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.
Ten Tragic Years: The Francis Pontificate
As Pope Francis reaches 10 years in office, we reflect on his confusing, ideological, and scandalous papacy. How are Catholics to live under a bad pope?
10 Years of Confusion, Political Ideology, and Scandal
Confusion, political ideology, and scandal have been our continual companions the past 10 years, and there’s little reason to believe that will change while this pope still reigns.
Why Is Pope Francis Dealing With the CCP?
Why is the pope not defending free speech, democratic rights, or indeed the rights of practicing Christians and particularly Catholics within China?
Pope Francis’s Schism
If Pope Francis drops his nuclear bomb on Tradition, this will create a schism in the Church.
Absolution Means Saying You’re Sorry
The pope said priests can “never deny absolution.” Is this true? Absolutely not.
A Plea From an American Periphery
Pope Francis wants Catholics to go to the “peripheries,” but have the pope and other Church leaders ignored the American peripheries?
Loosing and Binding
Penitents do not have an absolute right to absolution: they must meet what the sacrament itself requires for the forgiveness of sins.
A Unified Theory of “Backwardism”
What was so awful about the pre-Vatican II Church that its memory needs to be obliterated and those who hold to doctrines that are ancient in provenance must be labeled as “rigid” and psychologically damaged?
In Communion—But Not Happy—With Pope Francis
How can a Catholic be in communion with the pope if he doesn’t want anything to do with him?
Understanding the Papacy in a Time of Confusion
A new book takes a deep dive into one of today’s most controversial topics: the papacy.
The Pope and Synod: Hangmen of the Great Commission
I will not follow this new synodal listening blueprint, and I will not oblige Pope Francis’ reproach of Catholic proselytization. I will listen to God. And I will hold fast to Christ’s words of the Great Commission.
The McCarrick Report Is Worse Than We Thought
The professed intent of the McCarrick Report, released yesterday after much delay, is to shed some light on just how this man managed to rise to such status and power within the Church, all while his habit of sexual abuse were known to so many of his brother-bishops. In another time, in other circumstances, that … Read more
Donald Trump and the Politics of Charity
“We are a working-class party now. That’s the future.” — Senator Josh Hawley I’ve held off on writing a post-election column, hoping against hope that the votes would be counted quickly and fairly. I suppose that was naïve. At this rate—and regardless of who “wins” in the end—half of the American people will feel cheated … Read more
Wilton Gregory Is the Deep Church
No one should be surprised by the recent revelation that Pope Francis believes that civil unions between same-sex couples ought to be legal. Just as no one should be surprised by the promotion of Wilton Gregory—Archbishop of Washington, D.C., oligarch, and political activist—to the College of Cardinals this past Sunday. The two are intimately connected, … Read more
Where Are You Going, Peter?
It’s raining spiritually again. The Pope has scandalized faithful Catholics and delighted progressives of every stripe by expressing support for civil same-sex unions. Waugh fans will recall one of English literature’s most obnoxious Canadians, Rex Mottram, receiving instruction for baptism from a priest who quizzes him on his grasp of the doctrine of infallibility. What … Read more
Where Francis Leads, We Can’t Follow
“Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable because of it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.” … Read more
Cardinal Pell, the Living Martyr
“Thank you for your testimony.” With these words, Pope Francis greeted Cardinal George Pell who, on coming out of Covid-19 quarantine, went to meet the Pope in audience. Martyr in the Greek language means “witness” or “testimony.” In essence it is the basic call of every Christian, every follower of Jesus Christ, to give testimony … Read more
Marxists Love Fratelli Tutti
Bishop Heinz-Josef Algermissen recently published a letter claiming that, during an October 7 meeting with Pope Francis, the Holy Father expressed “dramatic concern” with the state of the German Church. As well he might. Francis has always been wary of the German bishops’ synodal journey, which is being convened to discuss “authority and separation of … Read more