• The Courageous Honesty of Peter Steinfels
Peter Steinfels’s long career in journalism included years of service as editor of Commonweal (from which perch he took me to the woodshed more than once), followed by a decade as senior religion correspondent of the New York Times. Steinfels has now done the Catholic Church in the United States—and American society as a whole—a tremendous service by telling some disturbing truths about the August 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report on clerical sexual abuse in six Keystone State dioceses. - January 31, 2019
• Knowing What We’re Up Against
While the failings of priests and bishops are an obvious place to start for dealing with the current crisis, the way toward genuine reform will require careful thinking and a broader perspective, including the laity’s place in the life, governance, and mission of the Church. This is no simple task. - January 31, 2019
• The Church's Bigger Agenda
A number of America’s Catholic bishops care more about the Church’s public image than about the welfare of teenage boys. This was on display in 2002, and again this past summer in the aftermath of the accusations against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick and the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report. - January 30, 2019
• Pope Francis’s Calculated Contradictions
The press conference of Pope Francis on the flight back from Panama has, as always, provided all sorts of interesting ideas. Always remembering that we are dealing not with magisterial statements, but with personal opinions that are thus able to be questioned, nevertheless, they hold great weight, if only because of the fact that these judgments given by the pope are destined to orient Catholic public opinion and to create perceptions about the Church among those who are not Catholic. - January 29, 2019
“The only way out of this crisis is spiritual... The time is nearer than you think.” In a talk 72 years ago, Bishop Fulton Sheen appeared as visionary as prophets of old. - January 28, 2019
• Silencing Catholic Speech
Ideological defenders of homosexuality argue that all disapproval of homosexual conduct arises from “homophobia” and that all speech against homosexuality is, therefore, “hate speech.” In the United States, in recent decades, this campaign against homophobic hate speech has been very effective. - January 25, 2019
• Cardinal Müller: Clergy Sex Abuse Involves Sexual Misconduct, Not Merely Clericalism
COMMENTARY: Edward Pentin spoke with the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who says Church leaders must acknowledge the central role homosexuality has played in the abuse crisis. - January 23, 2019
• Why Did Cardinal Wuerl Lie About McCarrick? Here's What You Need to Know
Four possible explanations for Cardinal Wuerl’s puzzling and shocking behavior. - January 16, 2019
• Analysis: The fall of Cardinal Wuerl
For the last six months, Cardinal Donald Wuerl has managed to keep his head above water amid dogged and persistent criticism of his leadership. - January 14, 2019
COMMENTARY: While important details of the story are still emerging, there are a number of points that this high-profile priest’s case underscores. - January 11, 2019
• What Does a Sober Assessment of the Pa. Grand Jury Report Reveal?
COMMENTARY: The report triggered an explosion of law enforcement activity, but failed to inspire a broader campaign to address a national epidemic of sexual abuse in public schools and other settings. - January 10, 2019
• Lay Collaboration and Episcopal Authority
The Vatican is a hotbed of rumor, gossip, and speculation at the best of times—and these times are not those times. The Roman atmosphere at the beginning of 2019 is typically fetid and sometimes poisonous, with a lot of misinformation and disinformation floating around. That smog of fallacy and fiction could damage February’s global gathering of bishops, called by the pope to address the abuse crisis that is impeding the Church’s evangelical mission virtually everywhere. - January 9, 2019
• Sanctity or Scandal: An Interview with Fr. Steve Grunow
Paul Senz of Our Sunday Visitor recently interviewed Word on Fire CEO Fr. Steve Grunow for an article on how priests are reacting to the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. You can read the published piece here, but below is the interview in its entirety. - January 9, 2019
• Analysis: The Non-Trial of Theodore McCarrick
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is expected to formally assess the evidence and defense within the next week. - January 8, 2019
• The Pope’s Warning About Homosexuals in the Clergy
Facts do not cease to be true because they hurt someone’s feelings, and speaking the truth is neither bigoted nor hateful. - January 8, 2019
• Is Unity Among Bishops the Most Important Good?
COMMENTARY: A question to ponder as the U.S. bishops conclude their retreat in advance of the February summit at the Vatican. - January 7, 2019
• Giving Due Process Its Due
Since 2002, about seventy dioceses in the United States have published the names of priests credibly accused of abusing minors. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is looking into developing national guidelines for releasing names of clerics facing “substantiated claims of abuse.” - January 3, 2019