Blog
Catholic perspectives on the news that matters
Pastor Benjamin
Why Pope Leo Called Child Protection a Church Mandate
Pope Leo put child protection where it belongs, at the center of the Church's moral life. The hard part is whether parishes, schools, and dioceses will act like he meant it.
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What a Ukrainian Diocese Knows About Keeping Childhood Alive
What stayed with me wasn't the size of the gatherings. It was the stubborn little acts, football, confession tents, letters to soldiers, that keep a child's heart from hardening.
Jacob Whitman
Why Hazbin Hotel Won't Leave Catholic Questions Alone
I didn't expect a filthy, neon musical about demons to sound more serious about redemption than a lot of church talk. Then Charlie Morningstar opened her hotel.
Henry S. Wallace
When Christians Start Burying Christians in Manipur
The horror in Manipur isn't just that Christians are being killed. It's that Christian communities are killing each other, and the Gospel starts sounding very far away.
Jacob Whitman
Why Leo XIV Took His Sharpest Words to Tenerife
Leo XIV didn't offer a polished slogan in the Canary Islands. He named the sin plainly, and I think Catholics needed to hear that kind of clarity.
Jacob Whitman
What the Sagrada Familia Hides Beneath the Crowds
The odd little details at the Sagrada Familia are lovely, sure. What grabbed me was the quieter thing buried under all that spectacle.
Father Lucas
Why Leo Went to a Barcelona Prison Before Anything Else Stuck
Pope Leo told inmates their past doesn't get the last word. I keep thinking about how rare that message is, especially in a prison.
Henry S. Wallace
What Orlando Might Reveal About the Bishops' Next Mood
The formal agenda matters, sure. But I suspect the most revealing moments in Orlando will come when three men step to a microphone and decide what not to say.
Henry S. Wallace
What the Sisters in Quang Tri Understood Before Everyone Else
The most striking part of the Formosa story isn't only poisoned water. It's what happened after, when sisters kept showing up long after the cameras moved on.
Jacob Whitman
What Pope Leo Saw in Madrid That Processions Alone Can't Fix
A million Catholics turned out for Corpus Christi in Madrid. I'm less interested in the crowd size than in the uncomfortable sentence Pope Leo slipped into the middle of it.
Pastor Benjamin
Why a Bishop's Killing in Mozambique Feels So Chilling
A bishop is shot in his own residence, and the whole thing feels like more than one terrible crime. I keep coming back to what this says about fear, witness, and the fragile life of the Church in Mozambique.
Father Lucas
Why Pope Leo's AI Letter Landed While Trump Kept Sinking
The striking part of this poll isn't just that Pope Leo is more popular than Donald Trump. It's that Americans seem relieved to hear someone speak about technology like human beings still matter.
Henry S. Wallace
What Pope Leo Asked Catholic Colleges to Stop Forgetting
Pope Leo's words to Catholic university leaders landed harder than they might seem at first glance. This wasn't just about doctrine or AI, it was about whether Catholic colleges still know what they're for.
Jacob Whitman
Why Odiong's Life Sentence Doesn't End the Church Story
Odiong's conviction matters. So does the ugly fact that complaints apparently led to conversations, not removal.
Pastor Benjamin
The Texas Verdict Is Only Part of What Catholics Need to Face
A Texas jury convicted Father Anthony Odiong. I'm stuck on the part that comes after the verdict, when Catholics have to ask who ignored the warning signs.
Father Lucas
Why This Texas Verdict Hits a Nerve for Catholics
A guilty verdict in Texas isn't just another ugly headline. It exposes a kind of abuse many Catholics still struggle to name clearly.
Father Lucas
Why Leo's Quiet First Year Has Sisters Paying Attention
Pope Leo XIV doesn't seem interested in flashy gestures for their own sake. What struck me is how many sisters see substance in that quieter approach, and where they still want more.
Jacob Whitman
Why the Church Keeps Showing Up for Ukraine
The war in Ukraine keeps grinding on, and Catholic aid groups keep showing up. That persistence matters more than polished press releases ever will.
Father Lucas
What Pope Leo's Chicago Can Still Teach the Rest of Us
Chicago loves claiming Pope Leo XIV as its own. What interests me more is the city he left behind, and the church that changed without waiting for him.
Jacob Whitman
What Pope Leo Saw in Africa, and What We Keep Missing
Every time the church starts talking about Africa as the future, I get a little uneasy. Not because Africa isn't alive with faith, but because we've learned the hard way that crowded churches don't guarantee durable discipleship.
Father Lucas