Columnist: Phil Lawler
Here’s How to End the CCHD Scandals
Two true stories, both dating back to the Sunday before Thanksgiving, when the US bishops took up the annual collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD): In a ...
AT LAST: A Bishop Shows the Courage to Denounces His Predecessor’s Behavior
One more reason to give thanks… Please understand the significance of this this news story. For the first time, an American bishop has denounced his predecessor for gross misconduct, demanded ...
WATCH: Has Pope Francis Been Harboring a Sexual Predator?
Did you think the McCarrick case hurt Pope Francis’ reputation as a reformer? The Zanchetta case is far more damaging. In January I wrote that the prosecution of Bishop Gustavo ...
On the Eve of the Amazon Synod
As leaders of the Catholic Church prepare to open the Amazon Synod on Sunday, the fundamental question to ask is whether the focus will be on the Amazon basin or ...
A Pope Who Doesn’t Fear Schism May Cause One
“I am not afraid of schisms,” Pope Francis told reporters during his latest airplane press conference. Well, I am. And I’m afraid of any Roman Pontiff who isn’t afraid of splitting the universal ...
Sick of Hearing About Scandals in the Church? You Should Be
25-year veteran Catholic reporter and author Phil Lawler pulls-back from front line of exposing Church corruption. I quit. For more than 25 years now, I have been reporting and writing ...
A Whole New Scandal – Financial This Time – Looms for the Catholic Hierarchy
Another week, another story about massive corruption in the Catholic hierarchy. But there is some relief as well. First, this week’s scandal is not about sexual misconduct. Well, not primarily about sexual ...
Calling the Pope a Liar
It is no small thing to call the pope a liar. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has done just that, in straightforward language. “What the Pope said about not knowing anything ...
New Interview, New Revelations Damage Pope’s Credibility
In his latest interview Pope Francis says that he does not remember whether or not Archbishop Vigano told him about Theodore McCarrick’s sexual misconduct. He also insists that he knew “nothing, obviously, ...
The Crisis Continues
Vos Estis Lux Mundi, the new papal directive for handling sex abuse charges, takes a few steps toward reform within the Catholic Church. But the papal document—a motu proprio, carrying the force ...
Archbishop Gregory’s Appointment: ‘Safe’ In The Hands Of The Mainstream Media
Reacting to the appointment of Archbishop Wilton Gregory to the Washington archdiocese, Michelle Boorstein, the religion writer for the Washington Post, commented on her Twitter account: “Largely a very safe choice. It ...
A Failed Vatican Summit Only Postpones The Final Day Of Reckoning
As I predicted a week ago, the ballyhooed Vatican “summit” on sexual abuse has produced little more than strong statements: statements of the sort that the Catholic laity have come ...
Cupich Appointment Shows: February Conference in Rome will be All About Damage Control
If you held out any hope that the Vatican might finally respond effectively to the sex-abuse scandal—that the February meeting could possibly prompt some real action—those hopes should have been ...
Review Board Chairman Urges Bishops to Resign
Chances are, you’ve only seen quick summaries of the address by Francesco Cesareo, the chairman of the National Review Board, to the US bishops’ meeting this week. I strongly recommend ...
The Smoke of Satan
The following, an excerpt from the opening chapter of my new book, The Smoke of Satan, will give readers an idea of what the book holds in store. In Jerusalem, ...
How Could You, Archbishop Vigano?
“How can you celebrate Mass,” Cardinal Ouellet angrily demands of Archbishop Viganò, “and mention the pope’s name in the Eucharistic Prayer?” An excellent question. It forces us to ask whether we ...
On McCarrick Scandal, Vatican Responses are Tardy, Not Reassuring
Finally there is some movement. This weekend the Vatican began responding to the dismay of the laity over the McCarrick scandal. The responses are certainly tardy, and still not terribly ...
What Francis Knew
Will battles erupt within the Catholic hierarchy following allegations by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò that Pope Francis has long been aware of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's sexual misconduct? The prospect of open warfare ...
There Are Only 2 Things an American Bishop Can Say Now…
Last week a young Catholic woman asked me what our bishops are likely to do. “They’ll meet in November,” I began—and she interrupted with a shout: “In November??!!” She could not ...
“We Have Nothing to Fear from the Truth”: 25 Years of Covering Clergy Sex Abuse
CWR: Based on your experience and reporting, what were the key factors in the clergy abuse scandals? In what way is the current situation different from the early 2000s? Lawler: There were ...
Lay Catholics Express ‘Righteous Anger’ Over Church Leaders’ Failure in McCarrick Scandal
This week I have been swamped with messages from loyal Catholics who have been shaken and disgusted by the latest eruption of the continuing sex-abuse scandal in the Church. I ...
