People who have known Pope Leo for a long time help fill in his portrait for the rest of us.

The IRS decision on the Johnson Amendment feeds the culture wars, but makes no substantive difference. All sound and fury.

The new Vatican document on implementing the synod gives us all a map on how to proceed.

Happy 4th of July. In advance of next year's semiquincentennial, I rewatched Ken Burns' documentary on Jefferson. It is a good place to start.

Can Mamdani make democratic socialism palatable?

With July 4th coming, we should shine a light on Trump's un-American activities like masked law enforcement and raiding church property.

Eight new US archbishops get the pallium this Sunday, marking a significant shift in the U.S. hierarchy.

Were the airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities moral? Likely yes, but if the preliminary intel that the facilities were not destroyed proves true, then the moral case is weaker. Wars must be winnable to be just.

A report from the Vatican on debt and development is really important. It should get more attention than it will given the war in the Mideast.

The Supreme Court upheld a TN law banning certain procedures for minors who identify as transgender. Did the court get it right?

Is the tide of public opinion turning on immigration?

Federalizing the Nat'l Guard and hosting a Mussolini-esque military parade are worrying, but sending the Marines onto the streets of an American city is the real danger.

The Church needs to do more to support the protesters in LA and also to keep the protests peaceful, you know, witness to Christ, that sort of thing.

Here is a look at what some looming decisions will tell us about Pope Leo's approach to leadership.

Pope Leo's one month anniversary is Sunday. Are there any tea leaves yet? And what are they indicating?

The Polish elections offered voters a binary choice. Why can't we get the best of both liberalism and populism?

Trump's foreign policy ignores the nation's values and interests, but he, his family and his pals are at the trough making sure the grift machine is working

Here is Part II of my review of Fr. Mark Massa S.J.'s new, and seminal, book on Catholic Fundamentalism.

Here is Part I of my review of a new book by Fr. Mark Massa, S.J., about Catholic fundamentalism.

697 Harvard men and women died in WWII. In Vietnam that number was 22. The loss of social solidarity those numbers contain is one more marker in our national decline.