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Author
Charles J. Chaput
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Archbishop of Philadelphia

Articles By Charles J. Chaput

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The Birthday of Life and An Uprising Against Sorrow

Two of the recurring themes for “the holidays” each December are joy and peace. But beset by so much frantic marketing, and with so many seasonal distractions and pressures, many Americans can’t remember why they should feel happy. Warm feelings need a better reason than the winter solstice.

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The Gift of Thanksgiving and the Advent Season

Thanksgiving is a good time to step back from the pressures of work, reflect on the course of our lives and remember that gratitude is the beginning of joy.  It’s also an opportunity to remember whom we’re thanking, and why we’re thanking him.  The holiday has vividly Christian roots, and it makes little sense without its religious origins.  Americans certainly don’t need to be Christian to enter into the spirit of the day, but Thanksgiving reminds us of a fundamentally higher reality: our dependence on a loving Creator. 

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Marriage, Family and Some Help For Pope Francis

In less than two years — exactly 22 months — the Church in Philadelphia will host the Eighth World Meeting of Families.  Aside from a press conference last year and the kind public support of Governor Tom Corbett and Mayor Michael Nutter, so far the event has seemed well over the horizon; something to pleasantly daydream about without too much anxious detail.

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Remembering Those Who Suffer For the Love of Jesus Christ

November is a time to recall in a special way the souls of the faithful departed who’ve gone before us. Martyrs are among those we venerate, and they came from all walks of life. They were men and women, old and young, laypeople, priests and religious. Martyrdom means bearing witness to Jesus Christ by living, and when necessary dying, for our faith in Jesus Christ. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). He spoke these words before he gave his own life for us on the cross, showing us exactly what he meant.

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Priestly Formation and the Renewal of Catholic Life

In every age the Church has the task of learning from and respecting the past without being captured by it.  As the world changes, so do the pastoral needs of the Catholic community.  In a city as rich in Catholic history as Philadelphia, we need to treasure the saints and achievements of previous generations.  But real faith is more than nostalgia.  We need to look ahead.  We need to carry the legacy of the Church in Philadelphia forward by thinking and building creatively for the future today.

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Security, Immigration Reform and Human Dignity

Americans have a right to secure borders, especially in an era of anti-American violence.  We have a right to reasonably regulate our immigration policies.  We have a right to exclude criminals from our country and to protect the financial health of our public institutions and services.  We have a right to verify foreign visitors and guest workers, and to expect their compliance with the law.

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Wisdom and Christian Witness

In a few months we’ll close out the Year of Faith that began under Pope Benedict and was highlighted so beautifully in Pope Francis’ first encyclical, Lumen Fidei.   In the past year – in fact, in every year now, according to the Holy See – more than 100,000 Christians are killed worldwide for reasons related to their faith.   That’s the real cost of discipleship.  That’s a measure of heroic character.

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Christian Witness and America's Birthday

In his great biography of Benjamin Franklin, Walter Isaacson noted that Franklin donated money to “the building funds of each and every sect in Philadelphia.” For Franklin and his founding brothers, religion promoted the civic virtue essential to sustaining the republican model of government.  Franklin was a deist throughout his life.  But he understood, nonetheless, that religious belief had concrete, powerful and very positive implications for shaping public life.