Governor Jay Inslee of Washington State followed in the steps of New York and California to issue a statewide stay-at-home order, effective March 24, for a period of two weeks. In the midst of a complete shutdown of economic and social life and the rising number of cases and deaths in the state of Washington, Catholics … Read more
Two elderly priests I know have offered complementary insights into our current cultural crisis: “Social engineering is preceded by verbal engineering,” and “Those who win the language wars win the culture wars.” Language carefully hones, shapes—or distorts—our culture. And, since language is our medium for comprehension, our use of language directly impacts our ability to … Read more
The Boston College Law School has invited Congressman Robert Scott (D-VA) to speak at its spring commencement ceremony. Many universities, including Catholic schools such as Boston College, invite politicians to speak at commencement ceremonies, and Scott’s status as an alumnus of Boston College would seem to make him a fitting choice for this honor. However, … Read more
The latest exclusive papal interview published in the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica and in translation by 16 other Jesuit publications around the world, resembles the interview on the papal plane returning from the Rio de Janeiro World Youth Days. In both cases the pope fielded a wide range of questions and spoke extensively; 10,000 … Read more
NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia seems to have taken a page right out of Lila Rose’s playbook by conducting an undercover investigation of crisis pregnancy centers in Virginia, presumably hoping to expose them in much the same way that Live Action has exposed shady dealings at abortion clinics: In its 39-page report, titled “Crisis Pregnancy Centers Revealed,” … Read more
In that passage from Orthodoxy so familiar that it is almost now cliché, G. K. Chesterton wrote that there are a thousand angles at which a man may fall but only one at which he stands. By this he argued for the unique, enduring character of orthodox Church doctrine, of the one, true, upstanding strand … Read more
The Jesuit College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, is in trouble. Bishop Robert J McManus, S.T.D., issued a statement on October 10th warning President Michael McFarland, S.J., that the official Catholic status of Holy Cross was at risk. The reason for the showdown? On October 24, representatives of both Planned Parenthood and NARAL … Read more