The Dispatch
Retrospect on a pontificate
During the March 2013 interregnum following the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI, and in the conclave itself, proponents of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ, as [...]
The reign of Pope Francis in retrospect: A Catholic World Report symposium
Essay
In October 2013, I wrote one of the more challenging pieces of my nearly 30 years as an author: a CWR editorial titled “Pope Francis: The Good, the Baffling, and the Unclear”. I won’t repeat [...]
Pope Francis, 1936-2025
Essay
Pope Francis, who said he never wanted to be earthly head of the Catholic Church and frequently governed as though he were a simple parish priest, is dead. The 265th successor to St. Peter the [...]
Essay
The Resurrection of Europe?
Something strange is happening in the heart of Europe. Something is stirring. What is happening, what is stirring, is the stirring of the people of Europe against the decadent ascendancy that has ruled the roost [...]
Essay
Forgiveness proves the Resurrection
What is the one thing more outlandish than claiming a crucified criminal rose gloriously from the dead? Answer: Claiming that this man existed for one purpose: the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness, as doctrine and salutary [...]
Essay
Pope Benedict XVI’s “First Convert”
Editor’s note: This essay was first posted at CWR, in slightly different form, on April 16, 2013. It is reposted here on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the election of Benedict XVI. ——– Groucho [...]
Features
Catechumens in Canada enter Church drawn to truth, beauty, goodness
On April 14, noted public Catholic intellectual Robert George posted on X, “Something’s happening. It’s happening in France. It’s happening in England. It’s happening in the U.S. I only began noticing it a few weeks [...]
Analysis
Wounded Witness: A different perspective on the clergy sex abuse crisis
The clergy sex abuse scandal has, without question, been devastating to the life of the Church, especially for all the victims and their families. In all the years I have followed the analysis of the [...]
Features
Bishop Anagbe, in DC testimony, warns of “Islamic agenda to homogenize” Nigerians
Concerns over the safety of Mgr. Wilfred Anagbe, the Bishop of Makurdi in Nigeria, and Fr. Remigius Ihyula are growing after the two men testified about the persecution of Christians in Africa’s most populous nation. [...]
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In the previous installment of this column, I reflected on the present-day significance of Adam’s vocation to avad (“till” or “cultivate”) and shamar (“keep” or “care for”) the Garden of Eden. At that time, I [...] -
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The 2024 elections are now two weeks in the rear-view mirror, but the conversations (to use a polite word) over the what, why, and how of November 5, 2024, continue. While there is no shortage [...] -
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mrscracker:
Miracles can happen. :)
DeaconEdPeitler:
My prayer with the passing of this Pope is that the Holy Spirit guides the Cardinal-electors to give the Church…
Crusader:
I believe that Mr Grondelski's question as to "whether the Church in 2025 is better off than it was in…
