Commentary

Most Popular Within the Last Year

The Pope’s disastrous letter on immigration by Phil Lawler (From Feb 12, 2025)

In a letter ostensibly written to support the bishops of the US, Pope Francis has actually made life considerably more difficult for them. In his letter on the Trump administration’s immigration policies the Pontiff makes an argument that is poorly informed, easily rebutted, and likely to...

My grandmother, the emergent Catholic right, and why Massimo misses it by Peter Wolfgang (From Feb 1, 2025)

My grandmother died yesterday at the age of 96. There is no single person to whom I owe a greater debt for imparting to me my Catholic faith than her. I have explained why in numerous Facebook posts over the years and in a Catholic Herald piece commemorating the centennial of Our Lady of...

My thoughts as Pope Francis nears his death—or doesn’t by Peter Wolfgang (From Feb 22, 2025)

I am praying for Pope Francis who, according to a report published a few minutes before I began to type this column, remains in critical condition. As my Catholic Culture colleague Phil Lawler notes, it is the wisest and best thing we can do for the Pope. Not following “the very excitable...

A new offensive in the war on traditional liturgy by Phil Lawler (From Jun 20, 2024)

Rome’s rumor mills are buzzing. According to multiple sources, a new Vatican document is being prepared, which would impose still tighter restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). If approved in its current form, our informants tell us, the document would bar...

Confirmed: the corruption Pope Francis chose not to expose by Phil Lawler (From Jan 14, 2025)

This week, with the publication of his new book, Pope Francis has added one important link to the chain of evidence regarding the fight against Vatican corruption. In April 2012, Pope Benedict created a special commission of three senior cardinals (Herranz, Tomko, and DeGiorgi) to investigate...

Angel Studios: questioning the hype by Thomas V. Mirus (From Sep 3, 2024)

The most significant development in Christian filmmaking these past few years has been the rise of Angel Studios. Angel Studios began as a rebranding of VidAngel, a family-friendly streaming service akin to ClearPlay. Yet in just a few years since 2020, and despite its small output, the Mormon-run...

Raffaella ballet premiere: love opening the way to artistic greatness by Thomas V. Mirus (From Jul 9, 2024)

At the end of June, I traveled to South Bend, Indiana, to witness what will likely have been this year’s most significant Catholic arts event: the premiere of Raffaella, a new full-length classical ballet commissioned, written, composed, choreographed, and set-designed by Catholics. In a...

Dreamt of learning Latin? Here’s how you’ll finally do it by Thomas V. Mirus (From Jan 29, 2025)

[Young men] should realize that this quotation from Cicero applies in a certain sense to them: “It is not…so great a distinction to know Latin as it is a disgrace not to know it.”  Pope St. John Paul II, 1978 Like many Catholics, I’ve wanted to learn Latin for...

Why doesn’t Pope Francis Celebrate Mass? Part II by Phil Lawler (From May 23, 2024)

Forgive me for returning to a question that I have asked once before—and only a few weeks ago, at that. But frankly I am dumbfounded, and wonder why the same question is not on the lips of all believing Catholics. Why has Pope Francis not celebrated Mass in public for well over a year?...

Vice President Vance deftly de-escalates conflict with Pope Francis by Peter Wolfgang (From Mar 2, 2025)

“What the heck did you guys feed Vance for breakfast?” That was my wife, texting me last Friday, the day of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. I was one of the 1,400 breakfast attendees who had the privilege of hearing a stellar speech by JD Vance, the first Catholic convert...