They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’m hoping this is true, because instead of writing a long “Editor’s View” this week, I’m publishing a picture. I hope it tells the story better than many words!
It was perhaps providential that I paid a visit to Niagara Falls close to the time when Pope Francis issued his encyclical, Laudato Si’: on Care for Our Common Home.
 |
|
First in a series of reflections by Fr. Robert Barron on the life of Cardinal Francis George.
Cardinal Francis George, who died April 17 at the age of 78, was obviously a man of enormous accomplishment and influence.
He was a cardinal of the Roman Church, a past president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the archbishop of one of the largest and most complicated archdioceses in the world, and the intellectual leader of the American Church.
A number of American bishops have told me that when Cardinal George spoke at the bishops’ meetings, the entire room would fall silent and everyone would listen.
Cardinal Francis George’s episcopal motto was: Christo gloria in ecclesia (To Christ Be Glory in the Church).
Cardinal George dedicated his life to Christ and His Church. However, it wasn’t an easy life, which is probably why Cardinal George felt such compassion for other people.
At age 13, Cardinal George suffered from polio. He said the disease left him “a captive in my own body.”
We are hearing a lot in the news these days about the issue of vaccination of children, primarily because of a nationwide measles outbreak that began in a Disney park in California.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that the current outbreak has resulted in 121 cases of measles in 17 states and the District of Columbia, according to Catholic News Service.
The outbreak has raised concerns about parents who won’t immunize their children for a variety of reasons.
I agree that parents should make the final decision about their children’s health and well-being. There are some reasons why parents might not want their children to be vaccinated. However, parents may have fears that are not based on scientific fact.
