It was a brief greeting to former colleagues. But if you read Pope Francis’ recent letter to the Argentine bishops’ conference closely, you get a glimpse of the man, his convictions, and his vision. First, the man: Jorge Mario Bergoglio has remained very much himself … Continue Reading »
Like many countries, the United States of America is thick with laws supporting marriage. These laws compel citizens and governments to support marriage financially and respect a whole range of related rights and privileges. What justifies these measures? The answer is obvious: children… . Continue Reading »
Protestants with a strong religious identity continue to increase as Catholics with a strong religious identity continue to decline, according to a March study by the Pew Research Center. The proportion of Catholics reporting strong religious affiliation declined by almost twenty percentage points over the last few decades … Continue Reading »
“American Piet ” is considered one of the iconic photographs of 9/11. You’ve seen it: the photo depicts five men, amid the dust and rubble that enveloped the World Trade Center that day, carrying the dead body of Fr. Mychal Judge out of the ruins… . Continue Reading »
Beautifully written and unforgettably told, The Little Way of Ruthie Leming is a memoir about Rod Dreher’s younger sister and the extraordinary impact she had upon her family and community. Subtitled “A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life,” Dreher’s tour de force delivers on every level… . Continue Reading »
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis spoke frequently of the missionary character of the Church”mission, that is, not as a particular work of a certain group of people within the Church, but as the very nature of the Church as the presence of Christ in the world… . Continue Reading »
George Jones has died, and I am afraid a lot of people will think he was a hypocrite. George Jones was no hypocrite. He was the troubadour of the Christ-haunted self. The raw emotion, and even whispers of torture, in his voice can teach American Christianity much about the nature of sin and the longing for repentance… . Continue Reading »
Ephraim Radner is one of those rare theologians whose work can be described as “relentless.” His most recent book, A Brutal Unity, may be his most relentless yet. Radner dismantles every self-congratulatory, self-protective ecclesiology that blinds Christians to what is self-evident to everyone else: The Church is shattered… . Continue Reading »
The final great line in this short series may seem an odd choice because, well, it’s not so great, at least on its own, in terms of either craft or intellectual heft. Some readers may recognize it as the final line in Frank O’Hara’s “Poem (Lana Turner has collapsed!).” … Continue Reading »
The renowned New York Times reporter John McCandlish Phillips died earlier this month after over sixty years of city watching. He spent twenty-four years keeping an eye on the city for the New York Times, mainly from a perch in the metro bureau… . Continue Reading »
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