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Serving Catholics for 25 Years
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| Note from the Managing Editor |
Father John Horgan died October 19th in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was a member of the CERC Canada Board of Directors for over 26 years. Our Editor, Fraser Field, wrote this on the occasion:Father John Horgan was a great friend to CERC as a Director for 26 years. His extensive knowledge of the Church and savvy grasp of politics and culture helped guide our Board through many complex discernments. He was a gracious host, and we're grateful for the memorable and entertaining dinners that often preceded those meetings we held at his rectory. He had a manner that made each person he dealt with feel known and valued. We, along with the many, many others whom he advised, counselled, befriended, and encouraged, will miss him enormously. You can listen to a collection of Father Horgan's homilies on the site here.
✠ I want to encourage you all to read our first editorial, "Spread of Catholic hospitals limits reproductive care across the U.S." from the Washington Post. The lede of the article reads: "Religious doctrine restricts access to abortion and birth control and limits treatment options for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies."
When you Google "catholicism ectopic pregnancies," the second result is from Catholic Answers, which explains why an ectopic pregnancy can be morally treated according to the principle of double effect:1. Removing a part of the body that is about to rupture and cause the death of the individual is a morally good action.
2. The death of the child is not the direct intention of the procedure. It is the removal of the fallopian tube that saves the life of the mother, not causes the death of the child.
3. The death of the child is not willed and would be avoided if at all possible—if, for example, re-implantation in the womb were reasonably possible.
4. The life of the mother is, of course, equal to the life of the child. Aside from surgery, ectopic pregnancies are commonly treated by a drug called methotrexate, a chemical abortifacient. This is not ethical under the principle of double effect.
The errors of the Washington Post article should not go unchallenged. To submit a letter to the editor, click here.
God bless you all this week! - Meaghen Gonzalez
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"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self." - Aristotle
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| The Pearl of Great Price |
| Caryll Houselander, Lift Up Your Hearts |
| It was during the London blitz [in World War II] that the glory of the ceaseless elevation of the Host came home to me as never before. |
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| Understanding the New Abnormal |
| Francis X. Maier, First Things |
| Let's start with a simple irony. Much of today's chatter about "defending democracy," the sanctity of personal rights, and the sacred quality of human dignity comes from people who, consciously or otherwise, jeopardize all three by their actions. |
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| Vatican II at 60: 'Backwardist' to the Future? |
| Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Catholic Register |
| The pontificate of Pope Francis seems to feel most comfortable in the immediate post-conciliar period, yet those who desire to drag the Church back to 1972 must contend with the colossal interpretative legacy of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. |
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| The Secret of My Son |
| Aline Iaschine, Aleteia |
| An exclusive interview with the mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis: a young Italian beatified in 2020, he shows us the way—which is perhaps not so difficult—to God. |
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| The Power of Music |
| John Cuddeback, LifeCraft |
| "From enjoying the imitation, they come to enjoy the reality." - Socrates, in Plato's Republic |
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| A Funny Thing Happened on the Way from the Council |
| One Foot in the Cloister |
| Those of us of a certain age will be well used to the phrase "the spirit of Vatican II." Invariably it was used to legitimate, or even disguise, significant departures from the letter of the Council's decrees. |
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| Clear Enough? |
| Community in Mission |
| A plain warning that unrepentant sexual sin excludes one from the Kingdom of God. |
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| A Place for Corey |
| St. Joseph Catholic Family Center |
| When our son, Corey, was born 23 years ago, he was gravely ill with a blood disorder. |
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| Fostering the Catholic Imagination |
| The Catholic Thing |
| "If Catholic literati can recapture a sense of shared mission, the results would enlarge and transform literary culture." |
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| He's back! Diogenes Unveiled |
| Catholic Culture |
| Longtime readers will remember the satirical wit of Diogenes, now known to be the late Fr. Paul Mankowski, whose biting commentaries on Church affairs were published on CatholicCulture.org until his Jesuit superiors ordered him to stop writing under that name. |
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| Merry & Mirth |
| Word & Song |
| How grand it was for J.R.R. Tolkien to name one of his hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck! |
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