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"Proselytism among Christians, therefore, in itself, is a grave sin,” said Pope Francis. The journalist then asked, “Why?” “Because it contradicts the very dynamic of how to become and to remain Christian,” he said. “The Church is not a soccer team that goes around seeking fans.” It would be hard to conceive of a more superficial, more puerile, remark on relations with other Christian denominations. How much lower can the papacy sink - in terms of both cheap jibes that demean and dishonor the supreme office of Christ's Vicar on earth (lambasting an opposing position with a crude straw-man caricature...

November 29, 2016 Tuesday of the First Week in Advent Reading 1 Is 11:1-10 On that day,A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,and from his roots a bud shall blossom.The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,A Spirit of counsel and of strength,a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.Not by appearance shall he judge,nor by hearsay shall he decide,But he shall judge the poor with justice,and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.He shall strike the ruthless with the...

Contrary to what skeptics may say, Scripture directly describes purgatory for us.Perhaps the most famous text is 1 Corinthians 3:10-15,According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose...

Full title: "For the record - In latest interview, Pope attacks "rigidity" in seminaries and in priestly formation. Are seminaries soon to be targeted for "reform" by Francis?" It is extremely difficult to keep up with the unending barrage of words from Pope Francis. One interview after another, press conferences, speeches, letters, phone calls, off-the-cuff remarks, daily homilies... the endless flow of words results in people knowing not so much what the Pope has exactly said on this or that topic, but rather the general run of this Pope's thinking and the main themes of his stated policies. Rather than...

Pondering the Approaching Feast of the Word Made Flesh Msgr. Charles Pope • November 27, 2016 • As Catholics, we open Advent with the New Testament. We read its earliest pages, and the light shows brighter than ever as one covenant passes on and the New Covenant begins. The Groom has found his Bride.Catholics reverence the whole of the Scriptures and refuse Marcionism, a heresy that (among other things) rejected the Old Testament. However, not all of Scripture has equal authority in its application. We read the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament. Many of the...

November 28, 2016 Monday of the First Week in Advent Reading 1 Is 4:2-6 On that day,The branch of the LORD will be luster and glory,and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendorfor the survivors of Israel.He who remains in Zionand he who is left in JerusalemWill be called holy:every one marked down for life in Jerusalem.When the LORD washes awaythe filth of the daughters of Zion,And purges Jerusalem’s blood from her midstwith a blast of searing judgment,Then will the LORD create,over the whole site of Mount Zionand over her place of assembly,A smoking cloud by...

Servant of God, Mother Mary Lange   She was born Elizabeth Lange in the around 1794 in Santiago de Cuba, where she lived in a primarily French speaking community. She received an excellent education and in the early 1800s Elizabeth left Cuba and settled in the United States. Elizabeth came to Baltimore as a courageous, loving, and deeply spiritual woman. There was no free public education for African American children in Maryland until 1868, so she responded to that need by opening a school in her home in the Fells Point area of the city for the children.  Providence intervened...

Pope Francis sent his condolences following the death of infamous atheist and former Cuban President Fidel Castro Saturday. “I express to you my sentiments of grief,” said Francis in a message to Castro’s brother, President Raul Castro. He noted that he grieved over the “sad news” and would pray for the former dictator. Castro died Friday night at the age of 90. He was baptized Catholic and educated by the same Jesuit order to which Francis belongs. Despite his religious upbringing, Castro was a vocal atheist and declared Cuba an atheist state when he rose to power in 1959. He...

A Recipe for Readiness – A Homily for the First Sunday of Advent Msgr. Charles Pope • November 26, 2016 • The first weeks of Advent focus more on the Lord’s second coming in glory than on His first coming at Bethlehem. The Gospel clearly states that we must always be prepared, for at an hour we do not expect, the Son of Man will come. “Ready” is the key word. But how should we be ready?The second reading from today’s Mass (Romans 13:11-14) gives us a basic recipe for readiness. We can distinguish five fundamental instructions in Paul’s...

