Prayer for the election of a pope

Lord God, You are our Eternal Shepherd and Guide. In Your mercy grant Your Church a shepherd who will walk in Your ways and whose watchful care will bring us Your blessing. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for…

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Will Cardinal Turkson be the next Pope?

When my good friend Tom Quiner asked me to write about Cardinal Peter Turkson, specifically what I thought about his chances of being elected pope, I was a bit apprehensive. Faithful Catholics know that the Holy Spirit determines the outcome of the papal conclave. And like everything in life, if one accepts the challenge of faith in this case, speculating seems a tad, well, unfaithful …

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Why I no longer buy Girl Scout cookies

The Girl Scouts look down on the family unit, because it is ill-prepared to impart “values-neutral” information regarding the intricacies of sexual expression. Translation: the family may not agree with liberal doctrine regarding sexuality, birth control, promiscuity, and abortion.

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A devoted Catholic publicly defends his faith

In the Sunday, February 10, 2013 edition of the Des Moines Register, an “84-year old regular
churchgoing Catholic” incorrectly concludes that the Catholic Church’s ban on artificial contraception is at least partly responsible for poverty, hunger, and disease. On this faulty premise, he concludes that that the Church’s position is morally wrong.

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“Mortality is the Divine Element in man”

So few people really get Pope Benedict XVI. I won’t claim to have a corner on that market. I do know for certain what I’ve seen, felt, witnessed and read. And nearly eight years after being named Christ’s successor on Earth, I think as well that Pope Benedict has more than earned the right to be held in his own regard, not simply a transitional pope, and not someone in the shadow of John Paul II.

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