In the recent flurry of jarring communiqués from the Vatican, a rather important instruction may have been missed by most. Within it, one key sentence may also have been overlooked. It’s the December instruction from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on the proper handling of the ashes of the deceased following cremation of a baptized Catholic Christian.
This new year has rolled in with a sense of helplessness in the face of major crises facing humanity. How do we have any realistic expectation of overcoming:
Verbatim: Introduction to Archbishop Leo's Pastoral Letter
Below is the introduction of Archbishop Francis Leo’s Pastoral Letter to the Archdiocese of Toronto. The complete pastoral letter is available archtoronto.org.
I had the recent privilege of speaking with Linda Nicholls, Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada, at her Toronto office.
Pope Francis has called out Russia with full papal moral clarity for its invasion of Ukraine. It’s good to see the Canadian government also getting its own story straight. Better late than never.
The Catholic Register editorial of Dec. 24 regarding the new Vatican declaration on blessing “irregular” and same-sex couples asks: “If nothing changes, why the need for a 5,000-word text to say so?” Perhaps to darken, perplex and bewilder?
Dave Szollosy’s article “Pilgrims seeking peace register their voice” in The Catholic Register showed equal concern for both sides in the Israel-Hamas war.
The Christmas season is a time of rest for me. To clarify, I mean the Christmas season as we celebrate it in the Catholic Church, from Midnight Mass through to the baptism of the Lord.
I think we can all agree that mobile phones are now ubiquitous. What I hadn’t expected was that their impact was literally changing our body shapes.
I have written before of my respect for folk singers who look at the world and give voice to truths that are often hidden from our view. Many years ago, I heard such a phrase that has haunted me, and in some ways has shaped the ministry of the Church on the Street: “Truth is a story scribbled in chalk, an hour before the flood.”
In promoting blessing of same-sex couples, Pope Francis argues “...those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection” or “...be subjected to too many moral prerequisites.” In other words, don’t judge their likely sinful activity.