Catholicism
Books in Stone – The Catholic Thing
Catholics who sometimes worry that the Church is no longer sufficiently bold in its preaching of the Gospel might at least derive some comfort from its buildings. Sacred buildings stand a long time and carry on the convictions of those bolder…
On Recovering the Christian Man
Now in my late 70s and the veteran of 56 annual performance reviews by a beautiful and highly intelligent Catholic female, I feel licensed to offer a few thoughts on the nature of an acceptably “Christian man,” married variety. In no special…
Against ‘Minor Attracted Persons’ – The Catholic Thing
If we were to travel to the distant past, say, way back to 1976, I’m pretty sure we’d find nobody advocating for adults having sex with children. Then came the revolution of 1978. What revolution, you ask? I refer to the founding of the…
Markets, Mercy, and True Prudence
Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas thoughtfully speaks to one of the great anxieties of our moment: whether artificial intelligence, data platforms, robotics, and global capital will serve the human person or reduce us to a disposable…
A Good Friday Death: Vittorio Messori, RIP
A Good Friday death – even for a Catholic giant of the last fifty years – meant that less attention was paid than deserved. On the other hand, it was fitting for the author of Patì sotto Ponzio Pilato? – Did He Suffer under Pontius Pilate? …
A Saintly Patriotism: Lessons from St. Joan of Arc
On her Feast Day today, May 30, Joan of Arc is remembered as one of the greatest saints of not just her time, but all time. The Maid of Orleans inspires us all with her military victories for France, fearlessness in battle. and extraordinary…
Not About AI – The Catholic Thing
Much is already being written at the moment about AI and the suitable Catholic response to it. So this column will not be about AI. In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan Karamazov has been driven, by his revulsion to evil in…
Coherence in Continuity – The Catholic Thing
Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, was released earlier this week. It is long for an encyclical, and unexpected in some ways. It is worth reading, worth sitting with. What follows is not a summary, still less a “review” of the…
Trusting the One who ‘Knows What He’s About’
During this past academic year, I was honored to hold the St. John Henry Newman Visiting Chair of Catholic Studies at Thomas More College. (This was especially an honor since this same Chair was held initially by TCT’s own Robert Royal and then…
Pope Leo Warns Technology Must Serve Human Dignity
Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed human dignity and cautioned technological advances must serve the human good in his first encyclical letter released Monday, May 25. The pope’s letter Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity): On Safeguarding the Human…