Few contemporary political science students know the checkered history of their discipline, which has principally become an empirical field devoid of metaphysical questions. Aristotle, the “father of political science,” argued, however, that, in a properly and prudently governed polis, the good citizen will be coincident with the good man. The nature of goodness was thus […]
When President Donald Trump announced that the United States would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Muslim world reacted with outrage and threats. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned of “dangerous consequences.” The spokesman for Turkish president Erdogan warned that the move was a “grave mistake” because “Jerusalem is our red line.” […]
These days it’s urgent for Christians to read and understand the Koran in order to get a better handle on a religion that is so much in the headlines. But that asks a lot, because the Koran is a hodgepodge of early and later chapters, arranged in order of length from longer to shorter chapters, […]
Note: This is an all too brief account of a remarkable new book on the pope, which is causing waves in Rome and around the world. Fr. Gerald Murray, Raymond Arroyo, and I will discuss this and other matters in greater detail tomorrow evening on EWTN’s “The World Over,” 8 PM East Coast time (Check local […]
Many influential theologies of the past half-century are misleading, sterile abstractions because they effectively disconnect morality from our participation in Christ’s life. Until that breach is healed, the life, witness, and unity of the Church and her members will continue to suffer. Recovery begins by returning to reality: Jesus. Jesus, the Word Incarnate, revealed the […]
In a pivotal moment of Israel’s history, the people agitate for a king. Their motivation is telling: “Give us a king to govern us like other nations!” (1Sam 8:5) So much for Israel’s distinctive vocation to be a contrast society, a light to the nations. Now they merely yearn to be like all the others. […]
Error is a great dissipator of time and energy. I have this from Goethe – some letter he wrote to somebody else – but might easily find it said or indicated in a thousand other places. Yea, Goethe says the truth should often be repeated, in a world where error ceaselessly repeats. This maxim comes […]
It is the nature of bureaucracy to get caught up in processes rather than persons; to focus on means and lose sight of the ends to be served by those means. It was the nineteenth century “father of sociology” Max Weber who warned that bureaucracy would become an “iron cage,” a translation of the original […]
Note: The other day, I asked Brad Miner, who tracks these things for TCT, about our worldwide readership. He reports: “Most (81%) come from the U.S., but we have sizable numbers of visitors (in the tens of thousands) from Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Ireland, and Italy – who read us in […]
Raymond Cardinal Burke gave a powerful interview to Edwin Pentin of the National Catholic Register earlier this week. He explained why he continues to seek authoritative clarity on the meaning of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (AL) by asking Pope Francis to respond to the five dubia that he and three other cardinals submitted well over a year ago. Cardinal Burke spoke about a […]
Friends: It happens every year. Thanks to the many of you who responded yesterday because we’re about halfway there now. But the campaign only really gets started when people really grasp that this site only exists because of the generosity of readers. One reader wrote me yesterday to say that it seems TCT is in […]
Note: Amid all the worries of these days, it’s good to remember that there are also signs and figures of hope. The two young priests writing today – like many others of their generation – are not at all confused or ambiguous about what the Church teaches. And they’re not reticent about expressing it, even […]
Indignation over monuments to historical figures is beginning to turn into a kind of blind hysteria. In America, the Confederate dead, former Supreme Court justices, Christopher Columbus, and even the 19th-century physician known as the “father of gynecology” are all in the crosshairs. In Germany, some have called for removing statues of Martin Luther because of his anti-Semitism. Implicit […]
Friends: Thanks to all of you who responded – and so generously – yesterday to the first day of our end-of-year fund drive. We heard from readers in almost every state, and in countries from New Zealand to the Slovak Republic. But we’ve still got a long way to go – and I need a […]
A Note from Robert Royal: Before we turn to Professor Smith’s valuable insights about our current need for truly independent institutions – and his plea that we support them generously – I have to appeal to your generosity for support of The Catholic Thing. We only ask our readers for donations twice a year, during […]