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HELDER D'CAMARA: A LIFETIME OF WORKING AGAINST THE CHURCH FROM INSIDE.- AND THEY WANT TO BEATIFY HIM"?... WHO WAS DOM HELDER D'CAMARA? Corrispondenza Romana April 7, 2015 There has been a lot of talk recently about Dom Helder Camara, whose process for beatification has been recently approved by the Vatican. For the average Italian, the figure of Monsignor Helder Pessoa Camara (1909 – 1999) , auxiliary Bishop of Rio de Janiero and subsequently Metropolitan Archbishop of Olinda and Recife is practically unknown. Who was Dom Helder? Propaganda bordering on the ridiculous The only information about Archbishop Camara which has filtered...

Featured Term selected at random:POLYGAMY The status or institution of simultaneous marriage of more than one woman to one man, or of several women to several men. The two forms are polygyny and polyandry. In ordinary use, the term is restricted to polygyny, i.e., where one man is simultaneously married to more than one woman. Polygamy as polygyny is contrary to divine positive law governing the marriage union (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31). According to the natural law, even successive polygamy (as in societies that legalize marriage after divorce) hinders the proper care and education of children. And it places an...

On the Worthy Reception of Holy Communion – Part One By: Msgr. Charles PopeI indicated yesterday an intention to expand on the need for the reverent and worthy reception of Holy Communion, to develop an apologetic for the Church’s practice of what some call “closed communion.”  Not everyone who uses this terminology means it pejoratively, though some do. But to some extent it is fair to say that we do have “closed communion.” For the Catholic Church, Holy Communion is not a “come one, come all” event. It is reserved for those who, by grace, preserve union with the Church through adherence...

Earlier this week a news report unwittingly demonstrated how Turkey—once deemed the most “secularized” Muslim nation—is returning to its Islamic heritage, complete with animosity for the infidel West and dreams of the glory days of jihadi conquests.

Unless! A Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn many places, this Sunday features the (moved) Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Our Lord.While you may be puzzling over the title of today’s post, allow me to delay a bit before explaining. On a solemn feast like this many things occur that might be preached and taught. Hear are three areas for reflection: the reality of the Eucharist, the requirement of the Eucharist, and the reverence for the Eucharist. We will look at each in turn.I. The Reality of the Eucharist –...

It has been pointed out to me that I tend to pick on those more theologically aligned with me than with those who are rather liberal in their theology.  Upon reflection, this is a fair criticism, as I guess I would think folks who take the Bible seriously (which, my liberal mainline brothers may claim with their mouths but often not with their actions) would know better.  In looking to my own Rabbi as an example, he was much harder on the Pharisees (who were of the same theological stripe) than on the Sadducees and Herodians (Hebrews who were in...

Featured Term selected at random:MYSTICAL INTERPRETATION The explanation of some biblical person, object, or occurrence in the past as having a divinely intended meaning or function in the future. Thus Adam prefigured Christ, the Passover anticipated the Cross and the Eucharist, and the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century of the Christian era symbolized the end of the world. To be valid, the basis for the interpretation must be found in Scripture or sacred tradition. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Souls of Aborted Children Msgr. Charles Pope The Catholic Answer Q. What does the Church teach about the souls of aborted children and those unborn children who die as a result of miscarriages? They have souls, right? Should they all receive funerals? Should parents name their miscarried children? Name withheld by request, via e-mail  A. “Should” is a word that is too strong here. Parents may both name and have funeral services for miscarried or aborted children. But they are not required to do this, and each case will be unique. How far along the child was is often a...

Different writers here and there have talked about 1965, fifty years ago, as a year of transition. It was a year in America when trends came into focus, culture was altered, and life changed—politically, socially, culturally, morally, and in the Catholic Church. Perhaps historian James T. Patterson provided the most detailed elaboration on these developments and their implication for the country in his bluntly titled book from a song of the time, The Eve of Destruction: How 1965 Transformed America.First, the national policies put in place that year as LBJ launched his Great Society made the federal welfare/entitlement state...

Featured Term selected at random:TRADUCIANISM The theory that holds that the soul of a child is physically transmitted from the parents. One form claims that the soul is the result of a material seed akin to the material principle of bodily generation. Another form, called spiritual traducianism, holds that a spiritual seed cast off from the souls of the parents is the germ of the new soul for the infant. The theory is in contradiction with Catholic doctrine that each person's soul is individually and separately created by God as the time of conception. All items in this dictionary are...

The 5th and 6th Marks of the Church By: Msgr. Charles PopeThe Nicene Creed fittingly noted four marks of the True Church: one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic. These marks identify four essential qualities and characteristics of the Church that distinguish the True Church from any false claimants. Now my surname may be “Pope,” but I surely cannot add authoritatively to this venerable list. Nevertheless, permit me a couple of “prayerful additions” to the four marks of the Church. These cannot join the official list but I humbly submit  these “marks” for your consideration to serve in a similar way in distinguishing the...

