In the late 1990s, a professor of mine rather off-handedly recommended one of those books that has stayed with me: Josef Pieper’s superlative Leisure: The Basis of Culture (which Ignatius Press has rightly kept in […]

Vatican City, Mar 20, 2020 / 09:30 am (CNA).- The Vatican department for liturgy published guidelines Friday for bishops and priests on the celebration of Holy Week, the Triduum, and Easter liturgies during the coronavirus […]

How exactly will the British “keep calm and carry on” during the crisis caused by the coronavirus? This is the question addressed by British journalist and historian Simon Heffer in an article published in the […]

In Behold the Pierced One (pp.97-98), Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) wrote: “When Augustine sensed his death approaching, he ‘excommunicated’ himself and undertook public penance. In his last days he manifested his solidarity with the public […]

With Italy on lockdown in efforts to slow the spread of the deadly, novel coronavirus, Alessandro Manzoni’s historical novel I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed), which is a favorite of Pope Francis’, comes to mind. “In […]

Washington D.C., Mar 18, 2020 / 07:00 am (CNA).- With public Masses suspended in over 100 dioceses across the United States, many Catholics have been told to stay home, make a spiritual communion, and maintain […]

“Churchmanship” is not a term in vogue today, and given the alleged inclusivity-deficit of such words it’s unlikely to make a comeback. Which is a shame. Because “churchmanship” connotes an etiquette, a once-taken-for-granted code of […]

MADISON, Wisconsin — While the decision to suspend public Masses at more than 100 Catholic parishes was “the hardest thing I could possibly do,” the coronavirus pandemic presents the faithful an opportunity to become more […]

Canberra, Australia, Mar 17, 2020 / 05:00 am (CNA).- Cardinal George Pell remains in prison, while the seven justices of the Australian High Court consider his petition for special leave to appeal. After two days […]