The Dispatch
Defining schism down
The thing is, Pope Francis hit the nail right on the head. Odd as it might sound to hear Peter’s successor say he is “unafraid” of schism, there’s no reason for him to lose any […]
Articles by Christopher R. Altieri
The Dispatch
The nine lives of Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò
ROME, 31 August 2019 — Pope Francis on Saturday named Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò to the position of Vice Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. That lede […]
Features
“Team Viganò” versus “Team Francis” one year on
It was early evening, not much past 6 o’clock EDT on Saturday, August 25th, 2018, when I got a message from a friend, asking if I knew anything about a letter from a nuncio. I […]
The Dispatch
JPII Institute purge a case of Vatican types refusing to be honest, transparent
It is fair to say the suppression-and-reconstitution of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, as the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences has received […]
Analysis
“Amoris laetitia” is at the center of the controversy over the John Paul II Theological Institute
Somehow, the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris laetitia, is at the center of the controversy over the present circumstances and future direction of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. At […]
The Dispatch
The “renewal” of the JPII Institute is a purge—and everyone knows it
Massimo Faggioli is right. Francis is Pope now, so Francis gets to call the shots. If Pope Francis wants to recast and retool a Roman institution, and fit it to his purpose, Pope Francis can […]
The Dispatch
Getting confession right in Rome
July 4 is a working day in Rome. I’ve spent all but two of the last twenty here — or in Europe at any rate — and this year planned to cook meat with fire […]
The Dispatch
In Defense of Stranger Things 3
I really liked the latest season of Stranger Things. I didn’t think much about what I was seeing on the screen as I was seeing it. That came after. It took some time to think […]
Analysis
Working document for Amazon synod is both a catch-all and a cover
The working document for the upcoming special assembly of the synod of bishops for the Amazon region has caused quite a stir. Such documents can be concise agendae — little more than bullet points. The […]
The Dispatch
Not another “Why I am (still) Catholic” article
I haven’t written one of those, “Why I am (still) Catholic” pieces, and I don’t intend to. Mostly, that’s because my reason for being Catholic remains unchanged from the one time I did address the […]