It’s the Institutions, Stupid

A different take on our political realignment.

Pope Francis Makes Perfect the Enemy of the Good

The US Presidential election pits “two evils” who are “against life.”

William Calley, 1943-2024

One of the most notorious war criminals in American history is dead at 80.

Who The Hell is Dean Phillips?

It’s quite the week for politicians with generic names nobody has ever heard of.

How Does This War End?

Russian war crimes have made a diplomatic settlement next to impossible.

Sinead O’Connor, 1966-2023

The Irish singer-activist is gone at 56.

Culture and Our Brains

Our surroundings quite literally change how we see the world.

Hump Day Tabs

Why the Catholic Church Sides with Putin and Orban

The Pope is siding with evil.

Hubris: Thy Name is Rod

One last post on Dreher.

Rod Dreher Canceled

Things finally got too weird for his benefactor.

Joseph Ratzinger, 1927-2022

The Pope Emeritus has died at 95.

Crisis of Confidence

Why have Americans lost trust in their institutions?

The free high-resolution photo of architecture, building, city, tower, religion, church, cathedral, place of worship, gold, madrid, christianity, cruz, moscow, orthodox, parish, dome, russia , taken with an D-LUX 5 03/07 2017 The picture taken with 10.0mm, f/4.0s, 1/800s, ISO 80 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. The free high-resolution photo of architecture, building, city, tower, religion, church, cathedral, place of worship, gold, madrid, christianity, cruz, moscow, orthodox, parish, dome, russia , taken with an D-LUX 5 03/07 2017 The picture taken with 10.0mm, f/4.0s, 1/800s, ISO 80 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0.

Dividing the Christian World

The Pope is indeed Catholic. The rest is up for debate.

Prince Charles as Co-Monarch

His 95-year-old mom is still Queen but has handed off many of her duties.

Madeleine Albright, 1937-2022

A trailblazing diplomat has died at 84.

Government Cases and the Federal Courts

A lone judge has halted the military’s vaccine mandate.

Tab Clearing

Some stories worth your time.

List Of School Shootings In The United States By Death Toll

Our current forms of collective action on guns have failed us.

Inside People of Praise

It’s not a cult but not exactly mainstream, either.

We Dismiss Potential Religious Allies At Our Peril

Ignoring religious diversity makes polarization much worse.

Conspiracy Theories Are Not Funny

Conspiracy theories are poisoning the United States. That’s no joke.

SCOTUS Allows Subsidies for Religious Schools

A seemingly obvious result that isn’t.

Boy Scouts File for Bankruptcy

The venerable youth organization has fallen on hard times.

Beto O’Rourke Drops Out Of Presidential Race

Beto O;Rourke finally faces reality.

Missouri Attorney General Refers 12 Catholic Priests For Prosecution For Child Abuse

The effort to bring Catholic Church officials to justice for their decades of criminal conspiracy and child abuse continues to move forward.

Biden Under Fire For Support Of Hyde Amendment

Former Vice-President Biden has come under fire for his longtime support for the Hyde Amendment.

Irish Voters Approve Liberalized Divorce Laws

Despite opposition from the Catholic Church, or perhaps in rebellion against it, Irish voters overwhelmingly approved a new law liberalizing that nation’s divorce laws.

Five Former Priests Arrested In Michigan Child Sex Abuse Investigation

In the latest development in the child sex abuse investigations in the Catholic Church in the United States, five former Priests in Michigan have been arrested on sex abuse charges.

Alabama Bans Most Abortions

We’ve soon see whether the current Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade.

Notre Dame Cathedral Hit By Major Fire

A major, destructive fire hits one of the most historic churches in the world.

Australia’s Top Cardinal Convicted Of Abusing Children

Cardinal George Pell, the top Catholic Cleric in Australia, has been convicted of sexually abusing boys in the 1990s.

Majority Of Americans Oppose Overturning Roe v. Wade

A new poll shows that most Americans believe the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision should remain the law on the land. Opinion on other abortion-related issues is more divided.

Pope Francis Defrocks Cardinal Theodore McCarrick After Decades Of Abuse

Pope Francis defrocked former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after decades of allegations of abuse of young boys and seminarians.

U.S. Catholic Bishops Identify Hundreds Of Abusive Priests

Two new reports identify hundreds of Catholic Priests who have been credibly accused of abusing children over the past decades.

Walter Jones, Iraq War Supporter Who Became Anti-War, Dies At 76

Walter Jones, a former supporter of the Iraq War who became one of the most prominent anti-war voices in Congress, has passed away at the age of 76. He will be missed.

Is There Room For Forgiveness And Redemption In The #MeToo Era?

Can society forgive the men caught up in the #MeToo movement? Is it even our place to decide?

Ukrainian Orthodox Church Formally Splits Away From Moscow

In a move that is likely to have political and international consequences, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has officially severed ties with Moscow.

500 Catholic Priests In Illinois Found To Have Abused Children, Report Says

A preliminary report from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan found at least 500 Catholic Priests whose abuse of children had been covered up by Church officials.

Australia’s Top Cardinal Was Convicted Of Sex Abuse, The Australian Press Can’t Report It

A particularly appalling case of press censorship from Australia.

Vatican Vetoes U.S. Bishop’s Plan To Deal With Sex Abuse Crisis

In what seems like another effort at a cover-up, the Vatican vetoed a plan by American Bishops to address the Catholic Church’s abuse scandal.

Bregrets, They’ve Had A Few

British voters appear to be regretting their decision to leave the European Union, but it may be too late to stop the process.

Anti-Gay County Clerk Kim Davis Defeated In Re-Election Bid

Kim Davis, who became infamous for defying Court orders to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, was defeated in her re-election bid.

Irish Voters Rescind Centuries Old Blasphemy Law

In another sign of the rapid secularization taking place in that country, Irish voters last weekend voted to rescind the nation’s centuries-old, albeit not recently enforced, law against blasphemy.

Eleven States Now Investigating Catholic Church Abuse Scandal

The vise is tightening on the Catholic Church.

Eastern Orthodox Schism Grows Wider

The dispute over Ukraine between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Patriarch is widening and nearing the point of a complete break.

Justice Department Stepping In To Investigate Catholic Church Abuse Scandal

The Catholic Church’s problems may have just gotten a lot more serious.

A Nationalist Split In Eastern Orthodoxy With Roots In The Russia-Ukraine Crisis

The Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church is pushing for independence. Church leaders in Moscow are not too happy about this.

Another Shoe Drops In The Catholic Church Abuse Scandal

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Archbishop of Washington, D.C this week, but his letter reveals that he still has a blind spot when it comes to the Catholic abuse scandal.

Several States Opening Investigations Into Catholic Church Abuse Scandal

Several states are opening new investigations of the Catholic Church abuse scandal. It’s about time.