On the Threshold

By Glen Argan About 18 months ago, Nora and I headed off on our walking pilgrimage across northern Spain, the Camino de Santiago. I don’t use the word “pilgrimage” lightly for, although it was a journey that was both physical and spiritual, we went on the Camino as a renewal of faith. Part of that renewal included the gathering of

By Glen Argan Edmonton is increasingly becoming a city where transportation is frowned upon. Staying home or walking may be the best alternatives. A week or two ago, I got a call and email from Keren Tang (www.kerentang.ca) who is running for city council this fall in Ward 11 which includes much of Edmonton south and east from Whyte Avenue

By Glen Argan My friend suggested to me that Donald Trump’s presidency will be a kleptocracy, an allegation I didn’t take seriously. While my respect for the new president does not run deep, I still thought he had more class than to spend a billion dollars on becoming president so that he could raid the people’s treasury of billions more.

By Glen Argan A grim irony exists in U.S. President Donald Trump’s cancellation of federal funding for pro-abortion organizations the same week that a Canadian study was published showing the low cost of euthanasia versus that entailed in the aggressive treatment of terminal diseases. Trump, we have good reason to believe, is a megalomaniac who represents a threat to all

By Glen Argan As I reflected upon Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s paraphrase of Solomon’s prayer for wisdom in Wisdom 9.1-11 at Donald Trump’s inauguration, I realized more and more how important those words are. Within two days of being sworn in, the new president of the United States was declaring war on the media because of the riveting issue of the

By Glen Argan Very interesting are Cardinal Gerhard Muller’s comments on the four cardinals who issued the in-your-face “fraternal correction” to Pope Francis on the position of his apostolic exhortation The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia) on the reception of Communion by divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. Muller, the Vatican’s doctrinal chief, had earlier stated that the exhortation’s pronouncements on

By Glen Argan Michael Sean Winters, the Washington correspondent of the National Catholic Reporter, has taken me to task for arguing that New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan should decline to participate in the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States (www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/inauguration-and-clergy). Winters points to the long history of Catholic leaders praying publicly for their country’s

By Glen Argan Almost lost in the reaction to the retirement for health reasons of Calgary Bishop Fred Henry was the appointment of his successor, Bishop William McGrattan of Peterborough, Ont., and formerly an auxiliary bishop of Toronto. I need to preface my remarks by saying I have never met Bishop McGrattan and do not have the foggiest notion of

By Glen Argan No one could remain neutral towards Calgary Bishop Fred Henry whose resignation for health reasons was announced Jan. 4. The moment he stepped off the airplane in Calgary 19 years ago, he caused controversy by criticizing then-Premier Ralph Klein’s reliance on casino revenues to fund government programs. Since then, he has taken on a dizzying array of

The ongoing saga of Rome’s four dissident cardinals — with probably a few more supporters hiding in the weeds — continues. While the head of the Roman Rota says the four could be removed from the College of Cardinals, few are likely pushing for that to happen. Nevertheless, their dissent is a source of scandal. By going public with their