The Insights eNewsletter

I've been thinking lately about the disconnect between the spiritual and modern culture, which does its best to squeeze the spiritual out. I've tried to capture one aspect of the problem, as it affects even Catholics, here: Against a Facile Assurance of Salvation, the Need for Mystery. Still,...

This Friday Insights message comes to you on Thursday because I will be helping a son move to New York City tomorrow. What strikes me most this week is this: Pope Francis has done it again and again! Our new pope keeps expressing profound truths in apt phrases which are both powerful and...

Sometimes I am astonished by the spiritual riches of the Church, not least in her innumerable holy men and women down through the centuries. In the present, despite the many problems the Church faces, she is still growing in Asia and Africa. And while the number of religious continues to...

We absolutely must continue to focus on the New Evangelization. I mean we must continue to bring the Good News of our Savior to those in cultures which once received it but have since rejected it. And so I continued to try to explain this week What It Means to Center Evangelization on...

Even while Pope Francis is working on the reform of the Curia, there comes a rare outburst from the Prefect of the Congregation for Religious against the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But in classic Vatican style, the difference of opinion is immediately denied. I suspect the...

Over the past few months, it has become increasingly clear to me that many of the errors circulating throughout the Church today are caused by a simple failure to grasp how theology really works. On every side, people seem to think their understanding of the Faith can be whatever they want it to...

Two strange news stories leave us scratching our heads about the Church in the United States. First the Archdiocese of Newark, after all of the Church's experience with the fallout from sexual abuse, is standing by Father Michael Fugee under bizarre circumstances. Talk about a test case for Pope...

Tomorrow I'll be driving to Indianapolis for a grandson's First Communion. It is a privilege, but it means that my normal Friday Insights message is coming to you on Thursday. In our newest Thursday commentary, Phil Lawler uncovers a bit of a scandal: The American bishops are still doing...

When he ordained ten deacons to the priesthood on Sunday, Pope Francis was characteristically direct: Be pastors, not functionaries. This speaks to all of us. We must all act with a sense of mission, not just fulfill some minimal role. It is precisely this that the Second Vatican Council...

Before getting into this week's essays and resources, I'd like to ask you to visit our Easter Campaign page. I am excited about our new Pope, the New Evangelization, and the growth of CatholicCulture.org! Today Phil Lawler reflected briefly not on Pope Francis but on Pope Emeritus Benedict....

We have witnessed two very unusual things over the past week. People power and papal power. Consider first the horrific Gosnell case in Philadelphia, where for years abortionist Kermit Gosnell mistreated not only the babies he aborted but the mothers who paid his bills. The mainstream media...

During the course of the week, our news director Phil Lawler had occasion to observe that Pope Francis keeps saying striking things that he is bound to report, and that there seems to be a “Pope Francis Effect”—longer lines for Confession. In the same vein, I'd like to call...

In a way, what we've been advocating when speaking of authentic Catholic renewal is a Church that is simple and direct. A Church that is clear about what it believes and what it expects of its members. A Church which bears frank and honest witness to the world. And a Church which simply and...

Despite advances in Catholic institutional integrity over the past decade or so, the mission of the Church continues to suffer in many university settings. At Jesuit-run Gonzaga University, the Knights of Columbus was refused status as a student organization because it admits only...

May you and your family have a most blessed Easter Season! I will be operating on a reduced schedule this week, and I sincerely hope each one of our users can take some extra time for celebration, family and prayer in these first days of Easter 2013. Still, I do have a few noteworthy things...

I am unlikely to issue a message on Good Friday, so let me pause here to emphasize that we must still raise $7,000 more this month to make ends meet for March. Also, the ebook on Pope Francis before His Election will still be emailed to anyone who donates any amount by March 31st. But I won't...

In a universe in which there are no coincidences, it is fitting that so many books on various aspects of Catholic renewal are coming to our attention as Francis begins his pontificate. Here are my reviews of three of them: Evangelical Catholicism: George Weigel’s Vision of Catholic Reform: I...

Pope Francis launched his pontificate formally today with his inaugural Mass. We can begin to get a sense of our new pope by reading the complete text of his homily. Unfortunately, the media hatchet persons are hard at work trying to blacken the Pope's name, and they have seized upon the...

Pope Francis is now beginning his round of duties. The news stories are flying fast and furious. Rather than list them all here for you, please consult our ongoing news rollup: Who is Pope Francis and how is the world responding? What we do have right here is Phil Lawler's initial...

The conclave has begun and now the world awaits the outcome. Indeed there is little else anyone can do, given the secrecy which shrouds the election. Some media people have railed against this secrecy (which any good Catholic should treasure). See Phil Lawler turn the tables in This whole...

The Cardinals have announced that the conclave to elect the next pope will convene on Tuesday. Naturally, attention will now focus the most important priorities for the Church, and who might lead the Church in the optimum direction. Phil Lawler has a particularly arresting viewpoint: The key...

As we gear up for the conclave and the election of a new pope, please remember you can keep up to date with the Conclave News Rollup we have linked at the top of our home page. CatholicCulture.org plans to continue telling you the truth, of course, but different organizations seem to be taking...

Between my last Insights message and this one, the world has seen Pope Benedict resign. Before he did so, however, he delivered two final addresses: Pope Benedict's Final Address to CardinalsBenedict XVI: Final General Audience AddressWhat should we expect from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI now?...

As speculation continues unabated over the reasons behind Pope Benedict's resignation, the latest theories suggest the Pope has been essentially forced to resign by obstruction within the Curia. Poppycock. See my last On the Culture entry: Benedict's Resignation: The Prisoner of the Vatican...

Reports of a homosexual network of corruption at the Vatican have grabbed the headlines this week. The first thing to remember is that the Church has never been without her own internal power struggles, as high-ranking officials (with or without holiness) seek to gain traction for themselves or...

With less than ten days remaining in the pontificate of Benedict XVI, the best explanation of the Pope's resignation is still the one he gave himself. But could he have relied more on his staff? See Phil Lawler's analysis: The real story behind the Pope's resignation. Benedict's own explanation...

As the drama of Pope Benedict's resignation and the new conclave unfolds, CatholicCulture.org will keep you posted. We'll also point you to the best insight from other writers. And we will point out and correct the many errors and misconceptions which are swirling through the media. The...

Most people receiving this message love Pope Benedict XVI and find that they must greet the announcement of his impending resignation with, well, Christian resignation. Clearly the Pope hopes to avoid problems for the Church caused by his own declining strength and concentration, and yet a...

This week the American bishops said the latest attempt by the Obama Administration to paper over the HHS Contraception/Abortion Mandate is totally unacceptable. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York announced this on behalf of the bishops, and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia wrote an...

Phil Lawler has, with detailed knowledge, been waiting a long time for the buck to stop with the American bishops. So Phil was elated when Archbishop Gomez stripped Cardinal Mahony of his ecclesial responsibilities in Los Angeles. See: At last an American prelate addresses the real problem in...

Two news stories today ought to dominate the reflections of Catholics, at least in America—though the same problems exist elsewhere: Archbishop Gomez relieves Cardinal Mahony of duties; Bishop Curry steps down: At last we have a decisive episcopal consequence for the problem of sexual...

The first step toward making things right is getting things right. CatholicCulture.org helps people to get things right. Before looking at how we've done that over the past few days, I need a favor. I need you to join in our current campaign for 500 donations in the last week of this month....

Every Catholic in the world probably needs a boost in confidence right now, and I'll get to that. But CatholicCulture.org is definitely in need of a confidence boost this week. After reaching 40% more people in 2012 and finally meeting our 2012 budget on December 31st, the bottom has fallen...