Archbishop Fernández and the Learning Curve
by George WeigelArchbishop Fernández is no Joseph Ratzinger in either theological heft or in his relationship to the pope he will serve. Continue Reading »
Critics, Enemies, and the Difference
by Francis X. MaierCritics are not always enemies. Some speak out of love, even when their words are heated. Continue Reading »
A Failing Papacy
by R. R. RenoThe current regime in Rome will damage the Catholic Church. Pope Francis combines laxity and ruthlessness. His style is casual and approachable; his church politics are cold and cunning. There are leading themes in this pontificate—mercy, accompaniment, peripheries, and so forth—but . . . . Continue Reading »
A False Paradigm
by Michael HanbySo much for the “new paradigm.” With the Church now mired in its most severe crisis since the Protestant Reformation, the heady talk of last spring now seems as distant as the “Catholic moment” or the “springtime of evangelization.” Rightly or wrongly, the idea of a gauzy mercy without . . . . Continue Reading »
Taking Leave
by P. J. SmithPope Francis's new apostolic letter offers a window into how he sees the process of retirement from high office in the Church. Continue Reading »
Preaching vs. Practice
by Philip LawlerBecause Pope Francis may have blundered in handling a sex-abuse scandal, secular reporters are beginning to view him with a critical eye. Continue Reading »
Pope Francis Regrets
by P. J. SmithFrancis's defense of Bishop Barros poses a serious challenge to the pope’s image. Continue Reading »
The Catholic Enlightenment: Yesterday and Today
by William Doino Jr.When the eminent historian Peter Gay wrote The Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Paganism in the 1960’s, he summed up its view of Christianity this way:Christianity claimed to bring light, hope, and truth, but its central myth was incredible, its dogma a conflation of rustic superstitions, its . . . . Continue Reading »
Francis After Collestrada
by Duane K. CaylorOur army met Perugia’s on the plainbeside the hospital. All day we foughtwith crossbow, sword, and lancet to obtainour freedom, but by dusk it came to naught.So I became a prisoner of men,as glorious as a rat holed in its nest,and mourned for joys I might not taste again,considering him pierced . . . . Continue Reading »
“Confusion Is of the Devil” Indeed
by Matthew J. FranckI don’t often read Michael Sean Winters, who blogs at the National Catholic Reporter site, and his attack the other day on Archbishop Charles Chaput (which I discovered thanks to RealClearReligion) confirmed the wisdom of my habitual negligence. On the basis of a few words reported by another journalist who attended Chaput’s Erasmus Lecture hosted by First Things on Monday evening, Winters leapt to the most unjust and uncharitable conclusions, beginning with the proclamation in his headline that Chaput offered a “Remarkable Challenge to Pope Francis.” Since I was there Monday evening, I was interested in what “challenge” Winters could mean. Continue Reading »
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