Analysis

Several people have asked me questions about the accuracy of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s portrayal of the Catholic Church in the recent series Cosmos, which is airing on FOX. There is an important adage at the […]

Many of us in clean water professions wish more people talked about what we do. If bishops and pontiffs take clean water seriously, shouldn’t everyone? After all, clean water—and plenty of it—is essential for human […]

An Assembly (Synaxis) of the Primates of the local Orthodox Churches, meeting March 6-9, 2014 in Istanbul, has agreed to convene a Pan-Orthodox council. A “Communiqué of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches” released on […]

Last week, La Stampa’s Vatican Insider reported that Pope Francis has been nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. According to the news brief, other nominees include Vladimir Putin, Edward Snowden, and Malala Yousafzai. While […]

In the midst of the unfolding societal, political and now international crisis in Ukraine, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has been a constant and courageous witness to the moral law, human rights […]

The religious map of Ukraine on the eve of the protests that began in November 2013 looked like a mosaic of military camps. The troops did not conduct active maneuvers nor openly attack each other. […]

Every January for over a century now, Christians have set aside a special week to pray for unity. This week, my friend the Orthodox priest and historian Oliver Herbel posted an excellent reflection in which […]

Nearly two weeks ago, as the United States approached the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Pope Francis presented the concerns of the Church to the Vatican diplomatic corps. His statements about abortion were some […]

Several Catholic columnists have commented on the tendency of people to project their own hopes and fears onto the pronouncements of Pope Francis without paying attention to what he actually says. But could it be […]

Nearly three years ago now, I published a book on Orthodoxy and papal primacy and, at risk of being immodest, have since felt more and more that I had said everything that needed to be […]