Thinking with the Church

To Understand Pope Francis,
You Have to Understand the Jesuits
ROME, June 25, 2017 -- Discernment is one of the words Pope Francis repeats most, especially when speaking to priests and seminarians. He often expresses his desire for greater formation in discernment – a concept that may seem obscure without an understanding its importance to the Pope's Jesuit formation.

Archbishop Chaput on the Synod:
‘Very Positive,’ but Not Problem-Free
VATICAN October 23, 2015 At this year’s Synod on the Family, Archbishop Charles Chaput might be dubbed “The Shepherd of Truth.”

Through an Even Darker Glass:
On Knocking the Popes for Socialism....
July 7, 2015 -- Catholic Culture's Dr. Jeff Mirus provides a provocative commentary about how conservative and liberal ideologies divide Catholics, while poorly understood Catholic social doctrine provides principles that should unite. The author encourages all of us to take a closer and more refined look at Church teaching in the context of today's issues-- always a good thing.

DC Cardinal:
Christ Didn't Change His Words,
and Neither Should the Church
WASHINGTON, DC, May 27, 2015 -- It is not discrimination for a Catholic to publicly profess his faith, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington insisted Sunday in a pastoral letter on “Being Catholic Today.”

‘We are Living an
Ecumenism of Blood’
Pope Says to Phoenix
Unity Celebration in Video
PHOENIX, AZ - May 25, 2015 (Catholic World News) -- Pope Francis sent a video message to the Celebration of Christian Unity, an event that took place on May 23 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Pope Francis:
The Laity Must be Formed for
Their Mission in the World
VATICAN, May 19, 2015  (CNA/EWTN News).- Speaking to the Italian bishops' general assembly on Monday, Pope Francis urged them to support the laity through Christian formation, so that they can assume their proper responsibilities in the public square.

Living Within the Truth:
Religious Liberty and Catholic Mission in the
New Order of the World
SPISSKE PODHRADIE, Slovakia, August 24th, 2010 -- "We live in a time when the Church is called to be a believing community of resistance," Archbishop Charles Chaput concludes in a stunning speech before the Canon Law Association of Slovakia. We need to call things by their true names. We need to fight the evils we see. And most importantly, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that by going along with the voices of secularism and de-Christianization we can somehow mitigate or change things. Only the Truth can set men free."

Franciscan University Professor
Uses CCG Book for Class
College Students Literally
Getting the Marriage Conversation Right
STEUBENVILLE, OH, July 22, 2014 -- Dr. Gregory Popcak, Franciscan University Sociology Professor, recently mentioned in a radio interview that he uses Getting the Marriage Conversation Right in his "Christianity and Society" class. He says the effect of the book on his students is profound. “I could see light bulbs go [on] over the kid’s heads and suddenly they understood that [protection of marriage] wasn’t about being mean. This is really about making sure children have a mother and a father and why that’s really important.”

Pope Says
Economy Must Fight
'Throwaway Culture'
ROME, July 15, 2014 -- Pope Francis had lunch with participants in an international economics seminar on Saturday, saying their efforts to bring the human being to the very center of the economy avoids a “throwaway culture.”

Need to Fight Secularism
“Justice is the fruit of faith
... an evangelized culture
will be a just culture.”
                Pope Francis
LINCOLN, NE., July 15, 2014 -- Despite the recent Hobby Lobby court victory, Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Neb. stressed the need for Catholics to continue to evangelize and fight against the prevailing culture of secularism.

New Vatican
Theological Document
Explores Sensus Fidei
VATICAN, July 4, 2014 -- The International Theological Commission (ITC) has released a study on the Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church, exploring the relationship between the sense of the faithful and the guidance of the teaching magisterium.

Pope: Jesus Was a Pastor,
Not a 'Moralistic' Power-Seeker
VATICAN, June 26, 2014 -- In his daily homily Pope Francis warned of those who reduce the faith to moralism and ambition, stating that people in Jesus' time followed him because he spoke the truth in a way they understood.

CCG Commentary:
Pope Gets to the Essence
Of the New Evangelization
SAN FRANCISCO, October 20, 2013 -- If we limited ourselves to reading headlines in the mainstream media about Pope Francis’ interview published in America, one could have formed the impression that he was directing the faithful to stop promoting the truth about marriage in the public square.

Pope Francis' Principles
for Cultural Change