- in Fort McMurray, Alberta -
As Thomas Mulcair can attest, it is rather easier to speak about the oil sands than it is to actually get up here and see what is going on. Fort McMurray, Alberta, is remote, and while my first visit was rather longer than Mr. Mulcair’s, it was still only a full day. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: June 2012
In Calgary, eternal fatherhood is made manifest once more
- in Calgary, Alberta –
Four new priests were ordained here on the Feast of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More, a most grace-filled day for the diocese of Calgary in its centenary year. It was a blessing for me to be on hand to witness some family friends ordained, and then later to join in the joy of a First Mass at my home parish of St. Bonaventure. Continue reading
The coming Egyptian civil war
Hosni Mubarak will soon die — or has died — in his bed, albeit as a prisoner in hospital rather than at home. Many of his countrymen will not be so lucky. The military’s seizing of power has set the stage for bloodshed. The Nile will flow red.
How do we know that? We have seen this before, precisely in other parts of North Africa. The Algerian civil war is largely forgotten abroad, but it shouldn’t be. It provides the pattern of how an Arab spring turns into a murderously hot summer: The military intervenes to prevent the democratic victory of an Islamist party. It’s déjà coup all over again. Continue reading
My misgivings about Dublin congress leave me just a little embarrassed
I was a little embarrassed watching the coverage of the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Dublin. Not because of anything that went on in Ireland, but rather because of my original attitude toward the congress being held there at all. Yet watching the pilgrims from around the world gathering in Dublin, I saw that their gestures of sympathy and solidarity were better than an attitude of ostracism and punishment. Continue reading
The word of God cannot be chained
Martin Luther King’s lessons for the age of Obama
- in Atlanta, Georgia –
America’s Catholic bishops are meeting here in Atlanta this week, and primary on their agenda is how to deal with threats to religious liberty on the home front. I took advantage of the meeting to visit the Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue, the home church of Martin Luther King, Jr. Continue reading