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Woman, and Women, of the Year

Charles J. Chaput

January 1 marks the start of a new secular year. But for Catholics, it’s something more. Tucked inside the Christmas liturgical season, it’s the greatest of Marian feasts; the...

Cardinal Fernández Misleads

Charles J. Chaput

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, stepped down from the papal ministry in 2013. But before he did, he began drafting an encyclical on the nature of...

The Cost of “Making a Mess”

Charles J. Chaput

One of the standards the Church uses to measure the quality of her leaders is a simple line from Scripture: “God is not the author of confusion but of...

Cardinal Francis George: Simply Catholic

Charles J. Chaput

Glorifying Christ:The Life of Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I.by michael r. heinleinour sunday visitor press, 520 pages, $29.95 I’ve been an avid reader since childhood, and a good biography...

Remembering Benedict

Charles J. Chaput

Others have written beautifully about the legacy of Joseph Ratzinger and his tenure as Pope Benedict XVI. For me, two couplets will always capture the essence of the man:...

How Not To Lead

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann, a former chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-life Activities, recently noted that he was “sad” with the Vatican’s seeming insensitivity to the controversy surrounding...

A First Things Friendship

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

The First Things 2022 Spring Campaign seeks to raise $600,000 by June 30. To make your contribution, visit www.firstthings.com/donate. Friendship is a beautiful and potent thing, and one of the uncommon joys...

Redemption After Roe

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

As we head toward June and a Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs abortion case, we should pause to consider a few simple questions. For example: Why aren’t attacks...

Toward a New Pentecost

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

The following essay is adapted from keynote remarks delivered to graduates at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary 185th Concursus. I’ve been retired now for two years. Retirement gives you...

Fire Upon the Earth

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

Contempt for reli­­gious faith has been growing in America’s leadership classes for many decades, as scholars such as Christian Smith and Christopher Lasch have shown. But in recent years,...

A Little Wisdom From Bernard

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

Bernard of Clairvaux, the great 12th-century saint and Doctor of the Church who renewed the Western monastic tradition, once warned that “The most grievous danger for any pope lies...

The Virtue of Obedience

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

We live in a turbulent time; a time that’s similar, in some ways, to the various Reformations of 500 years ago. History, of course, doesn’t repeat itself. History is...

Making the Wrong Kind of Mess

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

Starting in 2013 and variously thereafter, Pope Francis has called upon Catholics, especially young Catholics, to “make a mess.” In a way, this makes admirable sense. Reform and renewal...

Strong Families, Strong Selves

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

This essay is excerpted and adapted from the author’s forthcoming book (Holt, March 16), Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living.  To borrow a thought from...

Mr. Biden and the Matter of Scandal

Charles J. Chaput Thomas Weinandy O.F.M. Cap.

Readers may recall that during the 2004 presidential campaign, Sen. John Kerry led the Democratic ticket. As a Catholic, Kerry held certain policy views that conflicted with the moral...