Maybe the only satisfying thing about the November 8 election of Donald Trump as president was the shock on the part of America’s pollsters, media, and leadership class, as the inconceivable actually happened. Why did it happen? Continue Reading »
That John Podesta and other Clintonistas imagined they could spin Pope Francis with money from George Soros perhaps tells you a bit about the fantasyland these people inhabit. Continue Reading »
Once, the Al Smith Dinner contributed to breaking down anti-Catholic prejudices. Now, its tribalism and its seeming indifference to grave moral issues are a scandal. Continue Reading »
If Crosby’s reform were enacted, priests would have to judge the souls of their flock. The remarried would be divided into those whose lives have a Dostoevskian tragic resonance, and those who are merely “common adulteresses.” This cruel charade would collapse before it began.Continue Reading »
The illiberal Christian movement, a disparate and nascent group, can feel starved for allies in the institutional Church, and for that reason it may go looking in places it has no business being. This is a mistake. Continue Reading »
Holy Hell confirms some stereotypes of cults and challenges others. The Buddhafield offered much that our churches don’t offer but should; it offered much that they do offer and shouldn't. Continue Reading »
Looking back on her life, Patty Duke emphasized the importance of her faith, long-time husband, and reconciled family, saying that despite everything that had befallen her—abuse, several broken marriages, and a severe emotional illness—“I’ve been richly blessed. When I pray, I never ask for material things. I offer only prayers of gratitude.” Continue Reading »
Only say the word and I shall be healed. Isn’t that the most humble unadorned thing you can say about faith? Don’t you always say that with a shiver in your heart? The hair prickles on my head sometimes when I say that. Continue Reading »
The real problem with the Argentine norms is their deviation from this larger and more fundamental principle: that grace truly sanctifies and liberates, and that baptized Christians are always free to fulfill the moral law, even when they fail to do so. Jesus Christ holds us to this standard in the Gospel. It is presumptuous of Francis—however benign his intentions—to decide that his version of “mercy” trumps that given by God himself. Continue Reading »