Commentary
Passion Plays: What makes them popular?
Perhaps the most famous production is the one held in Oberammergau, a German town of just over 5,000 residents in Bavaria, where the amateur cast reenacts every 10 years the last days of Jesus in a lavish production that rivals many high-budget…
On the killing of enemy sovereigns
The war against Iran does not appear to be genuinely defensive against an imminent threat; it is rather undertaken to prevent a threat that might, at some time in the future, materialize, and is therefore a “war of choice.” Natural law just war…
‘Something is happening’: data on Catholic conversions really are unprecedented
Many U.S. dioceses are expecting heavy increases in people joining the Catholic Church at Easter 2026, including some with record highs, a survey by the Register found. “Something’s happening,” said John Helsey, director of communications for…
A return to tradition: The religious renaissance in the United States
The Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study shows that Christianity – from Catholicism to the various Protestant denominations – has managed over several decades to maintain, with slight variations, its relative share of the total…
Flannery O’Connor’s “both/and” vision of reality
March 25, 2026, marked the centenary year of the birth of one of the greatest fiction writers of the modern era. And as a Catholic, O’Connor had a deep “both/and” instinct, shaped not only by Thomas Aquinas (she wasn’t, as she explained in one…
The most urgent issue for the U.S. Catholic Church isn’t abortion
Donald Trump’s second term has transformed the priorities of the American Catholic hierarchy, and the formerly “conservative” bishops have been sounding more liberal. Its teaching hasn’t changed, but the president’s second term has shifted the…
History’s pro tips on Iran
The United States and Israel didn’t start the current conflict. It’s merely the latest phase in a war that began in earnest forty-seven years ago; a methodical war of aggression pursued by Iran to erase Israel as a nation and defeat the United…
Dutch Cardinal Eijk celebrates first Traditional High Mass, calls it “unforgettable”
In an interview published yesterday on the Italian blog Messa in Latino, the 72-year-old Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht and Primate of the Netherlands explained why he decided to learn the vetus ordo. He said he has received considerable…
The faith of Cesar Chavez reexamined amid decades-old abuse allegations
The legacy of Cesar Chavez has long been enshrined in American history as one of moral courage and social justice. As co-founder of the United Farm Workers, Chavez became a symbol of the struggle for dignity for agricultural laborers. In recent…
Shia culture of martyrdom key to understanding Iran, says Msgr. Nazir-Ali
Msgr. Michael Nazir-Ali, a member of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, a former Anglican bishop and an expert in Islamic history, says Western governments misread Iran if they assume its theocratic regime will quickly…