The Narthex

 For the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the children of the light. – Luke 16:8

The Third Synodal Assembly of the Italian Church marked a historic turning point in its pastoral approach to LGBT people. With approval of the Synodal Path's summary document, "Yeast of Peace and Hope," the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) overwhelmingly approved proposals that represent an unprecedented openness toward homosexual and transgender…

Pope Leo has made it official: St. John Henry Newman is a Doctor of the Church. In this I rejoice; Newman has long been a favorite of mine. I often taught his An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent (1870), a classic in the epistemology of religion, in…

SNAP Shutdown The continuing shutdown of the federal government has interrupted SNAP payments. SNAP is a federal program to provide food money to the poor. There are currently more than 41 million SNAP recipients. This seems to be one of those areas where the priority of the poor comes into…

In recent days, during a Mass dedicated to children, a parish priest in Italy uttered remarks that left many faithful disconcerted:

Let me say first up: it's not a sin if you have a Halloween party on October 31st. It's not a sin, even if some idiots say…

In a recent essay, I quoted approvingly Oren Cass’s observation that employment, labor, and immigration law form a coherent legal whole that protects both national security and domestic workers. Summarizing Cass, immigration law determines who can work; employment law fixes “baseline” criteria for the employer-employee relationship; and labor law protects…

The Third Synodal Assembly of the Church in Italy marked a historic turning point in the pastoral approach to LGBT people. With the approval of “Yeast of Peace and Hope,” its Synodal Path Summary Document, the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) overwhelmingly approved proposals representing unprecedented openness toward homosexual and transgender…

Today is the feast of Ss. Simon and Jude. They are two of the lesser known apostles, although in the American Church in the 20th century, there was a popular devotion to St. Jude Thaddeus. Many parishes conducted novenas to him as patron of impossible causes and things despaired of.…

In his video defending immigrants, Chicago archbishop Blase Cupich begins by talking about migrants without regard to their status. “We stand with the father who labors in silence to build a better future.” Then, speaking expressly to immigrants “without documents,” Cupich adds, “Most of you have been here for years.…

“Migration” features, albeit in limited fashion, in Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te. Of the three paragraphs that mention it, two are historical. I am not a professional historian but I think I know enough to ask some questions about what those two paragraphs really support versus what some…

A few weeks ago, the Missionary of Charity Brothers celebrated the 50th Anniversary of their presence in Los Angeles. First, a bit of history. With the blessing of their foundress Mother Teresa, in 1966 Br. Andrew (originally a Jesuit priest) began his service as co-founder of the Congregation, centered in…

Pneumatology is that branch of theology dealing with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is understood as indwelling in the Church and keeping her from error. The Church’s inerrancy is neither political nor historical; she can and has made mistakes in those areas. The Church’s inerrancy is related to her…

The European Union adopted in October 2025 its “LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026-2030,” a document that immediately sparked heated debate across the continent. The strategy, officially presented by the European Commission, promises to raise the bar on rights, safety, and inclusion for LGBTIQ+ people, but some of its content is generating…

Is producing 6,000 babies in test tubes an “achievement” for a government? Yes, apparently, according to Polish parliamentarian Weronika Smarduch. October 15 marks the second anniversary of the election of Donald Tusk’s current left-leaning government which she supports. Its apologists have taken to social media to tout its “achievements.” MP…

Writing in the October 9 Die Welt, Andreas Rosenvelder observed that then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt said something remarkable in a 2009 interview: "If there's something you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't do it.” The advice seems harmless, like that of an older brother, but it's also the…