Topics

A Machiavellian on the Throne of Peter?

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

Francis’s soundbite approach to theology has been a disaster for the Church. But worse have been the machinations from which the dissembling serves to distract us.

Transanity Is Taking Over. How Will the Church Respond?

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

Gender ideologues are at work in the Church -- no surprise. That they occupy positions of power and speak with authority is, however, cause for great concern.

A Pandemic Retrospective: Did We Pass the Test?

IMPRUDENT PROHIBITION & PANIC

Eric Jackson

The faults of the past few years were not small, and they require much contrition and conversion, above all from our leaders.

The Curious Case of Bonaventure Broderick

ONCE A BISHOP, ALWAYS A BISHOP?

James K. Hanna

He was auxiliary bishop of Havana, Cuba, when he had a falling out with Pope St. Pius X and was set adrift at age 36 with no assignment and a small pension.

The U.S. Bishops’ Holy Day Havoc

ANOTHER ECCLESIASTICAL INCOHERENCE

John M. Grondelski

The bishops feign “pastoral accommodation” for those Catholics about whom the dirty little secret is that they wouldn’t come to Mass anyway.

Waiting for Ambrose

GUEST COLUMN

Eric Jackson

One of the prime characteristics of the Church in our time is an almost complete absence of discipline, even in dioceses led by good bishops.

From the Narthex

Here we present samples of offerings in the Narthex, the NOR’s online blog.

The Year of Living Fearfully

Barbara E. Rose

The mark of Christians is to stay recollected in faith, hope, and charity, and in the knowledge that there are things worse than death, such as sin.

The Eucharistic Theology of Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians

THE AMERICAN CHURCH’S GREATEST CRISIS

Monica Migliorino Miller

Now it is pro-abortion Catholic politicians who are teaching the bishops the meaning of the Eucharist, something as absurd as it is unprecedented.

Some Dare Call It Schism

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

The German Church has launched a program of reforms with elements that, if approved by the bishops’ conference, would contradict longstanding Catholic teaching.

Spiritus Domini: How the Exception Became the Rule

THE SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCES OF SMALL CHANGES

Gerard T. Mundy

The Pope's decision to allow women into two “minor orders” of the Church shows how significant change can be instituted incrementally.

Dispatch from the Dead Letter Office

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

The McCarrick report is a historical accounting that doesn’t hold anyone accountable, and it will have no practical consequences.

Will the Coronavirus Lockdowns Usher in a Mustard-Seed Church?

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

The willful suppression of the sacraments by Catholic leaders could portend the diminution of the Church in both numbers and influence.

Spendthrift Shepherds & Pervert Priests: Where Are They Now?

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

Here we follow-up on some disgraced prelates and their inner circles who did the dirty work of covering fraudulent, criminal behavior.

Million-Dollar Bishops

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

It’s no coincidence that financial corruption walks hand in hand with sexual immorality. Where you find one, you’ll often find the other.

All Catholics Should Major in Double E

REVERT'S ROSTRUM

Casey Chalk

The Eucharist without the episcopacy is invalid. The episcopacy without the Eucharist is more or less useless. The two are mutually reinforcing.

Father Figuring

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

The Catholic Church's sex-abuse problem is caused by predators who wear clerical collars and who are protected by a clericalist culture.

A See of the Second-Rate

GUEST COLUMN

Craig F. Montesano

The norm among the men who wear miters — men who are supposed to possess powers of discernment — appears to be gaffes, ill judgment, and an apparent blindness to reason.

Wuerl, the Flesh & the Devil

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

The whole Wuerl saga goes to show — yet again — that many of the leaders of the Church aren’t so much interested in professing the truth as they are in protecting their prestige.

An Outcast Among Organization Men

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

Few are the churchmen who are willing to speak publicly about the root cause of the sex-abuse crisis: the scourge of homosexuality in the priesthood.

Dante’s Divine Comedy & the Viganò Testimony

GUEST COLUMN

Joshua Hren

Then as now, opinion makers try to reduce those who testify against Church corruption to resentful reactionaries working out their revenge.

At Last, a Reckoning?

NEW OXFORD NOTEBOOK

Pieter Vree

Archbishop Viganò has cracked open the Vatican cone of silence and exposed what might be a Church-wide cover-up of McCarrick’s crimes.

