Avoiding Another Roman Fiasco In February

by George Weigel

It is urgent that the issues at hand be properly defined before Pope Francis's February 2019 meeting. Continue Reading »

5 Dec 2018

The Spirit of Vatican I

by Russell Hittinger

Vatican I:  The Council and the Making of the Ultramontane Church by john w. o’malley belknap, 320 pages, $24.95 In 1860 Pope Pius IX lost the papal states, which had been held by his predecessors for a thousand years. Four years later he issued the Syllabus of Errors. The eightieth and . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Oct 2018

The Papal Foundation & McCarrick’s Conflict of Interest

by Matthew B. O’Brien

Did McCarrick and other abusers use the grant-making power of the Papal Foundation to curry favor and buy protection from Vatican officials? Continue Reading »

28 Sep 2018

The Good Soldier

by Marco Tosatti

Cardinal Müller experienced life under Francis as a sort of Calvary, but was a good soldier to the end. Continue Reading »

7 Jul 2017

The Pope's Power

by Marco Tosatti

Reforming the Curia has proven difficult. Instead, Pope Francis simply goes around it. Continue Reading »

29 Jun 2017

Waiting for Vatican Reform

by Marco Tosatti

Four years into Francis's pontificate, promised reform efforts remain unimpressive.
Continue Reading »

7 Jun 2017

The Vatican, China, and Evangelical Prudence

by George Weigel

Recent remarks by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, have fueled speculation about a possible exchange of diplomatic representation between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China. Unfortunately, the cardinal’s remarks did not address any of the serious questions that have been raised about the evangelical and prudential wisdom of such an agreement at this moment in history. Continue Reading »

21 Sep 2016

Clash of Straw Men

by George Weigel

Two recent speeches by senior Vatican officials whose responsibilities involve wrestling with world politics suggest that some default positions need a reset in the Holy See. Continue Reading »

15 Oct 2014

An Eminent Distortion of History

by George Weigel

As the world marked the silver anniversary of the Polish elections of June 1989, which eventually brought to power the first non-communist Polish prime minister since the Second World War, a conference met at the Vatican to consider “The Church in the Moment of Change in 1980-1989 in East Central Europe.” Continue Reading »

16 Jul 2014