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Part I The Third Pornocracy: the Current Crisis in the Church Part II Pornocracy and the Coming Reign of Antichrist One of the greatest parts of the Summa, or at least my favorite, is when St. Thomas considers the best argument against the existence of God: Objection 1. It seems that God does not exist; because if one…
Joan Didion’s 2005 bestseller, The Year of Magical Thinking, left her readers a bit shaken. The rending account of her husband’s death was cast in a demimonde of disturbing shadows. For quite a time it tossed her into a twilight existence of strange disconnections and fantasy expectations. Hence her tantalizing title. Her mourning bore no…
Two recent events in the seemingly endless parade of the bizarre that this pontificate is producing hit this writer all at once. One was of worldwide importance and the other, purely local. The first was the revelation that Cardinal Fernandez had authored some excruciatingly theological hard-core porn and published it some years ago. The second…
Read part I The Third Pornocracy: the Current Crisis in the Church The term “pornocracy” is brutally grotesque, and yet it is honest. It is helpful, I believe, because the term truly describes the reality of how bad the corruption is. But it also reminds us that the Church has been through two other times…
Yesterday Pope Francis said, “This isn’t dogma, just my thought: I like to think of Hell as being empty. I hope it is.” As often happens following a controversial papal statement, debate broke out online as to whether this is a legitimate—i.e., an orthodox—viewpoint for a Catholic. While that’s an important question, especially when speaking…
Above: some suggest Cardinal Rampolla was the origin, as he was accused of occult membership when he was elected pope in 1903 and then vetoed. Editor’s note: with more commentators calling this period of Church crisis a “pornocracy” in the midst of “L’affair Fernández,” this week we will finish the five part series on pornocracy…
Over a year ago, the world bid a fond adieu to Pope Benedict XVI, who passed away on December 31st, 2022, the eve of the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. In his insightful and invaluable reflection on the life of service to Pope Benedict XVI, Who Believes is Not Alone: My Life Beside…
In the aftermath of the emperor’s parade in his birthday suit made, supposedly, of the invisible cloth that only the most noble souls could appreciate, there was a great silence in the palace. The emperor had called his chaplain to his chamber and asked him, “Did you see the new suit of clothes that was…
It seems as if, once Christmas has passed – BAM! – it’s over. Trees are at the curb, decorations come down, music on the radio goes back to whatever it was. However, Holy Church gives us an Octave to rest within the feast of the Nativity itself and contemplate it from different angles, including the…
While current scholarship is unclear on the matter of St. Ignatius of Antioch ever having been to Rome before going there to die, there is no doubt whatsoever regarding his great love and esteem for the city. Not the pagan side of the place, of course, that being the reason for his martyrdom, but the…
