The Pope, the Bishops, and the Church’s Crisis of Trust
Trust in institutions is at an all-time low, and this includes the Catholic Church, whose leaders have done little to generate trust.
St. Andrew: Clarity Amid Confusion
St. Andrew’s prayer might be just what his brother’s successor needs right now.
Welcome to Muck Island
The sacking of Bishop Strickland brings to mind the sad plot of Brian Moore’s novella “Catholics”.
Does Pope Francis Deserve the Benefit of the Doubt?
Many Catholics argue that we must always give the pope the “benefit of the doubt.” But is this true? Do we always have to assume the best of intentions in the pope’s words and actions?
Ruling vs. Leading the Church
In Pope Francis’s favorite book “The Lord of the World,” the fictional pope does not lead but rules the Church. Ecclesiastical power is centralized in his person. The Cardinal Legates are his supervisors of the local Church. Some might see a pattern here.
Living Under a Dictator Pope
The ouster of Bishop Strickland is another example of a lawless pope tyrannizing the Church. But ultimately, what can the average Catholic do about it?
Bishop Strickland Becomes a Victim for the Church He Loves
The removal of Bishop Joseph Strickland is the culmination of a process that began on a cold morning in Baltimore five years ago today.
Will Lay People Vote in the Next Papal Conclave?
Pope Francis is contemplating radically revising how the next pope is elected; among the revisions is the inclusion of papally-appointed lay electors.
Praying for Pope Francis
I am powerless to argue matters over with the Holy Father. But I’m not completely powerless, because I can pray.
Our Emersonian Pontiff
Is clerical haberdashery really such a problem that it merits a prominent place in the pope’s intervention in a synod as overhyped as the one concluding in Rome these days?
Do Synod Doubters Really Trust the Holy Spirit?
History has demonstrated that the Holy Spirit has a way of confounding conventional expectations.
Blessing a Sterile Parody
Same-sex unions are not even unions, only a parody, both sad and sterile, of a relation that is not real.
The Popessa Meets the Pope
The Church is in a bad way when her pope alienates faithful Catholics while bonding with her detractors.
Reading Laudate Deum through the Lens of the World Economic Forum in Light of the Synod on Synodality
Are we witnessing the hollowing out of the Catholic Church’s origins, foundation, mission, and liturgy—including the proclamation of the Gospel—for purposes extraneous to the Church?
Understanding Pope Francis’ Response to Same-Sex Union Blessings
Should the Church allow same-sex unions to be blessed it would be an empty mercy—a mercy that cannot save because it is a “mercy” divorced from the truth of Christ.
How Pope Francis Is Inadvertently Developing the Doctrine of the Papacy
By his abuse of Catholics’ already-unhealthy overemphasis on the papacy, Pope Francis is leading many of them to now look more closely at the underlying official teaching.
Laudate Deum: Pope Francis’ Mistaken Apocalypse
Like popes of old, Francis speaks of a coming apocalypse, but unlike his predecessors, his view is natural rather than supernatural.
The Magical Mystery Magisterium and the Hermeneutic of Hermeneutics
Within the pope’s response to the recent dubia there is a statement that threatens to undermine the Church’s ability to make definitive definitions about doctrine.
Identifying the Problem is Only Half the Battle
Fr. James Altman is largely correct in identifying today’s problems in the Church, but his cure is as bad as the disease.