Matthew J. McKinley

This 2023 chart challenges a certain narrative: before 1965, priests & seminarians were all very conservative / orthodox. Priests ordained before 1970, are WAY more theologically progressive than those ordained since 2010. catholicproject.catholic.edu/wp-content/upl…

@Matt_Pinner Napoleon

Without googling, can you name a famous Italian? 👇

@johnamonaco “there’s a tale…” in other words there’s gossip without substantive proof and you are gossiping.

This will be a VERY controversial thing to say, but I’m going to say it anyways: “based” African Catholicism will not save the Church, and there are already cracks in the foundation. In fact, I predict that we are a decade away from a 2002 Boston-level scandal erupting on the continent. Why do I say this? First, as the article below demonstrates: celibacy among African clergy (or clergy, in general) isn’t a guarantee. As early as the 1980’s, it was an open secret that many of the Roman Catholic priests in Africa were violating celibacy. African cultural norms often stigmatize celibacy for men, and so many priests had secret families, girlfriends, etc. There is the apocryphal tale of Pope John Paul II’s meeting with an African bishop, telling him to reiterate to his clergy that they should not take a girlfriend, to which the African bishop responds, “Holy Father, we have a hard enough time keeping our priests down to just ONE woman, let alone none at all!” The foremost expert on the sex abuse scandal—Richard Sipe—noted that one study in South Africa found that 45% of Catholic priests reported being sexually active within the previous two years. Several studies (Wübbels, 2011; Juma, Du Toit, & Van der Merwe, 2018; Rop, 2025) have demonstrated that African priests have struggled to integrate the Roman Catholic discipline of mandatory celibacy with traditional African cultural norms, which have led a number of priests to father children out of wedlock. Second, for many Africans, seminary and the priesthood are paths to high social status and education. A number of US dioceses found that they would get inquiries from African Catholic men looking for sponsorship. Pious Catholic media will say “that’s because African seminaries are full!” But that’s not the entire truth. There were numerous cases of men who were legitimately rejected from seminary in Nigeria and Uganda who applied to struggling dioceses in the US, who were unaware of the candidates’ red flags. US dioceses are desperate for seminarians, and African men are desperate for the benefits that come from a seminary education, including power, academic degrees, and social capital. Third, there is already historical precedent in Africa for scandal. In 2018, a bombshell report revealed a systemic crisis of abuse by priests against nuns. Most disturbingly, nuns were assaulted because they were seen as “safe” targets during the HIV/AIDS crisis. Much of the reporting infrastructure in Africa remains underdeveloped and hasn’t caught up with the massive growth of the Church. Furthermore, whereas our Western culture and media has no problem criticizing or attacking clergy, in many African cultures, priests are seen as untouchable authority figures, and victims’ claims are often met with fierce criticism. Clericalism is a real thing there. In some ways, the noble status of the priest in 2026 Lagos is comparable to being a priest in 1926 Boston, and there are systems of power in place to protect the clerical caste. The Church in Africa is often held up as the preeminent sign of growth and ecclesial success. They’re seen as the conservative lifeblood to the global Church, especially on issues of morality. And to be certain, there are many faithful Catholic bishops, priests, and laity on the continent. But the Church in Africa was simply not ready for its explosive growth. And I have a very bad feeling that within 10 years, we’ll witness a Spotlight-esque exposé on the African Church’s abuse crisis.

@pcroland2 @FrMatthewLC As annoyed as I am with the SSPX, you have a valid point.

@FrMatthewLC What I don’t understand is how the marriages can be considered invalid if the man and woman are understood as the ministers (to each other) of the sacrament of matrimony in Catholic theology. Illicit, sure, but invalid seems like canon law thinking too highly of itself.

Previously, a Catholic who formally defected could contact a valid marriage elsewhere. However, in 2009, Benedict XVI changed it so all who have ever been Catholic require canonical form for a valid marriage. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnium_in… (I'm posting this now as in discussions of marriage in light of the SSPX Schism, I've seen several unaware of this or confused on this point.)

@Vitus_osst Convert

Give one word of encouragement without insulting them.

@bosveryaaaaaaaa 24

kalem ve kağıt kullanmadan çözmek imkansız ! x kaçtır ?

