Byzantine, Texas

The Orthodox Arts Journal has taken the baton from my post a few days back - " iPads. I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere. " - and penned " Voice and machine: Technology and Orthodox liturgical music ." As always, the OAJ is well worth reading. ( Orthodox Arts Journal ) - Recently, iconographer Aidan Hart published the thought-provoking essay “Hand and machine: Making liturgical furnishings”. Mr. Hart’s piece is part of an ongoing exploration by liturgical artists of the question of how technology has changed, and is continuing to change, our relationship to crafts that have up until recently been done by hand. Liturgical designer Andrew Gould has also contributed to this conversation, as has woodcarver Jonathan Pageau. Each artist acknowledges the concern that mechanization and industrialization will in some way diminish the physical quality, the craftsmanship, and the spiritual value of liturgical art, and also force our litur...

( ROC-Glouchestershire ) - Perhaps the most cheerful holiday in Russia is Maslenitsa (Shrovetide). This holiday is considered to come from pre-Christian times, when the Slavs were still pagans. In the old days Maslenitsa was for remembrance of the dead. So the burning of the figure of Maslenitsa means her funeral, and blini (pancakes) – coliphia. But with time the Russians longing for fun and entertainment turned the sad holiday into jolly Maslenitsa with blini – round, yellow and hot as the sun, sledding and horse sleigh riding, fistfights and mother-in-law chatting. The rituals of Maslenitsa are very unusual and interesting because they combine the end of the winter holiday rituals and the opening of new spring festivals and ceremonies, which were to promote a rich harvest. Maslenitsa is celebrated during the week preceding the Lent or the 7th week before Russian Orthodox Easter (Pascha). Every day of Maslenitsa was devoted to special rituals. Monday Monday is “Vstrecha” – “...

( OCA ) - His Eminence, Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey will head the lineup of speakers at the 24th annual conference of the Brotherhood of Saint Moses the Black October 6-8, 2017. The conference, titled “Closer to Christ, Closer to Each Other”, will be held at the Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow Church, Princeton, NJ. Other speakers include Archpriest Moses Berry, Hieromonk Alexi [Altschul], Priest Jerome Sanderson, and the Nun Catherine [Weston]. A pan-Orthodox organization, the Brotherhood embraces individuals committed to multi-racial, Orthodox Christian fellowship and study of the Church’s ancient roots and to bringing Orthodoxy to the African American community as a means of “expanding the Mission.” Additional information will be posted on the Brotherhood’s web site as it becomes available here . Audio recordings of lectures and presentations given at earlier conferences also are available here .

Last year I was at an international conference on St. Maximus the Confessor in Belgrade, and it was a wonderful program. One of the many highlights was the consecration of a brand new church dedicated to St. Maximus. It was the first ever dedicated to him in Serbia. Met. John Zizioulas was there and ten other hierarchs and twenty or thirty clergy. It was a smallish church and it was packed, and a beautiful day. At one point prior to the start of the Liturgy someone came out of the altar and told me that the metropolitan didn’t have his Archeiraticon, so he ran out in a hurry because they needed the prayers for him to read. After a couple of minutes he came running back in because he had found the prayers on the internet and had them on an iPad. This altar was fairly open, by the way, so you could see into the sanctuary. So he came running back in with the iPad, happy that he had found the prayers, and as one body all of the Serbian hierarchs took a step back and said “No! Do not bring ...

How joyous and wonderful is this? Orthodox Christians in Congo have welcomed His Holiness Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and all Africa Theodore II who opened new Hospital wing run by the Orthodox Church and visited female monastery of St. Nektarios.

( Romanian Church ) - On the feast of the Saint and Great Martyr Theodore of Tyre, 17 February 2016, the day on which His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa celebrates his name day, a festive Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Holy Church of St Nicholas, within the Missionary Centre of Kolwezi. Together with the Alexandrian Primate concelebrated Their Eminences Nicephorus, Metropolitan of Kinshasa, Innocent, Metropolitan of Burundi and Rwanda, and the local Metropolitan Meletios of Katanga, accompanied by the Clergy of the Hy Metropolis. As the official site of the Patriarchate reports, His Beatitude the Patriarch spoke during his homily about the Great Martyr St Theodoros, emphasising the confession of martyrdom before the persecutors of faith and his love for Jesus Christ. At the end of the Divine Liturgy the Primate of the Alexandrian Throne consecrated the Catechist elder Theano, one of the first members of the Missionary staff in Ko...

