Fr. Peter Daly

I haven't written anything for a long time because I have been busy as a caregiver. The last 18 months have been the "story of José Luis." It has been one of the most important chapters of my life.

Fr. Peter Daly: What does the pope want from pastoral bishops? He wants dialogue, not condemnation. But what do we get from our "culture warrior" bishops in the U.S.? Calls for public condemnation of politicians.

Disasters like Hurricanes Ida and Katrina are horrible, but they can have good results. They can bring us together. They can help us find our mission and meaning. They can break down the old barriers and establish new bonds.

Priestly Diary: The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests issued a statement that objected "to any use of the Eucharist as a political weapon whether manifest or camouflaged." The operative word: "camouflaged."

Priestly Diary: We Catholics have a long tradition of the spiritual retreat, something I think that should not just be an occasional event but a permanent approach to living.

Priestly Diary: In 1971, I was arrested at the U.S. Capitol. My protest was ethically different from the acts of terror at the Capitol last month. Both actions took place in the same building. There the similarity ends.

Priestly Diary: In the 449 pages of the Vatican report, there are thousands of words and hundreds facts. But there is one number we should remember. Seventeen.

Priestly Diary: Attorney General William Barr is to be given the Christifideles Laici award by the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Sept. 23. Really? How exactly does Barr as U.S. attorney general exemplify the teachings of the church?

Priestly Diary: I have been a member of the Knights for 33 years. But now, I am quitting. Because the top brass injected the Knights into a partisan campaign at a moment of crisis in our national life.

Priestly Diary: During this coronavirus shutdown, I have been working on projects at home, like my "death box." Not an attractive name, but a necessary part of planning for death in our culture.

Priestly Diary: Like the Black Plague, COVID-19 will probably have some long-term impact on the Catholic Church. I suspect that it will accelerate two seemingly contradictory trends.

Priestly Diary: Not much is moving around me in Washington, in this season of coronavirus. What is it that the church can offer now in this time of isolation? Spiritual wisdom.

Priestly Diary: Ambition is one of the worst and most destructive features of clericalism. It is time to take all the vestiges of the Papal States to the junk yard.

Priestly Diary: What can be done about this clerical culture of excess? Pope Francis is doing a lot by his example, but here is where the laity can have a real impact.

Priestly Diary: The first step to tackling the clericalism born of our fallen nature is talking about it. If we don't talk about it, we cannot treat the problem.

Priestly Diary: If the priesthood is to be reformed, we must tackle the disease of clericalism. It won't be easy. Clericalism is so deeply ingrained in our structures and way of thinking that we almost can't imagine how things could be otherwise.

Priestly Diary: If a sizable amount of Catholic clergy aren't celibate, that contributes to a culture of mendacity (lying). Priests and bishops are not going to expose others because they may be guilty themselves. 

Priestly Diary: We cannot bring about real reform of the Roman Catholic priesthood unless we do away with mandatory celibacy, which harms the church and damages the lives of most priests.

Priestly Diary: The priesthood is beset with scandals and needs radical reform — and I plan to write about that. Still, gratitude should be the starting point for my reflection.

Parish Diary: Maybe that seems a bit pessimistic, but I think it is realistic to expect nothing from the meeting of bishops in Rome in February. I've been disappointed at their lack of courage and leadership before.