharia, and the victims are called "dhimmis."

The writing of Caritas in Veritate according to George Weigel

2009-07-08T03:43:58Z

Somehow, George Weigel saw something we didn't...

Amazon River Dated to 11 Million Years Old

2009-07-08T19:15:49Z

The Amazon River, said by some to be Earth's longest river, is 11 million years old, according to a new study.

Summer Reading Lists for 2009

2009-07-08T21:34:05Z

I love this time of the year, because this is when I am usually mulling over many titles and trying to decide if I want to challenge myself a little over the summer, or just feed my brain candy. As you can see from my piece on Caritas in Veritate, I do like my brain candy!

Video: Canadian Prime Minister pockets consecrated host!

2009-07-08T19:00:00Z

Much more than a faux pas: LifeSiteNews: Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in hot water over a video that caught him taking Holy Communion in a Catholic Church, despite being a non-Catholic Christian. To make matters worse, the video shows him walking away without consuming the host.

Crowing from the Hills

2009-07-08T18:05:58Z

"Just another Catholic mom" wrote, in her blog, that when she purchased Sexual Authenticity she was worried that it was going to be a "saved" lesbian crying from the hills that all homosexuals can be saved from homosexuality by prayer and the love of Jesus. She was relieved to find that it wasn't. I was less relieved.

QUAERITUR: words for the Precious Blood twice, none for the Body

2009-07-08T17:03:27Z

From a reader: This Sunday, ... at the time of the Consecration, the priest accidentally used the words of consecration for the Cup both when he was holding the Cup and when he was holding the Host. He never said "This is my Body" but said "This is my Blood" twice. Was the Consecration valid?

What's a Catholic Blog Doing With a Horoscope in the Sidebar?

2009-07-08T19:22:36Z

Yukking it up, mostly. I appreciate the many people who care enough to take the time and trouble to write mentioning that belief in horoscopes is against Church teachings. However, I would appreciate it equally, indeed actually much more, if right before sending that email...

Copernicus Remains Verified by DNA Analysis

2009-07-08T15:59:19Z

DNA analysis of hairs matches supposed remains of Copernicus.

On Speaking Ill of the Dead

2009-07-08T15:00:26Z

A bit of advice to my fellow conservatives: Do not speak ill of the dead. I think you know to whom I refer, do you not? A second bit of advice to my fellow Christians: Do not speak ill of the dead. Let us suppose that you are a wretched man, recently died under unseemly circumstances, whose life was made all the more wretched by fame. Oh?

Maltese newspaper editor comments on Kmiec's proposed ambassadorship

2009-07-08T05:14:00Z

The editor of a Malta newspaper has commented on President Barack Obama's choice of Prof. Doug Kmiec as ambassador to Malta, describing the appointment as "somewhat of a poisoned chalice" and noting the controversies concerning Kmiec and his campaign to elect Obama to the American presidency.

Cardinal Pell offers major grant for adult stem cell research

2009-07-08T16:30:25Z

This is called walking the walk: The Archdiocese of Sydney (Australia) is offering a $100,000 grant to researchers interested in exploring the medical potential of adult stem cells. The Sydney Archdiocese announced the grant on Wednesday, saying it is still vehemently opposed to embryonic stem cell research but approves of the use of adult stem cells...