Father Raymond J. de Souza is the founding editor of Convivium magazine. COMMENTARY: Contrary to the storyline pushed by papal courtier Austen Ivereigh and others, Pope Francis exercises authority in the manner of a Jesuit superior who, after hearing those he chooses to hear, makes his own decision. Papal courtier Austen Ivereigh has written two very useful biographies of the Holy Father and another book together with him. It would be churlish to deny him a measure of celebration of Pope Francis on his 10th anniversary. Yet the occasion does not require questionable claims to be made, and, regrettably, Ivereigh has done …
Author: Manuel Xavier
Learning from the Saints, bringing Christ into a fallen world
Paul Senz has an undergraduate degree from the University of Portland in music and theology and earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from the same university. He has contributed to Catholic World Report, Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly, The Priest Magazine, National Catholic Register, Catholic Herald, and other outlets. Paul lives in Elk City, OK, with his wife and their four children. “In every time and place,” says Dawn Marie Beutner, author of The Leaven of the Saints, “the saints bring the kingdom of God to earth by evangelizing, performing miracles, consecrating their lives to Christ, and sometimes just by forgiving their …
World Down Syndrome Day is an opportunity to teach, cherish, and love
Susan Ciancio is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has worked as a writer and editor for nearly 19 years; 13 of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently, she is the editor of American Life League’s Celebrate Life Magazine—the nation’s premier Catholic pro-life magazine. She is also the executive editor of ALL’s Culture of Life Studies Program—a pre-K-12 Catholic pro-life education organization. In the US, nearly 70% of babies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. In England and Germany, 90% are aborted. And in Iceland, nearly 100% are aborted. Sadly, these countries are not eradicating the …
“God wants us to be holy as he is holy”: A conversation with Scott Hahn
Paul Senz has an undergraduate degree from the University of Portland in music and theology and earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from the same university. He has contributed to Catholic World Report, Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly, The Priest Magazine, National Catholic Register, Catholic Herald, and other outlets. Paul lives in Elk City, OK, with his wife and their four children. “We need to know holiness not only by its effects on human beings. We need to know it for what it is in itself,” says Hahn, author of Holy Is His Name: The Transforming Power of God’s Holiness in Scripture, …
Champions teach vital lessons about people with disabilities
Susan Ciancio is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has worked as a writer and editor for nearly 19 years; 13 of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently, she is the editor of American Life League’s Celebrate Life Magazine—the nation’s premier Catholic pro-life magazine. She is also the executive editor of ALL’s Culture of Life Studies Program—a pre-K-12 Catholic pro-life education organization. While it’s a predictable story, this new film, starring Woody Harrelson, teaches an important lesson: people with developmental or intellectual disabilities are human beings who have the same dignity as those without a disability. We …
Answering Six Objections from the SSPX
Andrew Bartel is a lay Dominican of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. He lives with his wife and their three children in Montana, where he works as a glazier. He is also pursuing a degree in English and Philosophy. Bishop Athanasius Schneider has recently praised Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre as “a prophet of our time”; here are six common arguments that have been made by Bishop Schneider and other defenders of the SSPX, each followed by a brief rebuttal. Bishop Athanasius Schneider has recently thrown down the glove in an interview with LifeSiteNews, claiming that those of us who …
A somber anniversary
George Weigel is a Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington’s Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies. He is the author of over twenty books, including Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II (1999), The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II—The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy (2010), and The Irony of Modern Catholic History: How the Church Rediscovered Itself and Challenged the Modern World to Reform. His most recent books are The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission (2020), Not Forgotten: Elegies for, and Reminiscences of, a Diverse …
The Anti-Synod: Flawed Theology, Intimidation Tactics, and Downright Disobedience Define Germany’s Synodal Way
Jonathan Liedl is a senior editor for the Register. His background includes state Catholic conference work, three years of seminary formation, and tutoring at a university Christian study center. Liedl holds a B.A. in Political Science and Arabic Studies (Univ. of Notre Dame), an M.A. in Catholic Studies (Univ. of St. Thomas), and is currently completing an M.A. in Theology at the Saint Paul Seminary. He lives in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Follow him on Twitter at @JLLiedl. COMMENTARY: The problems with the Synodal Way go far deeper than the controversial proposals it’s advanced. From a distance, the main problems of …
Bavaria’s ‘Spiritual Heart’ Is Still Pumping in Altötting
Jonathan Liedl is a senior editor for the Register. His background includes state Catholic conference work, three years of seminary formation, and tutoring at a university Christian study center. Liedl holds a B.A. in Political Science and Arabic Studies (Univ. of Notre Dame), an M.A. in Catholic Studies (Univ. of St. Thomas), and is currently completing an M.A. in Theology at the Saint Paul Seminary. He lives in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Follow him on Twitter at @JLLiedl. Known as the ‘Lourdes of Germany,’ the Marian shrine is not just a symbol of the region’s Catholic past but is also at …
New Congressional Family Caucus Is Good News for the Nation
Russell Shaw is a veteran journalist and author of more than 20 books. He was secretary for public affairs of the U.S. bishops’ conference from 1969 to 1987 and director of information of the Knights of Columbus from 1987 to 1997. He has BA and MA degrees from Georgetown University and an honorary doctorate from The Catholic University of America. These have not been healthy years for marriage in America. This new entity seeks to change that. There’s a glimmer of hope for the embattled natural family emanating suddenly from a source that lately has been anything but family-friendly — …