Where Peter Is

OCD, Scrupulosity, and the Journey of Faith

On an unexceptional Friday in February 2012, I came home for a weekend away from college life, as students regularly do. What set my trip apart from others was my motivation: I wasn’t looking to visit family or pets, nor was I eager to refuel on home cooking. Rather, I was in desperate...

“God will know his name”

Continuing to read Pope Francis’s Fratelli Tutti during Lent I am focusing on these words from Chapter 2: “Each day we have to decide whether to be Good Samaritans or indifferent bystanders” (FT 69). What if we live a life of solitude? Do we still have to make that choice between being Good...

Highlights of Pope Francis’s historic journey to Iraq

Pope Francis is back from his historic journey to Iraq. While we hope to publish more reflections on his journey, his encounters, and his experiences in the days and weeks ahead, I wanted to provide you with a quick round-up of stories and highlights from his trip. When you look at his itinerary...

WPI Heard Around the Web

We are excited to share several new media appearances by Where Peter Is contributors and Managing Editor Mike Lewis. First, check out Where Peter Is Live! on our YouTube page. It’s our recently launched livestream airing on Thursday evenings and hosted by Production Editor, Rachel Amiri. In our first episode, Melinda Ribnek and...

God is never arbitrary

This reflection on the Sunday readings for March 7, 2021 (the Third Sunday in Lent) was written by Fr. Daniel J. Merz, SLD. Fr. Dan is a priest of the Jefferson City diocese and currently serves as the pastor of the St. Thomas More Newman Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri....

What is robbing you of peace?

A reflection on the Sunday readings for March 7, 2021 — the Third Sunday in Lent You’re watching the evening news and there is a story about an elderly woman who was mugged on the street in broad daylight. The mugger didn’t realize that there was a surveillance camera on a storefront door exactly...

Which Pope said this?

“Your [Iraqi] ancient culture has been described as the “cradle of civilization” and has boasted the presence of Christians since the beginning of Christianity itself. Indeed, it has been a fine example of the many ways in which the adherents of different religions can live in peace and harmony. (…) Preserving this fundamental...

Father Z, Challenge Accepted — UPDATE

Today I was directed to a post on the blog of Fr. John Zuhlsdorf,  who has been been saying and doing increasingly disquieting things since the presidential election, most notably the livestreamed exorcism rituals he performed every day for two months to ward off “election fraud.” Since that scandal, which led to the...

I was not an ultramontanist then

When we publish articles defending Pope Francis, some of our critics accuse us of being “ultramontanists.” Another line we frequently hear is, “Where were these guys during the papacies of Benedict XVI and John Paul II?” I can only speak for myself, but I will tell you where I was. For most of...

Livestreaming Soon! Where Peter Is – Live!

8 pm EST / 5 pm PST   Join us in a few minutes as Rachel Amiri, Adam Rasmussen, Mike Lewis, and Melinda Ribnek discuss Pope Francis’s historic trip to Iraq, the Church’s teaching in favor of restorative justice over the death penalty, and the proposed Catholic community planned for East Texas.

What’s Motivating the Co-Founders of Veritatis Splendor?

Perhaps you’ve heard about the “massive new Catholic center planned for east Texas”?  The launch plans for a new effort called Veritatis Splendor (after the encyclical of Pope John Paul II of the same name) indicate a vision far bolder than a “Catholic center” or a simple lay initiative of “homeschool families who...