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Tag: Pope Benedict XVI
Papal Good Idea, Bad Idea
The announcement of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation (or retirement or abdication and so on) has been heralded as a promising move of epic proportions for the church. Indeed, I agree wholeheartedly that this is likely to be, as the historical theologian Joseph Komonchak and others have asserted, what Benedict XVI is best known for in […]
NPR on the State of Catholicism Today
On NPR this weekend a lengthy story was aired about the current state of the Roman Catholic Church, its global demographics, and some of the challenges that appear to face the next pope. While not all aspects of the story are exactly correct, a typical effect of popular media’s attempt to report on such a […]
The View From Gary Wills’s Theological Armchair
I have long appreciated the intelligence and wit of Gary Wills. As a historian of some prominence — he’s won the Pulitzer and holds a PhD in classics — and a literary critic whose work has regularly appeared in the New York Review of Books and other significant publications, I have admired his skilled assessment of […]
Pope Cites Dorothy Day in his Ash Wednesday Audience
In what is described as the ‘penultimate’ public audience of Pope Benedict XVI, on this the morning of Ash Wednesday, the Holy Father talked about Lent and also mentioned American Dorothy Day, citing her autobiography. Here is the full text. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today, Ash Wednesday, we begin the liturgical time of Lent, forty days […]
Why Pope Gregory XII Doesn’t Really Count
Amid all the media hype and need to find out esoteric Christian historical and canonical information on short notice yesterday following Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement that he will resign from his office as Bishop of Rome on February 28, 2013, there was an understandable amount of confusion about if and when something like this had […]
What Canon Law Says about Papal Resignations
No, a Pope does not have to die to leave office (I’ve been getting that question a lot this morning). Over at America magazine’s blog, In All Things, I’ve highlighted some of the canonical grounding for this decision of Pope Benedict XVI to resign from office and the reasons why it has unfolded the way it has. […]
Pope Benedict XVI to Resign from Office?
According to early EST morning wire service reports, it appears as though Pope Benedict XVI is planning to resign, making him the first pope in modern history to make such a move. Reuters reports: ROME, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Pope Benedict said on Monday he will resign on Feb 28 because he no longer has […]
Confusion about Theology: The Disinviting of Speakers Continues
‘Tis the season for misunderstanding in the popular perception of theological inquiry. It began a few weeks back with the scandalous and quite shameful rescinding of British theologian Tina Beattie’s visiting fellowship by the University of San Diego (read about this here), a move that has led to serious allegations of abuse of power on […]
Pope’s Opening Address at Synod on ‘New Evangelization’
Here is the text of Pope Benedict XVI’s opening address at the Synod in Rome. Dear Brothers, My meditation refers to the word “Evangelium” – “euangelisasthai” [Greek: “to preach the Gospel”] (cf. Lk 4:18). In this Synod we want to know more about what the Lord tells us and what we can or must do. […]
