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From the Tiber to the James
Taking the Catholic faith from the pew to the public square – a Virginia Catholic Conference blog with special guest posts.
Prison ministry offers hope to men and women living in Virginia’s prisons
By Rev. Mr. Charles Williams On Sunday, November 6, 2016, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the Jubilee of Prisoners in St. Peter's Basilica. In his homily Pope Francis said: "Today we celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy for you, and with you, our brothers and sisters who...
Election fatigue or not, Catholics called to participate in the political process
After a wild and unpredictable election cycle, many voters may be counting down the hours to November 9th, hoping to gain a respite from the constant barrage of campaign ads and media firestorms. The vitriol and partisan rancor of the last 18 months has left some not...
The political economy of today’s unconventional politics: Making sense of current affairs through the lens of Catholic teaching
PART THREE International Trade and Democracy between 1947 and the Present By Rev. Frederick Edlefsen Challenges to Subsidiarity Subsidiarity is among the most constant and characteristic directives of the Church's social doctrine and has been present since the first...
The political economy of today’s unconventional politics: Making sense of current affairs through the lens of Catholic teaching
PART 2 International Trade & the Principle of Participation: The American Experience from 1778 to 1945 By Rev. Frederick Edlefsen Participation in community life is not only one of the greatest aspirations of the citizen, called to exercise freely and responsibly...
Understanding the political economy of today’s unconventional politics through the lens of Catholic teaching
This is the first part of a three-part series on our current political and economic environment By Rev. Frederick Edlefsen PART ONE: Some political background on the current situation One thing that politicos agree on these days is that we are now in the one of the...
Freedom to Serve
By Jeff Caruso, Executive Director, Virginia Catholic Conference The Catholic Church in the U.S. is in the midst of its fifth annual Fortnight for Freedom – 14 days of prayer, education and action for religious freedom in our country and throughout the world. Freedom...
Laudato Si’ at 1: How the Church Responds to Climate Change
By Lonnie Ellis, OFS Climate change is a moral issue. One year ago, Pope Francis made this point emphatically with his encyclical Laudato Si. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has warned about climate change many times—with a major statement in 2001, and...
The Church in the Public Square: Catholic Teaching on “Gender Identity” – Part 2
By Rev. Paul D. Scalia Last week we considered the role of the Church’s social teaching in the public square. Now we consider in particular the Church’s teaching on “gender identity.” At any rate, that is how many people would frame it. In fact, the Church has no...
The Church in the Public Square: “Gender Identity” and Catholic Teaching
By Rev. Paul D. Scalia North Carolina's bathroom laws have received no small amount of attention. But before such controversies arrived in North Carolina, they were already known here in Virginia. Stafford, Fairfax, and Gloucester counties have all had debates on...
This Week at the Virginia General Assembly-Week 9
As the Virginia General Assembly’s 2016 session draws to a close, legislators are holding final votes on key bills, including the budget. On Wednesday, a joint House/Senate conference committee released its budget agreement. The Virginia Catholic Conference is...
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