News, analysis, and documents on the Catholic Church, by Sandro Magister, Rome
20.12.2002
> Strange Christmas. Cheers for the Angry God and Jeers for the Baby Jesus
Pope John Paul II quotes Jeremiah and stirs up a dispute about God. Surprise: secular thinker Eugenio Scalfari enters the ring in the pope's corner. While Cardinal Ruini...
16.12.2002
> Exclusive Interview with Cardinal Camillo Ruini: "My Battle for Man"
Politics and faith, Catholics and secularists, Europe and Islam: The pope's vicar covers all the fields. He also speaks of good and bad culture models. And of the No. 1 danger: the naturalistic tendency of modern man
9.12.2002
> Robert Capa, War Photographer... in Service of the Church's Mission of Peace
Is Fr. Kizito's 2003 calendar pacifistic? Yes and no. The photos are all of American soldiers, celebrated as liberators
5.12.2002
> Saturday Night Masses for Everyone! Carmen and Kiko's Church of Many Rooms
This is what happens in a Roman Parish with 1,200 neocatechumenals and 26 different Masses to fit each subgroup, while Church hierarchy contradicts itself by turning a blind eye
2.12.2002
> Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Profession: Servant of the Servants of God
He's the latest Latin-American rumored for the papacy, and he's already at the head among the possible successors of Peter. If elected, he would be the first Jesuit pope
27.11.2002
> Saddam Hussein massacres Shiite Muslims, and the Vatican looks away
Deafening silence from the heads of the Catholic Church regarding religious persecution underway in Iraq. But it's fully documented. Here are the complete links to the condemning evidence
26.11.2002
> Sodano Isn't Leaving the Vatican - Nor the "Glass Palace"
Just reconfirmed as the Secretary of State, Cardinal Sodano said he will strengthen the presence of the Holy See at the United Nations, in spite of the lobby that wants to eject it
25.11.2002
> In Mecca on Friday, at Noon: To Listen to a Model of Preaching
From the city of the Prophet, a website selects the best of the sermons in the mosques and sends them to imams throughout the world as a guide for preaching - against Jews, Christians, and the West. Not to be missed
21.11.2002
> They're Dying of Hunger in Argentina. But Man Doesn't Live on Bread Alone
To their overwhelmed nation, the Argentine bishops don't offer economic recipes, but the catechism of the Catholic faith. And Ratzinger thinks they're right. With a thought toward the conclave
19.11.2002
> The Other Islam: Scholarly, and Written with a Sharp Pen
Her name is Latifa Lakhdar. To orthodox Muslims, she flirts with heresy. But she also says things that are troubling to Catholics engaged in interreligious dialogue. One of her loves? Saint Augustine
14.11.2002
> Democracy under the Care of a Guardian. The Backward March of John Paul II
With his speech to the Italian parliament, Pope Wojtyla again has opened himself to accusations of threatening the secular nature of the state. Here's why, in a critical essay on his thought. Author: Stefano Ceccanti
13.11.2002
> The U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican: "After September 11, the Pope Said to Me..."
In an unusual book, Ambassador Nicholson tells the story of the diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See. It's up-to-date, and contains some new revelations
30.10.2002
> The De Marco Proposal for Peace between Israel and Palestine
The author is a specialist in religious geopolitics. His plan for peace has been making the rounds for months in influential circles, and is very critical of Europe and the Vatican. Here it is in full
26.10.2002
> The Other Islam. A Peace-Planning Network Is Born
It's called ArchNet. It builds a bridge between Islam and the West, and unites Harvard and MIT even the most godforsaken villages of Asia and Africa
25.10.2002
> A Franciscan at the Rotary Club: The Archbishop of Denver's "Canticle of a New Deal"
The scandal of sexual abuse has overwhelmed the U.S. bishops, leaving few of them unscathed. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver is one of those it has spared. This is his manifesto
6.9.2002
> Operation Courage. George Weigel's Recipe for Healing the Church
In a new book, John Paul II's biographer analyzes the malaise of Catholicism in the United States. And he calls for a cultural revolution. Beginning with the bishops
