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The Deacon's Bench

That’s how Elizabeth Scalia begins this desk-thumping screed against the Vatican PR team — and I couldn’t agree more. What were they thinking? Hello? As she notes: Honestly, do I have to go to Rome and storm the press office of the Holy See, and sit the curia down and pull their hats off to…

Today marks the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and some parishes around the world are also celebrating with the giglio. Whatzzat? Check this out: In Italian Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the residents of the community look forward to the annual Giglio Feast held every July. Since 1903, when the Nolani immigrants first held their transplanted…

In suburban Chicago, a minor league baseball team is making a major league statement of faith: As any athlete will tell you, it’s always good to have God on your side before a big game. Tonight, the Kane County Cougars will go one step farther, holding a full-fledged Catholic Mass before facing off against the…

The long-awaited document was released this morning. CNS has a first look: The Vatican has revised its procedures for handling priestly sex abuse cases, streamlining disciplinary measures, extending the statute of limitations and defining child pornography as an act of sexual abuse of a minor. Vatican officials said the changes allow the church to deal…

What is it like to be a Catholic in China today?  This essay from Ignatius Insight offers a surprising, and moving, glimpse of survival in the face of persecution: One of the most astounding Catholic success stories in China is the village of Liuhecun, located an hour’s drive outside of the economically poor capital city…

The folks at the Catholic Company launched a contest some months ago to find out — and they’ve posted some touching results right here. At a time when the priesthood is being dismissed or diminished or disdained, do yourself a favor and watch these tributes to some great priests.  It will do your heart good. …

A sobering sign of the times, in this story out of Cleveland: For people who are struggling to make ends meet, a sudden expense can be devastating, and there are times it can be catastrophic. A growing number of local people are finding themselves in this situation when a loved one dies. With the cost…

Six months after the devastating earthquake, this great video shows something we so rarely see in the face of disaster: joy. Take a moment and dance. Waka waka!

Some scholars seem to think so. From the Daily Mail: His is among the most enduring legends in our island’s history. King Arthur, the gallant warrior who gathered his knights around the Round Table at Camelot and rallied Christian Britons against the invading pagan Saxons, has always been an enigma. But now historians believe they…

Mark Shea puts his finger on it right here. It’s clericalism.  And you see it rear its ugly head in some of the most divisive issues afflicting the Church, beginning with women’s ordination: What drives the push for women’s ordination is the thoroughly clericalist notion that the only real Catholic is an ordained Catholic. Since…
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