Commentary
Has the Vatican’s synod office become Fr. James Martin’s PR arm?
This week the Vatican published the Final Report of the Synod on Synodality’s study group on “controversial doctrinal, pastoral and ethical questions,” prominently featuring two anonymous testimonies from openly homosexual men in “same-sex…
Eugenics as self-loathing – The Catholic Thing
There is a particular kind of modern person who, upon encountering the messiness of human life, its sheer ungovernable profusion, and the suffering it entails, recoils not with pity or solidarity but with disgust. And because disgust is rarely…
Why Me?
I visited a friend of mine a few years ago. He was a deeply faithful theologian, but without much success in his profession. Deeply devoted to each other, he and his wife had yearned for children but were unable to have any. When his wife died…
John Henry Newman, Local Hero
As your teeth pass through the chocolate shell and reach the gooey “yolk” of a Cadbury Creme Egg on any given Easter, realize that you have John Henry Newman to thank for your confectionary celebration of the Resurrection. …
Is the Church dying or reviving?
What is going on in the Church in America? Is She singing a swan song, or is She rising again from the ashes like the legendary phoenix? In the spirit of legendary Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, who said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take…
Between the Cross and the Flag: May 3 in Communist Poland
Every May 3, Poland celebrates more than just a historical date. It not only commemorates the Constitution of 1791—the first to be adopted in Europe and the second in the world—but also recalls a much more recent battle: that of a people…
Was Leo XIV elected to bring American $$$ back to Rome?
A book creating a buzz in Rome these days dives into the intriguing thesis that Pope Leo was elected, in part, to help bring American donors and dollars back to the Vatican. Popes, Dollars and War (Papi, Dollari e Guerre – not yet in English) is…
Leo XIV Recognises Another 49 Catholic Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War
The timing of the new recognitions suggests Leo is paying attention to what is happening in Spain—and signaling that neither the anti-Catholic abuses of the past nor those of the present will be ignored. The post Leo XIV Recognises…
Jimmy Lai: ‘Do Not Be Afraid’
As 78-year-old journalist, entrepreneur, and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai sits in prison, a victim of injustice, he still finds hope in faith, and his daughter the true meaning of “godly grief.” The post Jimmy Lai: ‘Do Not Be…
Recovering the University’s Soul – The Catholic Thing
The contemporary university is widely acknowledged to be in crisis. Loss of public confidence, relentless tuition increases, and intensifying debates over speech and academic freedom have called into question its purpose and institutional…