Yes, the name has changed–from the equally sanctimonious (and tongue-in-cheek) “Benedictions”–but the blogger has remained the same: David Gibson, author of the “Benedictions” blog that covered Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the U.S. in April.
You all helped make the site (and the visit) a success, and Beliefnet has asked me to stay on with a redesigned blog to provide an ongoing forum for Catholic concerns and conversations. To that end, we also broadened the blog’s mission to include not only church news and intrigue, but also faith and culture and the wider world of the past, present, and future as engaged, embraced–and often eschewed–by Catholics and Catholicism.
So now we are “Pontifications”–no less fallible than before, and no less interesting, I trust, with posts in the spirit of oldies from “Benedictions” like the one on the Catholic League’s Bill Dononhue or the post on that other alien, E.T, who the Vatican astronomer says may also have a soul.
But with you help I’d like to make “Pontifications” more even informative, interesting, and just plain enjoyable. As you’ll see below, I like to include everything from the sublime (the Pope’s Risotto) to the ridiculous (denying a church wedding to a parapalegic because he is impotent), as well, of course, as the tragic and the maddening–in the case of the response to the Myanmar cyclone–that should galvanize us to pursue justice as well as charity.
And while the blogosphere is too often a clearinghouse for mudfights and whining, I hope we can also provide a modicum of consolation and inspiration, which will likely come in the words of others, like the Jesuit priest Tom Reese, whose Pentecost homily from back in March conveys the Spirit better than I ever could, and bears re-reading throughout the year.
The blog can be found on Beliefnet’s Catholic page (where another Jesuit, Father Jim Martin, has an essay on the Father Pfleger/Barack Obama dust-up) and it can also be found in the index of the site’s other blogs.
As my spiritual mentors in the Society of Jesus would say, AMDG. Ad majorem Dei gloriam.
Beliefnet
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posted June 11, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Welcome, David! I’m so glad Beliefnet now has a Catholic expert blogger, because now I can refer readers to you on the hard questions that I don’t have a clue as to how to answer. I love your stuff and I’m glad you’re here! T
posted June 12, 2008 at 9:55 am
What a nice comment, with which I agree. As an American, I believe in separation of Church and State. It’s nice to know Jesus agrees.
posted June 12, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Dave: Welcome! Always great to see someone who knows what he’s talking about in the Catholic blogosphere!
AMDG,
Jim Martin
posted June 12, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Glad to hear your blog has been picked up. Your balanced voice is refreshing in the Catholic blogosphere.
posted June 14, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Not bad, for a recovering Protestant…
posted June 26, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Wonderful! I’m very happy you’re staying on, I look forward to more refreshing reading from your new Blog, from a Catholic perspective!
Pax et Bonum,
Sandy
posted June 26, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Welcome, David: I am glad Beliefnet has finally put a Catholic perspective on its blog. It is a refreshing difference from the blog of former Catholic turned Orthodox Rod Dreher.
posted August 19, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I checked this site out hoping to see something worthwhile regarding the Catholic faith and get this instead? Sad.
posted September 18, 2008 at 9:27 pm
How dare you call this a Catholic forum. You are misleading people.
posted September 21, 2008 at 3:27 pm
i would like somebody to answer this question if possible how will catholic and baptist get along if they get into a relationship and can they get married and live a happy life together is it possible they both are caring people and have a lot of love for God so can they make it i hope the answer is yes because they are very serious about each other or they seem to be that is. they both live in different states right now but hopefully they will be in the same state to get to know one other . so if you could give some advice on this it would be appreciate very much thank you
Rosieconverse
09/21/08