Thinking with the Church

Church in West Suffering Crisis of Faith, Says Pope
FREIBURG, GERMANY, September 24, 2011-- “The real crisis facing the Church in the western world is a crisis of faith,” Pope Benedict XVI told gathering of lay Catholics on Sept. 24, in Freiburg.

Bishops Approve Physician-Assisted Suicide Statement; Call on Catholics to Support the Dying, Ensure Their Legal Protection 
WASHINGTON, DC, June 16, 2011 -- The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a policy statement on physician-assisted suicide at its Spring General Assembly in Seattle on June 16. The statement, To Live Each Day with Dignity, passed with a vote of 191-1. It marks the first time the full body of bishops has issued a statement devoted to this issue.

Liberals and Conservatives
Apply Social Teaching Principles Differently
SAN FRANCISCO, June 1, 2011--There is a tension between how liberals and conservatives apply Catholic social teachings that sometimes devolves into questions about who is authentically Catholic in their approach to public policy. While there are some moral areas in which the application of Catholic teaching is so clear there is little room for prudential judgment among Catholics who fully accept the teachings of the Church, most leave a lot of latitude for different approaches or strategies to serve the common good. In these cases, it is common for Catholics of good will to have diamentrically opposed positions on issues. Stephen White of the Ethics and Policy Center provides some very helpful insights into this in an article entitled "Catholic Conservatives and the Common Good".

Fr. Barron comments on Celebrating Bin Laden's Death?
CHICAGO, May 6, 2011 -- Father Robert Barron provides a poignant reflection on the inviolable dignity of the human person that is important to keep in mind as we contemplate public policy alternatives regarding life, marriage, family and human rights. It is food for thought.

Pope: Defend and Promote Right to Freedom
Message to Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
VATICAN CITY, May 4, 2011 (VIS) - Today was made public the Pope's message to Mary Ann Glendon, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and the members of that institution at the closure of their seventeenth plenary assembly held in Rome from 29 April to 3 May on the theme: "Universal Rights in a World of Diversity: The Case of Religious Freedom".

Blessed John Paul II

John Paul II: A Modern Day Thomas Aquinas?
His Impact on the Church and this Movement
SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2011-- This weekend will be historic as we witness the beatification of John Paul the Great, the person who was the inspiration for Catholics for the Common Good and so many other movements for the evangelization of culture. Father Richard Hogan has called John Paul the Great the Thomas Aquinas of our time.

Intentionally Depriving a Child of
Her Mother or Father a "Human Right"?
Absurd by Claim Commission
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2011—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has ruled that Costa Rica must legalize in vitro fertilization (IVF) or face penalties for alleged violations of human rights protected by international law. “They have effectively said, the right to create a child with the intention of depriving that child of knowing and being cared for by his or her mother and father is a human right specific to adults. That is absurd,” exclaimed CCG chairman William B. May.

Enter into the Suffering of Children
As Attacks on Marriage and Family Increase
Holy Father's Message Speaks to Our Mission
SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, 2011-- Forty days ago, we asked you to dedicate your Lent to marriage and family. During this Triduum, as we “ascend to the heights of Calvary” with Christ, let us join in his passion and death, and the hope and joy that come with his resurrection. Let us ask him for the grace to help us combat the forces that we are dealing with.

Reality-Based Thinking
An Antidote for Relativism
Reality-based thinking is a term that CCGI uses to describe having an awareness of the indisputable reality of God's plan for creation and the reality of what it means to be human. We live in a culture of relativism characterized by such statements as "what is true for you may not be true for me," or "that is your reality, but my reality is different." By living in the culture, everyone is unconsciously influenced by this kind of thinking to varying degrees. This can cause people to unwittingly accepts false premises that actually may conflict with what they know to be true or have negative influences on choices they make.

Using Language of New Media for Evangelization
Language Shapes How People Think
VATICAN CITY, February 28, 2011 - At midday today, Benedict XVI received participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications who are currently meeting to reflect on the question of language and new technology.

Changing Language is Changing Culture
Editor's Note: We are living in an age of relativism. Who are the relativistic thinkers? We are. Everyone is influenced by the culture to varying degrees.  CCGI has found through trainings and workshops, that this leads people to sometimes unwittingly communicate in ways that actually conflict with what they beleive. 

Fraternal Correction
ROME, September 2, 2005 -- Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Pontifical Household, speaks on how to confront someone in a Christian manner.

The Role of the Laity in Ecclesial Forgiveness
In this theologically rich and thought provoking reflection on forgiveness, Cardinal Stafford explores the modern emphasis on reconciliation, the truly Christian nature of forgiveness revealed by the Father in Christ and the laity’s role in the ecclesial participation in this forgiveness as an authentic means of Church renewal.