I wrote two pieces on the change to the catechism on the death penalty in rapid succession. I put them here as one. 1. Capital Punishment: Francis & the Tradition Before Him Are Both Right In the past two days, […]
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Pope Francis Condemns Eugenic Abortions
We need to listen to the Pope. “I’ve heard that it’s fashionable, or at least usual, that when in the first few months of pregnancy they do studies to see if the child is healthy or has something, the first […]
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Pope Francis and his conservative critics are both right… if you accept their principles
I wrote a piece today on Crux. Ever since Pope Francis’s election, and especially since Laudato Si’ and Amoris Laetitia, there have been clear tensions between the pontiff and some more conservative Catholics. I think we need to examine both […]
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Pastoral handbook on ‘Amoris’ says answer is no on Communion
I summarized an important new book over at Crux: Three professors from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Rome indicate Amoris Laetitia upholds traditional teaching in a new bookAcompañar, Dicernir, Integrar: Vademécum para una nueva pastoral familiar a partir […]
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What if we’ve been wrong about ‘Amoris’ all along?
I published this on Crux. Ever since it came out in April 2016, there’s been an avalanche of debate in Catholic circles about Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’s document on the family. At least in English, both sides seem to agree […]
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A quick summary of pope’s letter ending the Year of Mercy
I wrote a summary of this letter for Crux: As the Year of Mercy ended, Pope Francis signed an apostolic letter imploring us to continue being merciful called Misericordia et Misera. This letter continues key themes of Francis. The title […]
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When Pope Francis goes off the cuff, think Latin America
Several times, Pope Francis has said things that have really shocked a number of North American Catholics. Yet if we put the comments in the context of Catholicism in other countries, often we’ll be shocked by the situation in those […]
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Amoris Laetitia Study Guide
I produced a study guide for Amoris Laetitia for RCSpirituality.org. I have questions for every chapter so an ordinary Catholic in the pew can discover what Francis wants to teach us all. I also made notes where needed to avoid misunderstanding. […]
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The Hermeneutic of Continuity vs. the Hermeneutic of Suspicion
Today there is a lot of confusion about what Pope Francis wrote yesterday in Amoris Laetitia. I think a lot of it goes back to a principle that was best explained by Benedict XVI in his 2005 Christmas addressed to the […]
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Key Quotes from Amoris Laetitia: About Every Family Not Just Divorced and Civilly Remarried
News reports focus on a few paragraphs of Francis’s new document, Amoris Laetitia, namely 242-243, 250, and 298-305, yet this is but a small part of the document. Instead, I want to give you a medium-length summary of the whole […]
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