Faith Seeking Understanding: As U.S. bishops imprudently forged ahead with a document on Communion ostensibly targeting Biden, I returned to some of Merton's writings on ecclesial and social crises of the mid-1960s.
Distinctly Catholic: Pope Francis' decision to postpone and widen the planned 2022 synod is extraordinary. Yet I worry how the U.S. bishops will manage to engage in this new and promising synodal process.
As the U.S. bishops consider a new document to address Catholic politicians who support legal abortion, historians and theologians describe the U.S. church-state confrontation as one lacking much precedent.
Commentary: Just as the true meaning of the Eucharist needs to be defended from those who would use it for publicity, it needs to be defended from those who would use it to divide the worthy from the unworthy.
After a Vatican warning to the U.S. bishops to proceed with caution in their plan to issue a document on pro-choice Catholic politicians like President Joe Biden, the prelates appear to have limited options for going forward.
Distinctly Catholic: With the conservative media acting like the Ladaria letter doesn't say what it said, the U.S. bishops' conference finds itself once again in an awkward situation when it comes to credibility, autonomy and unity.
Cardinal Luis Ladaria's letter systematically pulls apart the rhetorical building blocks that had been assembled by the advocates of denying Communion to President Joe Biden.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has urged the U.S. bishops to proceed with caution in their discussions about formulating a national policy "to address the situation of Catholics in public office who support legislation allowing abortion, euthanasia or other moral evils."
We say: We thought the pontificate of Francis, who has emphasized dialogue and openness, would have a different, more positive vision for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
