As Pope Pius VI lay dying in Valence, France in 1799, a prisoner of the rising Napoleon, Talleyrand thought the First Consul had in his custody the last of the popes. Like the Holy Roman Empire, the anachronistic institution of …
Finding My Father
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of sitting in the back of my father’s car, listening to the music he loves. He would pick me up from daycare in the late afternoon, and I would close my eyes and …
New Church, New Faith, New Pope
In 2013 Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor told Paul Vallely of The Independent, “Four years of Bergoglio would be enough to change things.” In a story published in March 2017, LifeSiteNews quoted from a speech given by former cardinal Theodore McCarrick that …
Why We Need Not (and Should Not) Call Paul VI ‘Saint’
Many who have studied the life and pontificate of Pope Paul VI are convinced that he was far from exemplary in his conduct as pastor; that he not only did not possess heroic virtue, but lacked certain key virtues; that his promulgation …
An Open Letter to Traditionalist Sympathizers
It’s difficult to know how to begin this letter to you. Perhaps you’re already cringing at my use of “divisive” Catholic qualifiers, lamenting the fact that I can’t just call us both “Catholics” and get on with what I have …
On Deposing Popes: A Historical Review
This article is also available as a printer-friendly PDF document. Asking the Question Throughout his five-year reign, Pope Francis has been a controversial figure. He has pushed for novelties and innovations to both the papacy and the Church itself, from …
RIP, Vatican II Catholicism (1962-2018)
Among astute observers of the Vatican scene – okay, forget that; among warm bodies with evidence of consciousness – it has been known for several years now that we cannot expect Pope Francis, who is a major cause of the …
One Catholic Dad versus the Culture of McCarrick
My family has had its inevitable brushes with the Culture of McCarrick. They emerge unexpectedly in our day-to-day activities and unfold fully on Sundays at church. One began at a country club swimming pool two summers ago. Shortly after our …
Viganò’s Verities Hang like a Black Cloud over the Vatican
In the Gospel of St. John, from the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, (the date of Archbishop Carlo Viganò’s second attestation), Jesus observes, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” One can’t help …
Norcia Monk to Catholics: On Prayer and Fasting, Don’t Be a Baby
Editor’s note: Julian Kwasniewski conducted this interview with Fr. Cassian Folsom, OSB of the Benedictines of Norcia at the Sacred Liturgy Conference in Salem, Oregon, June 27-30, 2018. Julian Kwasniewski: In his Holy Rule, St. Benedict tells the monks to …
