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All right, let’s switch the conversation up here. The reactions are in, most very predictably focusing on Williamson and ignoring the complexities of the situation. I’m going to try my best to stay out of the prediction business, but I think a realistic understanding of the issues and the people involved indicates that this is…

The Vatican has posted the Pope’s itinerary on his trip to Africa in March. It’s here.

Today, we celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul. At the Angelus, the Pope said: Paul’s conversion matured in the encounter with the Risen Christ; it was this encounter that radically changed his existence. That which Jesus asks in the Gospel today happened to him on the road to Damascus: Saul converted because, thanks to the…

Jack Smith of the Catholic Key takes note of something: By this time, Catholic Key readers are certainly aware of President Obama’s reversal of the Mexico City Policy. The USCCB response is here. Appended to the president’s action was a notice in which he said: In addition, I look forward to working with Congress to…

New Bishop for Charleston announced today – Msgr Robert Guglielmone from Rockville Centre and rector of the cathedral there. The West Coast March for Life is today in San Francisco – this is an event that has grown tremendously during its short life, and we always like to hear reports from the event. Speaking of…

As rumored (accurately this time), the SSPX excommunications were lifted. The decree is translated here, at NLM. Let’s look at what exactly this means, for those not familiar with the ins and outs of these things. This is a very specific act. In 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre, the founder of the SSPX, consecrated 4 bishops, despite…

An article on Obama’s rescinding of the Mexico City Policy at NCR here. When the text appears it will be here at the White House “executive orders” page. Cardinal Rigali, speaking for the USCCB, comments here.

About the SSPX excommunications being lifted tomorrow…stay tuned. It will be a complicated situation, not  leading to any complete integration of the SSPX back into the Church – only a first step to dialogue  –   and interesting to watch.

Get Religion sifts through the massive MSM coverage of the March here.

Reuters says – with an “administration official” as the source – that the ban will be lifted today. Let’s hope that’s wrong, too. FDA approved embryonic stem cell therapy trials. More from Amanda Shaw at FT (It is probably unwise to jump to the conclusion that this – the FDA business –  wouldn’t have happened…

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about

Amy Welborn

Amy Welborn was born in 1960, the only child of a now-retired professor of political science, a teacher-librarian-artist mother,deceased since 2001, was a teacher, librarian and artist. The Catholicism comes from her side.

Amy grew up in a number of places - Indiana - Washington, DC - Lubbock Texas - Arlington, Virginia - DeKalb, Illinois - Lawrence, Kansas - and Knoxville, Tennessee, where the family settled in 1973. She attended Knoxville Catholic High School, then the University of Tennessee where she majored in history. She received an MA in Church History from Vanderbilt University, where she wrote a thesis on the changing role of women in 19th century American Protestantism, and the ways Scripture was used to justify those changes.

She worked as as a teacher in Catholic high schools and a Parish Director of Religious Education and started writing for the diocesan press - the Florida Catholic - in 1988. Amy has written columns for Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic News Service at times over the past twenty years. Her articles have been published in venues ranging from Our Sunday Visitor to the New York Times to Commonweal. She has written 17 books. 18, if you included the as yet tragically unpublished novel.

Amy has five children, ranging in age from 26 to 4 and was married to Michael Dubruiel, who died unexpectedly in February 2009. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

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