You Are Peter

by Dan Hitchens

The papacy does not depend on the qualities of the men who take office. Continue Reading »

20 Sep 2018

When Catholics Criticize the Pope

by Dan Hitchens

How far may a Catholic go in openly criticizing the Vicar of Christ? Continue Reading »

6 Mar 2018

Taking Leave

by P. J. Smith

Pope Francis's new apostolic letter offers a window into how he sees the process of retirement from high office in the Church. Continue Reading »

19 Feb 2018

A Memoir I Never Expected to Write

by George Weigel

George Weigel's Lessons in Hope is full of stories that together present a deeply etched portrait of Pope John Paul II. Continue Reading »

20 Sep 2017

Waiting for a Young Pope

by Matthew Schmitz

The Young Pope depicts a Church that no longer seeks the favor of the world—and is all the more fabulous for . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Mar 2017

Intolerance and Evangelization

by George Weigel

Cardinal Robert Sarah is one of the adornments of the Catholic Church, although it’s very unlikely that this man of faith, humor, intelligence, and profound humility would appreciate my putting it that way. His 2015 book, God or Nothing, is selling all over the world, currently available in twelve . . . . Continue Reading »

25 May 2016

Things That Can’t Change

by George Weigel

When the Second Vatican Council was putting the finishing touches on one of its key documents, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), Pope Paul VI proposed that it include a statement that the pope is “accountable to the Lord alone.” The suggestion was referred to the . . . . Continue Reading »

30 Mar 2016

John Paul II's “Beloved Krakow”

by George Weigel

Several years ago, Father Raymond de Souza, one of my fellow faculty members at an annual Kraków-based summer seminar on Catholic social doctrine, made a trenchant observation about the city John Paul II used to call “my beloved Kraków.” Kraków, Father de Souza observed, was the city where . . . . Continue Reading »

11 Nov 2015

We've Been Warned

by Molly Oshatz

After a papal visit that provided a welcome rest from the cynicism of our hyper-political culture, coverage of the Pope has devolved into the familiar stories of spin and political speculation. It’s a let-down, all this anxious squabbling over whom the Pope truly represents, but it probably gives . . . . Continue Reading »

5 Oct 2015

Lessons from the Rough Rider for Today's Political Ruffians

by George Weigel

Sitting at a writing-desk in the White House on December 11, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt was an unhappy camper. In previous letters, he had addressed his correspondent as “Dear Maria.” Now, it was “Mrs. Storer” who would be on the receiving end of the presidential wrath. Maria . . . . Continue Reading »

23 Sep 2015