Doctrine

“Francesco,” a newly released documentary on the life and ministry of Pope Francis, has made global headlines, because the film contains a scene in which Pope Francis calls for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples. Some activists and media reports have suggested that Pope... Read more

In the second known instance in the United States, a man who believed himself to be a validly baptized Catholic and ordained priest had to “re-receive” all of his sacraments, including ordination, after discovering that his baptism was invalid. Fr. Zachary Boazman, a priest of the... Read more

When a priest is ordained, his hands are anointed with oil. They are then wiped clean with a white linen cloth -- it’s called a maniturgium. There is a custom, hundreds of years old, in which each new priest presents that cloth to his mother. She’s usually buried with it. People say... Read more

Last week, the news broke that Father Matthew Hood of the Archdiocese of Detroit had this summer learned that he was not validly baptized— despite believing that he had been ordained a priest in 2017. Hood thought he had been baptized as a baby. But, prompted by a recently issued... Read more

The first emotion was shock. Then came sadness. And the third — two weeks later — was déjà vu. The past two weeks have been a roller coaster for Fr. Matthew Hood, who was ordained to the priesthood — some might say for the second time, but in reality, for the first — on Aug. 17,... Read more

The Catholic apostolate Courage has published online the latest edition of its chaplain’s handbook to better help clergy and others ministering to people with same-sex attractions and their families. “Since we believe that the handbook can be helpful to many people involved in ministry,... Read more

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 27, 2020 / 11:15 am (CNA).- Cardinal Joseph Zen, the emeritus Bishop of Hong Kong, has made an impassioned defense of the Second Vatican Council, criticizing both “extreme conservatives” and “extreme progressives” for rejecting the authority and... Read more

“O sacred Banquet, wherein Christ is received, the memory of His passion is recalled, the soul is filled with grace, and there is given to us a pledge of future glory.” —St. Thomas Aquinas, O Sacrum Convivium (hymn for Corpus Christi) Salvation History—the unfolding story of... Read more

There is an old spiritual that says, “My God is so high you can’t get over Him. He’s so low you can’t get under Him. He’s so wide you can’t get around Him. You must come in, by and through the Lamb.” It’s not a bad way of saying that God is “other.” He is beyond what... Read more

John Henry Newman once compared Scripture to an inexhaustibly rich wilderness—never failing to reward the faithful explorer with thrilling new discoveries yet always beyond his ability to master it completely: It cannot, as it were, be mapped, or its contents cataloged; but after all our... Read more