Uncle Ted McCarrick: Queen Pin of the Lavender Mafia

Many, many priests and bishops knew Theodore McCarrick was a serial molester and yet, somehow, McCarrick got the ultimate appointment to the Archdiocese of Washington D.C., and was elevated to the rank of cardinal.

Cardinal Cupich's Uncertain Trumpet

A PRINCE'S PUZZLING PREVARICATIONS

John A. Perricone

Revolution is an overturning of the present order; it is dreadful in any society. But it is impossible in the perfect society of the Holy Catholic Church.

The Church's Strange Reappraisal of Islam

WILLING CAPTIVES TO CONTEMPORARY IDEOLOGY

Timothy D. Lusch

The Church came to see Islam as meriting different treatment because it is a religion, unlike Nazism and Communism, which were secular and atheistic ideologies.

Dawah, Dislocation & the Hijacking of Catholic-Muslim Dialogue

THE CIVILIZATION-JIHADIST PROCESS

Timothy D. Lusch

The USCCB must recognize the threat that dialogue with ISNA and ICNA presents, and either seek partners without Islamist motives or end the dialogue altogether.

The Interfaith Delusion

THE U.S. BISHOPS' CATHOLIC-MUSLIM DIALOGUE

Timothy D. Lusch

It is time for the Catholic faithful to question the Church's interreligious efforts vis-à-vis Islam, with respect to its goals and choice of dialogue partners.

A Year of Magical Thinking

FAITH IN THE DENIAL OF REALITY

Timothy D. Lusch

The chief rabbi of Poland said that while "there's not a silence" about the persecution of Christians around the world, "there is not enough yelling and screaming."

The Theological Blurriness of Cardinal Marx

German Cardinals Marx and Kasper have implied by their words and actions that national episcopal conferences can form their own doctrinal and pastoral policies apart from Rome and contrary to the Church's universal teaching.

The Heavyweight Prelate Debate

The Synod was part of a larger struggle between two opposing camps, both of which are led by men who've dominated the post-Vatican II ecclesiastical landscape: Joseph Ratzinger and Walter Kasper.

Cardinal Kasper's Indulgent Accommodation

Stephen J. Kovacs

While Kasper makes a fair point that reform of the annulment process may be due, his proposal for how this could be done seems at best counterproductive.

As the Tables Turn

The shift in the Congregation for Bishops could signal a coming sea change in the type of bishops and priests who are tapped to head American dioceses over the next decade.

Mahony Unbound

EXILE ON SUNSET BOULEVARD

Charles A. Coulombe

The quarter century during which Los Angeles labored under his leadership saw Mahony play larger roles than just that of Archbishop of Canterbury to the local elites.

An End to Equivocation?

Into the hostile environment of the Archdiocese of San Francisco steps a bishop who leaves no doubt about where he stands on the burning issues facing the Church.

Shameless Shepherding

Bishops in Germany have taken an embarrassingly long time to learn that: "We cannot earn money during the week with what we preach against on Sundays."

Combating Cultural Vandalism: The Scottish Example

It's hard not to be impressed by the Scottish bishops' consistent, powerful salvos fired at the Scottish government over same-sex marriage legislation.

Into the Void

One would think that retooling, remarketing, and simplifying the bishops' voting guide would be a priority aimed at enlarging its readership. Unfortunately, it is not.

Bishops: Think Twice Before Taking Psychiatric Advice!

DUPED BY THE CULTURE OF PSYCHOBABBLE

Cal Samra

Spiritual directors, chaplains, spiritually minded medical doctors, and gifted lay people of the nineteenth century did a better job of caring for the emotionally and mentally ill than our modern mental-health "experts."

Back in the Limelight

Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland has thrust himself back into the public eye, telling us in his new memoir of his homosexual exploits.

Why the Church Should Not Oppose Extending Statutes of Limitation

AN INVERSION OF PRIORITIES

Charles Molineaux

Instruments that were created for a mission morph into institutions directed toward their own preservation.

Prostitutes in Portsmouth?

Bishop Crispian Hollis wants to legalize brothels. But, says Bishop Hollis, "that's not to say that I approve of prostitution."

Illicit Investments

HOLY PORN !

Thomas Strobhar

Hundreds of Catholic groups -- dioceses and religious orders -- help fund their work through investments in porn-related companies.

Cardinal Compromise Strikes Again

Cardinal William Levada, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, goes to bat for sodomites in Soho.

