There is no pope. There is no pope. There is no pope. The phrase didn’t occur to me as the bell of St. Benedict’s Abbey  tolled over and over again for 10 minutes starting at 1:00 pm (8:00 pm in Rome) to mark the resignation of the Pope. The phrase occurred to me when the bell stopped tolling and the Abbey grew silent. St. Benedict’s Abbey tolled its bells as the Pope stepped down. Ther... More

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on. Leftist filmmaker Michael Moore joked about Jesus Christ being a homosexual while speaking at Georgetown University. The Washington Blade, a Washington-based gay newspaper, reported: “Moore, who was raised Catholic, used Christian themes throughout his speech. At one point he joked that Jesus was gay. “Y... More

The Good Samaritan: Example of Charity? Or Early Medicare Provider? In the wake of the much-ballyhooed correspondence between Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Congressional Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a group called “Catholics United” issued a press release titled, “Catholics Ask Archbishop Dolan: What Anti-Poverty Programs Would Jesus Cut?” The archbishop, if he were ... More

The Vatican Information Service explains “Yesterday evening in the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI received a group of pupils, parents and teachers from the local Paul VI Pontifical School.” Here is what he said to them. I think it is wonderful how the pope communicates very rich truths in such simple language: “Dear children”, said the Pope in his remarks,... More