NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia seems to have taken a page right out of Lila Rose’s playbook by conducting an undercover investigation of crisis pregnancy centers in Virginia, presumably hoping to expose them in much the same way that Live Action has exposed shady dealings at abortion clinics: In its 39-page report, titled “Crisis Pregnancy Centers Revealed,” … Read more
Zoe can stop buying those lottery tickets — turns out that (surprise!) money can’t buy you happiness. In fact, many of the things society associates with happiness — health, good looks, career success — are not as important as our relationships with one another, says Nicholas Kristoff in the New York Times: Men are no … Read more
This story has been getting a lot of attention today: Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the United States military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found. Oh boy. One sentence in, and already several questions are raised. Where to … Read more
Pope Benedict paid a visit to Rome’s main synagogue yesterday, where the canonization cause of Pope Pius XII — something of a sore spot in Catholic-Jewish relations these days — was almost guaranteed to come up. (Some in the Jewish community feel he didn’t do enough to combat the Holocaust, but others counter that he … Read more
Time for your Friday morning round-up: Via the Anchoress, Archbishop Dolan on the earthquake in Haiti: “Haiti is the broken, bloody body of Jesus, in the arms of His blessed mother, crying out to the world now for aid and assistance.” If you’re still looking for a way to help, Lizzie has one of the … Read more
The full extent of the damage from the earthquake in Haiti yesterday is still unknown — the death toll has been estimated in the thousands already. Tragically, among those confirmed dead is the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Joseph Serge Miot, along with perhaps hundreds of priests and seminarians throughout the region: “Port-au-Prince is totally devastated. . … Read more
This is wild. The Catholic University of America has unveiled a Rembrandt etching in a new exhibit that went up this week at the school — but the real story is how they acquired it: “I went into the restroom in Nugent Hall and opened a cabinet there,” [CUA president Father O’Connell] notes. “I found … Read more
Thanks to the American Papist, I came across this post on “The Anglo-Catholic,” translating the summary of a study done by La Croix about the “de-Christianization” of France. Father Anthony Chadwick has the grim numbers: Whilst, in 1965, 81% of the French declared themselves as Catholics, they were no more than 64% in 2009. More … Read more
I’ll admit, I thought Brit Hume’s “Tiger should convert” moment on Fox News the other week was a bit jarring, even if the backlash against him was over the top. In the New York Times, Ross Douthat says that, if we want a healthy debate about religion in this country, we all need to get … Read more
First Free-for-All of the new year! Let’s see what 2010 has in store: Monsignor Guido Marini, the papal master of ceremonies, calls for a “reform of the reform” in the liturgy. The best and worst jobs in the country. In last place is…roustabout. Where do you fall on the list? Good news! Turns out you … Read more
American Catholics can sometimes bring a particularly democratic flavor to our faith; we historically don’t like being told what to do, and we clearly have no problem telling our bishops just what we think of them. But even this little democratic Catholic was stunned by the reaction that French bishop Christian Nourrichard of Evreux received … Read more
I’m trying to imagine something like this happening in the United States: In South Korea, dozens of doctors held a press conference where they publicly asked for forgiveness for performing illegal abortions. “We sold our soul for money,” said Dr. Choi. “Abortion was an easy way to make money.” In a country where abortion is … Read more
When I think of the Vatican Secret Archives, I pretty much have in mind the warehouse from Raiders of the Lost Ark. (If anyone has the Ark of the Covenant hidden away in a box in the basement, it’s going to be them.) So when news came that the Archives has recently published a book … Read more
Tony Judt writes in the latest New York Review of Books about his struggles with Lou Gehrig’s disease, the motor neuron disorder that results in the eventual loss of voluntary muscle movement. At this stage, Judt is effectively a paraplegic, a state he has come to manage (with help) during the day — but being … Read more
The staff here at InsideCatholic stayed up a little late last night watching fireworks and quaffing champagne, so today will be a day of rest for us — but be sure to check out the home page for our Predictions for 2010. Place bets and add your own prognostications in the comments. All best … Read more
Eleanor Clift’s interview with Nancy Pelosi in the latest issue of Newsweek has been making the rounds, predictably, because of the Speaker’s comments on abortion. From the Boston Examiner: “I have some concerns about the church’s position respecting a woman’s right to choose. I have some concerns about the church’s position on gay rights. I … Read more
Thank heavens for Dave Barry: Who else could cast the lowlights of the past year in a way that makes you laugh rather than reach for the bottle? (Ok, maybe both at once.) From the intro: To be sure, it was a year that saw plenty of bad news. But in almost every instance, there … Read more
Erin Manning has some interesting reflections over at Rod Dreher’s blog on Christmas and “the struggle to live as a serious Christian in modern America.” Terry Mattingly’s review of the book Tinsel reminded her that, annual stories about the “War on Christmas” aside, the real battle against Christmas is waged within each of us: What … Read more
Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas, and all the blessings of the day, from all of us at InsideCatholic!
With all of the bleak news out there these days, it’s easy to get discouraged — so Catholic Vote’s “Top Ten Reasons for Hope” list seems especially appropriate right now. Some of their nominations: 7. Priests, Religious, and More Priests From Ireland to New Zealand to many dioceses across the United States, Catholic seminaries are … Read more