Every generation must decide whom it will follow. In our time, the kings we serve are often unseen—algorithms, trends, and screens that subtly shape what we value. In a world where social media defines so much of our identity, it is easy to lose sight of the deeper questions that truly form our...
I would begin by praising your unremitting efforts, in the best traditions of the Church in America, to respond to the ongoing phenomenon of immigration in your country. The Catholic community in the United States continues, with great generosity, to welcome waves of new immigrants, to provide them with pastoral care and charitable...
Losing your balance and falling down can happen at any age, though it is more common among the very young and the very old. I recently saw a little girl, no more than two years old, following her mother on a leading string. She was so mesmerized by the sight of a nun...
Pope Leo XIV has asked that the faithful spend time during this month of November to pray for those who experience suicidal thoughts, despair, and hopelessness. His request was made via the release of the month’s The Pope Video, a project of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network which focuses on sharing the Pope’s...
Sarah Carter and I hosted a livestream conversation on Substack last week about Pope Leo’s Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te. This was a pretty freewheeling conversation that ranged from giving an overview of the document, sharing our personal reactions to it, and taking listener questions. I had a lot of fun being a part...
On Friday, Nov. 14, after months of speculation, Catholics finally learned that Pope Leo XIV does not intend to overturn Traditionis Custodes. Rome signaled instead that it will consider more generous, renewable two-year dispensations at the request of bishops. With that announcement, the center of the liturgical conversation has subtly shifted. Rather than...
What ever happened to the term “Cafeteria Catholic”? If you spent any time in Catholic spaces during the late 2000s or early 2010s, you probably heard it everywhere, to describe Catholics who “pick and choose” which teachings to follow. But then, almost overnight, the phrase disappeared. In this video, Pedro Gabriel takes a...
BALTIMORE — In a closely contested vote at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) fall plenary assembly in Baltimore on November 11, 2025, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City was elected as the new president of the USCCB. Coakley, who previously served as the conference’s secretary, edged out Bishop Daniel E....
It’s that time of year again, when we’re greeted at the grocery store by carts full of half-price Halloween candy before we pass the displays of cranberries in one aisle and candy canes in another. The day after Thanksgiving, those cranberries will be reduced for quick sale to make room for the Valentine’s...
There is a sense of mystery and an understanding of the divine that is, I think, part of many of the religions in Asia, and this certainly opens the door to different kinds of interreligious dialogue. I think this is a treasure for the whole Church: Eastern and Western. I also believe it...
Calling the Second Vatican Council the “Map for the Journey Ahead,” Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre urged the U.S. bishops gathered in Baltimore for their Fall General Assembly to walk in a synodal spirit, in continuity with Vatican II, and warned against retrenchment amid cultural and political turbulence. Cardinal Pierre, who serves as...
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s new document, Mater Populi Fidelis, has stirred debate among Catholics, especially over whether it carries magisterial authority. Some claim it’s just a personal statement from Cardinal Víctor Fernández, not something binding on the faithful. But is that true? In this video, Pedro Gabriel looks closely...
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