Even amid attempts at revolution, Rome remains the same
Visiting the Eternal City feels like a kind of homecoming
Grace Kelly, Rita Hayworth and two kinds of American Catholicism
Grace Kelly took the route of assimilation. Hayworth remained exotic
At the synod, the Church’s culture war looks a lot like class war
Progressive bishops want to replace ‘rigid’ codes and speak of sexuality ‘without taboo’. How very bourgeois
How the China deal betrays the Second Vatican Council
The Vatican’s agreement with Beijing signifies the abandonment of Vatican II’s political vision
American football: a lesson in spiritual combat
High-minded members of the professional class disdain the sport, but they miss the point
I’m not ashamed to be called a ‘new ultramontanist’
In upholding immutable truths, the ultramontanists of the 19th century were the true progressives
The abuse crisis casts doubt on the whole post-Vatican II settlement
Since 1968, Church leaders have tried to preserve a fragile truce. But repeated compromises have fostered a culture of deceit
Why ‘Uncle Ted’ didn’t want to be called a father
The Archbishop’s easygoing persona was a social strategy – and a theological stance
On slavery, no compromise was possible. The same goes for Roe v Wade
US abortion law is based on a great lie. But the new Supreme Court Justice could help to strike it down
The West is rediscovering the sacred
In the global culture war, secularism is suddenly facing a strong challenge
