German Catholicism: on the brink or at the cutting edge? December 13, 2023By George Weigel Special to the Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, Synodality, The Catholic Difference Some of those in charge of the “Synod on Synodality” may have regarded the German “Synodal Path” as a useful instrument in clearing the path for a dramatic reconfiguration of Catholic self-understanding and governance, moving the goalposts so far to the left that the old 50-yard line of the Catholic Vital Center would now be the old left end zone.
From Westerplatte to Lisbon…and everywhere else August 2, 2023By George Weigel Special to the Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, The Catholic Difference, World Youth Day Portugal 2023 John Paul, who had more pastoral contact with young adults than any pope in modern history, knew that young people wanted something more than ease: he understood from experience that deep within the young heart is a yearning for meaning, for nobility, for greatness.
Latinity and sanctity: Remembering Bishop Victor Galeone June 21, 2023By George Weigel Special to the Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, Feature, The Catholic Difference Brilliance and humility met in Victor Galeone and were fused by hours of daily prayer that left callouses on his knees.
Churchmen of the Year February 22, 2023By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Commentary, The Catholic Difference, War in Ukraine Major-Archbishop Shevchuk and Archbishop Gudziak have borne a powerful global witness to the truths of Catholic faith amidst a moral monster’s genocidal assault on the people of Ukraine.
Cardinal George Pell: The Encourager January 18, 2023By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Commentary, The Catholic Difference I know of few, if any, public figures who have displayed the moral courage George Pell displayed for decades as he defended and promoted the truth of Catholic faith in the face of a relentless, vicious Australian media campaign to destroy him.
The true Joseph Ratzinger January 4, 2023By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Commentary, Guest Commentary, Pope Benedict XVI, The Catholic Difference The Joseph Ratzinger I knew for 35 years — first as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, later as Pope Benedict XVI and then Pope Emeritus — was a brilliant, holy man who bore no resemblance to the caricature that was first created by his theological enemies and then set in media concrete.
Books for Christmas – 2022 December 7, 2022By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Books, Commentary, The Catholic Difference A look at a few books that would make good Christmas gifts for Catholics.
Genocide in Ukraine? November 29, 2022By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Commentary, The Catholic Difference, War in Ukraine Yale historian Timothy Snyder thinks that, measured by the criteria of the Genocide Convention (to which Russia is a party), the Russian war in Ukraine is genocidal.
An open letter to the Synod General Secretary October 5, 2022By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Commentary, The Catholic Difference Catholic schools in our inner-urban areas, like the new, state-of-the-art Mother Mary Lange School in Baltimore, are the most effective anti-poverty program the U.S. Church has ever devised — and they serve students from many religious backgrounds.
The Summer Reading List: A Ukrainian Primer June 9, 2022By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Books, Commentary, Feature, The Catholic Difference, War in Ukraine Given the rubbish about Ukraine spewed out by Russian propaganda trolls and regurgitated by foolish or ideologically besotted Americans, this year’s annual Summer Reading List will focus on serious books that explain the background, including the religious dimension, of a conflict that will shape Europe’s future – and ours.
Marching toward a different future January 19, 2022By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Commentary, Respect Life, The Catholic Difference A post-Roe America will be one in which the pro-life movement must work with state legislators to provide legal protection to unborn children.
The sacred earthiness of Christmas December 24, 2021By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Christmas, Commentary, Feature, The Catholic Difference “Besides the cradle in which our Lord, it is alleged, was rocked, is the stone manger of the grotto of Bethlehem. One of the stones of this manger is shown in the basilica of St. Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline, in the altar of the crypt of the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
