At the heart of Catholic teaching on sexuality, is the principle that every sexual act must be open to procreation. This simple premise, so deeply embedded in all church documents on the subject, is fraught with difficulties for all Catholics,…
Tag Archive for Pope Benedict XVI
Francis v Benedict: A Visual Analysis of Vocabulary
For much of 2013, the world has been enchanted with Pope Francis, and the dramatic difference in style to that of his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Style however is not substance, and a more complex question is, how does…
Inclusion in Library of Congress Web Archives.
A-hem! Email just in, this morning: To Whom It May Concern: The United States Library of Congress has selected your website for inclusion in the Library’s historic collection of Internet materials related to the retirement of Pope Benedict XVI. We consider…
The La Repubblica Report on the Vatican “Gay Cabal” - Original Text.
This week’s La Repubblica story that allegations of some kind of gay network, together with some kind of blackmail threats, triggered Pope Benedict’s resignation, has received widespread coverage - some breathlessly excited, some muted and cautious. (The links offered below,…
The New Pope’s In-tray
Linking five pressing issues (listed by the Guardian) that the next pope will have to address, is a common theme sex and gender. But the these cannot be dealt with adequately without first tackling a more fundamental problem: the clerical…
The Papal Resignation: Response from New Ways Ministry
The following is the statement of New Ways Ministry’s Executive Director Francis DeBernardo on the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation: The news of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation has surprised the Catholic community worldwide, and here at New Ways Ministry…
Promote LGBT Ministry: Write to Rome, Write the Bishops!
As part of my response to the sudden “closure” of the Soho Masses, I’ve been writing extensively about the need to do more than simply move our existing congregation from Warwick Street to Farm Street. There is a dire need…
Pope Benedict’s Words, Actions Undermine His Own “World Peace” Message
Pope Benedict’s prepared text for his annual address on threats to world peace, has drawn widespread protest for its inclusion of an undisguised attack on gay marriage. Not far from where the Pope offered his weekly prayers, a small group…
Catholic “Truth”, or “Spiritual Reaganomics” ?
In the current climate of Vatican heretic hunting, and a refusal to countenance any discussion of opinions contrary to the official line, I found two pieces by Paul F Knitter to be useful. Knitter is currently a professor of theology at Union…
Pope Benedict, on Threats to the Family
Pope Benedict’s “threats to the family” do not include gay marriage. In his Via Crucis address yesterday (Good Friday), Pope Benedict focussed directly on the threats to the family in the modern world. And no, he was NOT speaking about…
