On January 31, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child released a report castigating the Vatican for its moral teachings. The committee, which provides oversight to the 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child, focused on the Catholic Church’s handling of cases of abuse of children by priests, but in its 16-page report it also took the liberty [...]
New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan has come out saying that it’s the “other side” that is “obsessed” with abortion, not pro-life advocates. “They’re so obsessed with it that they want to expand it even more!” Dolan told National Review in advance of the national March for Life in Washington. Speaking about his opposition to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “Women’s Equality Act,” [...]
In my new book The Future of Catholicism (Signal Books/Random House) I devote the longest chapter to the issue of same-sex marriage, and other chapters to abortion, euthanasia, and contraception. But, some critics have argued, why spend so much time on these issues when the book is about the future of the Catholic Church? Simple. Because this is precisely the future of [...]
How the West Really Lost God: A New Theory of Secularization by Mary Eberstadt (Templeton Press, $26.50, 268 pages) I’ve almost been trained to smile on cue when I read Mary Eberstadt’s name in the media, even though How the West Really Lost God was only the second of her works I’d read in its entirety (an early draft of The Loser [...]
In the eighth Psalm, David considers the majesty of creation: “I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded” (Ps 8:4). But the poet suddenly turns away from his wonder at the star-strewn heavens towards an even greater mystery: that the Lord and Maker of these heavens should bend over the earth-bound [...]
Despite media spin that Pope wants to change Church focus, he said nothing new Pope Francis gave a long interview to a Jesuit magazine and the media seems to be picking up on a tiny portion of it and misrepresenting what he said. In an interview with the magazine La Civilta Catholica, and reprinted in other Jesuit publications including America, [...]
In late August, the Parti Quebecois government of Pauline Marois began leaking the details of their proposed Charter of Quebec Values, which would severely limit religious and cultural expression in state-run workplaces. If the bill, which will be introduced to the National Assembly later this Fall, becomes law it would ban the wearing of religious attire by state employees, including crosses and [...]
An influential Indian Cardinal says he “fully” support the efforts of a Canadian pro-lifer who is serving time in jail for entering abortion facilities to rescue unborn babies. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, was recently tapped by Pope Francis to join an eight-cardinal advisory board charged with assisting the Pope in reforming the Roman Curia. He also serves as president of [...]
Light is Right Joe Campbell “It’s a creative approach to saving souls,” Dingwall said. “What is?” I asked. “Invincible ignorance,” Dingwall replied. Although we often talked about Church teaching, this was the first time he had mentioned invincible ignorance. “I’m not sure I understand,” I said. “Invincible ignorance is a deficiency of knowledge that you can’t reasonably overcome and consequently [...]
MP Brian Storseth introduced C-304 to help protect freedom of speech. Blogger Patricia Maloney is going to court to access Ontario's abortion information. On June 26, the Senate passed C-304, a private member’s bill that repeals Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. Section 13 prohibited speech that was “likely to expose” identifiable groups to hatred or contempt and [...]
There are many ways to contribute to the pro-life movement – political action, education, fundraising – but these would not be possible without prayer. In his book I’m Still A Radical, the late Father Ted Colleton wrote: “Prayer and sacrifice ... must be the foundation which underpins all other activity.” Enza Rattenni, executive director of Aid to Women, a Toronto-based organization that [...]
Our columnist Rick McGinnis has blogged extensively about the Toronto Honda Indy and while that might not be something most of our readers care about, this should be: It was Sunday morning and I needed to get to mass, but as I was covering the Indy races all weekend, it looked like there wouldn't be time. Luckily, I'd noticed signs all over [...]
In a world where serious books sell poorly and newsmagazines are a shadow of their former selves – if they’re published at all – the documentary film has taken up much of the burden of bringing topical issues and debate in front of the public. While feature films have stagnated, pooling into either numbing blockbusters or a host of increasingly spiritless genres, [...]
Social Conservatives and Party Politics in Canada and the United States by James Farney (University of Toronto, $27.95, 168 pages, paperback). Pundits and political scientists like to ponder the differences between Canada and the United States, and one question is why does the American conservative movement have a vital socially conservative element (the Religious Right) while social conservatism has had minimal influence [...]
Pope Francis The conclave has selected a pontiff likely to follow in the footsteps of his recent predecessors Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI as a vocal defender of life and family. On the fifth ballot on the second day of the gathering of the cardinals in the Vatican, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was selected the next head of [...]