As he approaches his ninth decade of life, Monsignor Hilary C. Franco, author of Bishop Sheen: Mentor and Friend, has given us a gem of his reflections, Six Popes: A Son of the Church Remembers, encompassing a distinguished life that spans his nearly 70 years as a priest. As a son of Italian immigrants from…
CNA—Catholic nuns and his grandparents’ example helped instill in Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas the belief that all people were children of God and that the racist flaws of American society were a betrayal of its best promises, the Justice said in a lecture Thursday. “My nuns and my grandparents lived out their sacred vocation…
CNA—The U.S. House of Representatives this week will vote on a bill that the U.S. bishops’ conference warns would effectively impose abortion on-demand throughout pregnancy. The deceptively named “Women’s Health Protection Act” (H.R. 3755), introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), recognizes the “statutory right” of women to have abortions. It also states the “right” of…
On Sept. 19, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Januarius, bishop, martyr, and patron saint of Naples, Italy. Traditionally, on this day and on two other occasions a year, his blood, which is kept in a glass ampoule in the shape of a rounded cruet, liquifies. According to documentation cited by the Italian…
CNA—The blood of St. Januarius, patron of the Italian city of Naples, liquefied on Sunday. The miraculous event took place in the city’s Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary during morning Mass on Sept. 19, 2021, the saint’s feast day. Before the Mass, Naples Archbishop Domenico Battaglia went to the Royal Chapel of the Treasure…
CNA—Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has said that the legalization of same-sex marriage in many countries is “a distortion of conscience” which has also entered some Catholic circles. In an introduction to a new anthology of his writings on Europe, Benedict XVI said that “with the legalization of ‘same-sex marriage’ in 16 European countries, the issue…
Those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it. Let’s make sure our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, are learning real history in school… so that we NEVER FORGET, Never take our freedoms for granted! Yes we are called to live in Christ-centered Courage, self-discipline, love, hope. We are called to…
Sept 2, 2021 update— Late last night, the U.S. Supreme Court DENIED an emergency motion filed by Planned Parenthood to stop enforcement of the Texas Heartbeat Act while lower-court litigation continues. It was a 5-4 decision, with Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett in the majority. Chief Justice Roberts joined the liberal minority. You…
France24—French-Afghan doctor Mohammed Zahed Omar talks to FRANCE 24 about his dramatic escape from the Afghan capital and his fears for those unable to escape the Taliban. A doctor and pharmacist based in France, Omar was visiting family in Afghanistan when Taliban forces suddenly swept into Kabul on August 15, abruptly ending the country’s two-decade-long…
Big Tech’s censorship of religious voices has continued. Napa Legal joins the Ethics and Public Policy Center to continue spotlighting this issue in an event discussing How Big Tech Censors Religious Voices, How to Fight Back. In this special online event from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) and Napa Legal, EPPC Policy Analyst Clare Morell interviews…
CNA—Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke has been removed from a ventilator and will move from the ICU to a hospital room as he continues to battle COVID-19. According to an Aug. 21 update on the cardinal’s health, Burke was able to speak by phone with his sister on Saturday morning and “expressed his deep gratitude for…
NOTE: This lawsuit — objecting to the horrific fines imposed for hiring people aligned with a nonprofit’s principles — directly affects Virginia-based Catholic schools and nonprofits . ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A new lawsuit challenges a Virginia law that forces nonprofit ministries to abandon their core convictions in hiring and other policies or face fines up…
A Review of Joe Murphy’s Spiritual Lifeboat. I was introduced to author Joe Murphy by Mary Jo Potter, the former Dignity Health Board Chair and a recent guest on my radio show, THE MENTORS RADIO. Mary Jo suggested we meet due to my work over 20 years helping more than 6,000 professionals navigate their career…
I am so thankful that the Catholic Bishops voted overwhelmingly to approve drafting a paper for consideration at their November 2021, in person, United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) meeting. The damage to the Catholic Church laity caused by a small number of outspoken Cardinals and Bishops who publicly oppose Christ’s teachings is significant.…
The Sun—TALIBAN death squads have reportedly marked the doors of prominent Afghan women with paint as several female anchors are axed from TV in a chilling crackdown. Female journalists in Afghanistan are fearing for their lives and many have been “taken off air” as the Taliban’s reign of terror begins after the jihadi army seized…
WSJ—Carl Trueman is a distinguished scholar, bestselling author and ordained Presbyterian minister. On Aug. 7 he gave a series of talks to the Sacramento Gospel Conference, live-streamed on the YouTube channel of Immanuel Baptist Church. Twice during the event, the live broadcast was booted off the air. Viewers were informed that the first interruption was…
Lifesite—The University of Pittsburgh is defending newly exposed documents showing that it sets racial quotas for the aborted babies whose organs are harvested for scientific research. Earlier this week, Judicial Watch and the Center for Medical Progress discovered that the university has racial targets for the organs it harvests from aborted babies in documents they obtained from a Freedom of Information…
Imitating the deep sanctity of the Curé d’Ars is what we each individually need to focus on, as Catholics and especially as Catholic professionals who daily serve, engage, lead, influence and partner with others at all levels of business and secular interactions! Crisis—“If there were only three like you in France, I would not be…
CNA—Few young Catholic Blessed are more popular in the United States than Pier Giorgio Frassati. Numerous ministries, schools, youth camps and awards bear the name of the handsome and wealthy Italian Catholic activist who was equally known for his social justice concerns, his amiable character, his boisterous laughter and his accomplishments as an avid mountaineer.…
The Napa Catholic Conference last month included a presentation on very practical ways to defend the Church’s moral teachings in a world that too often just doesn’t hear the truth. Father Robert Spitzer, S.J., President of the Magis Center for Faith and Reason, and President of the Napa Institute, started with some disturbing facts: Fewer…
