Question Corner: Why don’t bishops excommunicate politicians who support abortion? August 20, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner While the act of directly causing an abortion is a canonical crime that is punished with an automatic excommunication, (see Canon 1397, 2) this only applies in scenarios where a particular individual actually brought about an abortion personally — and not in situations where a person promoted abortion in a more abstract way.
Our story doesn’t end with the cross August 20, 2025By Effie Caldarola OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Immigration and Migration Father Strassburger reminded me that the “Christian story doesn’t end with the cross. It ends with the Resurrection.”
The last atomic bomb August 19, 2025By Jaymie Stuart Wolfe OSV News Filed Under: Catholic Social Teaching, Commentary Our faith teaches us to seek peace instead of power and to persevere in that effort instead of giving in to posturing. That demands that we acknowledge the evil that all weapons of mass destruction make possible.
Why Mary’s assumption makes total scientific sense August 19, 2025By Elizabeth Scalia OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Marian Devotion When we argue that Mary, as the Ark of the New Covenant, would have been spared the stain of original sin, the knowledge that Christ not only availed himself of her flesh, but would continually reside therein, only further supports that well reasoned belief.
Pope Leo’s Tears at Mass August 17, 2025By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window As Pope Leo XIV lifts the host during the Consecration, you can see his eyes filling up. He swallows, and he seems to be holding back tears.
Mary’s assumption: The long-held belief was declared dogma 75 years ago August 14, 2025By Father Richard Gribble OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Marian Devotion The feast of the Assumption, possibly the oldest celebration of the Virgin Mary, is rooted in the tradition of Christian practice, supported by magisterial teaching and defined as one of four Marian dogmas.
Images of Mary: Can we find the Blessed Mother in the Old Testament? August 13, 2025By Father Dwight Longenecker OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Marian Devotion Throughout the Old Testament the prophecies of Christ the Lord come to us through individuals, signs and symbols. The prophecies of Mary his mother, the apostles and the church, as well as the sacraments, are all hidden there.
How public opinion can influence migration policies August 13, 2025By Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Immigration and Migration These days, public opinion is usually formed by the media in all its forms, and any negative portrayal of migration issues seems to affect public opinion in a special way.
Question Corner: Is it simony that my parish wants to charge a fee for having a funeral livestreamed? August 13, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The church does have material needs that arise in the course of her spiritual mission. And so it is not simony to accept or request donations on the occasion of the celebration of the sacraments, as long as it is understood that such a donation is truly a free-will offering and not a condition for the sacrament’s administration.
Reckoning with empire: A Catholic critique of American foreign policy in a nuclear age August 11, 2025By Jason Adkins OSV News Filed Under: Catholic Social Teaching, Commentary Catholics are called to be peacemakers. That means advocating for a multilateral foreign policy rooted in the Gospel: One that protects life, prioritizes the poor, respects other cultures and renounces war as a tool of domination.
We’re at the beach. Let’s go see the sunrise August 10, 2025By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window The world was full of magic and wonder, and God—God was everywhere. And he was certainly with us on the beach, welcoming us into a new day, inviting us to see it for the gift it is.
The ‘both/and’ pope August 7, 2025By Deacon Manuel Aliaga Special to the Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, Guest Commentary The elevation of Robert Prevost brings the Catholic Church its second pope from the New World, its first U.S. pontiff and the first pope to hold Peruvian citizenship – making him both the first North and South American pope.
