Peter Daly

To help American Catholics understand the situation in Ukraine, consider Ireland. Both were dominated by imperial neighbors, who suppressed their language, religion and culture, Peter Daly writes. 

"We had come to Ukraine to learn about the collective trauma of the nation," writes Peter Daly. "A nighttime taxi ride brought us face to face with one casualty of the war. It was a brief encounter."

Four of us went to Ukraine to bear witness to the suffering of the Ukrainian people and to listen to their voices regarding the war. Our focus was on the trauma of war and the mental health of the people.

I am going because I feel the need to do something, even if small, to help those courageous people survive this unjust war and continue to exist as a nation, writes Fr. Peter Daly.

Pastors can now point to the language of Fiducia Supplicans to persuade some same-sex couples that they are not outside the circle of God's love or the concern of the church. 

Whatever happens in Rome, the synod has already had a deep and positive effect on St. Agnes Parish, which held listening sessions for Catholics and other community members in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

As fighting in Ukraine continues, Christians on both sides should be asking ethical questions. Fr. Peter Daly considers whether Ukraine's defense against Russian invasion meets the just war criteria.

When Fr. Peter Daly visited church programs serving Ukrainian refugees in Poland earlier this spring, he witnessed charity and mercy in action.

Vicki and Ed Greenan were looking for a new mission in life, when Fr. Peter Daly suggested that parenting might still be their calling. Four years later, they have adopted six children with serious medical needs from Ukraine.

I haven't written anything for a long time because I have been busy as a caregiver. The last 18 months have been the "story of José Luis." It has been one of the most important chapters of my life.

Fr. Peter Daly: What does the pope want from pastoral bishops? He wants dialogue, not condemnation. But what do we get from our "culture warrior" bishops in the U.S.? Calls for public condemnation of politicians.

Disasters like Hurricanes Ida and Katrina are horrible, but they can have good results. They can bring us together. They can help us find our mission and meaning. They can break down the old barriers and establish new bonds.

Priestly Diary: The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests issued a statement that objected "to any use of the Eucharist as a political weapon whether manifest or camouflaged." The operative word: "camouflaged."

Priestly Diary: We Catholics have a long tradition of the spiritual retreat, something I think that should not just be an occasional event but a permanent approach to living.

Priestly Diary: In 1971, I was arrested at the U.S. Capitol. My protest was ethically different from the acts of terror at the Capitol last month. Both actions took place in the same building. There the similarity ends.

Priestly Diary: In the 449 pages of the Vatican report, there are thousands of words and hundreds facts. But there is one number we should remember. Seventeen.

Priestly Diary: Attorney General William Barr is to be given the Christifideles Laici award by the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Sept. 23. Really? How exactly does Barr as U.S. attorney general exemplify the teachings of the church?

Priestly Diary: I have been a member of the Knights for 33 years. But now, I am quitting. Because the top brass injected the Knights into a partisan campaign at a moment of crisis in our national life.

Priestly Diary: During this coronavirus shutdown, I have been working on projects at home, like my "death box." Not an attractive name, but a necessary part of planning for death in our culture.

Priestly Diary: Like the Black Plague, COVID-19 will probably have some long-term impact on the Catholic Church. I suspect that it will accelerate two seemingly contradictory trends.