The Universal Call to Lassitude

I’m done trying to save souls. Oh, sure, I’ll work hard to save my own, my wife’s, and those of the good people who buy my books. But as for the rest, they can go to Hell. Literally. They’ve made their choice, and I see little point in arguing with them about it. Catholics use … Read more

Male and Female He Made Them

We see that, at the Synod, the topic of women’s ordination has come up, as if the rest of the Christian world that has gone along with this innovation—and in the teeth of clear New Testament instruction—has not been pitching itself into deeper and more accelerated decline, and as if the contemporary Church has had … Read more

Whither the Synod?

Of all the absurdly stupid things I’ve ever heard, this was far and away the nuttiest, most insanely silly of them all. And yet it was often and annoyingly said to me during the dark days I spent in Vietnam, driving a handful of officers around in an old jeep because my skill set as … Read more

The New Religion of Synodality

The long-awaited (and long-feared) “Synod on Synodality” begins today, and perhaps it’s best to ask a basic question, one that is both obvious and yet obscure: What exactly is “synodality?” If Church leaders think it important to spend so much time and (our) money addressing synodality, wouldn’t they also want Catholics to be clear about … Read more

Fr. Perricone: Is Opposition to Illegal Immigration a Sin?

To quickly answer the question asked by the title of this article: Of course not. But listening to most Church leaders today, a Catholic would think that it is one of those sins that cry out to Heaven for vengeance (pardon that terribly antediluvian reference.) In fact, opposition to it is a mandate of both … Read more

Living in a Messy Church

Pope Francis wanted a mess; Pope Francis got a mess. The recent news that he will ask for Bishop Joseph Strickland’s resignation is just the latest example. But like a bad infomercial that continually promises even more features, “That’s not all!” Cardinal-designate Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, the new head of the dicastery in charge of … Read more