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Mercy and doctrine, following the example of Christ
“Jesus did not condemn the adulterous woman who was threatened with death by stoning, but he did not tell her to keep up her good work, to continue unchanged in her ways. He told her to sin no more.”...
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On the road to priesthood – two new deacons for Groningen-Leeuwarden
On Saturday Bishop Gerard de Korte ordained two men as transitional deacons in the church of St. Boniface in Leeuwarden, the usual location for deacons to be ordained in the Diocese of...
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Some thoughts about cardinals, (re-)marriage, divorce and communion
Cardinal Walter Kasper has come increasingly under fire from fellow cardinals and others in the Church for his comments about marriage, divorce and Communion. While some are concerned by these visible...
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The bigger question – Bishop Mutsaerts on the Synod
The Dutch bishops have not yet spoken much in public about the upcoming Synod, but today Bishop Rob Mutsaerts, auxiliary of ‘s Hertogenbosch, does. And he makes a point that has been emphasised before...
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New words and a ministry of mercy – Bishop de Korte on the Synod
My own bishop, Msgr. Gerard de Korte, has also released a short statement about the Synod. His hopes and expectations are realistic and, I think, what we should expect from the Synod. Bishop de Korte...
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Cardinal Erdö –“Europe needs Christ!”
Cardinal Péter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest in Hungary, Relator General of the upcoming Synod of Bishops, but today in the first place president of the Council of European Episcopal...
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With a strong reminder, Pope Francis launches the Synod
Serious and solemn faces this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica – solemn for Mass and serious in the face of the duties lying ahead for the participants in the Synod, among them Cardinal Wim Eijk (sixth...
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The pain of closure – A Dutch community pleads with the Pope
In more than a few dioceses in Europe, bishops and parish councils are forced to make choices about which Church buildings to maintain and which to close. The reasons are generally financial and...
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The fluidity of doctrine – looking back at the Synod
Bishop Gerard de Korte looks back on the Synod: “Pope Francis’ thinking is process-oriented. The Synod (‘journeying together’) which has now ended was a moment on the way. The Church is on her way to a...
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“A holy temple in the Lord”– a papal letter to the Church of the Frisians
The national Church of the Netherlands in Rome, the church of Saints Michael and Magnus in Borgo, better known as the Church of the Frisians, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the renewed use of the...
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God wants to break through our loneliness – Bishop de Korte’s letter for Advent
Like previous years, Bishop Gerard de Korte is among the first to publish his Advent letter to the faithful of his diocese. Below my translation. In the letter, the bishop tackles the issue of...
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The lost sheep – Bishop Bonny’s letter for Advent
Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp has also devoted his letter for Advent to the topic of loneliness , or rather, to the slightly broader topic of the lost sheep. It seems that the Francis effect is quite...
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The road to full humanity – Bishop Hanke’s Advent letter
In his letter for Advent, Eichstätt’s Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke delves into the Incarnation, and specifically how the Incarnation of the Son of God also shows the way to our own incarnation. In other...
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“A life of Advent”– Bishop Wiertz opens the Year of Consecrated Life
On the first Sunday of Advent – which is tomorrow, so happy new year – the Year of Consecrated Life begins in the Church. Although in the Netherlands the presence of religious communities varies per...
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“No conditions but one profession of faith” for full unity between Catholic...
“I believe that it is important to reaffirm respect for this principle as an essential condition, accepted by both, for the restoration of full communion, which does not signify the submission of one...
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“Christ in our hearts”– Archbishop Burger’s letter for Advent
In his first Advent letter as archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau, Archbishop Stephan Burger, who today had his first official audience with Pope Francis, looks back on the past six months, and writes...
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“The higher truths”– Bishop Wiertz’s letter for Advent
Bishop Frans Wiertz of Roermond devotes his Advent letter to the topic of the religious, the people who consecrated their lives and themselves to God: “Brothers and sisters, In this time of Advent we...
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Prayer and the authentic image of God – Bishop Punt’s letter for Advent
In his message for Advent, Bishop Jos Punt of Haarlem-Amsterdam addresses the distortion of religion in the world, and presents a two-fold solution: “The world is in chaos, but there is hope. Humanity...
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Witness of life – remember Blessed Karl Leisner
A unique remembrance in Munich today, of the only priestly ordination that took place in a Nazi concentration camp, today exactly 70 years ago. Karl Leisner, a deacon arrested in 1939, was ordained in...
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The balance of the liturgy – Bishop Hofmann’s thoughts on our worship of God
In an interview for katholisch.de, Bishop Friedhelm Hofmann sheds some light on his thoughts on liturgy in the Church today. Bishop Hofmann, ordinary of the Diocese of Würzburg, is chairman of the...
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