Catholic Church

By John Zmirak, The Stream - One of the creepy ironies of abortion is that the U.S. has imported, in sheer numbers, virtually one immigrant for every American child aborted since 1973. (That is, around 1 million per year.)... In an ironic twist, the US Catholic Church has gained over $3 Billion for immigration activities, and also lost over $3 Billion to criminal and civil suits for the sexual abuse of children. Should it ever be discovered that the US Catholic Church’s involvement in the settlement of illegal aliens also involved the sexual abuse of children, the consequences would be devastating... With shepherds like these, who needs coyotes?

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture - Yesterday I did my best to explain that the laicization of Frank Pavone is neither unjust nor surprising—although the Vatican’s handling of the case leaves much to be desired. But many faithful Catholics continue to ask a very sensible question: Why is Pavone severely disciplined, when priests like Father James Martin and Father Marko Rupnik continue in good standing?

By Derek Rotty, Catholic Exchange - Viewing and pondering sacred art offers the faithful a great way to prepare for the birth of Our Blessed Lord at Christmas. This series of articles will highlight several pieces of art related to the Gospel readings of this year’s lectionary cycle, as well as two pieces related to the week leading to Christmas. Each of these pieces of art allows us to reflect deeply on God’s plan for our lives, and to be prepared for the joyful celebration of Our Lord’s Nativity... The Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Advent tells us “how the birth of Jesus came about.”

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture - “What took so long?” Those are the words of Pavone himself, in his response to the announcement that he had been defrocked. His bishop had warned him, long ago, about the exactly that possibility. After nearly fifteen years of fighting against episcopal authority—years in which he refused to accept his bishop’s directives—Pavone could not have been surprised by this weekend’s news.