The Catholic Thing

By Alden AbbottBut first a note from Robert Royal:So, we're back at our fundraising – and need to be. We're well into the campaign but need to pick up the pace. I know this isn't a great economy at the moment, but we have to ask you to pray and dig deep. It's a good deal. I'm told the reward for generosity will be even greater in Heaven.Now for today's column.Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica...

By Fr. Raymond J. de SouzaA Good Friday death – even for a Catholic giant of the last fifty years – meant that less attention was paid than deserved. On the other hand, it was fitting for the author of Patì sotto Ponzio Pilato? – Did He Suffer under Pontius Pilate?Vittorio Messori, a few days shy of his 85th birthday, died on Good Friday evening last month, drawing to a close one of the most...

By Kristen ZiccarelliBut first a note from Robert Royal: We've reached the end of another week in our mid-year funding campaign and we're about two-thirds of the way to our goal. We can't slack off now. What we do in these days makes a difference between TCT continuing and – well – let's not think about that. Don't make me beg, please. We need your help, today, to make the coming days all they...

By Joseph R. WoodBut first a note from Robert Royal: As Professor Wood lucidly explains today, the choice of path - between a desire for comfort and doing what's right - is not new. And in several ways the stakes are even clearer now. Which reminds me that we're well into our finding campaign now. And I need to urge more of you to choose what's right and support our work. There are no guarantees...

By Stephen P. WhiteBut first a note from Robert Royal: We're moving along nicely with our mid-year fundraising and we're grateful to all who have already donated. But we still have a way to go, and the time grows short. Please help me to stop annoying you daily. Make your contribution and let's get this done for the sake of The Catholic Thing.Now for today's column...Pope Leo the XIV's first...

By Matthew WalzBut first a note from Robert Royal: Professor Walz reminds us today of a fundamental truth: that underneath all the challenges we face, it all comes down to trusting the One who deserves our trust. This evening, we'll be starting a short course on the Augustinianism of Pope Leo, which will look at some additional home truths that our world ignores at its peril. Please join us by...

By Randall SmithBut first a note from Robert Royal: Pope Leo has issued the first encyclical of his pontificate, Magna humanitas, and we'll be bringing you some carefully considered reflections on it in the days to come. In the meantime, the Prayerful Posse did a quick read and taping on some of the main points, good and neuralgic, for further discussion. To access the discussion, click here. And...

By Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. SheenBut first a note from Robert Royal: A happy Memorial Day to all our readers. As we remember the heroes fallen in war, let us all recommit ourselves to the battles that must be fought in our own day – both on real battlefields and in daily life – against the many current threats to human life, liberty, and Godliness.Now for today's column...The great French...

By Fr. Paul D. ScaliaPhilip Neri had the custom of rising late at night or in the first hours of morning, making his way through the sleeping city of Rome, outside the city walls, to the Basilica of Saint Sebastian. There he would descend beneath the church, to the ancient catacombs, where the first Christians of Rome met for Mass, where so many martyrs slept. In that sacred place he would spend...

By Anthony EsolenBut first a note from Robert Royal:Reports out of New York say that the state's Department of Health has issued warnings to the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, whose order has, for over a century, run a hospice for patients dying of incurable cancer. Indeed, the village where their hospice is located was renamed Hawthorne in their honor. The state, however, without giving it much...