@DavidJHarrisJr Yes

How would you respond?

@lippyent .

Under 3% of my followers see my posts! Let’s break the algorithm — Reply with a dot.

@Matt_Pinner @HawkEmDownChris Olives

Which topping is the Worst? ❌

@saniyafatma1278 2

Which hairstyle and haircolor is your favorite on my aunt?

This is one of my fav videos to watch. The Maronite words of consecration, spoken in Aramaic, the very same language of Christ. Whenever I feel anxious or just need to hear something beautiful, I return to this. Take 2 mins today. Let it wash over you. 🕊️

A lesson for Catholics in 2026: When God promised a “promised child” to Abraham and Sarah, they doubted His promise because naturally it looked impossible. “We are too old. We can’t procreate. We will die soon.” They wanted to “help out God” and so they had Abraham fornicate with their housekeeper Hagar who bore Ishmael. But God still brought about a natural promised child through Abraham and Sarah, who was named Isaac. Even now Christians want to “help out God” by breaking rules and creating “Ishmael solutions” on the side to “save the Church”. Let’s let God be God. Wait for His promise. Never doubt the Covenantal Promise of God: The gates of hell shall not prevail.

The bravest man in the prison camp did not carry a rifle. He carried a Mass kit and a stolen sack of food, and the Communists were more afraid of him than of any soldier there. Father Emil Kapaun was a Catholic priest from a tiny farm town in Kansas. Soft spoken, humble, the kind of man who probably should have spent his life doing quiet parish work. Instead he put on an Army uniform and became a chaplain, and he ended up on the front line in Korea in the fall of 1950. At the battle of Unsan his unit got overrun by a massive Chinese assault. Men were told to pull out and save themselves. Kapaun refused to leave. He walked back and forth through the incoming fire, unarmed, dragging wounded soldiers out of the open, giving last rites to the dying, carrying men on his back. When the position finally fell he could have slipped away. He stayed with the wounded who could not move, knowing it meant capture. Then came the moment people never forgot. A Chinese soldier stood over a wounded American sergeant named Herbert Miller, about to execute him where he lay. Kapaun walked straight up, pushed the enemy soldier aside, picked the wounded man up off the ground, and carried him away. The enemy was so startled by the sheer nerve of it that they let it happen. Miller lived the rest of his life because a priest refused to let him be shot. What he did in the prison camp over the next seven months might be the most incredible part. In a filthy, freezing camp where men were dying of starvation and dysentery every day, Kapaun became the heart of the place. He snuck out at night to steal food for the sick. He boiled water in secret to keep men from dying of disease. He gave away his own tiny rations. He washed the filth off dying soldiers with his own hands, and he led prayers out loud in defiance of guards who beat him for it, keeping hope alive in men who had every reason to quit. The Communists hated him for it, because faith was the one thing they could not take from those prisoners as long as he was breathing. Eventually the beatings and the starvation and a blood clot broke his body. When he got too sick, the guards hauled him off to the death house, a filthy room where they dumped men to die alone. He forgave his guards on the way out. He died there in May 1951 at just thirty five years old. Sixty two years later they gave him the Medal of Honor. His fellow prisoners, the ones who lived because of him, spent their whole lives telling the world what he did. His body, long lost in an unmarked grave, was finally identified and brought home in 2021. And the Catholic Church is now on the road to declaring the humble priest from Kansas a saint.

@Sahreen_babi Tang

What drink is it??

@OleTimeHardball Nolan Ryan

First player to come to mind when seeing this Angels logo

@linadreaamy 12

mantığını anlamadan doğru cevabı bulman imkansız! çözebilir misin?

@yankeedraft Hitler

If you’re right-brained, you see a whale. If you’re left-brained, you see a giraffe. What do you see? 🐋🦒 👀

@liferacerza X = 3

bunu çözersen IQ seviyen ortalamanın üstündedir. x kaç olabilir ?

@atensnut Jerry

Do you recognize him ? He turned 72 this year.

@Bushra1Shaikh Apparently you let your hate win.

Another scumbag gone. Lindsey Graham can rot in hell. Good riddance.