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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...

Catholic academic ayatollah shows true colorsCardinal Newman Society uses McCarthyite tactics to promote a fundamentalist agendaFour years ago I put a theoretical question to Patrick Reilly, president of the Virginia-based Cardinal Newman Society and self-appointed ayatollah to Catholic academia in this country. Reilly is back in the news today because President Obama will deliver the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame in May. The overseer of false orthodoxy doesn’t like that one bit.... Founded in 1993 by the Fordham-educated Reilly, the Society claims it is dedicated to strengthening Catholic identity at America’s Catholic colleges and universities. In reality,...