The Dispatch
Air turbulence and the Resurrection
It’s not possible to know the Risen Lord and to indulge in despair. […]
papacy
Books
Douthat’s lament: Francis “must have known that it did not have to be this way”
To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism seeks to make sense of a pontificate that began with great promise but has […]
Books
A Papacy of Contradictions
Veteran journalist Phil Lawler asks hard questions in Lost Shepherd about where Pope Francis is—or isn’t—leading the Catholic Church. […]
The Dispatch
Pope Francis, “diaconal primacy”, and decentralization of the curia
Decentralization by no means guarantees better governance, but is much more theologically, historically, and practically defensible than the Roman centralization and personality cult of the […]
Analysis
Questioning the prospects of Catholic-Orthodox unity
The latest statement of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation (NAOCTC) begins and ends with questions, and these are both more valuable and certainly more interesting […]
Features
Is there really a definitive teaching of the Church on capital punishment?
A second response to Professor Edward Feser […]
History
In the Habit: A History of Catholicism and Tobacco
Saints who smoked, popes who puffed, and others who snuffed. […]
The Dispatch
Wiker’s study of the Reformation an enlightening, balanced reflection on past and present
Brimming with fascinating facts, The Reformation 500 Years Later: 12 Things You Need to Know is an excellent short history of the Reformation, the ideas that […]
The Dispatch
On “conservative Catholics” and the papacy
Orthodox, conservative Catholics are both ecclesial monarchists and are ecclesial collegialists […]
The Dispatch
On Fr. Nichols’ recent remarks on the papacy and canon law
A key check against papal freedom turning into license, albeit a check harder to pin down than are neatly drafted canons, is “Tradition”. […]