Blog
Catholic perspectives on the news that matters
Jacob Whitman
Why Krakow's Square Feels Different After This Shooting
Krakow's Main Market Square isn't just a postcard. After this shooting, the grief feels painfully close, and the Church can't answer it with slogans.
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Why Spain's Train Disaster Leaves the Church With No Clever Words
When dozens die in a morning train crash, nobody needs polished explanations. They need prayer, presence, and doors opened fast.
Pastor Benjamin
Why Pope Leo Kept This Chicago Icon Close
Some papal gifts disappear into storage. This one ended up on a shelf near Pope Leo's bed, and I think that says more than people realize.
Pastor Benjamin
Why Brooklyn Catholics Carried Crosses for Haitians
A bishop led Catholics through Brooklyn praying the Stations for Haitian migrants facing the loss of TPS. I keep coming back to one detail, the crosses had names on them.
Father Lucas
Why Pope Leo XIV's Illness Might Change Less Than People Think
The obvious story is the pope’s surgery and diagnosis. The more interesting one, to me, is that Rome said it plainly, and that changes something.
Pastor Benjamin
Why Pope Leo's Quick Return Feels Bigger Than Good News
Pope Leo XIV is set to leave Gemelli just four days after lung cancer surgery. I'm glad, obviously, but what stays with me is how public his frailty has been.
Father Lucas
Why the Church Still Gets Mental Illness Half Right
Pope Leo XIV put mental health in front of the whole Church, and I'm grateful for that. Still, the harder part comes after the prayer, when someone's panic follows them right into the pew.
Father Lucas
Why Pius XII Still Makes Catholics So Nervous
People want Pius XII to be simple, either the pope who failed or the pope who saved the day. History, and holiness, are usually messier than that.
Father Lucas
Why Leo Ended His France Trip in a Border City
Pope Leo XIV didn't finish in Paris or Lourdes. He finished in Metz, and that detail matters more than people might think.
Father Lucas
Why Fulton Sheen Still Feels Dangerous to Read
Now that Fulton Sheen is Blessed, a lot of people are celebrating the halo-adjacent headlines. Fair enough. What grabs me is something quieter, and harder to imitate.
Father Lucas
Why This Surrogacy Case Won't Sit Quietly in the Law
The court declined to step in, and maybe that was predictable. What isn't predictable is how calmly we've learned to talk about a contract that included an abortion clause.
Henry S. Wallace
Why a Minnesota Missionary Priest Feels Strangely Timely
A missionary priest in northern Minnesota is now a Servant of God, and I can't shake how current his witness feels. Not flashy, not strategic, just stubbornly close to people.
Pastor Benjamin
Why Matthew's Job Still Scandalizes Good Church People
Matthew's call is comforting, sure. It's also irritating, if we're honest. Jesus didn't wait for a cleaner candidate, and that says more about us than we'd like.
Pastor Benjamin
Why Malta Kept Mary Close Long Before 1854
What grabbed me here wasn't just church history. It was the stubborn, centuries-old way a small Catholic place kept loving Mary before Rome ever settled the wording.
Father Lucas
Why the Vatican Is Talking to Unions About AI First
The striking part of this Vatican conference wasn't the tech anxiety. It was the insistence that workers belong in the room before the damage is done.
Henry S. Wallace
Why La Salette Still Feels Uncomfortably Close
La Salette isn't a cozy apparition. That's part of why I think we still need it. Mary's tears and her warning about Sunday have lost none of their sting.
Henry S. Wallace
What a $400 Million Reckoning Still Can't Fix
The Chicago figure is staggering, but the money isn't the headline to me. The harder truth is what it says about how long survivors have had to carry this alone.
Father Lucas
Why Pope Leo Spent His Birthday in a Library
Pope Leo could've made his birthday about celebration. Instead he went to the Vatican Library, remembered his mom, and said something small that stuck with me.
Father Lucas
Why Illinois Couldn’t Force Catholic Nurses to Play Along
A federal judge temporarily shielded more Catholic health providers from Illinois' assisted suicide law. I keep coming back to one stubborn question, what is medicine for?
Pastor Benjamin
Why Bishop Boxie Didn't Flinch at the DEI Label
Bishop Robert Boxie didn’t dodge the insult. He named it for what it was, and I think that matters more than some Catholics want to admit.
Jacob Whitman