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After a violent weekend in which two mass shootings claimed the lives of 31 people in Texas and Ohio, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput didn’t offer thoughts and prayers. He offered criticism of those who think gun control is the solution. ...only a fool can believe that ‘gun control’ will solve the problem of mass violence,” he wrote in his weekly column, which was posted on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s website, CatholicPhilly.com, and his Facebook page. Chaput further wrote: “The people using the guns in these loathsome incidents are moral agents with twisted hearts. And the twisting is done by the...

The head of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is weighing in on the firing of teacher from a Montgomery County Catholic school, who allegedly lost her job because of her same-sex marriage. Margie Winters says she lost her job as the religious education director at Waldron Mercy Academy because of her marriage to Andrea Vittori. More than 100 people gathered together in support Winters at General Wayne Park in Lower Merion Township on Sunday afternoon. "I'm here to support Margie and let her know what was done to her was unjust, discriminatory and unfair," said Anthony Arechavale, parent. "I think it's...

John Romeri during Mass on Aug. 8, 2010, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (RNS/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Erik M. Lunsford) The head of liturgical music for the Philadelphia archdiocese, who was also to play a key role orchestrating the huge outdoor Mass concluding Pope Francis' trip to the U.S. in September, is resigning his post over long-standing differences with Archbishop Charles Chaput. John Romeri, who has headed the archdiocesan liturgical music office for five years, said he will resign effective June 30 because "there are simply irreconcilable differences" with Chaput over the role and style of music at Mass. Romeri...

Chaput: clergy might stop signing marriage licenses as “principled resistance” October 21, 2014 by Deacon Greg KandraStrong words from the Archbishop of Philadelphia: Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput says he was “very disturbed” by the debate over church teachings on gays and remarried Catholics at this month’s Vatican summit, saying it sent a confusing message, and “confusion is of the devil.”  In a lecture delivered Monday evening in Manhattan, Chaput also suggested that in the wake of the rapid series of court decisions legalizing same-sex marriage in more than 30 states, Catholic priests might consider opting out of certifying civil marriages as...

Calling the Obama administration “the most tone deaf to religious liberty issues in recent memory,” Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput warned that religious freedom in the U.S. is “at risk,” and that “the more government mandates evil action, the more likely civil disobedience becomes.” Last February, Chaput urged his fellow prelates to take the “right action…whatever the cost” regarding the Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate, which requires nearly all insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act to pay for sterilization, contraceptives, and abortion-inducing drugs. …

Barely two months ago the ecclesiastical news circuit was rocked with the revelation that Pope Francis had decided not to renew Cardinal Burke’s membership on the Congregation for Bishops.The New York Times, NPR, NBC and a host of other secular and Catholic news outlets went berserk, seeing in Pope Francis’ decision the promise of a radical reorientation of the curia.At the time, I proposed a counter-narrative: Pope Francis is not about to purge “conservatives” from the curia and we shouldn’t read too much into the Burke news.Well, my counter-narrative received a big boost last week.You shouldn’t feel bad, of course,...

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia said that despite 41 years of legalized abortion in the U.S., the understanding of human life's value is deeply inscribed in our very identity as people. “The truth about the dignity of the human person is burned into our hearts by the fire of God's love. And we can only deal with the heat of that love in two ways,” the archbishop wrote Jan. 22. “We can turn our hearts to stone. Or we can make our hearts and our witness a source of light for the world.” Archbishop Chaput's remarks were made...

Archbishop Chaput’s weekly column: It’s not a ‘compromise,’ and it needs to be rescinded Archbishop Chaput February 16th, 2012 Creighton Abrams, arguably America’s best general in recent history, was an uncommon man. A biographer said that “he touched those who came to know him in a way they valued and would never forget.” It’s easy to see why. He led by example. He embodied the virtues of courage, honesty, dedication to mission, personal humility and unfailing fidelity to his wife and six children over a marriage of 38 years.Abrams never degraded his opponents. He never demeaned himself by demeaning others....

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has spoken out on a variety of issues, including insurance coverage for birth control. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput does not yet wear the empowering red hat of a cardinal, and he is so new to Philadelphia that he recently called it "Denver."But in the mere five months since he arrived here from the Rockies, Chaput has already emerged as a fierce warrior-bishop, unlike anyone Philadelphia has seen since the mighty Cardinal Dennis Dougherty reigned more than 60 years ago.His fighting words have refocused the national spotlight on the archdiocese, led lately by the low-profile Cardinals Justin...

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput. Washington D.C., Jul 4, 2012 / 12:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Government cannot give or take away the ultimate freedom found in obedience to God, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said at the closing Mass of the U.S. bishops' “Fortnight for Freedom.” “True freedom knows no attachments other than Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Chaput said in his July 4 homily at Washington, D.C.'s National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. “True freedom can walk away from anything – wealth, honor, fame, pleasure … It fears neither the state, nor death itself.” “We’re free only to the extent that...

