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The Deacon's Bench

Ahead of the anniversary of 9/11, this remains one of the most powerful tributes. It never fails to move me, no matter how many times I’ve seen it:. the stunning performance by Bono and U2 at the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans. Listen closely near the beginning and you’ll hear Bono say, “Lord, open…

Over at his blog, Andrew Sullivan shakes his head in disbelief at the events of the last 24 hours in Gainesville, and concludes: “We live in an era of religious fundamentalism and fanaticism, exploited, used and manipulated by politicians, for their own purposes, and used by the media for its own. This has always been…

“I view with great dismay the plan to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by members of the Dove World Outreach Center. Out of respect for those of the Muslim faith, members of our faith community should consider the proposed desecration reprehensible. Now more than ever we must work…

Or so argues a Catholic priest in Italy, who clearly believes we need to make love, not war: A prominent Catholic priest wants European Christians to fight off Islam with a unique weapon: babies. Father Piero Gheddo, an Italian missionary priest, said Wednesday he believes a declining birth rate among Europeans combined with a rising…

My blog sibling here at Beliefnet John W. Kennedy drew my attention to something I hadn’t known about: The Right Network, whose backers include none other than that paragon of virtue, Kelsey Grammer. The clip above gives some of the flavor of this new media outlet (which, for now, is bypassing traditional TV channels and…

No, you’re not witnessing some weird liturgical improvisation in the picture above. It’s part of a remarkable mass that was celebrated in Salt Lake City recently. Details: People of all abilities attended the “Catholics Can” Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeline Sept. 4. Wheelchairs lined both sides of the center aisle of the cathedral…

Now that his new blog is up and running, Deacon Doctor Ditewig is soliciting questions from his readers. Anything on your mind? Drop by and leave a question in the combox. I’m sure he’d love the company. 

The esteemed Msgr. Charles Pope from the Archdiocese of Washington sums it up well: Intentionally giving offense is wrong. I do not deny that there are problems in the Islamic world. But I also know that it is wrong to intentionally and grievously give offense to the religious traditions of others. Proper discussions, even debate…

A group that had planned to arrest Pope Benedict when he arrives on British soil has changed its mind: They met over tea and biscuits in a fifth-floor boardroom at New Scotland Yard, overlooked by portraits of the Queen and the Queen Mother. On one side of the table was the Most Reverend Peter Smith,…

Looking for love? Stay right where you are. It could be just a few keystrokes away. From Catholic San Francisco: The road single Catholics take in search of Mr. or Ms. Right can be a long and winding one indeed. The process is taxing for anyone, but finding soul mates and partners with shared beliefs,…
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