Praying with Pope Francis

Pope Francis is a pontiff of firsts—-the first Jesuit, the first Francis (of Assisi, not the Jesuit Francis Xavier), and the first pope from the New World, and indeed from a nation encircled by the global south. We can in one sense call him the first American pope. While not from a nation of . . . . Continue Reading »

More on Pope Francis [Updated]

We’re still reading up on the new Holy Father, but for now, here’s a bit to get you started: Catholic Culture has an informative story  on today’s events, and Thomas L. McDonald is rounding up news and reactions as they arrive. CBS and other outlets have published the full . . . . Continue Reading »

Francis!

Who couldn’t love that? Carl is right. 76 turned out not to be a problem. Neither did being from OUR HEMISPHERE. The handicappers should have given more attention to the man who came in second last time. Francis might be exactly the right combination of evangelizer and enforcer, with more . . . . Continue Reading »

Led By a Man Singing

Stephen Schmalhofer sends this quote from G. K. Chesterton on St. Francis of Assisi, appropriate for this day, and appropriate too as the basis for a prayer for the new Holy Father: The servants of God who had been a besieged garrison became a marching army; the ways of the world were filled as . . . . Continue Reading »

The New Pope, Pope Francis

About an hour after the world saw white smoke, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, stepped out to offer the crowd his blessing. But before that, he asked for its prayers. This is a humble man, a prince of the church born into a working-class family who’s noted for riding public . . . . Continue Reading »

U.N. Commission on Status of Women Goes Mad

“The sexual behavior of men can be a form of violence against women because it can result in pregnancy,” stated an official of the U.N. Secretariat earlier this week during negotiations at the annual U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), at which the U.N.’s typical . . . . Continue Reading »