This morning I e-mailed some questions to Father Matin Rhonheimer in Rome and received his kind reply a few minutes ago I asked him if Pope Benedict were aware of his controversial position on church teaching and the use of condoms in 2004 s Tablet He responds I published my article in The Tabl

Austen Ivereigh discussed this a few days ago but I suspect the import of it is getting a little lost in the media kerfluffle over the church s shocking about face on condoms My apologies to those who argue this is not new but seriously you ve got to be kidding at least insofar as how church

The previously out-of-bounds discussion about whether condoms can be used as a means to prevent the spread of disease is now in-bounds.

At a press conference earlier to launch Light of the World the Vatican s spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi acknowledged there had been confusion over the question of the gender of the prostitute cited by Pope Benedict And he got the Pope to clear it up for him He said the Italian version of the bo

Light of the World Peter Seewald s book-length interview with Pope Benedict XVI has already drawn much attention here and elsewhere on the Web Today November 23 is the official publication day and we are happy to provide excerpts from the book for our readers Here you will find Pope Benedict

With Thanksgiving approaching we might ask: Where does gratitude fit in the spiritual life?