Commentary
There’s a happiness gap between liberal and conservative women
For decades, the prevailing narrative urged young women to “lean in,” to hustle, to shatter glass ceilings. But a new generation of young women is flipping the script on what it means to be empowered, and in doing so, they are making…
Mariologist sees ‘providential’ signs in Pope Leo XIV’s Marian devotion
From his actions and words so far, Pope Leo XIV has displayed a strong Marian devotion reminiscent of his namesake predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, raising hopes that perhaps Leo XIV will proclaim the long-awaited and long-petitioned proclamation of…
‘Ferragosto,’ when Rome shuts down, is a busy month for the pope
Christopher R. Altieri, Crux Thursday, August 14, 2025 By tradition, Romans head to the beaches to escape the heat of August. But Pope Leo XIV took his first papal vacation in July. And the pope has a lot of work that can’t wait, not least…
The waxing and waning of Christian Zionism
Dale M. Coulter, First Things Wednesday, August 13, 2025 Anti-Semitism is growing in the fertile soil of Christian reconstructionism. One need only examine Andrew Torba and Andrew Isker’s 2022 book defending Christian nationalism from a…
Bucking the trend, large Catholic families celebrate the fruits of fertility
Daniel Payne, National Catholic Register Wednesday, August 13, 2025 “Life is not a problem. It is a gift.” Those were the words of Pope Francis last year when he addressed an audience at the 2024 Italian “General State of the Birth Rate”…
Religious freedom is at a crossroads in U.S. foreign policy
It is both ironic and tragic that the Department of State has implemented a massive reorganization, which may have troubling implications for America’s international religious freedom policy. As recently approved, the reorganization subordinates…
Bread: Anthony Esolen’s Word of the Week
Real bread is a fine thing indeed. And it was the basis for all ancient civilizations. Think of it: made from high-protein grains, rich in calories, portable as loaves or wafers, not needing to be eaten right away, not even needing to be made…
The future of Providence – The Catholic Thing
In our comfort-loving, fast-paced world, one thing many of us crave is security. Most of us work long and hard to ensure that we and our families are protected from the slings and arrows. We want to protect what is good, and rightly so. But in…
Newman on capital punishment – The Catholic Thing
Even if we just confined ourselves to scripture, or to the consensus of the Fathers of the Church, or to the consistent teaching of the popes down to Benedict XVI, there can be no question whatsoever that the Church has taught irreformably that…
Why German Catholics dislike America’s Bishop Barron
In our time, and especially in Germany, attempts at finding the middle ground, at being centered or balanced – qualities that Robert Barron embodies academically and temperamentally – are deemed irresponsible at best and dangerous at worst. Ours…