The Dispatch
Books for Christmas
Including works on St. Charles Borromeo, Vatican II, “Amoris Laetitia”, Justice Scalia, Kenneth Clark, and the teachings and practices of Catholicism. […]
Vatican II
Features
Now is the time for a “Third Spring” in England
Famously, in 1852 John Henry Newman, preaching at a celebration of that restoration of our Hierarchy, spoke of a ‘Second Spring’. This yielded a rich […]
Columns
Does Catholic political idealism make sense?
Many have insisted that one ideal or another is specially suited to Catholicism, or perhaps even demanded by the Faith. But is that really the […]
Analysis
A Critique of Faggioli’s interpretation of early Ratzinger’s view of Scripture, Tradition, and Authority
Massimo Faggioli’s naïve biblicism cannot account for different levels of authoritative Church teachings in Catholicism, with some being foundational, irreformable, and definitive, and others being […]
Analysis
Liturgy, Authority, and Postmodernity
As our self-consciously modern liturgical rites approach their fiftieth birthdays we would do well not to cling to them uncritically. Nor can we follow postmodernity […]
Analysis
Pope Francis, the Lérinian legacy of Vatican II, and capital punishment
I’m sure there are other reasons, but at least for these three reasons I think that Pope Francis cannot provide a Lérinian justification of the […]
The Dispatch
A few thoughts on Pope Francis’ remarks on the centenary of codified canon law
It is not right to assert that canon law—however much its practical clarity might have sharpened the theologians’ speculative discussions over the centuries—dictated ecclesiology. […]
The Dispatch
What is happening at Mass?
Christianity is not a philosophy, ideology, or religious program; it is a friendship with the Son of God, risen from the dead. There is simply […]
Features
A Conversation with a Traditional Catholic
“After our first Traditional Latin Mass,” says Matthew Arnold, author of Confessions of a Traditional Catholic, “I asked Betty, a cradle Catholic, her opinion. She […]
The Dispatch
Eastern and Western liturgy: Natural harmony or unnatural dissonance?
Pope Francis’ speech on the liturgical reform delivered on August 24, 2017 raises questions about both liturgy and ecumenism. […]