Another look at the data on gun violence

January 27, 2014, 7:03 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

I wanted to gather some recent data on gun violence in our country for consideration. Let's look first at some data generated by Heeding God's Call: There are 283 million guns currently in civilian hands in the United States, yet the number of homes with guns has declined from 54 percent in 1977 to 33 percent in 2009. The average number of guns per owner has therefore increased from 4.1 in 1994 to 6.9 in 2004.

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Francis moves the conversation on dialogue forward

January 30, 2014, 9:03 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

NCR Today:"To dialogue means to believe that the 'other' has something worthwhile to say," Pope Francis said for World Communications Day.

Gun violence continues around the country

February 3, 2014, 7:56 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

I recently wrote a blog that included data on gun violence.

I guess it is a sign of the times that the blog was hopelessly out of date by the time it appeared on NCR Today. The terrible shooting at the mall in Columbia, Md., occurred just after I had submitted my blog to NCR. Columbia is a suburb of both the Baltimore and the Washington, D.C., area. I mentioned in my blog that malls were one venue where shootings have been occurring.

Rolling Stone article makes unfair assumptions about Pope Benedict

February 6, 2014, 10:17 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

I am a pretty unlikely candidate to be defending Pope Benedict XVI, but I do feel some of the recent criticism he has received has not been justified and is perhaps misguided.

Veteran journalist John L. Allen Jr., in his last column for the National Catholic Reporter, spoke on a number of issues, but one was the recent Rolling Stone cover story on Pope Francis and the criticism it directed toward Pope Benedict.

How should the church respond to Univision poll results?

February 19, 2014, 6:27 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

A new poll of 12 countries with large Catholic populations has been released through the Spanish-language Univision network. It mirrors other recent poll results, but also provides some interesting data about how Catholics around the world agree and disagree with each other and the church.

Bishops' lack of uniformity on treatment of gays is refreshing

February 21, 2014, 2:45 pm

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

David Gibson of Religion News Service examines the conflicting views of Catholic bishops on the passage of severely punitive laws against gays and lesbians, particularly in Africa and Asia.

The myth of upward mobility

February 27, 2014, 6:49 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

It is often difficult to accept the reality that certain long held beliefs may no longer be true. An important article in The New Yorkerchallenges some traditional beliefs about social mobility in the United States.

Religious liberty can become a subterfuge for discrimination

March 3, 2014, 8:14 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

Two significant articlesfrom the political blogThink Progress confront the issue of religious freedom and its limitati

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Pope Francis disappoints, but not completely

March 11, 2014, 7:15 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

It was inevitable, and the time has come. I need to write my first critical blog post on Pope Francis. It turns out that the Vatican guesthouse, Domus Sanctae Marthae, does not appear to be far enough away from the apostolic palace. Francis is unfortunately starting to sound too much like a pope. The powers that be may be getting to him even at his current residence.

Maybe it's time to bring the church to the people

March 18, 2014, 12:22 pm

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

In recent years, it seems there has been an effort to make it harder for the faithful to participate and receive the sacramental actions of the church. One example would be the denial of Communion to politicians with certain views as well as the denial of Communion to divorced and remarried Catholics. Another example would be the refusal to provide general absolution for parishioners even during the Christmas and Easter seasons.

Pope Francis is still the key to reform

March 21, 2014, 6:48 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

Paul Baumann, editor of Commonweal, has written an extremely interesting essay for Slate that should be read by all with interest.

One possible solution to our country's growing divisions

March 28, 2014, 6:51 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

Thomas F. Schaller has written an intriguing but disturbing opinion piece in TheBaltimore Sun.

The piece highlights the growing political divisions throughout the country. Gridlock continues in Washington with little or no indication that a solution exists to bridge this gap in the foreseeable future. At the same time, at the state level, there is growing unity. More and more states are in the hands of a single political party.

Pope Francis faces resistance to his agenda

April 3, 2014, 5:51 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

If you have not yet seen the interview with Italian historian Andrea Riccardi, it is definitely worth a look.

Is our country being run by oligarchs?

April 9, 2014, 6:27 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

I am not a constitutional lawyer, and I am not prepared to argue arcane points of law with Supreme Court justices.

What kind of prayer is appropriate at official meetings?

April 13, 2014, 6:00 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

Carroll County is a small, rural county in northern Maryland. Its local board of commissioners has become news because of its insistence on starting board meetings with prayers to Jesus.

After a federal judge ordered the board to stick with nonsectarian prayers, some council members refused. The judge's order was twice defied in prayers uttered at the beginning of subsequent board meetings.

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Can Bloomberg succeed in his fight to address gun violence?

April 23, 2014, 9:04 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, spent money to assist Colorado lawmakers who supported Colorado's new gun law and who were facing a recall election last year. His efforts and $350,000 failed to save their seats in the legislature.

Francis, Benedict and leading the church

April 25, 2014, 9:14 am

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

Paul Elie has written a masterful article in The Atlantic on Benedict, Francis, and the direction of the church today.

The rocky path to a married clergy

May 5, 2014, 12:08 pm

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Pat PerrielloNCR Today

David Gibson frames the issue of a married clergy well in his article for Religion News Service.

Pope Francis apparently had another one of his private conversations with a Brazilian bishop whose diocese is in the rainforest. The diocese has a total of 27 priests for 700,000 Catholics. Most Catholics are only able to attend Mass a couple of times a year.

The Supreme Court says Christian prayers at public meetings are OK

May 7, 2014, 12:09 pm

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Pat Perriello NCR Today

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday that public meetings can be opened with Christian prayers. As long as one does not denigrate another's faith or proselytize, such prayer is in keeping with long-standing tradition, the court ruled. I made my feelings clear in an earlier post, so I will not repeat what I said then.

The traditionalists are trying to regain control

May 15, 2014, 9:42 am

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Pat Perriello NCR Today

As the Synod on the family draws near, there seems to be an effort by traditionalists to shift the focus to doctrine rather than serving the pastoral needs of people.