Priesthood

The Gospel According to Garry

For more than a decade, Garry Wills has been devoting much of his energy to Catholic matters. In Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit (2000), he explained that the papacy was never intended by Jesus and that most popes have had…

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The Catholic Left’s Latest Call for the Ordination of Women

by Kenneth D. Whitehead

In early December the independent and very liberal National Catholic Reporter weekly newspaper published a long, carefully reasoned editorial declaring that “The Ordination of Women Would Correct an Injustice.” If the Church were deliberately perpetrating an injustice in the matter…

The Harvest is Plentiful But the Laborers Are Few

by Paul Kokoski

On Sunday, Jan. 25, 1959, Pope John XXIII proclaimed that it was time to drag the church out of the Dark Ages and into the modern world. It was time, he said, to open the stained-glass windows and let in…

We are Non-Roman Catholics

by Robert Spencer

The first reaction of visitors to my lovely parish church is generally one of bewilderment, as they anoint themselves with air after reaching out for a holy water font inside the door and coming up empty. No statues, either. No…

Did Bishop Finn Deserve Indictment?

by Philip Lawler

Two weeks have passed since the indictment of Kansas City’s Bishop Robert Finn. The bishop’s critics are demanding his resignation, while his defenders protest his innocence. Let’s step back a pace, and put the matter in perspective. The indictment of…

Your Holiness, It Is Time for a Theologian Who Is Not Clamoring for Women Deacons to Write an Open Letter to You

by Daniel G. Van Slyke

Your Holiness: Forgive me for taking so long to write this letter. As you well know from your many years of service in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, since the late 1960s it has been fashionable for…

Guidelines for the Protection of Priests

by Rev. Michael P. Orsi

When the United States bishops meet in Seattle in June for their semiannual conference, they will review the implementation of the 2002 “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” It has served, for almost ten years, as the…

A Family Manifesto: How to Read Familiaris Consortio

by Joseph C. Atkinson

Pope John Paul II was a brave man. Speaking the truth in unstable and unfriendly countries, standing boldly against the popular demise of morality, traveling furiously even when weakened by sickness — no one could deny his courage. But the…

Our Priesthood on the Couch

by Rev. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.

Since the early 1960s, almost all candidates applying to enter religious life or the priesthood have been required to undergo psychological screening. Further evaluation has sometimes been required if questions are raised about a person’s fitness. Some have claimed that…

My Prickly Priest

by Danielle Bean

“Fine, then!” Stephen huffed. He tossed a handful of Uno cards across the table and stomped toward the stairs. Each step thundered through the house as he made his way to his room. I love this prickly child. But…

Oakland A’s Baseball Star Enters the Priesthood

by Deal W. Hudson

Matt Smith, writing at Catholic Advocate, comments on decision of Grant Desme to enter the priesthood. Desme is a rising star for the Oakland A’s baseball team. God Gets a Draft Pick January 23, 2010 By Matt Smith Grant Desme…

Why an All-Male Priesthood Remains

by Monica Migliorino Miller

In May 1994, Pope John Paul II issued his apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis to deal with one specific issue: the Church’s ban on the admission of women to the ministerial priesthood.