John L Allen Jr Daily Column

With Biden pick, America's bishops face a familiar headache

John L Allen Jr Daily — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:01:53 -0400

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Denver

As the Democratic National Convention opens in Denver, here’s an irony worth pondering: Perhaps the most disappointed group in America over the choice of a Roman Catholic as the party’s nominee for Vice-President may well be the country’s Catholic bishops.

That’s not necessarily any reflection on the personal merits of Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, but rather what kind of Catholic he is, and what that means for the American bishops between now and November 4 (and perhaps for four or eight years after that).

After 25 years, a Vatican mystery is back in the headlines

John L Allen Jr Daily — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:25:30 -0400

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.

Summer 2008 is chock full of Catholic anniversaries, from the 40th birthday of Humanae Vitae to the 30th observance of the death of Pope Paul VI. One such milestone, however, does not appear on any official church calendars: it’s now been 25 years since the June 1983 disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old girl and Vatican citizen whose fate has become one of the most enduring Vatican mysteries of the 20th century.

Transcript of Benedict XVI's Q&A with priests in northern Italy

John L Allen Jr Daily — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:45:31 -0400

The morning of Wednesday, August 6, Pope Benedict XVI met with some 400 priests of the diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone in the local cathedral. He was welcomed by the local bishop, made some brief opening remarks, and then took six questions. The pope spoke in German and Italian; the following is a rush NCR translation of the transcript of the exchange released this morning by the Vatican.

I was once 'more severe' than today, Benedict XVI tells priests

John L Allen Jr Daily — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:19:33 -0400

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.

Pope Benedict XVI told a group of priests yesterday that he was once “more severe” in terms of administering baptism and confirmation to ill-prepared or lukewarm candidates, but today he’s inclined to be generous wherever there is even “a flicker of desire for communion in the faith.”

The pope also conceded that, over the centuries, Christianity’s commitment to environmental protection may not always have been sufficiently clear. He argued, however, that belief in God is essential to sound ecology, because ultimately a materialist philosophy places no limits on humanity’s exploitation of nature.

TV program explores present, future of Catholic media

John L Allen Jr Daily — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:05:53 -0400

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.

Several leading lights among Catholic communicators, including the Vatican spokesperson and both the current and former heads of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, discuss the role and the future of Catholic media in a new program produced by Salt and Light TV, the national Catholic television network of Canada.

The program may be found on-line here: Salt and Light FOCUS

WYD: Pope meets with sex abuse victims

John L Allen Jr Daily — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:13:27 -0400

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.

According to a Vatican statement released early Monday morning in Australia, Pope Benedict XVI has met with four victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, listening to their stories and celebrating Mass for them.

The meeting came at the end of Benedict's July 12-21 visit to Sydney, Australia, for World Youth Day. On Saturday, the pope delivered a public apology for the sex abuse crisis, saying he was "deeply sorry" and that he shared the suffering of the victims.