Features
The Relevance of the Resurrection
Christ’s glorified body tells us that the promise of eternal life which Jesus’s death and resurrection has opened up for us results not in obliteration […]
Articles by Dr. Randall B. Smith
Analysis
A Question of Perspective: Who Gets Fired and Why?
It has been ranked “as among the most significant developments in moral theology in the past fifty years.” This was how the late Fr. Richard McCormick described Catholic University of America’s decision in 1988 to […]
Analysis
Casual Sex, No Casual Dating, No Courtship
My students report an alarming fact. They live in an environment, they say, in which there is casual sex, but no casual dating. Why would that be? One reason there might be so little casual […]
The Dispatch
Opinion: Demonstrating what? Protesting who? And why?
We recently had another round of “Not a King” demonstrations. As many have noted, we still do not have a king. So, good for us. One might have wished these crowds had been out in […]
![Detail from 'Crucifixion' (c.1315) by Giotto di Bondone [WikiArt.org]](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files.catholicworldreport.com/2018/04/4668crucifixion_00000004277-326x245.jpg)
The Dispatch
Good Friday, Death, and Christian Life
Mary weeps at the foot of the cross, and we weep with her. But we also must not stop there. For beyond the cross of […]
Features
Rights, Catholic Principles, and Prudence
When we have political disputes in the country, one way of trying to help clarify matters would be to remind the interlocutors of the relevant moral principles that should govern their disagreement. Murdering innocent people […]
Features
Bishops, borders, and the (bully) pulpit
“Texas Bishop Taking on Greg Abbott Gets Pope Francis’ Protection” is the curious title of an April 30th article in Newsweek. Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso needs “protection” from Greg Abbott? Are there Texas […]
Features
When a virtue-signaling Archbishop is more politician than pastor
I am loath to criticize the bishops, or even a bishop, for several reasons. First, it’s too easy, and it is too likely to make the writer popular in a bad way. Second, bishops are […]
Features
The rule of law, not of bishops
I have for years been arguing that the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church should have been — and in the future should be — adjudicated by Church tribunals according to the provisions of […]
Essay
In Memoriam: Thomas Gordon Smith (1948-2021)—A life spent serving Beauty
I have long been fascinated by the project of the late Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) to renew the Catholic appreciation of beauty as a means by which God calls us to Himself. And yet, […]