CatholicCulture.org - The City Gates Blog

The Russell Ford problem

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:13:59 GMT

Russell Ford produced some outstanding work—fine essays on apologetics and evangelization—while he was a long-term prisoner in an Alabama jail. Now finally released after 25 years behind bars, he has redoubled his efforts to promote evangelization. For all this we should be grateful.

Fr. Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly: Your Letter May Help

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:42:00 GMT

Fr. Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly needs your support. At age 67, having suffered two strokes and now with a brain tumor, this courageous Catholic priest languishes in a Vietnamese prison for his advocacy of a peaceful transition to democratic rule for his country. An organization called Freedom Now, though not a Catholic group, has taken up Fr. Ly’s cause. They believe a letter from you (and me) will make a difference.

The sad decline of self-government

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:42:00 GMT

When I was very young, sometime in my grammar-school years, I had the habit of going with my father to the annual Town Meeting. I found it fascinating to watch as the people settled the business of our town. I believed then, and still believe today, that a New England town meeting is one of the best possible illustrations of democracy in action.

That impromptu exorcism again

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:55:35 GMT

Yesterday I remarked on the apparent inability of some Vatican reporters to distinguish between an exorcism and a blessing. Only later did I come across this priceless headline in the English tabloid, The Sun:

Making Sense of Society: The Ebook

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:01:00 GMT

We've released a new ebook at shop.catholicculture.org. It is a collection of my essays over the past six years on Catholic social teaching and the problems we face in orchestrating the social order. See Making Sense of Society.

An exorcism? No, a blessing. You'd think reporters would know the difference.

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:24:00 GMT

As you watch, a priest places his hands on a man’s head and prays silently for a few seconds. What did you just witness?

Learning from the sick, and from the death of a child

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:17:36 GMT

This past Tuesday we buried Sheila Catherine Beirne, a sweet 6-year-old girl who succumbed to Leigh’s Disease. The Beirnes are a big happy Catholic family, with a deep faith and a wide circle of friends. The church was packed for the funeral, with brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends and neighbors who wanted to support that family in their grief and join them in their prayer.

The case for change in Irish abortion law: based on a framework of falsehood

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:13:00 GMT

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has outdone himself with the claim that the legislation advanced by his government, which would allow for legal abortion in some circumstances, “obviously doesn’t change the legislation on abortion.”

Too many missing funds: Catholic institutions need tighter financial controls

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:41:19 GMT

Frankly I’m tired of reading stories like this one, about people who have stolen money from Catholic dioceses, parishes, and schools. It’s time—it’s long past time, actually—for some tighter financial controls.

Pope Francis: Counter-Cultural?

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:16:00 GMT

Please read and reflect on our little story about Pope Francis refusing to allow photo-ops to communicants guilty of public scandal. You may recall that, under different circumstances, this is exactly the issue which both Phil Lawler and I raised when USCCB President Timothy Cardinal Dolan invited both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to the Al Smith dinner last year (see, inter alia, The Al Smith dinner: the cardinal and the tax collector and Surprise, surprise: that photo op). Cardinal Dolan, you may also remember, expressed surprise that anyone would respond negatively to such public appearances.