I have written here on St. Thomas More as a role model for laypeople in the Catholic Church. The bishops, too, need a role model, however, particularly in these times. They are after all responsible for helping their flocks grow in holiness and for clearly teaching the laity the truths of the Catholic faith. They bear responsibility … Read more
The situation of the Catholic Church at present is one of grave disorder, due in large part to the willingness of Pope Francis to say, do, and tolerate things that no pope in history has ever said, done, or tolerated. His recent off-the-cuff remarks instructing priests not to deny absolution to anyone who comes to … Read more
We are supposed to read “the signs of the times,” says Jesus, and the fathers at the Second Vatican Council urged us to do the same. I used to say that they did have the times before their eyes – The New York Times. That was not fair. The documents expressed a good deal of … Read more
Pope Francis recently gave an address to the International Theological Commission (ITC) in which he returned to a theme he often emphasizes: the dangers of traditionalism and the need to avoid going backward. Traditionalism is – unfavorably – contrasted in his view with a proper understanding of the Church’s tradition. In theory, this has some … Read more
Like zealous COVID politicians, the U.S. bishops have yet even to look at their own record during the “pandemic.” So far, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops hasn’t engaged in self-examination as to whether shutting down Mass and the sacraments from sea to shining sea, in some places for more than a year, was … Read more
The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops issued the Working Document (WD) for the Continental Stage of the Synod for a Synodal Church last week. It unapologetically calls into question various Catholic doctrines under the guise of listening to the Holy Spirit who, remarkably, is somehow speaking through the complaints and criticisms of those … Read more
Our American bishops, rightly concerned about the widespread loss of faith in the Most Holy Eucharist, have launched a three-year “Eucharistic revival.” All the teaching, preaching, and programs in the world, however, will avail little to nothing if we don’t address the root causes of the unbelief, namely, that the signs and symbols of the … Read more
Our reading today is from the Book of Benedict XVI (A Life: Volume Two), in which he recounts to biographer Peter Seewald what often happened, even during the great decades of St. John Paul II’s papacy: “Whenever I went to Germany in the 1980s or 1990s. . .I always knew the questions in advance. They … Read more
Cardinal Angelo Becciu said Sunday that he has been invited to attend an upcoming consistory for the College of Cardinals, claiming that Pope Francis told him his rights and privileges as a cardinal will be reinstated. If this is true, the pope’s decision is a dramatic reversal of fortune for Becciu, who is currently on … Read more
An excerpt from the column by Fr. Gerald Murray: It is impossible to see in the Holy See’s failure to act as anything other than a decision to protect Cardinal Ouellet, while leaving the alleged victim hanging in the wind. We once again are faced with a case in which the right of someone claiming … Read more