Peter Daly

Priestly Diary: Not much is moving around me in Washington, in this season of coronavirus. What is it that the church can offer now in this time of isolation? Spiritual wisdom.

Priestly Diary: Ambition is one of the worst and most destructive features of clericalism. It is time to take all the vestiges of the Papal States to the junk yard.

Priestly Diary: What can be done about this clerical culture of excess? Pope Francis is doing a lot by his example, but here is where the laity can have a real impact.

Priestly Diary: The first step to tackling the clericalism born of our fallen nature is talking about it. If we don't talk about it, we cannot treat the problem.

Priestly Diary: If the priesthood is to be reformed, we must tackle the disease of clericalism. It won't be easy. Clericalism is so deeply ingrained in our structures and way of thinking that we almost can't imagine how things could be otherwise.

Priestly Diary: If a sizable amount of Catholic clergy aren't celibate, that contributes to a culture of mendacity (lying). Priests and bishops are not going to expose others because they may be guilty themselves. 

Priestly Diary: We cannot bring about real reform of the Roman Catholic priesthood unless we do away with mandatory celibacy, which harms the church and damages the lives of most priests.

Priestly Diary: The priesthood is beset with scandals and needs radical reform — and I plan to write about that. Still, gratitude should be the starting point for my reflection.

Parish Diary: Maybe that seems a bit pessimistic, but I think it is realistic to expect nothing from the meeting of bishops in Rome in February. I've been disappointed at their lack of courage and leadership before.

Parish Diary: Then-Cardinal McCarrick was apparently used to living a double life and thought no one would reveal the truth. And one thing is for sure. His case is not unique.

Parish Diary: The damage is done. The church has no credibility on its ability to police itself. I remember when I asked Theodore McCarrick about the sex abuse crisis, years ago.

Parish Diary: McCarrick was my archbishop in the Washington Archdiocese. We knew, or should have known, about some of his behavior. It was no secret, but we chose to ignore it.

Immigration law is bewildering even to American lawyers who speak English. The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. is part of the Catholic Church's effort to fulfill the gospel mandate to "welcome the stranger." 

Parish Diary: Why does the church get involved with work like Immigration Legal Services? Being Catholic means our concern is truly catholic. It does not stop at the border.

Parish Diary: Mary, who died Feb. 1, lived a life devoted to charity for the poor, preservation of the environment, education of young people and development of the church.

Parish Diary: If the DACA kids could have a poster child, it should be Jose, a hard-working 22-year-old who is very much a part of our community. There are thousands more like him.

Parish Diary: Now that I'm detached from parish life, I am finding I'm without a number of things, like staff support, built-in friendships, tedious meetings and the need to be "on" all the time as a priest.