Analysis
The Youth Synod: The next step in the Francis papacy
The just-issued document for the upcoming youth synod emphasizes social justice, the empowerment of women, and changing the Church’s moral teachings. […]
Amoris Laetitia
Opinion
An Open Appeal to the Catholic Bishops of the World
Only fraternal episcopal interventions can now hope to avert what is sure otherwise to be a spiritual catastrophe for the Catholic Church. […]
Features
Pope Francis and clericalism
Despite his repeated and vehement denunciations of clericalism, Francis’ more general remarks about the laity sometimes nevertheless exhibit a sort of clerical chauvinism. […]
Essay
The Francis Reformation
We will not get far by asking whether the Church is to be a Church of the poor and a Church of the merciful. Of […]
The Dispatch
Those Cupich seminars: Why now?
The answer is political, rather than doctrinal. […]
The Dispatch
“The Greatest Sin is losing the sense of Sin”
One wonders if Pope Francis, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, and Cardinal Francis Coccopalmerio are as adept as Pope Pius XII in comprehending the impact of […]
Features
Douthat-Faggioli debate highlights two key, contested issues of Francis’ pontificate
Two major issues—the meaning and significance of Vatican II and the doctrinal implications of AL’s moral logic of pastoral reasoning—will continue to present the Church […]
Analysis
Will the Pope’s project result in real reform—or turn Rome into a Buenos Aires-on-Tiber?
The mainstream media portrait of Francis as a smiling, friendly old grandpa has always been at the very best a gross caricature, and more often […]
The Dispatch
The Catholic Church doesn’t do “paradigm shifts”
Because the pastoral implementation of Amoris Laetitia mandated in some places differs from other places, the Catholic Church is beginning to resemble the Anglican Communion […]
Features
“Ecclesial reception” in the Era of Francis
Out of more than 5,000 bishops in the universal Church, I don’t think we can consider supporters of the problematic practice of permitting divorced and remarried […]