Catholic New York

As the world and the Church marked the centenary of the birth of Pope St. John Paul II May 18, a kaleidoscope of memories shaped my prayer and reflection that day. John Paul II at his dinner table, … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 5/20/20

After Cardinal Pell’s Rightful Acquittal

The unanimous decision by Australia’s High Court to quash Cardinal George Pell’s convictions on charges of “historic sexual abuse” and acquit him of those crimes was entirely welcome. Truth … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 4/22/20

Auschwitz and ‘Intrinsic Evil’

Seventy-five years ago, on Jan. 27, 1945, the infantrymen of the Red Army’s 322nd Rifle Division were bludgeoning their way into the Third Reich when they discovered the Auschwitz-Birkenau … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 2/26/20

New Year’s Resolutions for Concerned Catholics: A Few Suggestions

During and after the grim martial law period in the early 1980s, many freedom-minded Poles would greet each other on Jan. 1 with a sardonic wish: “May the new year be better than you know … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 1/15/20

A New Cardinal Honors an Entire Nation

ROME. Even the greatest enthusiasts of the present pontificate might not assert that Pope Francis has an inspiring liturgical style. Like the old-school Jesuit he resembles in many ways, the Holy … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 11/20/19

Historical Clarity and Today’s Catholic Contentions

One of the curiosities of the 21st-century Catholic debate is that many Catholic traditionalists (especially integralists) and a high percentage of Catholic progressives make the same mistake in … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 10/23/19

Ironies in the Fire

The eminent sociologist Peter Rossi was a world-class punster whose scholarly accomplishments fed a sometimes-whimsical view of the human condition—in which, Rossi memorably observed, “there are … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 9/25/19

On the New ‘Nationalism’

Thanks to President Trump’s “America First” rhetoric and the rise of populist-nationalist parties in Europe, there’s a lot of debate about “nationalism” these days. On that subject, as on … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 8/14/19

The Summer Reading List

Continuing a venerable tradition, I offer the following for your canicular reading pleasure: John Hay spent decades … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 7/17/19

Restoring, and Strengthening, Episcopal Credibility

Pope Francis’s recent motu proprio on sexual abuse, Vos estis lux mundi (You Are the Light of the World), was a welcome addition to Church law, as world Catholicism seeks to heal the wounds of … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 6/19/19

On the Composting of Thee and Me

In Herman Wouk’s novel, “War and Remembrance,” Warren Henry shocks his Bible-reading father, the novel’s hero, by claiming that human … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 5/22/19

The Easter Effect Today

Some two millennia ago, a ragtag bunch of nobodies learned what their tortured and executed friend, the rabbi Jesus from Nazareth, meant by “rising from the dead” (Mark 9:9-10)—because … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 4/25/19

A Tale of Two Georges

When a pope is elected, the cardinals who have just chosen him make their way to the Hall of Benedictions atop the narthex of St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s a challenging journey for some: In 2005, … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 3/27/19

‘Synodality’ and the Rome Abuse Summit

Despite Pope Francis’ lecture on the subject at Synod 2015, and notwithstanding the passages on it in Synod 2018’s final report, there is little agreement in 21st-century Catholicism on what … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 2/27/19

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 … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 1/30/19

Cleansed and Conformed to God’s Will

Father, We Thank Thee, Who Hast Planted” has long been one of my favorite hymns. Its tune, taken from the 16th-century “Genevan Psalter,” is eminently singable. The hymn text—when not … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 12/19/18

Roots of Catholic Anger

After a month out of the country, working in Rome at Synod-2018 and helping mark the 40th anniversary of John Paul II’s election at events in Brussels and Warsaw, I came home to find Catholic anger … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 11/21/18

John Paul II, Youth Minister

Pole that he was, Karol Wojtyla had a well-developed sense of historical irony. So from his present position in the Communion of Saints, he might be struck by the ironic fact that the Synod on … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 10/24/18

Maintenance vs. Mission

Just when the Long Lent of 2002 was coming to a boil in March of that year, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy, took things … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 9/26/18

Fridays Without Charles

Take my word for it: You don’t want to be around me at breakfast. I am not a chipper morning person, and it’s best to leave me to the coffee and the newspaper—and I mean newspaper, not online … more

By GEORGE WEIGEL | 8/16/18