Pope Benedict’s new book-length interview with Peter Seewald, entitled Benedict XVI — Last Testament, has offered new insights into the mind of the Pope Emeritus. From Ed Pentin at the National Catholic Register, we are treated to portions of both Benedict’s own commentary and that of his long-time personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, who spoke at…
In an essay at Rorate Caeli, Professor Roberto de Mattei takes note of the Vatican’s fairly recent and alarming habit of self-contradiction and obfuscation. He notes: Information, disinformation, truths, half-truths and lies all seem to be jumbled up in the communication strategy of the Holy See. The history of the Church is being written through interviews,…
How Can I Help the Team? This summer, I coached my oldest son’s baseball team. These seven- and eight-year-old boys were very much still learning the game; so in addition to teaching them basic skills of hitting, catching, and throwing, one of my main tasks was teaching them mental focus. That is, I couldn’t have…
If it seems self-serving to keep demonstrating our consistency on the issues we cover, it’s perhaps only because so many people have sought with such fervor to discredit me (and by extension, the other fine writers here at 1P5) on all things Francis. (The post I’m about to link, incidentally, is worth a re-read just for the documentation of scorn…
Allow me to be lowbrow for a moment. Because let’s be honest, I’m a child of American pop-culture, and no matter how much I reach for erudition, I grew up in the 80s. So yes, I think of things in terms of Star Wars. We’ve been having a lot of discussion lately over whether or…
I’ve gotten some emails from folks lately about their comments disappearing. A couple months ago, when the comment boxes were being raided by sedvacantists, I cranked up the filters to 11. This means that certain words automatically triggered moderator approval. Words like “antipope”. There were a handful. I’ve found that moderating these consistently means big…
In his homily yesterday, Pope Francis (again) chastised the very people who care most about Catholicism by accusing them of causing division and Eucharistic profanation (with my emphasis): Divisions destroy the Church, and the devil seeks to attack the root of unity: the celebration of the Eucharist. That was the message of Pope Francis on…
Despite our best efforts to rally last month, we came up 32% short of our August fundraising goal. We went into September with a shortfall, and as we near the mid-month mark, we are stalled at 11% of our September goal…and holding. As I say to you every month, our donor base keeps this apostolate…
Last week, I told you about a document from a group of Argentine Bishops in the Buenos Aires region that made provisions for allowing certain divorced and remarried Catholics who were not living in continence to receive both the sacraments of Confession and Communion. A papal letter was also published as a response to this document, in…
Many of us are suffering right now. It’s recent and sudden, and happening in ways we never anticipated or imagined. Steve Skojec has heroically shared with us his incomprehensible crosses. The family discord, this falling away between family members and among otherwise close friends, the many cancers, diseases, catastrophic accidents and job losses, the persecutions, both…
In today’s feature, Andrew Bieszad teaches us about the importance of the Battle of Vienna — which took place on September 11-12, 1683 — as a day of remembrance and even revenge for Muslims with a long view of history. But September 11th has been significant at least three other times in the conflict between Islam and the…
