Catalyst Online
LEAD US, HOLY FATHERCatalyst May Issue 2013
This ad appeared on the op-ed page of the April 15th edition of the New York Times. Read More →
A MORE EXCELLENT WAYCatalyst May Issue 2013, Book Review
Patrick J. McNamara, Ph.D. George Weigel, Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st Century Church (New York: Basic Books, 2013). No one doubts the need for deep reform in the Church, but few agree on how to go about it. George Weigel, one of our foremost Catholic intellectuals, offers a comprehensive reform proposal transcending the liberal... [Read more...]
POPE FRANCIS INSPIRES; WINS WORLDWIDE APPLAUSECatalyst April Issue 2013, Front Page
It didn’t take long before the world embraced Pope Francis. The election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be the new leader of 1.2 billion Catholics was greeted with applause around the globe, but nowhere was it more apparent than in Latin America. Ten days before the election, Bill Donohue was quoted in the Los Angeles Times expressing what he... [Read more...]
MONAGHAN PREVAILSCatalyst April Issue 2013, Front Page
Thomas Monaghan, a member of the advisory board of the Catholic League, prevailed in federal district court against the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate. On March 14, Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff of the Eastern District of Michigan granted a Motion for a Preliminary Injunction against enforcement of the HHS mandate. Monaghan... [Read more...]
SPARKS FLY OVER PAPAL TRANSFERCatalyst April Issue 2013, From The President's Desk
William A. Donohue The lead story in this edition of Catalyst covers the effusive praise heaped on Pope Francis, and the warm reception he received from leaders of other religions. But we would be remiss if we didn’t address the explosion of hatred that the papal transfer engendered. All of the following comments were made within the first 24 hours... [Read more...]
UNSUBSTANTIATED ACCUSATIONSCatalyst April Issue 2013, Essay
Bill Donohue The Catholic Church has many teachings that touch on public issues, and it’s only fair that they be subject to critical analysis. But it’s hardly too much to ask that its critics substantiate their charges. Unfortunately, the tendency of the media to swing wildly became commonplace once it was learned that Pope Benedict XVI had resigned. Take,... [Read more...]
SPEAK OUT? OR SHUT UP?Catalyst April Issue 2013
No sooner had Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio been elected Pope Francis when the Los Angeles Times started reporting on his alleged “timidity” in fighting Argentina’s dictatorship during the Dirty War, 1976 to 1983. The newspaper also cited the rap that he was “too quiet” during this period. Similarly, the New York Times is saying that the... [Read more...]
CRITICS OF POPE EMERGECatalyst April Issue 2013
Pope Francis has captured the good will, indeed the love, of millions around the globe, and the response is hardly confined to Catholic circles. However, his critics are emerging, though none with any luck. Sex is always a good subject for Catholic haters. Their goal—sex without consequences (kids and diseases)—is threatened when religious leaders... [Read more...]
A NUN FOR POPE?Catalyst April Issue 2013
MSNBC contributors E.J. Dionne and Katrina vanden Heuvel both said they wanted to see a nun named as the next pope. No they don’t. They certainly wouldn’t want Mother Agnes Mary Donovan of the Sisters of Life. Nor would they want Mother Mary Assumpta Long of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. The truth of the matter is this:... [Read more...]
NY TIMES HOSTS ANOTHER DISSIDENT CATHOLICCatalyst April Issue 2013
Author Paul Elie was one of many dissident voices in the New York Times following Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation. His parochialism allows him to assume all Catholics shared his discontent. “Resignation,” he said, is “what American Catholics are feeling about our faith.” He should speak for himself—most of us don’t share his Commonweal... [Read more...]