ZAHN: So is it a sin for a Catholic voter to vote for John Kerry, who is pro-choice? CHAPUT: I don't think I can answer that question. What I would say, it's a sin for Catholics to violate their conscience in their voting, and I think it's important for Catholics to form their conscience according to what their church believes. So I think someone who votes for abortion candidates could be sinning, but I don't think I can answer the question the way you put it. SNIP CHAPUT: What the document from Cardinal Ratzinger actually said was, a person could,...

Today, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are celebrating the installation of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput O.F.M. The question thus arises why Nicholas P. Cafardi, Dean Emeritus of the Duquesne Law School, would publish an op-ed in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer both maligning and accusing Archbishop Chaput of propagating a “one-issue” Catholic Church. That issue, of course, is abortion, a practice that Archbishop Chaput has consistently reminded all Catholics, including Catholic politicians, should be opposed rather than supported. To imply that Archbishop Chaput does not care about the “broad spectrum of values,” such as caring for the poor and immigrants, is...

Denver — The theologian Karl Barth once said, "To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." That saying comes to mind as the election approaches and I hear more lectures about how Roman Catholics must not "impose their beliefs on society" or warnings about the need for "the separation of church and state." These are two of the emptiest slogans in current American politics, intended to discourage serious debate. No one in mainstream American politics wants a theocracy. Nor does anyone doubt the importance of morality in public life. Therefore,...

NY TIMES REPORT ON ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT SLANTED AND MISLEADING, TRANSCRIPT SHOWS DENVER, October 13 (CNA) - An October 12 New York Times story featuring an interview with Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput that presents the archbishop as saying that Catholics must vote for Bush and against Kerry in this election, has been shown by the original transcripts, released by the Archdiocese of Denver this afternoon, to be misleading. The New York Times article, penned by David Kirkpatrick, opens by saying that “For Archbishop Charles J. Chaput…there is only one way for a faithful Catholic to vote in this presidential election, for...

Vatican City, Oct 6, 2009 / 03:16 am (CNA).- The Italian daily Il Foglio published today an article entitled "L'ascia del vescovo pellerossa - Charles j. Chaput contro Notre Dame e l'illustre cardinale sedotto dall'abortista Obama" ("The ax of the Red Skin Bishop - Charles J. Chaput against Notre Dame and the illustrious cardinal seduced by the pro abortion Obama") in which the Archbishop of Denver contests some of the strongly pro-Obama assertions made by Cardinal Georges Cottier last July in the International Catholic Magazine “30 Days”.Il Foglio is one of the most influential intellectual dailies in Italy, dedicated more...

FIVE MONTHS AFTER a grand-jury report blasted the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for failing to investigate claims of sexual abuse by priests against children, Pope Benedict XVI will accept Cardinal Justin Rigali's resignation this week, the Daily News has learned.The Archdiocese did not return calls yesterday seeking comment on Rigali's expected resignation. But sources close to the Archdiocese confirmed a report Thursday on the National Catholic Reporter's website that Rigali would resign. Blogger Michael Sean Winters, who authored that report, said last night that the announcement likely would be made tomorrow.Sources told the Daily News yesterday that the front-runner to replace...

Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center June 5, 2002 Archbishop requests input from faithful to take to Dallas meeting U.S. bishops release drafts of sexual misconduct policies, propose national day of prayer At 2 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on June 4, the U.S. bishops, through their Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse, released three important documents. The first is a national "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People." This is the framework the bishops propose for dealing with the sexual misconduct tragedy in the Church. The second text is "Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies."...

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. Bishops' (USCCB) Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, has again spoken out aganst the abortion expansion in President Obama's health care legislation, calling the bill "seriously deficient" on the issue of mandated coverage and funding of abortion.  Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver also issued a call to action urging Catholics to tell legislators that only a bill that excludes abortion is acceptable health care reform.  In an August 11 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, Cardinal Rigali criticized the bill for delegating to the Secretary of...

Today on the Archdiocese of Denver website, the following news item: Denver bishops release letter to faithful, stress importance of accurate moral reasoning by public servantsArchbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. and Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley have released a new letter to the Catholics of northern Colorado, titled “Public Servants and Moral Reasoning.” In the letter, they reaffirm the importance of informed moral reasoning when discerning public action, especially in regard to Catholics who serve their country on the national stage. Click here to read the full letter (PDF file)The last two paragraphs sum-up Archbishop Chaput's position: In...

Archbishop Charles Chaput left the door open Monday for Catholics to support pro-choice politicians, saying a variety of factors may be weighed when making such a decision. "If you're a Democrat can you legitimately vote for someone who is pro-choice? I imagine so," Chaput told a crowd of about 150. "But you have to tell them forcefully you want them to change . . . voting is (just)the minimum." Chaput spoke at the Augustine Institute, a new graduate school of theology and evangelization at the former Teikyo Loretto Heights campus on Federal Boulevard. The archbishop's talk was to introduce his...