Pope Leo XIV: A New Era for the Catholic Church

On May 8, 2025, the Catholic Church welcomed its 267th pontiff, Pope Leo XVI, marking a historic moment as the first American-born pope in the Church’s 2,000-year history. Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois, the 69-year-old cardinal brings a unique blend of pastoral experience, global perspective, and administrative acumen to the papacy. His election, announced with the traditional...

The Cross, and the Theology of the Body of Christ

The intersection of Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic concept of the Real, the Christian symbol of the Cross, and the theology of the Body of Christ offers a profound lens through which to explore the human condition, divine encounter, and the transformative power of faith. By integrating Michel Foucault’s insights on power and subjectivity alongside the Pauline concept of dynamis (divine...

The Theology of the Body of Christ: Thinking Forgiveness and the Cross

The intersection of philosophy and theology offers fertile ground for reimagining Christian concepts in ways that address the complexities of human existence. By synthesizing Vladimir Jankélévitch’s philosophy of forgiveness with Slavoj Žižek’s concept of the Real of the Cross, we can construct a theology of the Body of Christ that emphasizes radical love, material immanence, and the transformative power...

Building a Church of Mercy: Walter Kasper’s Theology and Synodality

Cardinal Walter Kasper, a prominent German theologian, has profoundly shaped contemporary Catholic thought through his emphasis on mercy as the heart of the Gospel. His theological insights, particularly as articulated in his book Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life, resonate deeply with Pope Francis’s vision of a synodal Church—a Church that journeys together,...

Synodality and Theologies: Embracing Kenotic Humility in Catholic Discernment

In the philosophical framework of Alain Badiou, an Event is a rupture in the fabric of being, an infinite set that transcends the ordinary situational order and introduces a new truth. Badiou’s concept of the Event, when applied to theology, offers a profound lens for understanding the Jesus Event—the life, death, and resurrection of Christ—as an infinite set. Within...

Synodal Discipleship and Young Seminarians

His Eminence Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, the Archbishop of Goa in his message during the inauguration of the formative year 2024-2025 at the mission seminary in Pilar had called seminary formation to prepare young seminarians to be synodal disciples and synodal priests. His eminence indicated that a synodal Church has three qualities: Listening, Being inclusive and Healing. Listening involves...

GREETINGS

Attention is a generous gift we can give others.

Attention is love.

- Fr Victor Ferrao