The disappearance of the 15-year-old Italian, who lived at the Vatican, has sparked a series of investigations and unanswered questions that continue to baffle investigators and the public alike. Indeed, 40 years later, the Orlandi case remains perplexing and accusations that high-ranking members of the church know what happened to her.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Dodgers have held Pride Night for 10 years. This year’s edition became ensnared in controversy. Following criticism from Catholic groups, the team rescinded an invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be honored at Pride Night. They were later reinvited. Unless you attended the game and got there an hour before it started — that’s when the group was honored — you don’t really know what happened.
Read MoreIf you live in or near Orange County, California — or can be there June 15, 16, 17 or 20 — you might want to attend one of the premiere performances of “Fiat Lux” (Latin for “Let there be light”) by Sir James MacMillan, a work for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, organ and orchestra based on a five-part libretto by poet Dana Gioia.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The presidential race is just starting to heat up. Among those seeking to dislodge the early favorite — polling shows that to be former President Donald Trump — is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. This is the same man who has become something of a conservative darling in recent years for relentlessly going after “woke” ideology.
Read MoreTourists and pilgrims despairing about finding a genuine souvenir of their visit to the Holy Land that wasn’t mass-manufactured in China, India, Turkey or Egypt might wish to consider visiting the Bethlehem Icon Centre — perhaps the only school in the Middle East that teaches the ancient Christian tradition of iconography.
Read More(OPINION) Joseph Henrich credits the Catholic Church for our WEIRD culture: Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. But he’s not Catholic. He’s an agnostic. He’s simply describing how we became WEIRD.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Besides being close in age, Gioia (born 1950) and La Rocca (born 1951) are both half Italian on their fathers’ side, and both are from working class families. Gioia’s ethnic heritage on his mother’s side is Mexican. La Rocca’s ethnic heritage on his mother’s side is Ukrainian. Both poet and composer are roughly of the same generation as Archbishop Cordileone, who was born in 1956.
Read More(TRAVEL) It's a city of contrasts, where vestiges from the colonial era are juxtaposed with cutting-edge technological advancements. Amid this dynamic backdrop, Bangalore’s churches stand out as remarkable symbols of the city’s diverse cultural and religious tapestry. Each church tells a distinct story of architectural splendor intertwined with a deep spiritual heritage.
Read More(EXPLAINER) Thousands of people have spent the past few weeks waiting in line for hours in a small Missouri town to see a nun whose body has barely decomposed since she died in 2019 at age 95. Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster’s body was exhumed in April, according to the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, in Gower, Missouri. What it all means is rooted in Catholic belief that something supernatural has taken place.
Read More(OPINION) Haven’t bishops — in Illinois and across the U.S. — learned that despite the best efforts of their high-priced lawyers and public relations professionals, victims are becoming increasingly empowered, civil attorneys are becoming more aggressive and creative, law enforcement is becoming more determined, and those who commit and conceal assaults on children are becoming “outed” more and more?
Read MoreMillions of pilgrims honor the 45 Catholic and Anglican men who were sentenced to death by Kabaka Mwanga II of the Buganda Kingdom. Ugandan reporter Deborah Laker walks in the footsteps of the 22 Catholic martyrs and unearths the tale of religious devotion, complex relationships and colonial oppression.
Read More(REVIEW) LeBron James’ coming-of-age story is inspiring and entertaining. Whether you enjoy basketball or not, this biopic keeps audiences vested in the success of James and his three best friends/teammates — even though you already know he’s going to go on to become an NBA star. Those looking for faith angles, however, will be left disappointed.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Baseball, and specifically the Los Angeles Dodgers, became the focus of controversy over the last two weeks when the team invited, then uninvited, and then issued a welcome once again a group known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a well-known San Francisco group of queer and transgender people dressed as nuns at the team’s annual Pride Night on June 16.
Read MoreOne of the most majestic displays of religious art a visitor can find in Naples — if not anywhere in the Catholic world — is known as the “Treasure of San Gennaro.” Located in Naples’ historic city center (which is also famous for artisans and nativity scenes), the area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There’s nothing like walking down Via della Conciliazione in Rome. It’s a very long street, bustling with cars and tourists, that feeds into St. Peter’s Square. It’s a reminder of how imposing the Vatican can be, at least physically, in an increasingly secular West. Italy, however, remains a Catholic nation, at least culturally, with reminders everywhere.
Read More(OPINION) Referring to the “wedding banquet at Cana,” when Jesus turned water into wine, the Jesuit theologian called for a changed church in which “people of all races, genders and sexualities rejoice at the presence of love” and a world in which “spiritual wounds will be healed, where faith-based violence will be no more, where fear and intolerance are relics of history.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Pope Francis’ recent apostolic journey to Hungary (my home) was at once exciting and disconcerting. A papal visit is always exciting, and like other Christians in Hungary (Catholic and not), I was encouraged by the Holy Father’s presence among us. Conversely it was hard not to be worried about the apparent imprimatur that might be given to the “political Christianity” championed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz government.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The mainstream press likes the sensational — news that gets clicks — on the late Pope John Paul II and accusations that he was not the saint the church makes him out to be. The tarnished halo story is one they cannot resist.
Read MoreSt. Getrude’s is a Benedictine monastery in rural Idaho that was founded by Swiss nuns in the United States in 1882 and moved to Cottonwood in 1907. Today the property includes the monastery, an inn, a retreat center, gift shop and a chapel.
Read MoreIt turns out New Orleans is more than Bourbon Street, burlesque and beads. The New Orleans Museum of Art, located five miles from the city’s downtown, isn’t afraid to pay homage to the state’s French colonial roots that have connections to Catholicism.
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