Commentary
The ‘Mediatrix’ Question – The Catholic Thing
Thomas Guarino, First Things Thursday, November 27, 2025 The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith recently released a document on the Blessed Mother, Mater Populi Fidelis (Mother of the Faithful People), is subtitled “Doctrinal Note on Some…
How Angelo Roncalli (the future Pope St. John XXIII) helped shape Vatican-Turkey relations
Souhail Lawand, Catholic News Agency Thursday, November 27, 2025 Pope Leo XIV’s journey to Turkey and Lebanon carries significant historical and diplomatic symbolism. His decision to make the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk his first stop…
How close can East and West get in the upcoming Nicaea gathering?
In an apostolic letter released ahead of a papal trip to Nicaea – during which Leo will join the Patriarch of Constantinople to mark the 1700th anniversary of the ecumenical council which produced the eponymous creed – Leo XIV recalled the…
Leo XIV on the indissolubility of marriage
Address to the Tribunal of the Roman Rota Wednesday, November 26, 2025 “The theme that guides us today is the tenth anniversary of the reform of the process of matrimonial nullity. . . .We might ask ourselves why Jesus as Judge has been…
When did double suicides become trendy?
When a Brussels couple revealed that they were planning to die together in the world’s first “couple” euthanasia in 2014, despite not being terminally ill, the announcement was met with shock. 89-year-old Francis and 86-year-old Anne said their…
The Catholic William F. Buckley Jr.
Roger Kimball, First Things Tuesday, November 25, 2025 Bill Buckley (1925-2008), the conservative icon, was born 100 years ago yesterday. For him, the most depressing innovation in the Church was one that will be familiar to anyone who has been…
Marian theologian, esteemed by Benedict XVI, critiques “Mater Populi Fidelis”
Father Salvatore Maria Perrella, OSM via Diane Montagna Monday, November 24, 2025 One of Church’s leading authorities on Mariology has sharply criticized Mater Populi Fidelis, saying the document reveals the theological and methodological…
Overcoming nihilism – The Catholic Thing
Shoah is the Hebrew word for catastrophic ruin and unmitigated disaster. Shoah is also a biblical term used to refer to the Holocaust, and Auschwitz can be understood as a condensed symbol of the many catastrophes that led up to the death camps,…
1,700 years ago, bishops and an emperor wrote a creed
Peter Smith, Associated Press Friday, November 21, 2025 Centuries of church schisms show that if there’s a doctrine to be fought over, there’s a good chance Christians will fight about it. That repeated splintering is what makes the Council of…
Sacraments of initiation or affirmation?
Anthony R. Lusvardi, S.J., First Things Friday, November 21, 2025 The sacrament of confirmation has not generally been a pressing concern to the editors of People magazine. Last week, however, this often neglected and misunderstood sacrament…