Category: Religious Freedom

Culture, History, National Issues, Political Issues, Politics, Religious Freedom, Roman Catholic, Social Change, Social Issues, Teaching, Uncategorized, Voting8 Comments

Suicide of a Nation

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

This list is not a typical statement for my blog owing to the fact that it normally concerns sacred art and catechesis; however, I felt I needed to compose and share my thoughts with you. The views below are solely mine and are not meant to imply they have the endorsement of my Diocese (Providence, RI, USA). The United States of America consists of fifty states that are ruled by a National (and an individual State) Constitution. My views certainly may be applied to other world governments. A state and nation, that is a representative democracy, is its people. A … Continue reading Suicide of a Nation

Apologetics, Black Lives Matter, Catholic, Catholic Art, Catholic Education, Catholicism, Christian Ethics, Christian Faith, Christianity, Church History, Culture, Education, Freedom, Gospel Reflections, Gospel Teachings, Gospels of Jesus Christ, Iconoclasm, Politics, Religious Freedom, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Shaun King, Social Change, Teaching, Uncategorized3 Comments

Iconoclasm and Shaun King

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

In the June 22, 2020 issue of Newsweek an on-line article by Aila Slisco reported some statements by political activist Mr. Shaun King.  She states: “He [King] also remarked that stained glass windows and other images of a white Jesus, his European mother and their white friends should all be destroyed, insisting they are racist, examples of ethnic propaganda, and “a form of white supremacy. “They should all come down.” (I’ll comment on these statements by Mr. King in another post). King’s comments came in association with Black Lives Matter protests against the brutality of some police officers toward minorities. … Continue reading Iconoclasm and Shaun King

Astronomy, Galileo, Religious Freedom, Roman Catholic, Saints, Science, Uncategorized8 Comments

St. Robert Bellarmine, Galileo, and the Glory of God

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Today, September 17th, the Church celebrates the memorial of Cardinal Robert Bellarmine. St. Robert was born into a noble Italian family during the crisis filled 16th century – a time of great artistic and scientific achievements and a time of heart breaking dissension within the Catholic Church. In 1560, St. Robert entered the Society of Jesus, became a teacher, and was ordained ten years later. St. Robert’s Jesuit superiors sent him to the Catholic University in Louvain and there he developed a reputation for scholarship, disputation, and eloquence. When he returned to Rome in 1576, he became a professor of theology and … Continue reading St. Robert Bellarmine, Galileo, and the Glory of God

Art, Artists, Christianity, Ethics, Faith, Freedom, Gospel Reflections, Jesus Christ, Photography, Religious Freedom, Roman Catholic, Uncategorized1 Comment

When People Or Governments Get In Our Face

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Recently I received a rather funny email from a friend concerning a God loving Marine coming to terms with an atheist professor. It triggered, however, a serious reflection on how we, as Christians, are to confront those who “get in our face” about issues of spiritual beliefs, sacred art, religious freedom, and personal liberty. The passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 5: 38-42, on “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” gives us an insight into who Jesus is as God. The behaviors that He explains, and asks us to imitate, are actions that He would … Continue reading When People Or Governments Get In Our Face