The Most Equivocal Man In Town

According to San Francisco's Archbishop George Niederauer, homosexuality had nothing to do with clergy sex abuse cases.

Nancy Pelosi & Archbishop Wuerl

Nancy Pelosi supports abortion, same-sex "marriage," and embryonic stem cell research. And, the Archbishop of Washington supports Nancy Pelosi.

The U.S. Bishops Pitch NFP

THE USCCB'S 'MARRIED LOVE & THE GIFT OF LIFE'

John F. Kippley

In a materialistic culture almost all engaged and married couples will benefit from learning that marriage is for family.

Wily Guys

San Francisco Catholic Charities will continue to allow same-sex parents to adopt children, but they will refer them to another agency.

The Beat Goes On

Why is it that our local Church leaders fail to muster more than soft talk when the very Deposit of Faith is publicly challenged?

Bishops, Nuncios & Delators

LAST THINGS

Tom Bethell

What the Church badly needs are leaders who are not afraid to stand in opposition to power, even if that means putting cash contributions in jeopardy.

Panegyrics for Archbishop Niederauer

It's amazing when Communist officials have greater wisdom about disordered behavior than does the Archbishop of San Francisco.

Cardinal Levada Advises Priests to Cover Up Their Homosexuality

The new Prefect for the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith advises that homosexual priests, rather than publicly revealing their 'sexual orientation,' should stay in the closet.

A Heart of Gold

Despite his bizarre theology, at least Bishop Gumbleton practices what he preaches.

Three Cheers for the Panzerkardinal

EDITORIAL

Dale Vree

Benedict XVI will not be a globe-trotting pope and will pay attention to the details of Church governance — which is precisely what we need.

Reflections on Pope John Paul II's Legacy

THE INTERREGNUM

Tom Bethell

There is now a general assumption that because the pope gets so much attention, he must have global tasks commensurate with worldly publicity.

The Present State of the Catholic Church in England

ON CARDINAL HUME

Piers Paul Read

If a new generation of Catholics has arisen which is largely ignorant of what it means to believe, then Cardinal Hume must take part of the blame.

Is It Time to Elect Bishops Again?

GUEST COLUMN

Charles Molineaux

Kenneth Baker, S.J., urged that bishops stay with appropriate dioceses and not be moved from place to place, always on the lookout for an ecclesial career upgrade.

Reflections on the Church Hierarchy

A LOOSE CANNON, ETC.

Tom Bethell

Has there ever before been a time in Church history when moral and disciplinary laxity in the hierarchy has had to contend with a free and active press?

Will Orthodox Catholics Go to Hell?

Sounds like it, given what Bishop Thomas Gumbleton says.

A Bishop With Testosterone

Would that all bishops followed the lead of Robert F. Vasa.

"For Fear of the Jews" (If Only)

Bishop Patrick McGrath is not fit to be a bishop.

Bishop Weigand's "Bait & Switch"

FORGET CANON 915?

James Buckley

The bishop of Sacramento admonished Governor Davis for his pro-abortion stance, but he would not follow his admonition with denying him Communion.

The Catholic Bishops & the Crisis of 2002

THE FOLLY OF GOING BACK TO "BUSINESS AS USUAL"

Kenneth D. Whitehead

One function of the Catholic bishop is to insist upon the doctrinal integrity of the whole of the Church's teaching. Today's bishops have too often forgotten this.

The Church in Crisis

TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO

Kenneth D. Whitehead

When the Church is in crisis we do not always fully understand what is happening while it is happening. Nor do we see where it is all leading.

Some Questions for the American Bishops

PLEASE EXPLAIN...

William H. Soisson III

Pewsitters I have met have questions in the categories of architecture, the priesthood, education, marriage & annulment, our dress-down Church, and more.

"Rembert the Reconciler"

Ah yes, Rembert the Compassionate. Rembert the Great Communicator. Yeah, right.

Episcopal Fundamentalism In the Catholic Church

Let's face it. Many Catholic bishops today don't want interference from the Holy See.

Archbishop Levada: Call Your Office!

Bishops are busy men, and no doubt sometimes so busy that they aren't aware of what's being published in their own diocesan papers.

Dear Bishop: If You Really Want More Vocations…

…THEN GET WITH THE PROGRAM!

