Opinion

In Flanders Fields
Notable Archives - The Catholic Thing   
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt
U.K. becomes First Western country to ban (some) porn
In the News – The Catholic Thing   
On November 3rd, the government tabled the Crime and Policing Bill in Parliament. It includes an amendment criminalizing pornography featuring strangulation or suffocation – usually referred to as ‘choking’ – with legal requirements for tech platforms to block this content from UK users. Both possession and publication of ‘choking’ porn
Pope Leo XIV convenes his first Curia meeting as Vatican reshuffle looms
In the News – The Catholic Thing   
The Vatican confirmed Monday that Pope Leo XIV convened his first official session of the meeting of heads of the Roman Curia. The gathering sets the tone for the pope’s governance as he begins to evaluate appointments previously made by Pope Francis. The only new permanent appointment revealed so far
A quiet American papacy
Commentary Archives - The Catholic Thing   
Over the past six months, the unthinkable has taken shape: a quiet American papacy. Given the intense national enthusiasm that followed Pope Leo XIV’s election, in May, perhaps the most striking feature of his papacy is how inconspicuous it’s been. A casual American observer likely hasn’t heard much about Leo—and
The new Manichaeism
Commentary Archives - The Catholic Thing   
We have often become practical Manicheans – within our nation, our communities, even our families. We are quick to demonize opponents and slow to see their humanity. Justice sometimes requires opposing or even defeating our enemies – but never at the cost of denying their dignity as creatures of God.
Abortion and the Greatness of the Church
Columns – The Catholic Thing   
I was recently asked, again: “Why is the Catholic Church so focused on abortion?” At least this time, it was asked out of curiosity rather than with anger. I can’t imagine how such questioners perceive the Church. Do they think she is the institutional form of the Saturday Night Live
Why Bishops Chose Flores for VP: He Is Who He Appears to Be — and He Means What He Says...
New Advent   
The bishops of the United States elected a new conference president and vice president from among their number Tuesday morning. The selection as president of Oklahoma City’s Archbishop Paul Coakley, erstwhile secretary of the conference, was widely predicted. Following a recent run of vice presidents ineligible to go on to
USCCB migration chair: ‘Acts of accompaniment are vitally important’
The Pillar   
The head of the USCCB migration committee encouraged the U.S. bishops to participate in a new national initiative to support and accompany immigrants affected by the Trump administration’s policy of mass deportations.Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso. Credit: USCCB live stream.Subscribe now“As our late Holy Father Pope Francis so often
Cozzens: 2029 Eucharistic Congress is ‘going to be bigger and better’
The Pillar   
Sixty five thousand people gathered last summer in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress — the culmination of the Church’s three-year National Eucharistic Revival.Leaders heralded it a roaring success.But the bishop who organized the Eucharist Congress said that the next one, set for summer 2029, will be “bigger and better”
About the Tepeyac Leadership Program
Kathryn Jean Lopez | National Review   
Are you a Catholic professional who’s ready to change the face of boardrooms in America?
German bishop breaks ranks over schools document
The Pillar   
A German bishop publicly distanced himself Monday from a document on “the diversity of sexual identities” in schools issued by the country’s bishops’ conference.Bishop Stefan Oster, S.D.B., of Passau, Germany. Credit: Screenshot from @BischofStefanOsterSDB YouTube channel.Bishop Stefan Oster published Nov. 10 a 4,000-word critique of the text “Created, Redeemed, and
US Bishops Elect Archbishop Paul Coakley as USCCB President, Bishop Daniel Flores as Vice President...
New Advent   
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City was elected to serve as the next president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in a secret ballot on Nov. 11.Bishops chose Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, to serve as vice president. Flores, who serves in the southernmost diocese in
Nuncio to US bishops: Vatican II offers roadmap to Church's future
The Pillar   
The papal nuncio to the United States said Tuesday that the path set by Pope Francis remains the path forward for the Church.“Even if some are inclined to pursue a path that diverges from the pastoral vision of Francis, we know that the way forward is one that does not
Veep Flores — a bishop without subtext?
New Advent   
The bishops of the United States elected a new conference president and vice president from among their number Tuesday morning.Caption: Bishop Daniel Flores addresses the USCCB plenary assembly June 16, 2023.The selection as president of Oklahoma City’s Archbishop Paul Coakley, erstwhile secretary of the conference, was widely predicted. Following a
Archbishop Coakley elected next USCCB president
The Pillar   
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has elected Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City as its next president, with Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas selected as the new vice president.Archbishop Paul Coakley. Credit: Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.ShareThe election took place Nov. 11, during the conference’s fall plenary assembly.Since none
In final presidential address, Archbishop Broglio highlights unity among bishops
The Pillar   
In his final address as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Broglio emphasized the importance of unity in helping teach the modern world that civil discourse is “the most authentically human way forward.”Archbishop Timothy Broglio. Credit: USCCB live stream.Subscribe nowBroglio opened his remarks by thanking his
New book recounts anecdotes from Pope Leo XIV’s life, including the day he was reported dead...
New Advent   
His voice reveals, above all, the gratitude he feels toward his friend, Pope Leo XIV. From this friendship, forged over more than three decades, comes the Spanish-language book “From Robert to Leo,” published by Mensajero, in which Armando Lovera, originally from Iquitos, Peru, recounts various little-known episodes from the pontiff’s
Charm city juicin’
The Pillar   
Pillar paid subscribers can listen to this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DRHey everybody,It’s the feast of St. Martin of Tours — soldier, monk, and bishop — and you’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post.Greetings from Baltimore, by the way, where the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is meeting for their
On Caring About Other Animals: A Theological Reflection
Church Life Journal | Church Life Journal   
Every day my one-year-old daughter is surrounded by a variety of animals, including a dog, cat, bear, sheep, cheetah, elephant, platypus, tortoise, and a sloth, to name but a few of them. None of these animals are real, of course. They are a combination of teddies and toys whose species
What’s a Village For? A Response to Olga Khazan
Institute for Family Studies Blog   
by Nadya Williams (@NadyaWilliams81) Seven years ago, I was getting close to my due date with my youngest child, making plans—and back-up plans—for where my two older children could go when the time came. And then a friend from church, whose six kids were all grown, told me calmly