Opinion
Primacy of conscience
Proponents of a presumed right to abortion characterize it as a “right to choose.” How ironic that last week the federal government denied that very right from a different perspective. Under law, Americans can choose abortion, the undeniable destruction of a human life. Federal regulations approved last December laudably allowed health care workers to refuse […]
We must pay attention to executive actions
Guest ColumnistBy A. B. Hill Most people understand at an elementary level how a bill becomes a law. At the federal level, an elected representative (a Senator or Congressman) writes an idea into a piece of legislation. Congress passes the bill and the president signs it. The statute then takes effect as prescribed. Statutes then […]
Gift of Lent: Heartbreak doesn’t end in desolation
Forty feet above street level on the façade of the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul stand two little-noticed figures. The 15-foot bronze statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are tinted green with age but teach a poignant lesson for everyone today. Last Friday, hundreds of police […]
Insulation that leads to isolation
Guest ColumnistFather Leonard Peterson They run alongside the road on nearly every highway we travel. They climb the slopes and small hillsides, and for the most part they are rather ugly. They are just as much a scar on the landscape as a gash on a human forearm. I speak of “sound barriers.” I realize […]
Fortifying the Church
To appreciate the past and take a long view ahead, there’s no time like the present. That is the goal of Heritage of Faith – Vision of Hope, the capital and endowment campaign that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announces via a press conference led by Cardinal Rigali next Monday and through his letter to all […]
Strong ties withstand test, dialogue continues
From controversy often comes clarity. Such is the case concerning the recent lifting of excommunication for four Catholic bishops who had separated themselves from the Church because of their illicit ordinations in 1988. As has been reported in many news media, including this newspaper, Jewish groups worldwide have expressed dismay with one of the bishops, […]
African-American Catholics part of local Church history
Guest ColumnistBy Father Stephen D. Thorne Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love music. Whether it’s when I am driving my car or working in the rectory, I listen to music, all kinds of music. I played in the band at Northeast Catholic High School and can even sing on perfect pitch. […]
Abortion stats represent women and babies, not just numbers
Guest ColumnistBy A. B. HILL The Pennsylvania abortion statistics are out. The report consists of 12 pages of different numbers. We can look at the abortion numbers in many different ways. Overall, in 2007, there were 36,663 abortions performed in Pennsylvania. That is a decrease of 68, or 0.2 percent, from the year before. Although […]
Catholic press tells our Church’s story
Among the almost daily news of job losses at many of America’s best-known companies is another sign of these turbulent times: cutbacks in various forms at newspapers. Be they big-city daily papers or community weeklies, newspapers are paring back on the frequency of publication, reducing the number of copies distributed, shrinking the staff with which […]
St. Francis de Sales: A saint for our times
Guest ColumnistBy Msgr. Francis X. Meehan Last weekend, two important dates came together, the Conversion of St. Paul and the feast of St. Francis de Sales. St. Paul was on his way to Damascus: He was doing his duty. He was “right.” Suddenly, he is blinded by light. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” […]