De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Austen Ivereigh with Pope Francis ( America Magazine ) Despite the clear statistics in my last post , I was really shocked to read  this, frankly rather rude critique of Catholicism in Poland  from Catholic Voices founder Austen Ivereigh, who seems to be looking for a plum job in Rome as far as I can make out, because he seems utterly blind to any concerns about the current pontificate despite shock waves rolling across the Catholic world. He even goes as far as to label concerned Catholics "dissenters" in  this somewhat incoherent defence  of  Amoris Laetitia . I think this is a real shame for an organisation which has tried to be the voice of regular Catholics. So what's this about? As a friend recently commented, Austen went to Poland, was warmly received by his hosts who helped him to plug his book. And then he wrote this piece of rudeness. Ivereigh arrogantly claims in his article that the Poles consider  "everything since  (JP II)  i...

Last Tuesday my post drew attention to the fruits issuing forth from Krakow with regard to vocation and certainly due to pastoral direction of the new Archbishop of Krakow, Marek Jedraszewki.   Today I would like to draw your attention to Archbishop Gadecki – the President of the Polish Episcopal Conference - who is good news too. Both he and Archbishop  Marek Jedraszewki are contemporaries –and (like most Bishops in Poland – but very few Bishops in the UK), hold Doctorates. Encouraging Polish priests to have Doctorates was part of the long term planning by St John Paul II when he was Archbishop of Krakow. I have heard that Fr. Rene Latourelle sj (one of the best Jesuits teaching at the Greg 40 years ago) said to a friend that Cardinal Woytila always used to visit him in his office at the Greg to chat about how the Krakow priests doing Doctorates at the Greg were getting on. Further good news is found in Polish ordination statistics. The Germans...

It has been a hot, sultry week in Essex with temperatures over 30°C and in the Lambert household we are preparing to send our two oldest children off to World Youth Day in Kraków, Poland. The concept of WYD is genius: faithful young people coming together with the Pope gives them sense of critical mass. They are embarking on an adventure with millions of like-minded, vibrant, excited youth. It would seem clear that the experience will inevitably make them feel that they are part of something universal and important. Something unifying and positive. The scale of the event is staggering, with more than 2 million expected by organisers, they are preparing to create a pop up city to cope with the visitors. A new airport, improved road and rail links, a fleet of dream buses and “Youth Bible” are among features of this, the 14th international celebration of World Youth Day. At the weekend I was speaking to my oldest son, now 19, and his girlfriend, who are both looking forward ...

Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith is a Catholic priest, doctor of moral theology and consulting editor of The Catholic Herald . On Twitter he is @ALucieSmith  and is appearing at the Guild Apologetics evening in Soho on the 4th May see here for details . He knows his stuff, and has given me permission to post his response to the disgraceful letter to the Polish Bishops reported by The Catholic Herald here . The recent letter to the Polish Bishops on the subject of the abortion laws in Poland, signed by Professor Tina Beattie and many others, requires comment, as it will confuse and bewilder many Catholic readers. Most of the signatories are unknown to me, but I am very sorry to see in the hundred or so names several well-known writers such as Jean Porter of Notre Dame University, and Janet Martin Soskice of Cambridge University, both reputable academics. They like the rest of us have the duty, as Catholics, to uphold Church teaching. It is a pity that they have signed a ...