The Dispatch
Panhandling and the Pope
Have you ever struggled with what to do when you encounter a person on the sidewalk of a major city or standing at a busy traffic intersection with a cup in hand? Have you given […]
Pope Francis
Analysis
As Europe declines, the Church dithers
In 1985, the then-European Economic Community which eventually became today’s European Union formally adopted what’s known as “The Flag of Europe.” Consisting of a circle of 12 golden stars on an azure background, many believe […]
Analysis
Beware the Fundamentalist, my brothers! … and shun the fractious Fomenters
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!” — “Jabberwocky,” by Lewis Carroll Pope Francis, right at the start of Amoris […]
The Dispatch
I am a lawyer, not a mind-reader
Cardinal Vincent Nichols’ echoing of claims that Amoris laetitia changed no doctrines occasioned a question for me: Am I the only (or among the few) Amoris critics who agrees with Amorisdefenders that Pope Francis made no doctrinal changes in Amoris? I do not think that […]
Essay
The end of the Catholic state?
Perhaps Benedict XVI’s greatest gift to the Church was his emphasis on what has come to be called the “hermeneutic of continuity.” This concept emerged in his Christmas 2005 address on Vatican II to the […]
The Dispatch
Peter, Trump, and Francis
Last summer, while visiting family in Montana, I had a conversation with my brother-in-law—an Evangelical Protestant—about the papacy in general and the pontificate of Francis specifically. Chris’s questions were very thoughtful and not contentious in […]
Carl’s Cuts
On dogma, “Amoris Laetitia”, immigration, bishops, and much more
• So much to discuss, and I won’t come close to getting to it all. But, first, I suggest we observe a moment of respect for Dogma, which is so often treated shabbily and disdainfully, […]
The Dispatch
Should the Mass reflect a pope’s personality?
Pope Francis has announced the formation of a committee to review the Church’s governing document on liturgical translation, Liturgiam Authenticam. Father Michael Ryan of the Archdiocese of Seattle—a leading opponent of the new English translation […]