Christopher Columbus

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Tape # 1, Side One We are addressing ourselves to the subject of The Catholic Discovery of America. This year is the five-hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. It is also the five-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Christianity in the Western world. It is, […]

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Talk 2 (Presented 4-24-92 at St. John Vianney in Northlake, Illinois) Hundreds of biographies of Christopher Columbus have been written in the last five centuries. They range from the poetic to the highly critical. As a result, it is not always easy to identify the real Columbus from the […]

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Talk 3 There are few great men in history who do not have both their ardent admirers and their virulent traducers. Christopher Columbus is no exception. But there is one main difference in the case of Columbus. We can identify his critics by their religious affiliation or ideology. The […]

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Talk 4 It must seem strange to associate the Blessed Virgin Mary and the discovery of America. What makes the subject strange is that most people think of the discovery of the New World in geographic terms. In 1492, an Italian navigator by the name of Christopher Columbus sailed […]

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Talk 5 This must be the strangest title for a lecture, “The Popes and the Catholic Discovery of America.” What makes it strange is that for many people, the last terms they would associate are “Popes” and “America.” Not only that, but the last ideas they even want to […]

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Talk 6 Our reflections so far on Christopher Columbus have concentrated on his Catholic discovery of America. Our stress has been on the providential role that Columbus played in initiating the most fruitful conversion to Catholic Christianity since apostolic times. In this closing chapter we shall cover, in cameo, […]