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 are many issues that President Trump can solve. His first great accomplishment was solving the election. Almost all conservatives adopted a thank-God-it’s-not-Hillary approach to the Trump presidency. There was a general sigh of relief over a bullet dodged. As time passes, the administration now stands on its own merits beyond being … Read more
In the Nicene Creed, the faithful profess: “Credo in unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam”—“I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” When reciting the Creed, Catholics profess, therefore, to believe in the sanctity of the Church. This sanctity, nonetheless, is often not visible, especially when the weaknesses of Her members … Read more
There is talk that the government will soon file lawsuits against the pharmaceutical firms that make opioid painkillers. They claim that these companies have failed to warn patients about the addictive nature of their product, which in turn allowed them to amass huge profits. This is not the only plan to solve … Read more
The late-nineteenth-century conversion story, En Route, by J. K. Huysmans is a book that penetrates deeply into the mind of the reader. It is an autobiographical yet fictional account of the return journey to the Church of a famous French art critic and novelist in decadent Paris. The book has weathered well … Read more
The town of Houghton-le-Spring in England is hardly the sort of place that you would expect to find an uproar over schools and religion. Mark McLachlan’s twelve-year-old step-daughter goes to the Kepier School in Houghton-le-Spring. Mr. McLachlan was looking through his stepdaughter’s school planner when he noticed an assignment that angered him. He … Read more
The new book Lighting the Way: Stories that Show How Our Culture Went Wrong and How We Can Restore Order is a collection of stories arranged to illustrate an idea. The idea is that of the organic Christian society. That is an unfamiliar idea to many, although we live in and around … Read more
Many articles have been published throughout the Catholic world about Pope Francis’s change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, stating that “the death penalty is inadmissible.” Such articles show how this statement contradicts Scripture and Tradition and represents a clear break with the constant teaching of the Church. In these brief … Read more
Everyone talks about the addictive aspect of Twitter but not its moral effects. Can Twitter lead to sin? Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I. evidently thinks so. In a final tweet, he wrote that the social media platform had become a “distraction” to him, an “obstacle” to his spiritual life and an “occasion … Read more
There is nothing as vile as using an office, position or situation of influence to oppress or abuse a weaker person. This is particularly true in the case of sexual abuse. Still worse are those acts that not only violate the laws of justice and charity but those of nature. This is … Read more