If you'd like to use this in your parish bulletin, please credit Fr. Jonathan Bannon of Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Rockford, IL.

I have been known to tut-tut jurisdictions for publishing empty meeting information. Many paragraphs to say, "This group met at this location and discussed things related to the name of the group." The Greek Archdiocese has historically put out many such nutritionally empty posts. The OCA, on the other hand, often gets into the nitty gritty of such events most of the time - just not in this case. ( OCA ) - His Grace, Bishop Daniel of Santa Rosa chaired the third meeting of the Orthodox Church in America’s Standing Committee for Canonical Procedure at Saints Peter and Paul Church, Phoenix, AZ February 8-10, 2017. Pursuant to Article XV, Section 9 of the OCA Statute, the Committee was established to develop general rules for canonical procedures for use and application in Ecclesiastical Courts. The Committee’s work is subject to the Holy Synod of Bishops’ approval and adoption. The Committee once again considered the practical necessities of Ecclesiastical Courts, parti...

From the blog The Music Stand , a post entitled "Good Church Music Starts with Kids." In response to some important questions I’ve gotten about teaching kids to sing in church, I’ve asked my wife Maria Sheehan, a longtime music teacher, to write a guest post based on her experience. *** I have been a vocal music educator in some capacity for the past 20 years. I’ve taught pre-schoolers and retirees and every age in between, folks with “no ear” and folks who have been making music for decades, my own family and total strangers. I love to work with beginners, though. We generally think of beginners as young. But in church music there is a huge population of adult singers who, while having spent years singing in choirs, still don’t really know what they’re doing. Their ear and their dedication have carried them through. I especially love to work with these students. I love to help them get to those wonderful “Oh, I get it!” moments! We all agree that church singers...

Archbishop Damaskinos of Johannesburg and Pretoria blessed the St Theodore the Tyro Orthodox Mission Church. It is the second Afrikaans-speaking parish in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg and Pretoria. More information available here .

( Premier ) - The study by Christian Solidarity Worldwide documented that since 2011 there has been a rise in the number of blasphemy cases brought against Christians and that perpetrators of attacks against religious minorities generally enjoy impunity. The report also found there are still serious restrictions on church-building in the country. The publication of the report coincides with the second anniversary of the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians on an Egyptian beach in an Islamic State video. The charity's Egypt Advocacy Officer - who can't be named for security reasons - told Premier News Hour that they are working with the Egyptian government to help improve the situation for Christians. "There will be an attack on a community, the security services may know about it before hand and do nothing, there's precious little follow up for the Christian community in terms of justice." He added: "We're making recommendations to try and encourag...

Tbilisi, February 17 ( Interfax ) - Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia has made his first statement after undergoing surgery at a Berlin clinic regarding the detention of Deacon Giorgi Mamaladze, who has been accused by the Prosecutor's Office of attempted murder. "I have known Father Giorgi for a long time and have heard nothing but good things about him. The story with Father Giorgi is strange and not normal," the patriarch said in an interview circulated by the Zugdidi-Tsaishi Diocese. Ilia II said that he would arrive in Georgia in three days and then "everything will be clarified and will return to normal." "No one will be able to disrupt the unity of our people and our Church," he said. Deacon Mamaladze faces attempted murder accusations. He was detained at Tbilisi International Airport on February 10 carrying the toxic substance cyanide. Georgian Chief Prosecutor Irakly Shotadze said at a press briefing earlier that Mamaladze...

