Extra, extra! News and views for Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Progressive Catholicism Is Not Prophetic Catholicism – “Staying in tune with a liberal society that has no clear idea of what it is moving forward to, doesn’t necessarily constitute being prophetic.” The Psychological Makeup of the Catholic Liberal (What We Need Now)

Declining to Pause – “This period of American religious history is not so much a reversal of the large seismic shifts the country has been experiencing since the 1990s, but rather a brief pause.” Is Christianity No Longer in Decline? (First Things)

The Thin State of the Culture – “Culture is the ultimate source of everything happening now. Even political change is the result of cultural shifts.” The World Was Flat. Now It’s Flattened (The Honest Broker)

Lifestyle Apps – “Over the last ten years, lifestyle apps have come to play a major role in our culture.” Optimizing for Holiness: App Culture and Catholic Spirituality (Public Discourse)

China: One Country, Two Systems – “The story of Jimmy Lai, a 77-year-old Hong Kong businessman turned human rights activist and convert to Catholicism, is unfolding at the intersection of politics and religion between China, the Vatican, and the US.” America and the Vatican Must Confront China on Human Rights, Starting with Jimmy Lai (Providence)

The Vatican and María Valtorta’s Visions  – “In a statement published March 4 but dated February 22, the DDF said that Valtorta’s ‘alleged ‘visions’, ‘revelations,’ and ‘messages’’ cannot be considered to have a supernatural origin.” Under new norms, DDF weighs in on alleged mystic (The Pillar)

Cardinal Roche Celebrates Latin? – “In this exclusive interview, marking the Golden Jubilee of his ordination, Cardinal Roche reflects on his five decades of priesthood and distinguished service to the Church.” EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Cardinal Arthur Roche – ‘If they only knew that most days I celebrate Mass in Latin’ (Catholic Herald)

Real Totalitarianism – “The American Left’s discourse is replete with comparisons of President Donald J. Trump to Adolf Hitler and constant evocations of a dangerous “fascist” threat to democracy supposedly coming from an altogether illiberal Right.” Hitler All the Way Down (The American Mind)

A Christian Administration? – “From what I’ve seen, the president’s team is earnestly striving to apply the precepts of our faith to the policies that govern America.” The Trump Administration: More Catholic Than You Know (National Catholic Register)

Wholesome Literature Wanted – “There is a real need for more Catholic literature for young (and not so young) people. But the reality is that in comparison with the past, relatively few books aimed at Catholic teenage and young adult readers are being published.” Our children need better Catholic fiction to help solidify their formation in the faith (Catholic Herald)

(*The posting of any particular news item or essay is not an endorsement of the content and perspective of said news item or essay.)