AMID THE FRAY There’s a quote attributed, probably falsely, to Mark Twain that observes, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” I suppose it is a sign that I’m getting older, because I’m starting to hear the rhymes in a lot of the current debates in the church about papal leadership. Almost 40 years […]
Greg Erlandson: The hollow man
AMID THE FRAY What savagery lies in the breast of man? Two recent television epics ask us to contemplate this question. The first is Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s magnificent documentary, “The Vietnam War.” The other epic is the massacre in Las Vegas. A lone gunman used his hotel room as a sniper’s nest, ambushing […]
Greg Erlandson: Six deadly sins
AMID THE FRAY One of my favorite criticisms of the church is that it is fixated on sex. “Why is the church so obsessed with what I do in the bedroom,” I will be asked with great seriousness. I find the observation hilarious because I watch TV, read books and go to the movies. And […]
Greg Erlandson: Mass confusion
AMID THE FRAY In professional Catholic circles, a tired joke that still makes the rounds goes like this: Q: What’s the difference between a liturgist and a terrorist? A: You can negotiate with a terrorist. Most Catholics never use the word “liturgist” in everyday conversation, and may never have even knowingly met a liturgist, but […]
Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America
Thoughts on a historic gathering By Greg Erlandson Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The first century of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has concluded with its organization of an unprecedented and powerful gathering of Catholics in Orlando, Florida. With the somewhat ungainly title of “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in […]
Greg Erlandson: What is a Catholic voter to do?
AMID THE FRAY Getting into a political discussion in Washington these days is about as hard as finding a Fighting Irish fan at a Notre Dame football game. In the era of Trump — where those who dislike the president are as obsessed about him as his strongest supporters — the real challenge is extricating […]
Greg Erlandson: What does persecution look like?
AMID THE FRAY In Terry Gilliam’s 1985 dystopian film “Brazil,” there is a scene where diners at a restaurant casually continue eating their meals while a terrorist bomb explodes nearby, taking out another table of diners. The scene has often come back to me as I look at what our society increasingly accepts as normal. […]
