France

Léon Harmel: Pioneer of the Just Wage

by Christopher O. Blum

You could call the nineteenth century stupid, but hardly dull. At its birth, it was the stage for Napoleon’s antics and for the heroism of the captains of wooden ships; at its death, the old Europe itself was giving way…

Eat the Rich Now, Starve Later

by Theodore Dalrymple

There is one group that is not protected from hate-speech: the rich. For the rich it is permissible, and in some circles de rigueur, to speak disparagingly or hatefully. This, I imagine, is because it is widely supposed that if…

Will France Take a New Strategic Direction Under Hollande?

by George Friedman

New political leaders do not invent new national strategies. Rather, they adapt enduring national strategies to the moment. On Tuesday, Francois Hollande was inaugurated as France’s president, and soon after taking the oath of office, he visited German Chancellor Angela…

St. Jean de Brébeuf

by Christopher O. Blum

Why, there is Echon come back again . . . my nephew, my brother, my cousin, you have finally come back to us!” Thus with the warmth typical of their people did the Huron Indians greet their beloved father, Jean…

Jean-Baptiste Lamy, the Apostle of Santa Fe

by Christopher Check

The man chosen by Blessed Pius IX to restore the Faith to the troubled American Southwest was the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Lamy, who died on the 13th of February in the year of Grace 1888.

A Son of Saint Louis

by Christopher O. Blum

Samuel de Champlain vindicates the ideal of the Christian explorer who brings the light of faith and the benefits of civilization to the heathen savage.

Death of a Bad Dude

In the 1980s, I was an unrefined adolescent from blue-collar Butler, Pennsylvania. I knew nothing and cared nothing about politics. I had no idea if I was a conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, or much of anything else. But…

Finding St. Joseph

by Sandra Miesel

Imagine a world where no Christian is named for St. Joseph, where no church or religious organization bears his name. Picture St. Joseph absent from the Mass, the Breviary, the Church calendar, and the Litany of Saints. No shrines, no…

Secularism’s Victory through Osmosis

by Howard Kainz

The German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831) began his education as a Lutheran seminarian during the cultural ferment that we now refer to as the French Enlightenment. Later, as a philosophy professor at Jena, in a chapter in his…

The Constant Threat of the Miraculous

by Arturo Vasquez

For the modern informed Catholic, the miraculous and the holy do not necessarily go hand in hand. Among many of the devout, confusion often exists as to whether miracles are real, whether they are from God or from somewhere else,…

Catholic news around the Web

by Zoe Romanowsky

A few interesting Catholic news stories from around the Web: First, the pope met behind closed doors with 100 cardinals to discuss both sexual abuse by priests and religious freedom around the world: The meeting is taking place on the eve of…

Tolerant Americans: Looking at the new World Values Survey

by Brian Saint-Paul

I’ve been enjoying the Globe and Mail‘s interactive presentation of the latest World Values Survey (WVS). If you’re unfamiliar with the organization, the WVS is comprised of an international network of social scientists who carry out surveys in 97 countries,…

Nuns lead the way in organic farming

by Zoe Romanowsky

Here’s a story after my own heart: An exemplary organic farm run by a group of nuns. Villa Maria, on the border of Pennsylvania and Ohio is like a small town, with a Post Office, and a 23 acre plot…

Lady Gaga Changing Her Tune?

by Zoe Romanowsky

Admittedly, I like Lady Gaga, or used to like her. She reminds me of a type of a younger Madonna – someone who is theatrical, a rule breaker, line crosser but talented and able to reinvent herself. Lately, however,…

Burka Rage?

Burqas are fast becoming a heated subject in parts of Europe, notably France and Belgium. The UK Telegraph reported an incident over the weekend where two women came to blows over the burqa: [A] 26-year-old Muslim convert was walking through the store…

Archbishop Dolan: It’s a grand time to return to confession

by Zoe Romanowsky

Lent. It’s here already. My Shrove Tuesday fare was a bit subdued because I’m fighting a cold, but I managed to make my favorite pancakes. With only 7 tablespoons of flour and 1 cup of sour cream, it’s the perfect…

Babies, Hyundais and economic power

by Laurance Alvarado

A few years ago while I was attending a silent retreat, the retreat master took off his reading glasses and deviated off topic. He had been leading a study on the Holy Family, but couldn’t help reflecting on some recent…

‘Eldest daughter of the Church’ losing its faith?

by Margaret Cabaniss

Thanks to the American Papist, I came across this post on “The Anglo-Catholic,” translating the summary of a study done by La Croix about the “de-Christianization” of France. Father Anthony Chadwick has the grim numbers: Whilst, in 1965, 81% of…

Gluttons for Power

At least since the lavish dinners of the decadent Roman Republic, rulers and those who aspired to rule have frequently made a point of conspicuous consumption. Now, this isn’t always despicable; we expect those who represent legitimate authority on…

1942: Life Goes On

by Rev. George W. Rutler

If our present existence were not sufficient proof, the irrefutable platitude that life goes on was evident in the summer months of 1942 in England when, coincident with the bombings and lengthening list of war casualties and stricter food…

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