Charles J. Chaput

Heinlein’s book on Cardinal Francis E. George has two great strengths. The first is that he’s a lucid, engaging writer who’s researched George’s life in impressive detail. The second is that the story of Francis George, the man, is thoroughly absorbing.  Continue Reading »

For me, two couplets will always capture the essence of Pope Benedict XVI: faith and reason, realism and hope. Continue Reading »

Political discretion on the world stage can never be an excuse for local bishops to avoid speaking the truth, and—worse—to decline to provide counsel and encouragement to faithful Catholic public officials seeking their support. Continue Reading »

First Things friendships respect differences as opportunities, not roadblocks, for constructive engagement with the world.  Continue Reading »

News that the Supreme Court may overturn one of the worst legal decisions in our nation’s history is welcome, but it cannot heal the harm already done by abortion culture. Continue Reading »

What the Church needs more than anything else is holiness. The renewal of the Church is not finally an issue of structures. It’s an issue of faith. Continue Reading »

Contempt for reli­­gious faith has been growing in America’s leadership classes for many decades, as scholars such as Christian Smith and Christopher Lasch have shown. But in recent years, government pressure on religious entities has increased. It involves interfering with the conscience rights . . . . Continue Reading »

No pontificate is well served when its promoters show contempt and belligerence toward perceived enemies. Continue Reading »

Memory is the soil out of which the present and future grow. Continue Reading »

The coherence of Catholic belief and the behavior it requires applies to all Catholics, not merely public officials, and it applies all the time and everywhere. Continue Reading »