Virtually everyone taking part in the October 3-28 Synod of Bishops on young people has said that the presence of more than 30 young delegates inside the hall has altered the chemistry – it’s looser, more informal, more pumped-up, and above all, more raucous. The young people, participants say, let you know immediately which speeches…
Letter from Rome Moments of great crisis generally affect institutions in multiple ways, some of which are immediately evident and others that take longer to discern. Amid the clerical abuse scandals currently rocking Catholicism, it’s worth asking if one such long-term result is playing out before our eyes. To wit, are we seeing a…
Letter from Rome A scandal’s impact can be measured multiple ways, with the most obvious being the toll it takes in terms of bad press, litigation and settlements, declining attendance or market share, as well as disillusionment and outrage among the rank and file. What’s often harder to assess is the opportunity cost – what…
Letter from Rome US President Donald Trump spent most of last week desperately trying to spin his controversial summit with Vladimir Putin [pictured below] as a breakthrough, despite widespread impressions of near-total capitulation on the question of Russian interference in the 2016 election. “The Summit with Russia was a great success, except with the…
In a new interview, Libero Milone, the lay Italian financial expert who was named the Vatican’s first-ever Auditor General in 2015 and who resigned under murky circumstances two years later, asserts that a Vatican criminal investigation against him has ended with no charges being filed. Speaking to the Italian state TV network RAI, Milone said his lawyers…
International Analysis Letter from Rome For all those concerned with a rising tide of anti-Christian persecution around the world, certain things about the nation of Pakistan may seem blindingly obvious: that Shahbaz Bhatti, for instance, should be declared a martyr and saint, and that a death sentence for Asia Bibi should elicit outrage and…
Letter from Rome Arguably, no single thing any Pope ever does is more consequential than choosing the cardinals who will elect his successor. When a Pontiff reveals his picks for new members of the Church’s most exclusive club, therefore, it always delivers a powerful statement not only about where the Church is today, but…
Letter from Rome While there are undoubtedly many ways to measure the greatness of an idea, here’s one: when it outlives its original application, and becomes a permanent part of a much larger reality. That, in short, is the story of Catholic Voices, which is undoubtedly the most successful Catholic communications initiative of the…
Though a sprawling network of Catholic activists, usually featuring determined members of women’s religious orders, are helping to lead today’s social and humanitarian crusade against human trafficking and modern-day slavery, they know they need the unique resources and powers of governments to turn the tide. A Rome summit on consumerism has suggested that at least…
Letter from Rome In Catholic circles high and low, a widely reported potential deal between the Vatican and China over the appointment of bishops is stirring varied reactions. While some hail the accord as a critically important way for the Church to deepen ties with a global superpower, others see it as capitulation in…