Christopher R. Altieri

3 weeks ago | cruxnow.com | Christopher R. Altieri |John Allen Jr |Charles Collins |Elise Ann Allen

“How did he look?” That was the question people would ask, for years, every time I attended a papal event. The pope in those days was John Paul II, who had the looks of a leading man and the gait of a star athlete when he was elected and kept them both for well over a decade. John Paul II had an appendectomy in October of 1996 (a little less than a year before I moved to Rome), but would not be hospitalized again until February of 2005, even though he was less and less himself.

2 months ago | catholicworldreport.com | Christopher R. Altieri |Michael B Jameson

The dangers of arbitrary government at home and in RomeWe certainly do live in interesting times, and they are only more interesting as one realizes Cardinal Schönborn’s recent remarks may as well apply to the Vatican and the Church under Pope Francis. Statue of St. Peter in front of St. Peter's Basilica. (Credit: Vatican Media)“Arbitrariness creates fear and mistrust,” the senior prelate said. “It undermines mutual trust,” he said. “Nothing can be relied on anymore,” he said.

2 months ago | catholicworldreport.com | Christopher R. Altieri

The dangers of arbitrary government at home and in RomeWe certainly do live in interesting times, and they are only more interesting as one realizes Cardinal Schönborn’s recent remarks may as well apply to the Vatican and the Church under Pope Francis. Statue of St. Peter in front of St. Peter's Basilica. (Credit: Vatican Media)“Arbitrariness creates fear and mistrust,” the senior prelate said. “It undermines mutual trust,” he said. “Nothing can be relied on anymore,” he said.

2 months ago | catholicworldreport.com | Caitlin Dwyer |Christopher R. Altieri

A theological case for sports fandomWhile potential spiritual gains of playing sports might be more obvious–developing perseverance, the capacity to work as a team, and so forth—-the benefits of following sports are less self-evident. (us.fotolia.com/Sergey Nivens)The Super Bowl is approaching, and, to be honest, my family is not that excited.

2 months ago | catholicworldreport.com | Christopher R. Altieri |Catherine Harmon

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, speaks during a press conference about a new Vatican document on human dignity on April 8, 2024. (Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA)The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is working—slowly—toward a full penal trial for the disgraced former celebrity artist-priest, Fr. Marko Rupnik (olim Fr. Marko Rupnik SJ), an accused abuser of dozens of victims, most of them women religious.