An exchange between President Barack Obama and author Marilynne Robinson was published in the November 5 edition of the New York Review of Books. The subject was Christianity. Here is a question that President Obama asked Robinson: "How do you reconcile the idea of faith being really important to you and you caring a lot about [...]
Calling religious freedom "one of America's most precious possessions," Pope Francis pointedly embraced the efforts of American Catholics, led by their bishops, to defend religious freedom against government encroachment. The Holy Father spoke following President Obama's welcoming address at the White House. The president, while detailing the horrific persecution of Christians and others in various parts [...]
As he welcomed Pope Francis to the White House, President Barack Obama spoke eloquently about the Catholic Church's contributions to America and the world. He praised Pope Francis' "profound moral example" and thanked him for the "great gift of hope." Yet as the president spoke about religious liberty and the dignity of the human person, there [...]
In a wide-ranging speech before the United Nations General Assembly, Pope Francis' central message was fraternity: the obligations that men and women have to each other, and to the environment. Interestingly, he did not call for all nations in the international community to have an equal voice; rather, he emphasized equity, or fairness. Moreover, instead of [...]
Everywhere Pope Francis went, religious liberty was his most consistent theme. He opened his trip by addressing religious liberty at the White House, arguing that we are called "to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it." If there were any doubt about what he meant, it was removed altogether when [...]
The pope made several impromptu stops and visits while in the United States: he hugged disabled children on the street; he visited orphanages; and he stopped by St. Joseph's University. But beyond these pastoral gestures, he made two very important cultural statements: he visited the Little Sisters of the Poor and he greeted Kim Davis. The [...]
The Catholic and secular Left are beside themselves. They thought they owned the pope, and now they are in a state of disbelief. Charles P. Pierce at Esquire called the Holy Father's meeting with Kim Davis "a sin against charity," and the "dumbest thing this Pope has ever done." Nice to know he acknowledges the existence [...]
The ACLU's passion for abortion is matched only by its hatred of Catholicism. When these two enemies—unborn children and the Catholic Church—come together, the ACLU kicks into high gear. This explains its recent lawsuit against Trinity Health: its hospitals refuse to perform abortions. Two years ago, the ACLU filed suit against the bishops' conference in a [...]
Anyone can make a mistake, but when five reporters from the New York Times are assigned to one story, and they screw up the facts, it makes one wonder what is going on. The two principal writers, Jim Yardley and Laurie Goodstein commented on the pope's unscheduled visit to the "Little Sisters of Charity." Wrong. Pope [...]
