Hey everybody,
If you’re not doing so already, pray for the pope.
By the time you’re reading this, Pope Leo XIV has completed already a lung bisectioning procedure designed to remove a nodule, which he described as “detected at a very early stage.”
The pope announced the surgery himself, walked into the hospital this morning under his own power, and seems to be projecting that while the situation is serious, he’s not cowed by it.
But obviously, there’s a lot we don’t know. And we do know that “the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much,” as the epistle of St. James puts it. So prayer for the pope’s health makes a difference, and now seems like the right time for it.
—
Meanwhile, this is a bit of an airport Pillar Post, as both Ed and I are en route right now to the national canon law conference in St. Louis, and I’m writing this from a middle seat in the emergency aisle.
Of course, Ed and I don’t practice much canon law in the ordinary way anymore — I’m not sure I’d write a very good decree or judicial sentence these days — but our canonical formation is the basis of our journalism, so the conference is a worthwhile use of our time.
The most edifying part of such events for me is the connection to people who work with expertise and competence for the salvation of souls far from the headlines, the scandal du jour, or the self-promoting incestuous world of Catholic online influencers.
The Church is both a universal and local reality: She exists in the communion of the baptized around the world, in union with the successor of St. Peter, and she is found in the parish, and at the dinner table, and yes, even in the diocesan chancery. She is incarnate in the lives of the real people who have formed their lives for her service.
Anyway, pray for the canon lawyers at our nerd convention.
The news
When the pope announced his illness this week, he didn’t go into specifics about the situation — and he doesn’t have to, of course. But he did give a few details, and at The Pillar, we wondered how a reputable physician might interpret them.
So we talked with Dr. Kristin Collier, a clinical associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, and the associate director of the university’s Internal Medicine Residency Training Program.
While the pope isn’t her patient, Dr. Collier had some important and worthwhile insights into his condition. Read about it here.
—
While Dr. Collier focused on what a read of the medical chart might say, our own Dr. (Ed) Condon considered a read of the tea leaves— and what the circumstances surrounding the pope’s surgery announcement might convey to those with eyes to see. You can read Ed’s analysis right here.
My Catholic Library curates books from Catholic tradition and delivers them in beautifully crafted editions with companion devotional items, to help you discover, understand, and live your Catholic faith. Start your journey today with 10% off your first order. Use the code THEPILLAR at checkout.
Careful Vatican watchers have their own opinions on this appointment, and haven’t been shy about posting those views online, where the significance of Viola’s move from the Dicastery for Divine Worship to St. Peter’s Basilica is now being hotly debated.
But I’m willing to bet there are a fair number of Pillar readers who (like me!) don’t know as much about Vatican politics as the take-havers think they do, and could use just a bit of reporting on why the rectorship of St. Peter’s Basilica is getting so much speculation and attention.
And for that background, here is excellent reporting from our own Luke Coppen.
It’s the Patronal Medal, awarded by The Catholic University of America.
A placard says the medal was given to Blessed Fulton Sheen in 1975, “a yearly Catholic honor awarded for excellence in broadcasting.”
That’s not quite true, it turns out. And the medal actually has a more interesting story than what the placard suggests.
That story is very well reported here, by Michelle La Rosa. Read up.
—
And although the pope can’t attend the rest of the meeting, the synodal non-synod in the style of synodality continues in Rome, with bishops discussing marriage ministry and the ten-year anniversary of Amoris Laetitia.
—
And finally in the news this week, The Pillar Podcast released yesterday an interview conversation between myself and the most widely-known modern day Jesuit not named Pope Francis: Fr. James Martin, SJ.
Now, as you can imagine, I’ve been getting a fair amount of critical feedback – mostly from people who haven’t actually listened to the show – at the idea that we invited a notable ecclesial figure to come on our show and talk about his work, and the ideas behind it.
A few of the critics deigned to punish me by publicly announcing their decision to unfollow me on twitter.com — and you’ve got to love the irony of a public expression of indignation to accuse someone else of a virtue signal.
A couple of other critics wrote in to say they’d be cancelling their Pillar subscriptions.
That’s their prerogative, of course, and we get this sort of thing whenever we’re doing something interesting. But if you want to make up for those guys, you’re welcome to become a paying subscriber, or increase your subscription amount, right here:
The interview has seemed most to frustrate those who think that by “platforming” Fr. Martin, The Pillar is somehow tacitly endorsing his views or “normalizing” his place in the Church. Of course, Fr. Martin is a regular fixture in the NY Times and with the former late night host Stephen Colbert, so I’m not sure it’s The Pillar that will finally cement his place in the American Catholic imagination.
But I did have a normal conversation with him, I’ll confess. And I did it for two reasons. First, it has long been my conviction that it’s boring to have conversations with people you’re in lockstep agreement with, and it’s usually worthwhile to chat with people whose views are quite far from your own.
Second, I find that a conversational approach to interviews is often the best one for getting a person to explicate their views and manner of thinking. And my goal in this conversation with Fr. Martin was to see him better unpack or address his views on a number of things, including his own ministry.
From that point, I trust our listeners and readers, especially, to form their own conclusions on what’s been said.
So what are my conclusions on what’s been said?
Well, here’s what I think: