Bishop Robert Vasa’s latest column, which deals with the proper understanding of excommunication and the role it should play in political matters, was published in yesterday’s Catholic Sentinel (the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Portland and the Diocese of Baker). Many gallons of ink (both actual and digital) have been spilt on this matter, and I don’t think the … Read more
Polyamory is the latest “alternative lifestyle” grabbing headlines these days for its titillating (to some) approach to love and commitment. The latest article comes from the Boston Globe: Adherents call it responsible non-monogamy or polyamory, and the nontraditional practice is creeping out of the closet, making gay marriage feel somewhat last decade here in Massachusetts. … 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
If I could remember everything I’ve read over the last few years, I’d be quite the pundit. Unfortunately, that’s becoming less likely as I age… or is it? This article in the New York Times gives me a glimmer of hope. Health editor Barbara Strauch says that even though the middle age brain gets distracted … Read more
Matt DRUDGE really likes to write about the cold. In particular, DRUDGE — Does anyone know if he has legally changed his last name to ALL-CAPS yet? That would seem fitting, somehow. — enjoys combining stories of extreme weather with those detailing the effects extreme weather have upon the activities and organization efforts of global … Read more
Six Coptic Christians and one security guard were killed last night as worshippers left their celebration of Christmas Mass in the ancient town of Nag Hammadi, Egypt. The gunmen — acting in retaliation against the alleged rape of a Muslim girl — sprayed parishioners with machine gun fire as they left the church. [Bishop Kirollos] … Read more
From todays’s New York Times comes a story by Jodi Kantor about Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI). It contains the following very interesting tidbit: (Mr. Stupak says he urged the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to toughen its stance on the legislation; representatives from the conference and the National Right to Life Committee did not return calls.) … Read more
In the most recent edition of Dappled Things, Jeffrey Tucker — a regular, lively InsideCatholic contributor and a must-read on all things related to Catholic liturgical music — has a piece entitled simply “A Fix for Catholic Music.” In it, he identifies the three “crucial” components he believes are missing in efforts to reform the … Read more
We’ve known for a while that dolphins are smart creatures. Now it appears they’re even smarter than we thought. According to the Times Online, research suggests dolphins have “individual personalities, a strong sense of self, and can think about the future.” Dolphins can also recognize themselves in a reflection, and have figured out how to … Read more
By now most people know Fox News’s Brit Hume recommended Tiger Woods consider what Jesus Christ has to offer him in his difficult situation. Tiger Woods will recover as a golfer. Whether he can recover as a person I think is a very open question, and it’s a tragic situation for him. I think he’s lost his … 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
[This article was posted today at Catholic Advocate.] Four Things the President and Congress Can Do Right Away On Health Care Reform By Matt Smith Congress returns to work today to begin the second session of the 111th Congress. Here are four things the president and Congress need to do this week on health care reform. President … Read more
[This article was posted today at Catholic Advocate.] Four Things the President and Congress Can Do Right Away On Health Care Reform By Matt Smith Congress returns to work today to begin the second session of the 111th Congress. Here are four things the president and Congress need to do this week on health care reform. President … Read more
Another amusing entry for the “Same, Yet Different” file: A new species of crab that looks like a strawberry has been discovered in Taiwan. Marine biologist Professor Ho Ping-ho found two of the creatures while researching the environmental impact of a shipwreck on Kenting National Park. There is already a Strawberry Crab, apparently. Sometimes known as … 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
BBC News published a heart-breaking piece just before Christmas about what has become of Romania’s orphans. You may remember reports from the early 1990s detailing the horrific orphanage conditions there. (Deal and his family can attest to this first-hand, from the experience of adopting their son.) Tragically, most of the children from that period went … Read more
This TimesOnline (UK) story — detailing a recently-completed parent survey on the ages at which their children learned to speak — caught my attention for several reasons. Firstly, because the “raw numbers” themselves are quite interesting — 3 seems disconcertingly late for speech to me, though that was a relatively small percentage of responders. And the gender splits … 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
It’s almost as if WholeFood’s CEO John Mackey enjoys ticking off a large percentage of his customers. He was recently profiled in The New Yorker and said plainly that there was no consensus that climate change is mostly man-made: …One of the books on the list was “Heaven and Earth: Global Warming–the Missing Science,” a … Read more