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

While New Yorkers can be gratified to see the U S C C B presidency make a turn toward the northeast mdash and we at America can only be delighted that a friend of the House and contributor has been selected to head the conference best wishes and congrats Archbishop Tim Dolan mdash I can rsquo t

Describing himself surprised and humbled by the honor New York Archbishop Tim Dolan downplayed suggestions that his election represented a break with U S C C B tradition Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas as vice president of the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops for the expiring term was widely ex

Though the bishops have been preoccupied with U S C C B issues naturally two matters have been a major preoccupation during this fall general assembly the precarious status of Iraqi Christians and the deteriorating conditions in Haiti On the latter I spoke with Catholic Relief Services Presi

Update nbsp Kicanas issues a statement on Dolan s election In what can only be described as an upset N Y Archbishop Tim Dolan has been elected the President of the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops defeating Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas According to past practice as U S C C B vice president

Who speaks for the church came up both as an action item for the fall general assembly of the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops and in Cardinal Francis George rsquo s final address as U S C C B president The bishops will be deciding tomorrow on a proposal to reassess levels of authority of churc

ldquo A catastrophe rdquo is how Samir Sumaida rsquo ie Iraq rsquo s ambassador to the United States described the Oct 31 attack on Baghdad rsquo s Syriac Catholic Cathedral Fifty-two were killed along with six attackers and 78 were wounded when Iraqi Security Forces stormed church offices wh

My second son has been having a hard time of late, and so have I, with him.

The only Christians who remain in Iraq are those too old or too poor to attempt to escape many of the Iraqi refugees I interviewed last September in Amman Jordan assured me They said after years of threats kidnappings bombings and murders they would never return had no reason to return would n