As a former Roman Catholic from a large Italian family, still mostly Catholic, I read with great interest a recent Washington Post article on the Vatican. John Cali The Vatican recently decided to go public with one of its most secret tribunals, the 800-year-old Apostolic Penitentiary. This tribunal handles cases of sin the church considers [...]

Late last Saturday afternoon I was driving out to my brother’s ranch to have dinner and spend the evening with him, his wife, and some close friends. It was a beautiful early winter day with a clear blue sky, a few puffy white clouds, and freshly fallen snow sparkling in the rugged mountains all around. [...]

As I’ve mentioned before in this newsletter, I no longer make New Year’s resolutions, or set goals for the next 12 months. However, this past holiday season, I’ve been “taking inventory” of my life. Especially the last several years. Those years, as we all know, have heralded many changes and challenges, some pretty scary. 2009 [...]