Our Living Faith: Corpus Christi & the Streets Glenna Walsh Growing up in a Catholic family, a Catholic school, and a Catholic neighborhood, I do not remember ever being told that the feast of Corpus Christi is a pretty big deal. No one need tell me; rather, it was shown to me, to the entire parish, through celebration. Every year after Mass we would have a procession. The celebrant, in his solemn vestments, would lead the parishioners, holding the Eucharist in the monstrance high above his head. The point impressed itself clearly upon my imagination: Jesus led His flock, my...

In my efforts to restore a sense of the sacred in the liturgy, I have often been accused of being “pre-Vatican II.” I usually correct them by saying I am precisely Vatican II. The Second Vatican Council called for few changes in the liturgy, understanding that there had been a great many changes to the Roman liturgy over the centuries, to be sure, but they had been gradual and organic, and typically imperceptible. However, in all of church history, there was never anything like what happened in the years following this Council, in respect to the liturgy.This weekend we...

Featured Term selected at random:GIFT OF FORTITUDE One of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; it gives a person a special strength of will. This gift confers an extraordinary readiness to undergo trials for love of God or in fulfillment of the divine will; unusual courage to bear difficulties even for many years; firmness in carrying arduous tasks to their completion; perseverance in a lifetime fidelity to one's vocation in spite of heavy trials or disappointments sent by God; and gladness in being privileged to suffer persecution or humiliation in union with Christ and for the sake of his...

On the Purpose of Aridity in the Spiritual Life By: Msgr. Charles PopeNone of us who commit to prayer and the spiritual life enjoy those periods during which prayer, liturgy, or spiritual reading seem dry or dull. But such moments are necessary—or so it would seem—for God permits them. If something were always pleasant, we would not be sure if we loved God or merely the pleasantries. An old saying asks if we love the consolations of God or the God of all consolation. It is the dry and difficult times that help us to determine the answer.There are other reasons for dryness...

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — After over a millennium, the Zoroastrian faith is returning to its original habitat. The Ministry of Religion in the Iraqi Kurdistan capital Erbil has registered the religion, locally known as Zardashti, and suggested to the Kurdish government the ancient faith should be given its own directorate general and its believers be allowed to build new temples. “Now it’s time,” says Nouri Sharif, one of the initiators of the movement that established a Zoroastrian organization in Europe in 2006 and in March announced in Erbil its official return to Kurdistan. In April, a Supreme Council of Zoroastrians...

This past Pentecost Sunday, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver announced that the age for the reception of Confirmation would be lowered to seven. In addition, the archbishop said that he would restore the sacrament’s former place in between Baptism and First Communion. In his pastoral letter “Saints Among Us,” he explains his reasons for making the change, especially from the standpoint of theology. The archbishop quotes Pope Benedict XVI, who in Sacramentum Caritatis writes that “It must never be forgotten that our reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist, then, brings Christian...

5 Things Fulton Sheen Teaches us about Social Media “Jesus loves you.” #JN3:16 #Easter #risn“Pray. Hope. Don’t worry.” #faith #believe“Preach the Gospel at all times” #Francis #peace #prayalwaysTwitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and countless other platforms are filled with almost empty Christian one-liners and other messages.  Oftentimes trite sayings are re-tweeted or shared along with some kind of exhortation to “spread the word.”  Since you’re a Christian, you can feel guilted into supporting this sort of thing, to do your share of evangelization.  Believe me, I’m committed to building up a Christian culture, but sometimes I can be downright ashamed...

Featured Term selected at random:VEXILLA REGIS The hymn "Abroad the Regal Banners Fly," sung at Vespers from Palm Sunday until Holy Thursday, and on the feast of the Exaltation (or Triumph) of the Holy Cross (September 14). It was also used formerly on Good Friday, when the Blessed Saacrament was taken from the repository to the high altar, and for Vespers on the now suppressed feast of the Finding of Holy Cross (May 3). Written by Venantius Fortunatus (530-609), it has at least forty translations in English alone. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic...

The Body God Gave Us Doesn’t Lie – A Meditation on the Sexual Confusion of Our Day By: Msgr. Charles PopeThe latest tragic twist in the “Bruce Jenner saga” (more on that below) illustrates yet again one of the great errors of our day: the rejection of the truth that our bodies have something to tell us about who we are and what we are called to do and be. Most moderns see the body as merely a tool of sorts. Assertions are made that one can do as one pleases with one’s own body, and that a person’s sex (male or female) is purely incidental—merely an arbitrary...