Doug Tattershall

The trail of success has already been blazed, a trail marked by three signposts: the Eucharist, the Virgin, and the traditional Faith.

Who's Teaching the Bishops?

...now that the moral theologian Richard A. McCormick, S.J., died.

Diocesan Vigilance Committees: An Idea Whose Time Has Come Again

EDITORIAL

Dale Vree

God Exists, But Does the Magisterium?

How dissent became 'institutionalized' in the Church in America

Lost Shepherds, Vulnerable Sheep

THE NEGLIGENT CATHOLIC HOMILIST

Tom Fath

Here, selected from a large collection, are snippets from recent homilies heard at Catholic Masses. To each I have given a response.

South Africa's Catholic Bishops: Going Down the Anglican Road

GUEST BOOK

Joanne Sadler Butler

Episcopal Authority: Use It or Lose It

AMBIGUITY IS NO SERVICE TO GOD'S PEOPLE

Fabian Bruskewitz

A certain sense of episcopal consensus means not only those who are here now but also those who have gone before us.

Needed: Formidable Bishops

TO REPAIR THE CHURCH

George A. Kelly

Contending for the Faith

EDITORIAL

Dale Vree

The Shot Heard 'Round the World

EDITORIAL

Dale Vree

Down the Old Schism Trail

EDITORIAL

Dale Vree

The Waning Credibility of the Mainline Protestant Churches' Social Pronouncements

THE PROBLEMS OF PARTICIPATION, COMPETENCE & THEOLOGICAL RIGOR

R. Bruce Douglass

Bishop, Therefore Martyr

GUEST COLUMN

Alvaro de Silva

A living bishop is the one who is ready to die confessing the faith. A mere bureaucrat, even if he be a bishop, does not give his life for anything.

A Critique of the Second Draft

CHRIST & NEIGHBOR

John C. Cort

The people of the USA are unwilling to make the right to a job a top priority and to get up the money to pay for it, even though they can easily afford to do so.

The Catholic Bishops & the Political Theory of Philanthropy

THE SECOND DRAFT OF THE PASTORAL ON THE ECONOMY

Dante Germino

Morality based on the opening of the soul expressed by the prophets of Israel, the mystic philosophers of Greece, and the authors of the Gospels defies all calculations of self-interest and promises joy.

The Sanctity of Life & the Right to Adequate Health Care

DETERIORATING HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA

John O’Connor

Infant mortality, life expectancy, and disability rates confirm that the poor and uninsured permanently suffer the consequences of our broken healthcare system.

On the Bishops’ Draft Pastoral on the Economy & the Hostile Reactions to It

THE CENTRAL ISSUE IS MORALITY

Kenneth D. Whitehead

Conservatives' slogan “Mater, si! Magistra, no!” can on­ly mean that papal teachings don't count for much compared to their superior wisdom.

Did the Bishops Strike Out in Pawtucket?

CHRIST & NEIGHBOR

John C. Cort

A real difficulty with the bishops’ pastoral letter on the U.S. economy is the ignorance and apathy of both laity and clergy.

Comments on the First Draft of “Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy”

EDITORIAL

Dale Vree

The average Catholic will ask himself, “What can I and my parish do for economic justice? How should my spiritual life affect my social behavior and my habits of consumption?”

Ethical Reflections on the Economy

AGAINST SOCIAL DARWINISM

Canadian Bishops’ Commission

This statement was attacked by business leaders and the prime minister, and was the subject of a full-scale debate in the Canadian Parliament.

The Right to Unionize & Defense of the Poor

INDISPUTABLE PRINCIPLES

John J. O’Connor

The tradition of Catholic social teaching has roots in Abra­ham, Moses, the prophets, and in the very life and message of Jesus himself.

What Does Rome Have to do with Paris?

LETTER FROM ROME

Lucio Brunelli

The Pari­sian Church under Cardinal Lustiger’s guidance became more “orthodox” and many lapsed believers frequented the church­es.

A Coming “Crackdown” in the U.S.?

VATICAN WATCH

James Hitchcock

Any serious effort to free American Roman Catholicism from the influence of neo-modernism will involve a confrontation with some of the bishops.

Bishops as Signs of Compassion, Fidelity & Contradiction

THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN & OTHER MATTERS

Pope John Paul II

The bishop must announce to the rich and poor, to the powerful and weak the fullness of truth, which sometimes irritates and of­fends, even if it always liberates.