A few days ago I posted on some rather raucous behavior within the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (see here ). I got a few emails asking for more background and some emails providing more details. I've posted more below. His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II Patriarch of Antioch ( La Stampa ) - It is a “serious internal problem” the one exploded within the Syrian Orthodox Church. Words by Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch Syrian Orthodox, addressing the faithful present on Sunday in St. George’s Cathedral in Bab Tuma, in the old city of Damascus. This “serious problem” concerns himself as Primate of that ancient pre-Chalcedonian Christianity, who is also “the Successor of Peter”, as the Prince of the Apostles before being martyred in Rome, was also head of the Church Antioch. Six Syrian Orthodox metropolitan bishops have publicly accused him of “betrayal of the faith”, unleashing a hail of attacks against the Patriarch also through blogs and social media. ...

Moscow, February 15 ( Interfax ) - Public defender (ombudsman) of Georgia Ucha Nanuashvili on Tuesday met with deacon Giorgy Mamaladze who is in preliminary detention for attempting to murder a high-ranking clergyman. "Accused deacon Mamaladze denies the accusations and says he did not have poisonous substance cyanide with him when he was detained in the Tbilisi airport. Mamaladze also asks the ombudsman to provide security for all members of his family," the ombudsman said. According to him, there are many questions and many processional violations in the case of the detained deacon. "Deacon Mamaladze considers himself not guilty and hopes to prove that he is right. Another very important detail: according to the deacon's statement, when they read out accusations to him, there was nothing about an attempt against a high-ranking clergyman," Nanuashvili said. It was reported earlier that Mamaladze had been arrested on February 10 on charges of attempted m...

Someone is going to ask me, "What does this have to do with the Feast day?" To that I answer, "It's just a well lit and framed photo. Spraznikom."

Even if you don't speak Armenian, it's fascinating to see how chapels are blessed in their tradition. The consecration of the newly built Holy Resurrection chapel at the Armavir Detention Facility was offered by His Grace Bishop Artak Tigranyan, Head of the Monastic structures of the Mother See. The chapel was built by the inmates of the facility.

Father Joel is a wonderfully kind-hearted priest and I expect it's a delight to be a communicant under his care. Prayers and well-wishes to the souls of Annunciation Mission! SAINT JAMES, MO ( OCA-DMW ) — “The timing of the Planting Grant for our community is a mercy of God that will allow us to more fully offer our time and energy — ourselves — to the life of the Church here,” said Priest Joel Wilson of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Mission, Saint James, MO. “It will enable us to be present with a single purpose.” Annunciation Mission, one of the Diocese of the Midwest’s newest mission communities, was recently awarded its first Church Planting Grant from the Orthodox Church in America. Father Joel, who during his years at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary had been given “a unique perspective on evangelization” while pursuing a summer internship in an Oklahoma mission, discerned the call to plant a mission in an area with little or no Orthodox Christian presence. “Having com...

Rome, Italy, Feb 12, 2017 ( EWTN News ) - One year ago marked a historic first meeting between a Pope and a Russian Orthodox Patriarch. Now, the Vatican and the Moscow Patriarchate will celebrate the meeting’s anniversary with a conference at Switzerland’s Freibourg University. The conference will take place Feb. 12, exactly one year after the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill at the St. Marti airport at the Havana. Christian brotherhood and unity were the focus of the 2016 meeting. “We spoke as brothers,” Pope Francis said of the meeting last year. “We have the same baptism. We are bishops. We spoke of our Churches.” Patriarch Kirill said their private discussion was conducted “with full awareness of the responsibility of our Churches, for the future of Christianity, and for the future of human civilization” and provided a chance to understand each other. He said the two Churches will work against war. Now, one year later, Catholic and Russian Orthodox leader...

Recently St. Isaac's cathedral in St. Petersburg was turned back into a cathedral (it's initial purpose obviously). Some people are opposed to this change and think it should go back to being a museum. I understand the financial implications of this change, but church buildings should be churches and icons should live in churches not museums. ( RT ) - Hundreds of people on Sunday gathered near one of the main landmarks in St. Petersburg, Russia – St. Isaac's cathedral, the city’s most prominent religious museum. While one group came to celebrate the city authorities' decision to give the historic building to the Russian Orthodox Church, others protested against the move. Participants of the anti-transition rally on Sunday were chanting "Museum! Museum!" as they formed a triple circle around the landmark, local media reported. Judging by the size of the cathedral, up to 3,000 people might have taken part, according to participants' estimates, as c...

