The Importance of a Veneer
The external trappings of Catholicism are vital for passing on the Faith, and should be encouraged even when the underlying doctrine isn’t fully proclaimed.
The Toothpaste isn’t Going Back in the Tube: Tradition and the War of Attrition
Traditional Catholicism is not going anywhere, and the more pressure you apply, the more it shines, like a diamond, or better yet, like a sword beaten between hammer and anvil.
Jesus Called People Morons: The Sacred Insult That Could Save a Civilization
Christ looks the most religious men of His day in the eye and calls them morons. He does this not to demean but to awaken; not to shame but to judge rightly—and to invite us to do the same.
The Silly Season in Rome
The time between the passing of a pontiff and the election of a new one is a time when Rome may be at its worst, a time of whispers, goofy rumors, and even calumny.
May Pope Francis Rest in Peace. And May Peace Return to Mother Church.
Good Catholics were often confused during the Francis pontificate.
The Pope is Dead. Long Live the Papacy.
Pope Francis famously called on Catholics to “make a mess.” He surely did, and now it’s up to us to clean up. Pray for the soul of Pope Francis, pray for the next pope, and pray for Holy Mother Church.
A Proposal for Saving the Church in America
Total, radical dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary and an energetic program to spread that devotion is the path to save this country.
The Pope, the Poor, “Pageantry and Prominence”
When the pope warns against “pageantry and prominence,” I want to know how he will also protect against tacky and tawdry because the latter has often been the practical upshot of post-Vatican II liturgical choices.
Starting a Schism: So Easy It’s Not Funny
To deny that Francis is the true pope requires either divine revelation or a very special competence to discern this. Those who make this claim have neither.
Tradition or Annihilation
If we want to avoid the Church’s effective annihilation, we must return to Tradition, in everything from liturgy to catechesis to public morals and even modesty in dress.
In Defense of Fr. Ripperger
Fr. Chad Ripperger was recently accused of making statements that are “contrary to Catholic Tradition, doctrine, and theology.” We need to set the record straight.
Catholics Are Abandoning the Church
The new Pew Survey should be a wakeup call for all Catholics: we are losing members at an alarming rate. What can be done to reverse the tide?
Catholics Are Rapidly Losing Ground
A new survey shows that for every 100 new Catholics, more than 800 people leave the Church. As bad as that is, the news is actually worse when we look more closely at the numbers. Radical changes are needed.
Keep Ringin’ Those Bells!
Are ringing bells during Mass a vestige of the bad old pre-1969 Mass, where everything was hidden from the People of God in a dead language and the priest had to get the congregation’s attention?
Geopolitics and Papal Elections
If you have any doubt that geopolitics should play a role in papal elections, think of this: while choosing someone to step into the shoes of the poor fisherman from Galilee, the cardinals are also electing the head of a sovereign, juridical entity.
The Coming Trumpian Pope
As we pray for the Holy Father in his final agony, we wonder who the next pope will be and pray he will be a Trumpian pope, a bull in the china shop who will “make a mess.”
Confessions of a Catholic Fundamentalist
A recent book called me a “Catholic fundamentalist.” Considering the source, I take that as a compliment.
The Pope I Pray For
I must admit to having—as every Catholic must—an idea of what I would wish for from and in a pope.
Pope Francis’s Declining Health and the Next Conclave
Pope Francis might be nearing the end of his earthly life; what will the next conclave be like?