The tenth Archbishop of Santa Fe, the Most Reverend Robert Fortune Sanchez, who resigned in disgrace for gross mishandling of clergy abuse among his priests while taking sexual advantage of a number of young women, has died. And so, we are led to believe, ends the crisis here. The crisis, maybe, but not the mystery. … More…
The Catholic Church has often been described as a cult by critics. In fact, most of the cult checklists out there seem directly targeted at Rome, even if aimed at Mormons, Scientologists, or Heaven’s Gate. But there is another group that exhibits many of the same disturbingly cult-like features of the Catholic Church, even … More…
The Catholic Church sure didn’t invent propaganda, but they are responsible for the word. It was long enshrined in the Vatican in the very name of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, the Church’s missionary arm (now called the “Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples” doubtless because the previous title sounded like they … More…
It’s those little traditions of Christmas that make it such a perfect holiday, even for grumps. There’s the gorgeous tree covered with ornaments, lights, and tinsel. An irresistible cat toy and the loveliest fire hazard at home; the Christmas tree represents the return of life in the midst of darkness and cold even as it … More…
This news just in. The Crystal Cathedral, preacher Rev. Robert E. Schuller‘s glorious glass palace, will become the actual cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County. The steel and glass monument to liberal Protestantism and positive thinking, designed by Philip Johnson, was the longtime home of the famous “Hour of Power” broadcasts. It … More…
Ah, the many failed feasts of fall! This month’s calendar is a litany of despair, with the anniversaries of many historic bungles, downfalls, flops, false starts, and total fiascos. Is it because this is the season when life itself falters against the lengthening night, when the last leaves fall from the trees, the air turns … More…
Every time I see a stupid, reactionary, and patronizing action by the Vatican, the Holy See reminds us all once again that they are not to be judged by mere human law. No, their stupidities transcend all normal classifications of idiocy, soaring into rarefied realms of blithe intransigent irrationality with utter glee. The problem is … More…