Disclosure: I know this not politcal news, but it may become so since the original hit was white on black. I am a USC alumnus! First of all, #28 Notre Dame defensive player blindsided USC's Aca’Cedric Ware with a helmet smash on Aca’Cedric Ware's right helmet side knocking him unconcious. Then before medical help arrived, Notre Dame's #99, Jerry Tillery, used his left foot to push the head of the downed USC player before being shoved away by USC staff. Then later, this same animal stomped on the foot of a downed and injured USC player. I have listed the...

November 27, 2016 First Sunday of Advent Reading 1 Is 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.In days to come,the mountain of the LORD’s houseshall be established as the highest mountainand raised above the hills.All nations shall stream toward it;many peoples shall come and say:“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,to the house of the God of Jacob,that he may instruct us in his ways,and we may walk in his paths.”For from Zion shall go forth instruction,and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.He shall judge between the nations,and impose terms on many peoples.They...

Is Discretion Just Another Form of Deception? Msgr. Charles Pope • November 25, 2016 • The movie trailer below is for the upcoming move Jackie, about the life of Jacqueline Kennedy. The trailer sets before us the question of what should be exposed and what should remain private in the lives of public figures.We came to learn, well after John F. Kennedy’s death, that he was quite the womanizer. Although most of the White House press corps was aware of this, it was not reported. Franklin Roosevelt’s palsy was also not publicized; in fact, photographs were taken at angles...

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican announced on Friday that the newly established commission for the study of the female diaconate was holding its first meeting at the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The two day meeting brings together the 12 members of the commission, under the presidency of Jesuit Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, who also serves as Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. During the morning and afternoon sessions, members will study the situation of women deacons in the early centuries of Church history. Pope Francis announced the setting up of...

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Norway’s official statistics agency says the country’s Roman Catholic and Muslim communities have added tens of thousands of members in recent years while the state Lutheran Church is declining. Statistics Norway said Friday the number of Catholics has jumped 42 percent since 2012, to 145,000 this year.

November 26, 2016 Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rv 22:1-7 John said:An angel showed me the river of life-giving water,sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of Godand of the Lamb down the middle of the street,On either side of the river grew the tree of lifethat produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month;the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.Nothing accursed will be found anymore.The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,and his servants will worship him.They will look upon his face, and his...

Norway’s official statistics agency says the country’s Roman Catholic and Muslim communities have added tens of thousands of members in recent years while the state Lutheran Church is declining. Statistics Norway said Friday the number of Catholics has jumped 42 percent since 2012, to 145,000 this year. Membership in Islamic groups rose by 32 percent to 148,000 in the same period. Those figures were not broken down by denomination. …

VATICAN, November 23, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinals Raymond Burke and George Pell will not remain members of the Congregation for Divine Worship, the Vatican has confirmed in a list of the liturgical office's new members. Burke and Pell are known for their Catholic orthodoxy and strongly pro-life and pro-marriage stances. Burke is one of the four cardinals who has formally requested that Pope Francis clarify whether Amoris Laetitia is at odds with Catholic moral teaching. After the cardinals' request went unanswered for two months, the cardinals went public with their concerns. Burke has said cardinals will need to make a...

Run to Jesus! An Advent Reflection Msgr. Charles Pope • November 24, 2016 • The Lord’s coming is near. And though we have all been well taught that the word “Advent” means “coming,” there is the danger that we think that we are only passively waiting for Him to come. It is not just that the Lord is coming to us; we are also journeying to Him. In fact, as the Advent prayers in the Roman Missal instruct, we ought to run, not walk, and hasten to greet Him as He draws near.This notion of running to meet God...

November 25, 2016 Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rv 20:1-4, 11—21:2 I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven,holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain.He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent,which is the Devil or Satan,and tied it up for a thousand years and threw it into the abyss,which he locked over it and sealed,so that it could no longer lead the nations astrayuntil the thousand years are completed.After this, it is to be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones; those who sat on...

Did you know that November is Black Catholic History Month?This month, we’re honoring the men and women from Africa who have pioneered the faith! Many forget that Christianity didn’t start in Europe. Black Catholics have had a huge impact on the history and traditions of Christianity. The church has been celebrating Black Catholic History Month since 1990 when the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States instigated it. November seemed appropriate because it holds special days for two prominent African Catholics: St. Augustine whose birthday is on November 13, and St. Martin de Porres whose feast day...