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...

Why ‘Infinite Dignity’ falls short by Phil Lawler (From Apr 9, 2024)

As my colleague Jeff Mirus has pointed out, there are strong points in Dignitas Infinita. But another friend, Robert Royal, has observed that with this document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), as with so many formal statements during this pontificate, what is good is not...

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...

Reflections on the Resurrection from St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI by Dr. Jeff Mirus (From Apr 5, 2024)

It is very easy to transition into the Easter Season with a certain sense of relief that we can cut back on the extra devotions characteristic of Lent. But obviously it is good to make some Lenten observances permanent, and this applies especially to good habits we might develop in meditation and...

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...

Dignitas Infinita: Not a perfect text, but a strong one by Dr. Jeff Mirus (From Apr 9, 2024)

I was pleasantly surprised by the latest declaration from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Dignitas Infinita” on Human Dignity. I say this because of the tendency of the current pontificate to place greater emphasis on the aspects of human dignity the modern Western world...

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...