Mark Twain once remarked that “clothes make the man” because “naked people have little or no influence on society.” Since clergy aren’t known for appearing...
Church history
On Thursday night, November 20, 2014, President Barack Obama announced his executive action limiting deportations of undocumented immigrants to the most...
In the 21st century, facts, especially provable facts, are often superior to truth and memory preserved in the simple telling of stories. Our spiritual...
Jordan might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of your next travel destination. Surrounded by Israel, Syria, and Iraq, Jordan probably...
When Pope Francis announced his new crop of cardinals earlier this year, it did not go unnoticed that no Americans were on the list. There was no red hat for...
The Papacy in the Modern World: A Political History By Frank J. Coppa (University of Chicago, 2014) Once cautioned against repressing Catholics under his rule...
Since the early Middle Ages, all Christians have used the same method for determining the date of Easter, though they arrive at a different result. Described...
Pope Francis entered the papal conclave wearing the scarlet red of a cardinal and emerged in gleaming white. From where did this tradition arise? The old...
Traditionally, Catholics believed that a person could reach heaven only if he or she was buried in a Catholic cemetery. But limited space meant few people...
In the parish church of my youth, my family often sat under a stained glass window that depicted a poor man lying on the ground with his hand out to the Roman...