The influential left-leaning magazine The Atlantic just released a special issue highlighting America’s polarization. It is meant to shock a deeply divided nation struggling to stay together. “How to Stop a Civil War” is the menacing cover story. “How America Ends” is yet another ominous title among others that analyze the nation’s … Read more
The defense of egalitarianism in the socio-political order is a philosophical error. When attempts are made to apply this egalitarianism to the Church, it becomes a theological error. It is a theological error because Scripture clearly shows that Our Lord instituted a hierarchy to govern His Church. It is additionally erroneous because … Read more
Since the hierarchical structure of the Church is a truth of the Faith, it is not surprising that the Popes uphold this teaching. A sampling of Papal declarations on this point illustrates the importance of this truth. Old Condemned Heresies In the fourteenth century, Marsilius of Padua, in his book Defensor Pacis … Read more
“There is no God in this book.” Thus reads the provocative first sentence of Jonah Goldberg’s latest release, The Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy. This declaration is perhaps an unintended summary of the book about the crisis in the … Read more
If ever there was a set of ideas that has been tried and found lacking, it is socialism. It has been tried on every continent. It has been tried in weak nations and strong. It has been tried in primitive countries and those which are highly developed. The most striking thing about … Read more
“Happy the man that understands the causes of things,” wrote Virgil. Polish philosopher Ryszard Legutko, who is also a Member of the European Parliament, is one of those deep thinkers who likes to get to the root of matters. He is not content with superficial observations or political platitudes. In his new … Read more
No one may say that Magdi Cristiano Allam, Member of the European Parliament, lacks knowledge or experience of Islam. He was a Muslim for 56 years…and then received the grace of conversion to Catholicism. Based on his vast theoretical and practical knowledge of Islam, he answers some questions from the Brazilian magazine … Read more
The media are all afire with sensational reports of Syrian atrocities and civilian casualties. There are calls for Western intervention to aid the opposition which are the latest protagonists in a new chapter of the “Arab Spring.” Syria is yet another opportunity to let democracy flower in the Middle Eastern desert. Granted … Read more
The mediocre man has some notions about many things. By this, I mean he has vague and fluctuating notions which demand no effort to acquire or preserve. Whenever he wants to express his notions, he thinks he attains utter fulfillment by finding a showy word, or at least one that is not … Read more
A while back, the Italian Parliament voted to overturn prison sentences for politicians convicted of receiving illegal campaign contributions in light of unprecedented scandals. The legislation established that illegal contributions to political campaigns were no longer crimes but simply “civil offenses,” where those convicted would no longer be arrested but fined. All … Read more