Commentary
How have the popes treated SSPX?
As the Society of St. Pius X is again on the brink of schism, perhaps a more traditional approach from the Holy See would serve the universal Church – and the adherents of the SSPX – better. The Vatican has attempted for nearly 40 years to…
Where the Dallas Charter went wrong
The U.S. Bishops’ early response to sex abuse, the 2002 Dallas Charter, jettisoned fundamental principles of fairness toward the accused. The stage was set for the situation now facing the Church in the United States: a collapse of morale among…
Leo’s Lenten retreat provides further insight into his pontificate
Pope Leo XIV will spend the first full week of Lent on retreat – often termed “spiritual exercises” – with senior officials of the Roman Curia. This retreat is noteworthy in terms of the practice itself, the preacher, and the place. All three…
I am a Catholic. And a Zionist.
A responsible American Catholic who accepts the burdens of history, reflects theologically, and weighs the demands of Catholic social doctrine will be a Zionist, however qualified with criticisms of Israeli policies, however nuanced by hopes for…
Why beauty belongs at the heart of worship
Much modern church architecture says little, the walls teach nothing, and the faithful sit in a space that could just as easily host a lecture, a concert, or a town meeting. Art historian and author Dr. Elizabeth Lev has spent decades teaching…
Cardinal Dolan: By no means finished yet
There’s a steak house on East 50th Street in midtown Manhattan, to which Cardinal Timothy Dolan and I would sometimes walk for dinner after a pre-prandial or two in his sitting room. The restaurant was less than a block away from the residence…
The ones who didn’t convert
Some very well-known 20th-century writers converted to Catholicism. Two who did not were C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot. In Lewis’s case, he was, as a son of loyalist Protestant Ulster, unable ultimately to find a way past deep, ancestral instincts…
Goodbye, childless elites – The Catholic Thing
The U.S. birthrate has declined to record lows in recent years, well below population replacement rates. So the news that the vice president and second lady are having a fourth child is welcome (and significant) news indeed, for several reasons.…
The Making of the Christian Man
We live at a hard time for young men in our country. It’s a time that too often seems to feed the worst male instincts, from weakling drone to selfish bully. Becoming a mature Christian man can be a demanding task. But history can be a useful…
How a Catholic priest brought skiing to Central Europe
An Italian priest from the 1600s is credited with bringing skiing from remote Scandinavia to other parts of Europe. Father Francesco Negri was a natural history and geography buff, and he had many helpful hints for successful skiing, including…