A sub-category of News.
Those of us of a certain age remember the illustration in the Baltimore Catechism when it came to talking about how three sacraments—Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders—imprint a spiritual “character” on the soul that cannot be effaced and which, therefore, renders those three sacraments unrepeatable. The picture was usually of two little kids with Jesus…
One reason I was so eager to visit Uganda was to witness its reputed vibrant Catholicism. Uganda is about the geographic size of Oregon (4.5 million population) and has a population of 45 million. Those I spoke with told me that 100 percent of Ugandans believe in God. Catholics are the majority at 39.3 percent…
Is the Vatican Going to As we approach the third anniversary of the new iconoclastic regime in the Vatican (which began with Traditionis Custodes), our friends at Rorate have put out a significant and urgent appeal to Trads worldwide: — Dear readers, Once again, as at least twice in the past (before the crackdown on…
I have never heard even one remotely persuasive argument why Catholics should read or watch the news. To the contrary, to fulfill their duty as responsible citizens who contribute to the common good, most Catholics should probably stop doing so. Indeed, in many cases, watching the news is a sin. An honest assessment of why…
The best writers are often those who aren’t just writers: they are adventurers as well. Two of my favorite authors in this category are Hilaire Belloc and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Today, I’ll dive into the former’s exploits on land and sea. Unlike his somewhat more famous friend G.K. Chesterton, the inimitable Belloc was a much…
The Document Fiducia Supplicans, issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on December 18, 2023, and approved by Pope Francis, regarding the possibility of granting “simple,” “spontaneous,” “short,” and “non-liturgical” blessings to couples cohabitating in adultery or in same-sex relationships, deeply and detrimentally affects the Catholic Church as a whole, as well…
In earlier days in the Roman Church one of the calendrical milestones of the liturgical year was the “birthday” of the Apostles Peter and Paul, that is to say, the feast of their martyrdom and birth into new life in Heaven, 29 June. The imagery of being born is commonly used in reference to the…
It was exactly eighty years ago this month that General Dwight Eisenhower sent a hundred and fifty thousand soldiers and sailors and airmen across the sea to win the war against Hitler and his Third Reich. It was the largest armada ever launched in human history. Nearly all those young men dispatched from England to…
There have been many bad popes throughout the history of the Church. Indeed, there have been so many that it is a miracle that the Church has survived them. On the other hand, of course, and thanks be to God, there have been many more good popes than there have been bad. Many of these…
According to Russia Today’s triumphant report, There are several main lines of reaction to the news that I have encountered on- and off-line. The Libertarian crowd would think it inappropriate to implement any kind of restrictions on free speech, that being quite in line with Classical Liberalism in this matter, although they are a bit…
