“Why does this man receive sinners and eat with them?” grumbled the scribes and the Pharisees. Knowing the pride they harbored in their hearts, Jesus spoke to them this parable. “What man is there among you,” He said, “who, having lost one sheep, will not leave the other ninety nine in the wilderness to find … Read more
This story on Newsday’s efforts to attract subscribers to its newly-pay-walled website a truly shocking fact: That astoundingly low figure was revealed in a newsroom-wide meeting last week by publisher Terry Jimenez when a reporter asked how many people had signed up for the site. Mr. Jimenez didn’t know the number off the top of … Read more
Should corporations be considered persons? Is personhood the same as citizenship? And is money a legitimate form of free speech? These are the questions I’ve been asking myself since reading the news of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday that corporations and unions are persons with free speech rights, therefore permitted to contribute as much money … Read more
It’s just not the Super Bowl without controversial advertising! But this year’s most talked-about ad is coming from an unlikely source: A national coalition of women’s groups called on CBS on Monday to scrap its plan to broadcast an ad during the Super Bowl featuring college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, which critics say is … Read more
Over at his popular Chicago Sun-Times blog, Roger Ebert calls attention to two documentaries that recently debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Both films look at education, though from quite different angles. The first, Waiting for Superman, exposes the disaster of U.S. public education, and was so persuasive that it left the reliably liberal Ebert … Read more
Well, the Massachusetts Miracle (or Massacre, depending on who’s talking) is history, and the Abortion-Care Behemoth (and quite possibly Obama’s presidency) is finished, by all reports. So now, as pro-life victory celebrations over the election of Rudy Giuliani with a Pretty Face wind down, I’d like to vent a bit. Look at this … Read more
As most InsideCatholic readers may know by now, Thomas Peters of American Papist fame has joined forces with our friends at CatholicVote.org (Brian Burch and Joshua Mercer). You can bookmark the new American Papist location here. I asked young Thomas why he made the move. He put down his brew slowly and replied, A) I’ve … Read more
Browsing through my feedreader earlier today, I happened across this fascinating web page from Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), “a national, non-profit, Georgetown University affiliated research center that conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church.” Entitled “Frequently Requested Catholic Church Statistics,” it’s a compilation of particularly interesting statistics concerning the Catholic … Read more
Of all the things I remember about the Texas March for Life in Austin last January, the memory that stands out the most is the look on the faces of the counter-protesters who followed us along Congress Avenue and down to the capitol that frosty morning. When I glanced over to see the source … Read more
James H. at the Opinionated Catholic blog earlier this month had a friendly word of advice to Catholics who vocally oppose waterboarding and comparable forms of “enhanced interrogation”: stop acting like jerks. Without arguing pro- or con- (he seems to be wrestling with the question), James gives the Catholic anti-waterboarding crowd a “huge ol’ fat … Read more
In his “World Day of Communications” address released over the weekend, Pope Benedict encouraged priests to take advantage of the new media on behalf of the new evangelization: The pope, whose own presence on the Web has heavily grown in recent years, urged priests on Saturday to use all multimedia tools at their disposal to … Read more
Congressman Chris Smith’s rally speech on Friday afternoon packed a punch, as usual. Smith and his wife, Marie, have been champions of human rights for many years. (Marie heads up the Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues, which provides pro-life news, information, and networking to members of democratically-elected legislatures around the world.) Here he takes on … Read more
Hilary Clinton’s recent comments on Iran sanctions have disappointed the dozen conservative Christian leaders who signed two letters to Congress last year (on September 24 and December 14) expressing support for the House bill intended to stop the rogue nation’s nuclear program. The bill, which passed 412 t0 12, would have authorized the White House … Read more
Bernard Henri-Levy, a well-known French philosopher, has come to the defense of Benedict XVI on the issue of anti-Semitism. His defense is all the more interesting for being published at the Huffington Post, not known for its fondness towards the Holy Father. Known for both his atheism and his narcissism, Henri-Levy comes from a family … Read more
Uncle Harry has inherited an old American castle and personal museum, as well as a mine. He and his two nephews have been exploring, with equal parts mystery, humor, and light spookiness. Below is part three of a ten-part serial. These pages first appeared in 1960, but can now be found in Catholic University’s online … Read more
Matt Smith, writing at Catholic Advocate, comments on decision of Grant Desme to enter the priesthood. Desme is a rising star for the Oakland A’s baseball team. God Gets a Draft Pick January 23, 2010 By Matt Smith Grant Desme just became the #1 draft pick on the softball team for whatever parish he may … Read more
A few years ago while I was attending a silent retreat, the retreat master took off his reading glasses and deviated off topic. He had been leading a study on the Holy Family, but couldn’t help reflecting on some recent news: France was experiencing (as many countries are now) increasing unemployment, increasing immigration and decreasing … Read more
“Tell me,” the wife of one of my husband’s friends began a recent phone conversation, “that you do not start your husband’s car for him every morning.” “Oh, of course not,” I told her. “Only on cold mornings I do.” Astonished silence met my ears. The discussion that followed reminded me of one that took … Read more
Two years ago, my first column for Inside Catholic came in the form of a controversial piece about why, as a pro-life Catholic, I no longer attend the March for Life. In my newness to the format, and taking into consideration the complexity of the issue, I failed to make an argument that was balanced and … Read more
For years, I have been fascinated by the endless parade of officials that move through the Vatican offices and councils. There’s something comforting about it; I feel as though I can almost see the Church’s “always changing, yet ever the same” nature on display. And so, National Catholic Reporter writer John Allen’s blog post on the Pope’s recent appointment of Dr. Flaminia Giovanelli to serve … Read more
