At the canonization ceremony of St. Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis graciously referred to the former pontiff as the “Pope of the Family.” The crowds cheered at this fitting title since there was no doubt about his legacy as a tenacious champion for marriage and family. Part of that legacy was the Pontifical Institute … Read more
The chorus has grown louder over the past few years: Listen to the experts! Authoritative opinions carry epistemic weight; of that, there is little dispute. However, even on matters where an authority is an expert, there are times when things are better left unsaid. Take, for instance, Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent interview on CBS’s Face … Read more
In mid-September, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute quietly hosted what may have been the year’s most important panel discussion, on the subject of the lost meaning of the American Founding. Like the Founding itself, too few have appreciated the event. Even after sitting through it, not many will have captured the evasive potential consensus that may … Read more
“We’re here to preserve democracy, not practice it.” Such were the words of Captain Frank Ramsey (played by Gene Hackman) in the 1995 film Crimson Tide. Ramsey, Commanding Officer of a nuclear submarine, said this to his Executive Officer, Lt. Commander Ron Hunter (played by Denzel Washington), when the two differed on what decisions to … Read more
It is noteworthy that the first recorded question in Scripture was by man’s first murderer. After lying to God about his brother’s whereabouts, Cain shrugs “Am I my brother’s keeper?” To get a sense of the chutzpah, think of the modern slack-jawed youth who rolls his eyes at his parents and sneers, “Whatever.” Cain’s reaction … Read more
It’s not hard to be depressed if you’re a conservative Catholic in 2021 America. That’s especially the case if, like me, you marvel at a country that seems to have radically changed in just a single generation. If a drag queen had shown up at my public elementary school in suburban Northern Virginia in the … Read more
If Shylock in The Merchant of Venice is a thinly-veiled Puritan (see the earlier article in this series), so is Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Maria, in act two of Twelfth Night, describes Malvolio explicitly as “a kind of puritan,” and the critic Leslie Hotson has argued that Malvolio was modeled on the Puritan William Knollys, … Read more
A relevant question regarding the COVID-19 vaccines is whether or not it is reasonable to apply for a religious exemption simply because the vaccine may have, at some point in its development, utilized parts of an aborted baby. In order to arrive at my answer, please follow me through a brief theological discussion to its … Read more
In a recent debate, the Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, declared, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Evidently, he intended to signal his support for school boards and educators who contribute to his campaign and are themselves facing criticism from parents and public figures for a … Read more
Today Pope Francis joins religious leaders from around the world to consider a “world emerging from a pandemic.” The pope will preside over a Christian ecumenical prayer gathering and then join Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu leaders in a final ceremony. The event takes place in the “spirit of Assisi,” referring to the … Read more
“What the hell is an encyclical?” Who the heck asked such a question? Hint: the person who did the asking was a Catholic, a Democrat, and a candidate for president. That narrows things down more than a bit. Hmmm. . .might it have been John Kennedy or Joe Biden? No and no. The answer is … Read more
“Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’” (Isaiah 40:9) In 2015, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Nostra aetate, the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews issued a document entitled “The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable” (hereafter, GC). Although some years have passed since its publication, this text still … Read more
“Not many of you should become teachers. As you know, we teachers will be judged with greater strictness than others.” (James 3:1) What happens in our country’s college classrooms matters. It matters, of course, to the students themselves. It matters to their professors. And it matters, greatly, to the country, whose reins of leadership will … Read more
Recently, an online firestorm erupted among Catholics surrounding a recent letter from the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X arguing for the moral permissibility of taking an available COVID-19 vaccine if the situation were grave enough to warrant the act. My intent here is not to evaluate all the details of the letter, or to … Read more
Republicans’ and Democrats’ rival interpretations of the relationship between their parties’ past and present racial policies are well-known. Republicans stress their predecessors’ role in the elimination of slavery and their party’s consistent support for racially neutral law—arguing that Democrats have merely changed which race they legally privilege. Democrats claim racial neutrality was a “first step” … Read more
The Economy of Francesco is the name of an initiative of Pope Francis in which he invites “young economists, entrepreneurs and change-makers of the world” to address the world’s economic problems. The project seeks to be an explosive source of energy and new ideas for a tired world in need of change. The primary vehicle … Read more
A great sea change came over my life when, quite by accident, I first stumbled upon a copy of Joseph Ratzinger’s Introduction to Christianity. Based on a set of lectures, given in the summer of 1967, that captivated large numbers of German university students, it appeared in English two years later. I discovered it several … Read more
In the recently-released book The Case for Patriarchy, Catholic writer and teacher Timothy J. Gordon boldly proclaims the “kingship of the social reign of Christ, King of the Patriarchy!” Gordon’s well-researched, deeply insightful work deconstructs feminism’s numerous nostrums that have upended modern life in the name of a false paradise of sexual egalitarianism. Gordon traces … Read more
Dystopian fiction can offer a curious consolation in dark times. There is comfort of a sort in the knowledge that our current troubles were foreseen by others: this shows, if nothing else, the evils of our age are not as chaotic as they sometimes seem. On the contrary, they conform to a pattern that can … Read more
Over the past few months, a number of Catholics have expressed their exasperation with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone—one of our best American bishops, by all accounts—for admitting on the Crisis Point podcast that he wasn’t ready to deny Nancy Pelosi Holy Communion for her rabid and long-time pro-abortion advocacy. If even one of our strongest bishops … Read more