In Before Church and State, Andrew Willard Jones describes a time when Christendom’s lay rulers were leaders in building the City of God. They “wielded the secular, temporal sword . . . bestowed on the Christian people by Christ himself.” In the medieval era, before sharp categorical . . . . Continue Reading »
I heard a bishop recently describe what his formation team does at his seminary: “They’re there and they keep an eye on the guys.” And I cringed. Priests assigned to seminary formation are not hallway monitors. They are intended to be mentors, teachers, and guides—nuances all captured in . . . . Continue Reading »
Sometime during the second half of the year 1049, Peter Damian, prior of the hermitage of Fonte Avellana in what is now the Italian region of Marche near the Umbrian border, wrote a lengthy letter to newly installed Pope Leo IX. The letter concerned “the befouling cancer of sodomy,” which Peter . . . . Continue Reading »
Infidelity—literally the lack of faith—is at the heart of recent scandals in the Catholic Church. Continue Reading »
Because the sex scandals of the Church are overwhelmingly homosexual, the Church can no longer risk ordaining men with homosexual inclinations in the hopes that those inclinations turn out to be transitory. Continue Reading »
Focusing on sacrilege is important because it helps us remember that we are dealing with something holy: the holiness of the priesthood, of the episcopacy, and of the Church. Continue Reading »
The current culture of the American episcopacy makes even good men incapable of rooting out the corruption in their midst. Continue Reading »
For a lay-led investigation to be successful, it must get full buy-in and continual cooperation from the bishops. Continue Reading »
Young Catholics speak with one voice about Archbishop McCarrick’s predatory career and the need for a cleansing fire. Continue Reading »
The idea of intrinsic evil may look harsh and punitive. But to those struggling to stay afloat, it can be a lifeline. Continue Reading »
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