Pope Francis closed out his summer by praising the Mongolian and Russian empires for their tolerance and humanity, before criticizing American Catholics for their backwardness and narrowness. No, you read that right the first time. He praised the horde of Genghis Khan and the imperialism of the Russian czars for their tolerance, then went on … Read more
The Catholic internet is buzzing with rumors. Pope Francis is said to be unhappy with the less-than-strenuous implementation of his desired restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass. And so he is rumored to be working on a new set that will prohibit Catholics from celebrating the Mass at any parish except those that belong to … Read more
In the summer of 2001, I drove up to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to find what we called “the traditional Latin Mass,” the form of Roman Catholic worship that stretched back centuries and was last authorized in 1962, before the Second Vatican Council changed everything. Back then, conservative Catholics called people who sought it out “schismatics” and … Read more
The Vatican has finally released the long-awaited and long-delayed McCarrick Report. The document purports to be a thorough examination of how it was that a man who was widely known to be a sex pest and serial sexual harasser, Theodore McCarrick, was elevated to become a powerful and influential cardinal archbishop of the Diocese of … Read more
He has elevated immoral men in order to change the Catholic faith Just over five years ago, the Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio came out onto the loggia of St. Peter’s as Pope Francis. It is useful to recall the situation of the Church that he inherited. The sex-abuse scandals that had rocked the Church … Read more
A few cardinals have roused themselves to respond to the month-old press disclosures that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is a pederast, whereas before he was merely well known as a serial sexual harasser. Their response is depressing in the extreme and should make any Catholic or person of good will wish for their immediate, tearful confessions … Read more
What we were talking about had a name in Catholic circles. It was called “the biological solution.” Roughly speaking, it meant that priests attached to the reforming visions and the theological fads of mid 20th century would, by the simple process of aging and dying, be replaced by the younger, more tradition-minded, and less morally … Read more