ROME — Just one month after their request, Pope Francis has scheduled a private audience with the college of writers from La Civiltà Cattolica (Catholic Civilization), the Jesuit cultural review whose articles are approved by the Vatican’s secretary of state before publication.

The private audience has been officially scheduled for June 14, according to a Monday post on the magazine's Twitter feed.

The meeting will begin with Father Adolfo Nicolàs, superior general of the Society of Jesus, greeting the Pope in the name of the writers of La Civiltà Cattolica.

The gathering will also include a short speech by Pope Francis on the work of the Jesuit monthly magazine.

Father Antonio...READ MORE

WASHINGTON — A new nationwide caucus is seeking to organize and recruit pro-life women to run for political office and pass legislation that will defend human life from the moment of conception.

“We need strong, articulate women in Washington and in state legislatures who will boldly support policies that respect and promote life,” said Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. “I’m excited to support the National Pro-Life Women’s Caucus as it builds up the next generation of pro-life women leaders.”

The creation of the caucus was announced on June 10 by the Susan B. Anthony List, an organization that supports pro-life women in pursuing political office.

The National Pro-Life Women’s Caucus will...READ MORE

PARIS — Bishop Yves Boivineau of Annecy in southeastern France has barred a local priest from public ministry after he was exposed as an active Freemason.

Father Pascal Vesin, 43, was suspended for his active membership in a Masonic lodge of the Grand Orient of France. He became a member in 2001, five years after his 1996 ordination as a Catholic priest, the French newspaper Le Figaro reports.

The priest served a parish in the Alpine ski resort of Megeve, and Bishop Boivineau suspended him at Rome’s request, his parish said.

Membership in Masonic societies has long been condemned by the Catholic Church. This condemnation was repeated in a 1983 document from the Congregation of the...READ MORE

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis said peace was the outward hallmark of Blessed Pope John XXIII, whose death 50 years ago this month provoked an outpouring of tributes from leading Catholic figures.

Others remembered him as a man of prayer, a great historian and a pope with the common touch who liked to be with people.

The Holy Father commemorated the golden anniversary with a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica June 3, during which he called on the faithful to imitate Blessed Pope John by growing in obedience to God and self-mastery to achieve peace.

“If peace was the outward hallmark [of Pope John], obedience constituted his inner disposition,” he told pilgrims from  the Diocese of Bergamo in...READ MORE

Is Pope Francis the Final Roman Pontiff? by Tim Staples of Catholic Answers - BigPulpit.com

The Cause of Good Liturgy – Jeffrey A. Tucker, New Liturgical Movement

Review of Fr. Longenecker’s Book: Catholicism Pure & Simple – Dave Hartline, The American Catholic

Gay Pride: A Politically Incorrect Dialogue – Howard Kainz, Crisis Magazine

Ordinary Time Needs Extraordinary Faith - Emmanuel Joseph, Catholic Stand

Bishop Christopher Coyne Celebrates Anglican Use Mass – St. Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Use Society

How to Drive Away Temptation - Jason Liske, Ascending Mount Carmel

Boy Scouts, “Bigotry” & the Catholic Culture Wars – Anne Hendershott, The Catholic World Report

Abp....READ MORE

DENVER — Lighting up pot has its moral pitfalls.

The dawning of legalized marijuana across the states in recent years has prompted Church experts to try to clear the haze about the much-debated drug.

Since last November’s elections, Colorado and Washington passed unprecedented laws making legal recreational use of marijuana, and lawmakers and state boards are formulating ways to shift it from a black market to a regulated and taxed commercial enterprise. Medical use alone has passed in 18 states from Alaska and Arizona to Delaware and Vermont.

These laws contradict federal law, but states are not obligated to enforce federal regulations on personal consumption. In addition,...READ MORE

Whiskey Man: Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois via Whiskey Catholic - BigPulpit.com

The Christian Filmmaker & Bringing Faith to the Big Screen - Jim Graves, The Catholic World Report

Discernment and Communion – Fr. Bryce Sibley, Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Austerity Is Good For You – Julie Rodrigues, Catholic Stand

In Soccer Mom Era, Sports & Faith Go Head-to-Head - Maria Wiering, OSV Newsweekly

Prayer & First Amendment – Donald R. McClarey JD, The American Catholic

The French Spring: the March for Marriage in Paris – Marie Meaney PhD, Truth and Charity Forum

5 Literary Aids to Understanding Modern Atheism – Jason Liske, Ascending Mount Carmel

Packing for...READ MORE

Neil Walker has been able to live out a childhood dream of playing for his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates.

After being taken in the first round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, he diligently worked his way through the minor leagues.

He made his major-league debut as a pinch hitter in September of 2009, and he has been the team’s second baseman since 2010.

Walker’s father, Tom, a former major-league pitcher, has been instrumental in his son’s baseball success, teaching him not only proper mechanics, but also a proper philosophy of play.

However, had Tom Walker followed through on a plan he had in 1972, his son’s story would never have happened.

Neil Walker spoke about his...READ MORE