Commentary
For once, a U.N. report gets it right: surrogacy is violence
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, recently presented a report stating that “the practice of surrogacy is characterized by exploitation and violence against women and children, including girls.” This is…
The therapeutic subversion of parental rights
John M. Grondelski, First Things Thursday, August 28, 2025 Is “mental health” the new cudgel by which the state subverts parental rights? Developments on both sides of the Atlantic suggest the answer may be yes. Earlier this summer, Illinois…
Let’s add Old Testament saints to the liturgical calendar
Fr. Raymond J. de Souza, National Catholic Register Thursday, August 28, 2025 Tuesday was the feast of Melchizedek. He is one of many Old Testament figures who have feast days assigned in the Roman Martyrology, the Church’s official “catalogue”…
The decline of the Jesuit order – in numerous quotations
The following quotations speak for themselves. They were collected and collated by a Jesuit friend, now deceased (my faithful readers can probably guess…), who thought they should be made public. I’m posting them now to honor his intention. For…
Pope Leo to altar servers: Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross is the “Most marvelous reality of our Catholic Faith”
Pope Leo XIV yesterday urged French altar servers to deepen their friendship with Jesus Christ, to “engrave” on their hearts that He is the only Savior of the world, and to remember that His sacrifice on the Cross, renewed on the altar during…
Why Catholic conversions speak, and Anglican ones fall silent
The former Anglican chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II and a convert to Catholicism reacts to the announcement that a Catholic priest has gone over to the Church of England. Why? It cannot be an additional belief, so it has to be a loss of belief: a…
The Chinese Church is now a Church by and of the Chinese
At a recent symposium in Hong Kong, scholars discussed key historical events like the Council of Shanghai in 1924, the consecration of bishops in 1926, and the establishment of the Church hierarchy in 1946. Symposium participants agree that, a…
Will Trump go to heaven?
President Trump drew guffaws from the sophisticates of the mainstream media this week, when he revealed that his motivations for seeking peace in Ukraine might go beyond his—or even the nation’s—interests. ”I want to try and get to heaven, if…
Whither the Church in the U.S.?
As the number of Catholics in the U.S. has grown by 40 percent in the past 40 years – from 48 million to 67 million – new hubs of Catholic life have emerged, ranging from booming major metro areas to smaller communities that are punching well…
Immigration policy is hurting rural Catholic ministry
Under immigration enforcement by successive U.S. Administrations, it has become increasingly difficult to bring foreign priests and lay workers into rural America. There is a path forward, however. A bipartisan bill, the Religious Workforce…