Lumen Fidei

If you have not yet had the chance to browse through the Pope's new encyclical, Lumen Fidei,  click here to access a copy on vatican.va.  There are already many conversations being held on social media regarding this encyclical.  Perhaps joining in on one (or starting your own) would be a way to delve more deeply into the encyclical.  Check out #LumenFidei on Twitter, Whispers in the Loggia, America Magazine, or a host of other sites. 

Fortnight for Freedom: Day 14

Click here to access the reflections for today, Independence Day, the final day of the Fortnight for Freedom.  Today's questions are:  Since the Vatican Council, has religious freedom improved or deteriorated throughout the world?  What is the relationship between growing religious diversity . . . and religious liberty?

Fortnight for Freedom: Day 13

Click here to access Day 13's reflections.  Today's questions are:  In the United States, religious freedom is protected in the Constitution, as the Council desires.  Are those constitutional protections enough?  Are they growing stronger or weaker in our society today?  What else, apart from the law, can strengthen or weaken religious liberty?  What should Catholics do to defend and foster religious liberty in America today?  What have Catholics done in the past when religious liberty was threatened?

Catholic Priest Killed in Syria

Please remember in your prayers Father Francois Murad, who was killed in Syria.  While the details are sketchy, the Vatican has confirmed his death.  Click here to read a BBC report and let us remember in our prayers all who are affected by the violence in Syria.

Fortnight for Freedom: Day 12

Click here to access Day 12 of the Fortnight for Freedom reflections.  Today's questions:  What present circumstances threaten the freedom of the Catholic Church particularly?  Are threats to the Church's freedom always from without, or do threats arise from within the Church itself?  What threats in the past has the Church in our country had to contend with?

Fortnight for Freedom: Day 11

Click here to access the USCCB's reflection for Day 11 of the Fortnight for Freedom.  Today's questions: What causes religious conflicts today?  Do governments always adequately respond to such conflicts?  What distinguishes "public order" from an ordinary "policy preference"?

Fortnight for Freedom: Day 10

Click here to access day 10's reflections.  Today's questions are:  Within our contemporary world, where is religious equality denied or religious discrimination tolerated?  Are there instances where one religion violates the rights of other religions?