Reflections/Catholic Social Teaching

Death of John Paul I - Albino Luciani

A new book discloses details and evidence of the death of Pope John Paul I – who died in 1978 after just 33 days in office – showing his death was the result of a heart attack, as previously held. In the book, called “Papa Luciani: Chronicle of a Death,” Vatican journalist Stefania Falasca presents thoroughly-researched evidence, including previously undisclosed medical reports, witness testimonies and Vatican documents, confirming original reports that the late pontiff died of a heart attack.

His Very Brief Pontificate

Albino Luciani, who was born on Oct. 17, 1912 in Italy’s northern Veneto region, was elected Bishop of Rome at the age of 65. He took the name Pope John Paul to honor both of his immediate predecessors, St. John XXIII and Blessed Paul VI. His term as pope was short-lived, however, as he died suddenly on Sept. 28, 1978, after only 33 days in office.

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War Talk

It is one of the great ironies of this fraught moment in our history that while our president is making threats of total war against North Korea, whose leader is making threats of total war against us, Ken Burns’ masterful documentary “The Vietnam War” is being aired.

It is unfortunate that we are no longer in the simple media market of decades past, when one outstanding television experience could be shared and discussed by all at the water cooler or the coffee shop. For this series is a grand memento mori (remember that you must die) for all those who threaten to unleash the hounds of war. As we saw then in Vietnam and are seeing now throughout the Middle East, once these dark beasts are loosed, they are leashed again only at unimaginable cost in blood and treasure.

Memories of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War and all that it provoked has shaped our country profoundly for more than half a century. Our distrust of government and of our own leaders, a distrust that strangely unites both the left and the right in this country, took root during that war. The casual assumptions that all our leaders are liars, that politics is dishonest and that the citizenry is left to fend for itself in uncovering the truth, are some of the poisonous fruits of that conflict. And the ideological, cultural and ethnic divisions that burst into flame on American streets during that war have never been resolved and continue to plague us today.

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Archbishop Gomez Prods President Trump

President Donald Trump’s promise to treat undocumented minors with “great heart” needs to be reflected in policy that gives them legal protection, not deportation, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles has said.

“They did not make the decision to enter this country in violation of our laws, and in fairness we cannot hold them accountable,” Archbishop Gomez said in an Aug. 29 column for the Archdiocese’s Angelus News. “America is the only country they know, and the vast majority are working hard to make their own contribution to the American dream.”

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Can Catholicism Offer a Way to Peace in Korea?

The first time I heard the word “Korea,” I was a small child learning that my father had served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. My dad was stationed in Okinawa during the conflict and fortunately did not get sent into combat.

However, I had learned early that this Asian nation was a significant place, not just for my family, but for millions of other families.

In college, I tutored Korean students in conversational English, and I now know a number of people with ties to Korea, including my brother, Matthew, who has lived there for more than two decades teaching English. He runs ‘The Basement in Pusan,’ a popular nightclub with foreigners and Koreans alike, and has married a lovely Korean woman who has blessed my family with two girls over the past few years.

Because of these threads tying me to this nation, every time I hear about a possible new war in Korea, I’m just a little bit more nervous than I would be when I hear rumors of war in other nations. Must we accept that war is inevitable and the only way we can eradicate the divisions between the North and South in Korea? Or is there a way out of this morass?

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Our New Sustainability Ministry

We, the Sustainability Ministry Volunteers at Mary Queen Church, Friendswood, Texas, wish to share with you our “Petition for Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship in Catholic Parishes”.

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Our Mission in the Third Wave

A few years ago I participated in the annual members' meeting of the American Society of Missiology (ASM) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The ASM is a professional association made up of members from Independent (Evangelical, Pentecostal, etc.), Conciliar, and Roman Catholic communions of the Christian church. It did not surprise me that so many participants knew of, admired, and spoke highly of Pope Francis.

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Pro-Life Police Officers

“Ultimately, this report is about the sanctity of all human life.” This remarkable line opens up an international police group's flagship document on how to improve incidents of officer-involved shootings and the kinds of non-armed crisis situations that take place regularly across the United States.

“The essence of policing is the preservation of life,” Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research in Washington, D.C., told CNA. “That's why we exist; life is very precious, and we have to remind ourselves of that.”

This ethic of protecting human life extends even to the use of force in responding to incidents, Wexler argued: “Everything should be what we have to do to preserve human life – especially in the area of use of force.”

This principle, that human life is sacred has found itself at the core of PERF's work as an independent research and policy organization that looks at best practices in policing, as well as assistance, education and advice for law enforcement agencies.
With the idea that “the sanctity of human life should be at the heart of everything an agency does” at the center of the organization's 30 Guiding Principles on the Use of Force and training guide, the group is already revolutionizing the way police departments approach policies on force and the response to crisis situations.

Keeping Everyone Safe

The pro-life approach to police work is part of a years-long project undertaken by PERF, which has more than 2500 members from around the globe.

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Students Celebrate “Laudato Si”

June 18, 2017 marked the two-year anniversary of Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common home, Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical.

A year ago, the Ignatian Solidarity Network announced the Ignatian Carbon Challenge, a campaign designed to provide tangible resources for action and reflection to support institutions’ and individuals’ work toward a more sustainable lifestyle and campus environment.

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Bishops and Affordable Care Act Bill

A leading U.S. bishop expressed grave concerns Thursday about a revised health care bill which the House may vote on within days. The bill is an effort replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

“It is deeply disappointing to many Americans that, in modifying the American Health Care Act to again attempt a vote, proponents of the bill left in place its serious flaws, including unacceptable modifications to Medicaid that will endanger coverage and affordability for millions of people, according to reports,” Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, chair of the U.S. bishops’ domestic justice and human development committee, stated April 27.

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Philly Schools Revamped

Catholic Schools in Philadelphia have seen a revitalization in finances and quality of education thanks to the initiative of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, says a group that collaborated with him on the effort.

“While fund-raising certainly helped, the faith and wisdom of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput was equally important,” the Faith in the Future foundation said. “He recognized the passion of lay leaders – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – for these schools and he empowered them to take action.”

A Collaborative Effort for our School Children

The archdiocese began a partnership in 2012 with the Faith in the Future to increase fundraising and new leadership in overseeing Catholic school management. “We need to have ongoing interest on the part of the donor community – not only Catholics but people who share our commitment to education – the ongoing support of the archdiocese of course, and our people and our pastors are all included,” Archbishop Charles Chaput said at the time, according to the Catholic Philly.

The foundation is now in charge of 17 high schools and four special education schools. The program started off in 2012 with nearly 13 million dollars in donations and has increased to 19.4 million in 2016. In a recent column for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the group's leaders lauded Archbishop Chaput for his part in the growing success of the city's Catholic schools. Faith in the Future works to fund the school's operational deficits then reinvests the surpluses into new programs. The organization also oversees improvements to operations and market strategies to further promote enrollment.

From Gloom to Great Hope

In the beginning of 2012, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was planning on closing 44 elementary schools, four high schools, and displacing nearly 24,000 students. Among other challenges, the archdiocese felt heavy financial strains from organizational issues and abuse scandals.

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