The Dispatch

The Casaroli myth vs. the historical record

February 25, 2026 George Weigel 4

Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, Vatican Secretary of State from 1979 to 1990—and before that, the architect and chief diplomatic agent of the Ostpolitik of Pope Paul VI—initially played hard-to-get when I tried to interview him for […]

The Dispatch

Varden: Don’t use the Gospel as a weapon

February 23, 2026 EWTN News 10

Norwegian Cistercian Bishop Erik Varden opened the Vatican’s annual Lenten spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia by urging Christians to resist using the Gospel as a political weapon and to measure authentic faith by fidelity to […]

The Dispatch

Remembering Angelo Gugel

February 22, 2026 George Weigel 4

Those who remember the epic pontificate of St. John Paul II may recall a tall, handsome layman with well combed, iron-grey hair, dressed in a black business suit, white shirt, and black tie, following the […]