Essay
Islam, Violence, and the Nature of God
Where and why Catholics agree—and disagree—with Muslims […]
Vatican II
Essay
The legacy of Michael Novak (1933-2017), a man of Tradition
It is for his appraisal of the free market economy that the late Michael Novak is, and will probably continue to be, most known, praised, […]
The Dispatch
Liturgy, papal infallibility, and terminology
In what way can a pope declare that “liturgical reform” is “irreversible”? […]
The Dispatch
“America First”?
Along with the customary cluster of cookouts, parades, and fireworks, the 4th of July this year brings something different to the observance of our great national festival. “America First” is President Trump’s not-so-new rhetorical contribution […]
The Dispatch
It’s Howdy Doody Time!
Three or four times each month, Father X (as I’ll call him here) celebrates the noontime daily Mass I regularly attend. I’m grateful for his homilies, which are almost always thoughtful. Thus in a recent […]
The Dispatch
A pope at the trade show
In 1954, Pope Pius XII delivered an address to conventioneers of the Hemp and Linen Confederation in Rome. Why was the Pope speaking at a trade show? He certainly had no need to network or […]
The Dispatch
Let’s not make a deal…at least this deal
Helping those who have broken away from the Catholic Church come back into full communion is a noble endeavor. But such reconciliations cannot be conducted as if they were the ecclesiastical equivalent of labor negotiations: you give […]
Essay
The end of the Catholic state?
Perhaps Benedict XVI’s greatest gift to the Church was his emphasis on what has come to be called the “hermeneutic of continuity.” This concept emerged in his Christmas 2005 address on Vatican II to the […]