( Christian Today ) - Georgia's Patriarch Ilya II is said to have been the target of an assassination attempt. A Georgian Orthodox priest has been arrested after police accused him of attempting to poison a 'high-ranking Church official'. Giorgi Mamaladze was detained on Friday at Tbilisi airport as he boarded a plane to Berlin, where the head of the Georgian Church, Patriarch Ilya II, was waiting for a gall bladder operation. Georgia's chief prosecutor said Mamaladze was in possession of sodium cyanide. His statement did not name the intended target, but the prime minister ordered increased security for the Patriarch. Mamaladze is director general of the Georgian Patriarchate's St Joachim and Ana Medical Centre, and also serves as deputy head of the Patriarchate's property management service. He has been formally charged with attempted murder and has pleaded not guilty. The Georgian Orthodox Church counts around 80 percent of the country's 4...

Complete speech available here . ( EP ) - On 8-11 February 2017, His Holiness Abune Matthias Asratetshion Kokebu I, Patriarch of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum, Echegue of the See of St. Tekle Haimanot, Primate of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church made an official visit to the World Council of Churches that included a visit of the Ecumenical Centre, meeting with the leadership of the WCC, meeting with the Orthodox staff members, meeting with the African staff, a visit of the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey and a meeting with its faculty and students, a visit of the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy and a meeting with the leadership, faculty and students of its Postgraduate Institute of Orthodox Theology, a public conference at the Ecumenical Center of the WCC, and a Liturgy at the Ecumenical Centre Chapel. In his public address, Patriarch Abune Matthias brought greetings on behalf of more than 50 million members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church....

H/T: Fr. Ted's Blog Saturday of Meatfare week is dedicated to the memory of ‘our fathers and brothers, all the Orthodox Christians who fell asleep throughout the ages.’ This is a universal commemoration of all the dead, which we shall find again on the Saturday before Pentecost. Thus we find such a commemoration and the beginning and the end of the moveable cycle. The first indication of this universal commemoration of the dead on Saturday of Meatfare week appears in the Typikon of the Great Church (9th-10th century). It is possible that it was instituted in connection with the commemoration on Meatfare Sunday of the last judgement. The Typicon St. Alexios the Studite (11th century) describes an ordo of the office very similar to what we celebrate today. Bishop Afanasii (Sakharov) believed that, during these two days, the Church prayed in a more intense way for the repose of all the dead, familiar and stranger, known and unknown, of every age and circumstance, of all t...

February 10, 2017 ( Syrian Orthodox ) - Statement Issued by the Fathers of the Holy Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch A statement was issued by six archbishops of our Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (four of whom are members in the Holy Synod and two are not) in which they attacked His Holiness our Patriarch, “the Supreme Head of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, the defender of its faith, doctrine, and apostolic traditions, the symbol of its unity, its representative and spokesman everywhere, the general supervisor of all its affairs, and the spiritual father of all Syrian Orthodox people worldwide.” (Article 7 of the Church Constitution) and questioned, in particular, the faith of His Holiness and his adherence to the Orthodox Christian dogma, and permitted themselves to speak on behalf of the Holy Synod declaring their rebellion against Church leadership and Constitution, considering His Holiness an alien to the rank of Patriarch. We confirm in this statemen...

( OCN ) - The inaugural OCN 30 Under 30 Campaign is currently underway! During the campaign, we ask our members to nominate Orthodox emerging leaders. OCN is looking to find candidates that are women and men featured from your own communities in North America. Orthodox Christian Network will hold its first 30 Under 30 event in 2017. This event recognizes 30 emerging leaders under the age of 30 who demonstrate impact personally and/or professionally through their exceptional leadership in North America. 30 Under 30 is an opportunity to show support for and invest in this next generation of trailblazers. We want to hear from young entrepreneurs and leaders that exemplify Christian Values in their lives and those lives that they touch. This group of adults are changing the way of our Orthodox Christian Future. You can nominate anyone in North America. The process is easy. Fill out the nomination form and let us do the rest! Your nominee will receive an email from one of OCN’...

