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July 2025

July 10, 2025

When Your Clergy Just Don’t Give A Crap

This week's topic is brought to us by the archbishop of Toulouse, France, who has...

May 2025

May 29, 2025

Misogynist Clericalism Strikes Again

The new bishop of Charlotte (NC) is under fire from, well, everybody for his recent...

February 2023

February 16, 2023

When Church Leaders Spout Blarbage

My writing friend and I have started identifying a particularly painful genre of Catholic literature:...

January 2023

January 27, 2023

Modesty for Priests

The Pillar has a detailed story on the accusations of sexual misconduct against Fr. Frank...

December 2022

December 19, 2022

Making Sense of Fr. Pavone’s Laicization

I want to make a few brief comments on the news about Fr. Frank Pavone...

May 2022

May 28, 2022

What is “Scandal”?

If you haven't seen it already, Gloria Purvis has an excellent interview with Archbishop Cordileone...

January 2022

January 30, 2022

The Fallacy of Personal Contentment

Amy Welborn writes forcefully in "But do gird your loins" about the disconnect between church...

January 29, 2022

Letting it Hurt

I haven't commented (anywhere) until now about the recently revealed accusations against Pope Benedict XVI. ...

December 2021

December 18, 2021

Life As a Person Who is Not God

Emily DeArdo, who is not just my hero but also my friend, writes the thing...

December 08, 2021

Evangelizing in Ancient Cathedrals

Amy Welborn has a good series of reflections on the proposed renovations to Notre Dame...

October 2021

October 28, 2021

Oh Geez. Integralism? Seriously?

This morning Rod Dreher delivered on his daily promise to keep me entertained by shedding...

October 27, 2021

Faith, Integrity, and Eucharistic Coherence

My high school senior just wrapped up her volleyball career on a disappointing note, and...

September 2021

September 14, 2021

What You’re Doing When You Vaccine-Shame Priests, and What to do Instead

At Catholic Vote this morning: "Bishop Orders Unvaccinated Priests Not to Minister to the Sick." ...

July 2021

July 23, 2021

More Stats from The Pillar

The Pillar reports this afternoon: . . . after a review of commercially available app...

July 23, 2021

7QT: Life as a Walking Knock-knock Joke

Since it's that time of week, seven things to make you glad you don't live...

July 21, 2021

Quick Takes on Msgr. Burrill’s Resignation from the USCCB

FTR I had no idea, when I let loose a couple pertinent rants over the...

July 19, 2021

Maybe Not the Unity the Holy Father Wanted

One of my teens is determined to make a Taylor Swift fan out of me,...

July 17, 2021

How Can You Say You Love Jesus, and Yet Hate the Mass?

Just read The Pillar's summary of the new Motu Proprio radically restricting the use of the "Extraordinary...

June 2021

June 03, 2021

When Mercy Shows Up at Your Parish

I want to speak briefly to the problem of the horrible people you go to...

January 2021

January 08, 2021

Allowing Jesus to Heal Your Rhetorical Disease

This morning after half a cup of coffee, what I wanted to write was a...

January 06, 2021

Is Your Debate Style Passionate or . . . Poisoned?

Later this month, I am co-hosting a small, pro-bono conference-retreat for Catholic communicators -- professional...

December 2020

December 15, 2020

When you’re ready to change, Jesus is ready to heal you — Catholic pundit edition

This morning's Gospel is the perfect text for conference-retreat I'm co-hosting in a month-and-change from...

December 02, 2020

Fr. Rutler and Other Sinners

I don't always agree, even remotely, with what Rod Dreher has to say, but today...

November 2020

November 11, 2020

A Week in Politics and Church Scandals

Happy Veteran's Day! My favorite veteran-related post (from my own archives -- many other people...

October 2020

October 27, 2020

Mind the Triumphalism re: #ACB

Suggested Bible verse for conservatives who are raucously celebrating the confirmation Amy Coney Barrett: Proverbs...

September 2020

September 27, 2020

A Snapshot of Systemic Racism in Action

A series of three tweets caught my attention this morning, from Mandie Landry (@votelandry), a...

August 2020

August 27, 2020

Quit Feeding the Rhetoric of “Fear”

From the Archdiocese of Atlanta, emphasis mine: Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., encourages those who...

August 12, 2020

How to Treat Gentiles and Tax Collectors

Today's Gospel is the instruction on what to do with erring members of the Church:...

July 2020

July 01, 2020

Speaking of Clerical Corruption . . .

Church Militant is not my usual haunt, but they deserve credit for publicizing the case...

May 2020

May 19, 2020

R.R. Reno Does the Right Thing

Quick update on my post from the other day: R.R. Reno issued a formal apology...