Laudate Deum, the new apostolic exhortation released by the Vatican on October 4, is an astonishing document, in which Pope Francis uses his authority to make definitive judgements—not on questions of faith and morals, but on scientific and political questions that are still under debate. In the Galileo controversy, some Church leaders unwisely sought to … Read more
Ordinarily I love my work. I enjoy learning about the latest developments in the Church and in the world, explaining them to our readers, and engaging in the debates that arise from those developments. But there are times when I wonder—as I read one story after another illustrating the same old familiar mistakes—whether anyone is … Read more
For many years—during the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI—worried Catholics like me wished that the Holy See would intervene to fix the damage caused by liberal American bishops. Now the roles are reversed, and I pray that our bishops, joining with bishops of other countries, will step in to guard the universal … Read more
“Today it is a sin to possess atomic bombs; the death penalty is a sin,” Pope Francis told a gathering of Jesuits in Lisbon earlier this month. These are stern, clear, uncompromising statements. But, the Pope continued, “it was not so before.” Thus in the past, the Pope tells us, it was not (or at … Read more
“It may be time to break out the masks against Covid, some experts say.” That was the headline on a CNN report posted yesterday. Is Covid making a comeback, then? Actually, no. But it might, and CNN is anxious to ensure that your anxiety level stays high. The report concedes, with almost palpable regret, that … Read more
Since Archbishop (soon to be Cardinal) Victor Manuel Fernandez was named by Pope Francis to head the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), much criticism of the appointment has focused on the strange book Archbishop Fernandez wrote more than thirty years ago: Heal Me With Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing. Some of … Read more
Writing in Our Sunday Visitor recently, Cardinal Timothy Dolan revealed that he has been examining his conscience: Did we as a Church, here in the United States, go too far in obeying all the restrictions imposed during the COVID pandemic, resulting in a lack of pastoral care for those sick? Give the affable prelate from … Read more
Last year, the US bishops’ conference launched a four-year program aimed at a National Eucharistic Revival, designed to “restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States” with a budget of $28 million. Catholic commentator Phil Lawler has recently suggested 14 practical steps the bishops could take to accomplish this objective … Read more
Have you noticed that in recent years, before each meeting of the Synod of Bishops, public attention tends to fixate on one very specific topic? In 2015, before the Synod on the Family, everyone was asking whether Catholics who are divorced and illicitly remarried should receive the Eucharist. In 2019, before the Amazon Synod, the … Read more
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg made the astonishing suggestion that early Christians did not understand what homosexuality was, in a revealing interview with a Croatian journalist. Questioned about his statement in February 2022 that the Catechism’s teaching on homosexuality is “false,” Cardinal Hollerich said: When the Church doctrine was being created, the concept of homosexuality … Read more