Holiness requires no balancing
KRAKOW, POLAND - The approval by Pope Francis of a miracle worked through the intercession of Blessed John Paul II was met with great joy in the Polish pope’s hometown, where nary a church can be found without an image of the blessed. Indeed, just last month the John Paul II Be Not Afraid Centre — a religious, educational and cultural complex on the grounds of the Divine Mercy shrine — was dedicated, the crypt chapel of which already contains the relics of John Paul II. So there was joy at the announcement, but not much surprise, even though at less than nine years after his death John Paul’s canonization will set a modern record.
Faith provides comfort
To read the coverage and study the ghastly pictures from the Quebec village of Lac Mégantic is to know that hearts must be asking where was God during this tragedy.
Quebec’s Bill 52 is not about care, it’s about death
On June 12, in another of the seemingly inexorable movements in the developed world to normalize euthanasia and assisted suicide, Quebec tabled Bill 52, “An act respecting end-of-life care.” Given that only 16-30 per cent of Canadians have access to comprehensive, quality end-of-life care, according to the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, we ought to receive news of efforts to improve care at this crucially important and vulnerable time for dying persons and their loved ones with universal enthusiasm. But what vision of “end-of-life care” is presented here?
A Church united
On July 5 Pope Francis released his first encyclical, a newsworthy event in itself, but then he knocked himself from the headlines by approving the sainthood causes of two of his renowned predecessors. If the rapid-fire announcements seemed unusual, well, that should come as no surprise from a Pope who keeps doing things his way.
We really do have an amazing nation!
As we celebrate Canada Day, it’s not too difficult to get down on our country right now.
- By Robert Brehl
A cathedral, California-style
GARDEN GROVE, CALIF. - On the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the parish of St. Callistus will have a procession, but not any ordinary procession. This being California, it will be a motorcade. And the congregation won’t be coming back.
It’s not health care
Sometimes the obvious needs to be stated: euthanasia is homicide.
June 23, 2013 issue
Exclusive articles, video, audio and photo galleries in the Catholic Register: Digital Edition for our June 23rd, 2013 issue:
A modern telling of the ‘Little Way’ strikes a chord
The book I’m forcing on everyone this month is The Little Way of Ruthie Leming by Rod Dreher.
Immigration and the American Church
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - Last week the American bishops met here to pray, study and reflect upon the role of the bishop in the New Evangelization. But before they began, the Latino leadership of the American bishops devoted their attention to the emerging new America, on the pressing subject of immigration reform.
Bill-52 should die so that we can all live
The Parti Quebecois’ so-called Act Respecting End of Life Care, the horrifying Bill-52, is cynicism wrapped in subterfuge blanketed by the blackness of ideological blindness.