( Pravoslavie.ru ) - On February 3, Archbishop Ambrose of Peterhof and Archbishop Peter of Chicago and Mid-America (ROCOR) signed a cooperation agreement in their capacities as heads of their respective educational institutions: the St. Petersburg Spiritual Academy and the Orthodox Pastoral School of the ROCOR Chicago Diocese. As the site of the St. Petersburg Spiritual Academy reports, the agreement provides that interaction and cooperation will immediately begin in several academic fields: collaboration concerning modern educational technology, the exchange of educational and scientific publications, joint academic symposiums, conferences and seminars, and the implementation of exchange programs for students, teachers, and researchers. Already immediately after signing, the bishops exchanged academic publications put out by their respective institutions. Archbishop Ambrose also announced that a list has already been compiled of St. Petersburg students who want to participate ...

( ROCOR-EAD ) - On Friday, January 27, Monk Joseph (in the world Reader Isaac Lambertsen), longtime laborer and gifted translator of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, reposed at age 67 after battling cancer. Edward Lambertsen was born on October 22, 1949. He grew up in the town of Scotch Plains, NJ, where he graduated high school in 1967. He was received into the Orthodox Faith with the name Isaac, and attended Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY. After graduating in 1977, he began working for the ROCOR Synod of Bishops. Fluent not only in English and Russian, but also Church Slavonic, Latin, and French, Brother Isaac would spend the following decades tackling translations of the divine service texts into English: the entire Octoechos, the Menaion for the whole year, the Flowery Triodion (Pentecostarion), services to newly glorified saints and other saints not found in the Greek or Slavonic Menaion, akathists, and a bilingual prayer book. His labors also ...

Complete article is available here . The below are the resolutions following the summary of the problem. ( EP ) - We condemn all forms of human enslavement as the most heinous of sins, inasmuch as it violates the free will and the integrity of every human being created in the image of God. We commend the efforts of the international community and endorse the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. We pray that all victims of modern slavery may be liberated in order to rebuild their lives and that the perpetrators may be brought to justice. We repent for not doing nearly enough swiftly enough to curb the plague of modern slavery, acknowledging that our ignorance and indifference are the worst forms of tolerance and complicity. We are judged each day by what we refuse to see and fail to do for the most vulnerable among us. We appeal to local and national governments to pass and implement strict laws agai...

( National Review ) - While I was preparing the memoir that will be published in September — Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II — I revisited several interviews I’d conducted in the late 1990s with two impressive personalities. And I was struck that my interlocutors, almost two decades ago, shed light on the meeting that will take place in Fribourg, Switzerland, on Sunday, February 12, between Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk, the head of external relations of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. The cardinal and the metropolitan will celebrate the first anniversary of the “Havana Declaration” signed by Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill last year. (I analyzed the document for NRO at the time.) But that anniversary meeting will take place in a context set decades ago. And that context, which has its deeply problematic elements, is clarif...

This evening St Nicholas Orthodox Church in Oxford was honoured to welcome His Grace Bishop Irenei of Sacramento to their parish. Bishop Irenei started his church ministry in 2007 as our parish deacon, took part in the consecration of St Nicholas Church in 2010 as a priest and today presided at a molieben to St Gregory the Theologian as a bishop. At the end of the molieben, Fr Stephen greeted Vladyka Irenei and presented him with a tryptic icon of Christ the High Priest, flanked by St Nicholas and St Irenaeus of Lyons. After the service, there was a small reception at which Vladyka Irenei was presented with a second gift: his own personalised jar of Marmite - a uniquely British condiment for which he developed a taste during his time in Britain. Eis pola eti despota!

This sort of thinking is what gets you a Porsche and a shanty with tinfoil on the windows. Really, this is dangerous thinking in the extreme. Certainly love, as countenanced in the New Testament, which seeks after God is of inestimable value, but too many Lifetime movies have been made about people who let love rule their decision making to tragic ends.

