A Berlin Wall—Again
It must seem to the decent Catholics attached to the Traditional Mass that a kind of Berlin Wall is closing in upon them.
Misrepresentation of Mediator Dei, Sacrosanctum Concilium, and Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI
Part Two of a response to Cavadini, Healy, and Weinandy’s critique of the traditional Latin Mass.
Benedict XVI and American Patriotism
The experience of totalitarian regimes shaped Benedict’s formative years; for him, the United States was first and foremost the liberator.
A Wise Man Ends His Pilgrimage
Life and death are inseparable partners in the course of human salvation, and so it is fitting that we end the season celebrating the birth of Christ with the death of a holy man.
The Beauty of a Holy Death
If you are able, do not hesitate to assist at someone’s holy death. You will never regret it.
Pope Benedict XVI and the Ghouls
To me it seems clear that the Church’s problem will be solved as Lefties age out. This doesn’t mean I can’t imagine a better timeline on which Benedict remained pope.
The Legacy of Joseph Ratzinger
With the death of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), we look at his substantial legacy as theologian, priest, cardinal archbishop, head of the CDF, pope, and pope emeritus.
An Insider’s View of Benedict’s Resignation
I worked at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State from 2007-2017. I’ll never forget the surprise on February 11, 2013, when Benedict announced his intention to retire.
The Intertwined Minds of Pope Benedict XVI and St. Augustine
A.N. Whitehead famously said that all Western philosophy is “footnotes to Plato.” In the same way, as Benedict says, the history of Western psychological understanding and insight comes directly from Augustine.
The Paradoxical Pope
In spite of the profound impact Pope Benedict XVI has had on my life (or perhaps because of it), I can’t help but have mixed—and confused—feelings about the man now that he has passed.
The Political Philosophy of Joseph Ratzinger
Joseph Ratzinger was aware of the central event of modernity, namely the transferal of basic Christian categories from the transcendent order to the political order of this world.
Joseph Ratzinger: A Man Sent from God
In my opinion, Joseph Ratzinger will be remembered as the best theologian of the twentieth century, having the longest and most impactful legacy of any Catholic theologian since Newman.
‘The Two Popes’ Is Pure Propaganda
The Two Popes is not so much a picture as it is propaganda. The Netflix original follows the mode of the liberal media, presenting imagined interactions and conversations between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis (when he was Cardinal Bergoglio) that further an agenda that is bent on denouncing the Catholic Church with slick cinematography. … Read more
Buffalo Closure?
Bishop Richard J. Malone of the Diocese of Buffalo is “retiring” a couple of years early. After seven years of allegedly allowing priests accused of statutory rape and unwanted touching to remain in ministry, after concealing hundreds of pages of damning litigation documents from the public, after being secretly recorded calling an active parish priest … Read more
Welcome to the People’s Democratic Republic of Canada
Canadian voters have re-elected Justin Trudeau as their Prime Minister. The October 21 election shows that the Liberal Party garnered 157 seats to 121 for the Conservatives. Four other parties gained 60 seats total, which means that a Liberal minority will be in power. The popular vote was much closer with the Conservatives getting 34.4 … Read more
The Ratzinger Option
We live in a time of dissolution, in which natural and traditional ties are growing thinner, and also in a time of consolidation – in which all life is being absorbed by a global economic machine. The results, of course, are becoming less and less livable for most people. The Church is presented with an … Read more
How the Sexual Toxicity of the 1960s Has Harmed the Church
I have been rather astounded and amused at the controversy, indeed outright denial, surrounding Pope Emeritus Benedict’s recent essay which attributes a large portion of our current crisis in the Church to the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s. I react in this way simply because the evidence for the identification of the source of our … Read more
Benedict’s Essay: The Voice of a True Father
Why the uproar from some Catholic pundits regarding the recently released essay on the abuse crisis from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI? I think it’s pretty simple—regardless of what else one thinks of Benedict (and most of the critics were never fans of his), he speaks and writes with a voice that is truly paternal. The … Read more
Ratzinger Understands that Power Must Be Ordered by Reason
How do we recognize what is right? In history, systems of laws have almost always been based on religion: decisions regarding what was to be lawful among men were taken from reference to the divinity. Unlike other great religions, Christianity has never proposed a revealed law to the state and to society, that is to … Read more
Benedict XVI’s Final Pilgrimage Home
Every so often we’re witness to a splurge of commentary about Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, as if the general populace is suddenly reminded that the man who resigned the Chair of Peter is in fact still alive. Most recently, reactions to a letter he sent to Massimo Franco of Corriere della Serra, in which the … Read more