Zbigniew Kotyłły, John Paul II (2012) This year, Holy Thursday falls on the tenth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. Each year on Holy Thursday, the saintly pope would write a letter to his priests, in honor of Christ’s institution of the priesthood at the Last Supper. The last of these letters,… Continue reading The Attraction of a Priestly Life Well Lived
Tag: papacy
6 Early Christian Controversies That Protestantism Can’t Explain
Woodcut of St. Patrick, Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) In an article entitled Saint Patrick the Baptist?, Stephen R. Button tries to claim St. Patrick for Evangelical Protestantism… or at least disassociate him from Roman Catholicism. Button is hardly alone: you can find similar attempts by Don Boys and others, some of them dating back several decades. The argument tends… Continue reading 6 Early Christian Controversies That Protestantism Can’t Explain
Pope Francis: a Voice for Voiceless Christians
Pope Francis has once again show himself to be one of the only world leaders willing to give a voice to the Christians being slaughtered by Islamic radicals: With pain, with much pain, I learned of the terrorist attacks today against two churches in the city of Lahore in Pakistan, which have resulted in numerous… Continue reading Pope Francis: a Voice for Voiceless Christians
Pope Victor and the Second-Century Papacy
Pope St. Victor I In October, I wrote about a fascinating conflict in the first-century church of Corinth. When a dispute broke out within their church, they wrote to Rome. Pope Clement wrote back, issued some orders, and resolved the dispute. Under any circumstances, this would be interesting, because it shows the way that papal… Continue reading Pope Victor and the Second-Century Papacy
Reason #4 to Reject the Reformation: Ecumenical Councils
Councils are part of the history of the Church from the very beginning, as the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 shows. And they’re a source of potential unity between Catholics and Protestants, because so long as both sides recognize the authority of the early Ecumenical Councils, we have some common ground upon which to… Continue reading Reason #4 to Reject the Reformation: Ecumenical Councils
Pope Francis Shows His Cards
I. The Crises in the Synod Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, one of the leading opponents of Cardinal Kasper’s proposals The Extraordinary Synod on the Family, which began on October 5, ended yesterday. The Synod was, to put it mildly, a bumpy ride. A group of bishops, lead by the German Cardinal Walter Kasper, vocally pushed… Continue reading Pope Francis Shows His Cards
Did the Papacy Exist While John Was Alive?
For my money, one of the strongest arguments against the papacy (or at least one of the most interesting) is that the Catholic view requires us to hold that the first few popes after Peter had authority over St. John the Evangelist, even though these popes weren’t Apostles, and John was. So how do we answer… Continue reading Did the Papacy Exist While John Was Alive?
The Gospel of St. Peter’s: Jesus Doesn’t Need You.
St. Peter’s Square St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the largest, most famous, and most beautiful churches in the world. Rightly has it been called “the greatest of all churches of Christendom.” Although the pope’s cathedral is actually St. John Lateran, St. Peter’s Basilica is the church typically associated with the papacy. After all, it’s… Continue reading The Gospel of St. Peter’s: Jesus Doesn’t Need You.
9 Ways To Restore All Things in Christ
Pope St. Pius X The world looks pretty frightening for the Church these days. Christians are being martyred around the world, whether it be by Communists in China or by Islamic radicals in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Western society is becoming ever more anti-religious, and the Church is facing increasing threats by secularists in many… Continue reading 9 Ways To Restore All Things in Christ
Sedevacantism is Impossible: How We Can Know Francis is Pope
In recent days, there’s been a nasty dustup between several prominent Catholic bloggers. The argument was ostensibly about “tone,” and it quickly devolved into a lot of bruised egos, and personal attacks on other Catholics for making personal attacks. It was an ugly spectacle, and I’ve stayed well clear of it. Pope Francis But while… Continue reading Sedevacantism is Impossible: How We Can Know Francis is Pope