By Massimo Faggioli
A few weeks after Benedict XVI announced his resignation, the political philosopher Giorgio Agamben published a short book called The Mystery of Evil: Benedict XVI and the End of Times. In that volume, Agamben calls the pope’s resignation a prophetic moment, and argues that it highlights the crisis of institutional legitimacy. His conclusions may be farfetched—an eschatological showdown between church and political power probably isn’t in the offing—but he does bring into focus the sense of crisis that shook the Vatican in the months leading to Benedict’s departure. A series of scandals—from Vatileaks to the Vatican bank—raised questions about Benedict’s administrative capacities, questions he himself seemed to answer when he chose to resign in February 2013. As the cardinals assembled in Rome to elect a new pope, curial reform became the conclave’s watchword. That is Francis’s mandate. It is also one of his greatest challenges. Whether he is able to rouse the …More

The dilemma presented by John Paul II’s canonization
In the January 2014 issue (no. 372) of Courrier de Rome, Fr. Jean-Michel Gleize, professor of ecclesiology at St. Pius X Seminary in Econe, published a study entitled “John Paul II: a new saint for the Church?” After recalling that a canonization is infallible, he asked, “Are the new canonizations binding on all Catholic faithful?” and then “Can John Paul II be canonized?” quoting the Polish pope’s statements to Lutherans, Anglicans, the Orthodox, Jews and Moslems, as well as his remarks on religious liberty.
The following is Fr. Gleize’s epilogue.
If John Paul II is a saint, his theology must be irreproachable, down to the smallest detail. Indeed, the virtue of faith at heroic levels implies a perfect docility to the entire spirit of the Magisterium, and not only to the letter of the teachings of infallible Magisterium and to the lowest common denominator of mandatory dogmas.
If John Paul II is truly a saint, the Catholic faithful …More

from the archives
July 30, 2013
BUENOS AIRES--He's not your average parish priest: Father Cesar fronts the “Sinners” metal band, has a major record deal and jokes that he opens for the pope, a close pal.
Pope “Francis has rock inside him because rock is all about breaking down structures,” quipped Cesar Scicchitano, an assistant priest in a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, the pontiff's hometown.
Known as the “rocker priest” in Argentina, Scicchitano and Francis have been friends for almost two decades, sharing a tight bond the musician likened to a father-son relationship.
Scicchitano said he recently received a letter from the pope, who just wrapped up a landmark visit to Brazil, urging him “to keep rocking, and reinforce his message from onstage.”
Music, for Father Cesar, is an intricate part of life and faith.
“Faith without music is like a movie without music: boring,” he said, arguing that “Jesus was a rocker because of the hard core toughness he had. He had to get up on that cross …More