( SOCM ) - Present day Mosul Iraq is the Nineveh of old visited by Prophet Jonah. Like the Biblical Ninevites & the villagers, let us pray for our Iraqi Christian brothers and sisters during the Nineveh Fast. May they be saved from persecution, and be allowed to return back home. In the photo is Archbishop HE Mor Nicodemus Daoud Matti Sharaf, the Metropolitan of Mosul diocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Recently H.E visited his Cathedral, which he was prevented from entering for 2 years due to ISIS occupation. Mor Nicodemus breaks down into tears as he views the ruins of St. Ephrem Cathedral (the largest church in Iraq) the seat of his bishopric, that was destroyed by IS. In some ways, the destruction of the Cathedral is sadly symbolic of the devastation & near extinction of the entire Christian community of Iraq. The Christians of Iraq have been decimated continuously in recent years from the US invasion in 2003, & now at the destructive hands of ISIS. From a po...

( BBC ) - A Church of England theological college has expressed regret after trainee priests held a service in the antiquated gay slang language Polari. The service at the chapel of Westcott House in Cambridge was to commemorate LGBT history month. The congregation was told the use of the lexicon was an attempt to "queer the liturgy of evening prayer". But officials said it had not been authorised and was at variance with the doctrine and teaching of the church. Polari is thought to have originated in Victorian London but fell out of use as homosexuality began to be decriminalised in England in the 1960s. Its words, however, were brought to wider public attention in the same decade by comedian Kenneth Williams in the BBC radio series Round the Horne. 'Fantabulosa Fairy' One person present at the service told BBC News it was led by an ordinand - a trainee priest - rather than a licensed minister. The congregation was also made up of trainees. While t...

( Mospat ) - On 26 January 2017, within the framework of the 25th International Christmas Educational Readings, a conference on the Old Rite in the Life of the Russian Orthodox Church: Past and Present, was held at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. Presiding at the conference that already became a traditional part of the Christmas Readings was Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, member of the Commission for Old Rite Parishes and Cooperation with the Old Rite Community of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. Archpriest Ioann Mirolyubov, secretary of the Commission, acted as moderator of the conference. The participants in the meeting presented reports on musical medieval studies, history of the Liturgy, historiosophy of the Middle Ages in Russia, and on the contemporary history of the Old Rite parishes. On January 27, in the Patriarchal Centre of Old Russian Liturgical Tradition at the Church of the Protecting Veil...

Tbilisi, February 2 ( Interfax ) - Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia, 84, is traveling to Germany for treatment on Thursday. This decision was made after an examination that showed an aggravation of the patriarch's illness, Tsisana Shartava, the patriarch's doctor, said, according to the portal Georgia Online. The doctor said Ilia II now feels fine and it is currently not known whether surgery will be needed. According to earlier reports, the flu caused inflammation in the patriarch's gall bladder in early January and a need for surgery could have arisen. Georgian doctors offered to take Ilia II to Germany for treatment, but he refused. Ilia II was born in Vladikavkaz on January 4, 1933. He studied in the Moscow Spiritual Seminary and Academy. He was elected head of the Georgian Orthodox Church on December 23, 1977.

H/T: Pemptousia Good glory is the glory of virtue. It never grows old, it never fears treacherous actions, it remains solid, it isn’t taken away, it doesn’t fear loss. It always remains robust, it isn’t threatened by anyone and brightly accompanies a person right to the tomb, which it makes its immortal monument. - Saint Nectarios the Wonderworker of Pentapolis

In Orthodoxy we say that the commandments of God (and more broadly His will) guide us to the true freedom to choose the good and toward union with Him. I find it difficult to follow what the Pope of Rome is saying. Can anyone parse this into something sensible for me? ( LifeSiteNews ) - In another in a long stream of apparent attacks on his critics, Pope Francis gave a homily last week accusing Christians who avoid taking risks out of concern for the Ten Commandments as suffering from “cowardliness,” warning that such people become “paralyzed” and unable to “go forward.” “‘Not taking risks, please, no... prudence...Obeying all the commandments, all of them...,'” the pope said, characterizing the thinking of such Christians. “Yes, it’s true, but this paralyzes you too, it makes you forget so many graces received, it takes away memory, it takes away hope, because it doesn’t allow you to go forward.” Such people become “confined souls” who suffer from the sin of “cowardice,” t...