Commentary
Don’t blame Vatican II – The Catholic Thing
Gavin Ashenden, Catholic Herald Tuesday, December 9, 2025 It is commonplace to distinguish between the Council itself and the “spirit of the Council”. But it is equally clear that there are people on both wings of the Church who are unwilling to…
What Benedict XVI taught us about the people of Israel
When devout Catholic young people express concern that God has abandoned the Jews or that Jews are responsible for our social ills, it becomes clear that something has gone deeply awry in our transmission of the Faith. Pope Benedict XVI…
Pope Leo is “high profile”
The profile of Pope Leo XIV is among the most viewed pages on the digital encyclopedia Wikipedia, and his names — both the one he took upon beginning his pontificate on May 8 and his given name, Robert Francis Prevost — are among the most…
On the limits of violence in drug interdictions
Everyone shares the concern about drug trafficking and the use of illegal narcotics in our country. If there is no market, the profits of cartels and those who support them will collapse, and with them, the incentive to smuggle drugs into this…
Pope Leo explains his ‘spirituality’
Pope Leo XIV has referenced a book that greatly influenced his spirituality after being asked by a journalist about the conclave and what it’s been like becoming the pope. “Besides St. Augustine,” Pope Leo said The Practice of the Presence of…
Why 3 PM should stop us in our tracks
This “Hour of Mercy” is not merely a devotion; it is a daily invitation to prepare for the one appointment none of us can avoid, and it reminds us of the immense love of God for us that gave his Son in death to free us from death…
Why Leo XIV did not pray in the Blue Mosque
On the third day of his visit in Turkey, the Pope travelled to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, an iconic imperial mosque in the heart of Istanbul and an emblem of the country’s Islamic identity. On entering the mosque, one of its imams invited the Pope…
When is a deportation policy ‘intrinsically evil’ and when is it not?
Much of the current understanding of this most controversial aspect of the worldwide immigration crisis comes from Vatican II and commentary from popes, including St. John Paul II. But neither John Paul II nor the council elaborated on the…
Summing up Pope Leo’s first apostolic journey
It quickly became clear that Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Turkey was more than a diplomatic courtesy. The Church cannot speak credibly about peace in a fractured world while appearing to be divided Herself. Leo’s decision not to include any…
American religious affiliations – if the U.S. had just 100 people
Becka A. Alper and Aleksandra Sandstrom, Pew Research Center Tuesday, December 2, 2025 There were roughly 262 million adults in the United States, among whom are about 162 million Christians (and 76 million people who have no religion). Such…