Tag: Pope Francis

A World on Fire

When I was inย ย high school, every sophomore had to read Caesarโ€™sย Gallic Wars. The first line has stayed with me ever since.ย Omnes Gallia tres partes, which translates toย All Gaul is divided into three parts,ย namelyย Gallia Celtica, Belgica and...

Pope Francis Offers Guidance

On November 22 five staff from America Magazine, two Jesuits and three laypeople, interviewed Pope Francis on topics ranging from polarization in the U.S. church to racism, the war in Ukraine, the Vaticanโ€™s relations with China, and...

When the President Met the Pope

On November 1, All Saints Day, the Catholic News Service reported on President Bidenโ€™s visit with Pope Francis. Iโ€™ll begin with a background note, then examine what the participants said about the meeting, and, finally, consider what message it sent...

Where Pope Francis Needs to Improve

Polls reveal that a large majority of Catholics have a positive view of Pope Francis. However,  far fewer look to him for moral guidance. (In one study, only 11% did.)  It is therefore difficult to know how many Catholics are...

Catholic Bishops’ Response to Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

President Biden has made clear his belief that everyone has a moral obligation to receive the Covid vaccine. The refusal of many citizens to act accordingly has, in his view, put the health of many Americans at risk. He therefore signed an executive...

Dark Shades of Papal Green

There is a truism in science dating back several centuries that states the book of science is always open. Man-made global warming a.k.a. climate change, thanks to erstwhile President Barack Obama, is the first and the only scientific issue where...

The Loss of Innocence

If there is one issue of Catholic moral teaching that has wasted more time and energy of the faithful in the pews, it is the death penalty. Acceptance and approval of capital punishment within the Catholic Church has varied throughout history...

Pope Francis’ Message to a Struggling World

Pope Francisโ€™ new book, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future, was published on December 1, 2020. The publisher called the book, co-authored by Francisโ€™ biographer Austen Ivereigh, โ€œan epiphanyโ€ and โ€œa call to armsโ€ and noted that it...