The Limitations of “Trad” Catholicism
To be Roman Catholic these days is an unenviable business, especially if you're aware of what's going on in the Catholic Church (and many Catholics, sad to say, are not.)Â It's easy to comment on what's happening, but what really matters is how one plans to fix the problems that face the Church. Let's start …
What the Hashtag #straightouttairondale Means, and Why Traditional Catholics Need to Use It
I recently got an email from one of my visitors which went as follows: came across the hashtag #straightouttairondale in some of your posts and wonder what it refers to ... My response: It refers to trad (traditional) Catholics, who frequently (unless they're TLM (Traditional Latin Mass) diehards) take their inspiration from EWTN, whose headquarters …
Wake From Your Sleep: The “Modern” Christmas Carol With a Traditional Sound
A favourite pastime of the #straightouttairondale crowd is to trash just about every piece of Catholic music written after 1965 (except, of course, what they put out.)Â Boosting the "Jesus Music" era is a goal of this blog, but this gem has an appeal that gets past not only their idea but Roman Catholicism …
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Bringing Back “La Regale” in the Middle Kingdom
Everything is different in China: Under the breakthrough, Pope Francis recognized the legitimacy of seven bishops appointed by the Chinese government. Because they had not been selected by the Vatican, they had previously been excommunicated. For centuries, the monarchs of Europe exercised authority in the choice of bishops in their realm. The triumph of Ultramontanism …
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Sometimes Doing No Murder Can Get You in Trouble
The Old Grey Lady weighs in on Pope Francis' death penalty ukase by invoking the commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill": Pope Francis’s condemnation of capital punishment is simple and unambiguous: It is inadmissible. No exceptions for especially heinous crimes; no loopholes allowing execution when other lives might be in jeopardy, as in past Catholic teachings. …
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Chesterton to be Canonised? Bossuet Hasn’t Been Either
His canonisation is being considered: Is he or is he not on the road to being canonized? In the coming weeks, the fate of Gilbert Keith Chesterton will be known. Soon, all eyes will turn upon Canon John Udris as he presents his written report to the bishop of Northampton, England, with, thereafter, a decision …
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Why the Spanish Civil War is Still Important
The history of the Twentieth Century is one written in blood. Between two world wars, the procession of genocides from Armenia to Stalin to the Holocaust, China and the Killing Fields, millions seemed to vanish for causes that are better hated than understood. Is there one conflict that we can look at than encapsulates the …
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Scourged and Crucified: A Good Friday Reflection
In all of their glorification of the "giants of the faith," evangelicals either overlook or ignore the fact that same giants were usually far better versed in the classics of antiquity than is common today.  To some extent this is understandable: study of these works has taken a beating the last fifty years, and we …
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Bossuet: Elevations On The Temptation And Fall Of Man
This series from Jaques-Benigne Bossuet's Elevations on the Mysteries, and specifically the Fifth Day, is complete. The table of contents for this is below. There is more here on the Bossuet Project. The snake. The temptation. Eve is attacked before Adam. The tempter proceeds by underhanded questioning to first produce a doubt. Answer of Eve …
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Positive Infinity 