I recently heard a man describe Russian President Vladimir Putin as being “like Hitler”. He was explaining Russia’s “invasion” of the Crimea to one of his children. I know the man pretty well, and know that like the majority of … Continue reading
Category: Articles
Two Chivalrous Defenders of Saint Joan of Arc: Georges Bernanos and Hilaire Belloc
Five years before the beginning of World War I, Joan of Arc was Beatified by Pope Saint Pius X. (It was on 18 April 1909 in Paris.) A little more than a decade later, and after the devastating 1914-1918 War, … Continue reading
Introduction to Apologetics
Apologetics is a Greek word compounded from apo and logos, meaning “to give a reason for.” St. Peter uses it in his first epistle: “But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that … Continue reading
Through Belloc’s Eyes: Saint Patrick’s Person and Presence
Slightly more than a century ago, four years before World War I began, and six years before the Easter Rising in Dublin, Hilaire Belloc published an essay on Saint Patrick of Ireland in one of his collections of varied essays, … Continue reading
March/April 2014 Mancipia
The March/ April 2014 Mancipia is now posted (scroll down for PDF). Back issues of this newsletter are linked from our downloads page. If you would like to receive our bi-monthly newsletter via U.S. mail, please sign up to get … Continue reading
A Review of ‘The Church Under Attack’
My favorite popular Catholic historian has done it again! How does she do it? Dr. Diane Moczar seems to have a gift not only for digging up and remembering thousands of details of Catholic history throughout the ages, but she … Continue reading
The Consequences of Character
In my ongoing efforts to understand certain policies of Pope Pius XI — especially his ecumenical Ostpolitik towards Bolshevik-Soviet Russia (1922-1933) and his correlative (and concurrent) conciliatory policy towards Leftist France (especially during the years 1925-1927) — I came across … Continue reading
Remembering Fr. Bradley
In the 1980s, during an evening meal at our home, after the eight children had gone to bed, Father Bradley festively and inimitably narrated with tears of mirth how three Jesuit priests of quite different character once found a house … Continue reading
Should the Good Times Roll?
The season of Septuagesima in which we find ourselves has a number of popular names: “Carnival” from carne vale – farewell to meat, in token of the approach of Lent. Another is Mardi Gras – “Fat Tuesday,” the last day … Continue reading
Getting What We Deserve
Registering his thoughts on an article by me published on the SBC website a couple of months ago, “When Government Fails,” Gene De, a regular website visitor whose frequent comments are always intelligent and welcome, posted this: “Because spiritual sloth … Continue reading
What is ‘Inculturation?’
The recently-completed season of Christmas has many lessons to teach us. One is that every nation has its own way of celebrating the mystery of the Incarnation. Indeed, as numerous websites show us, the ways of expressing belief in the … Continue reading
February 6, 1934: A Royalist Last Stand
February 6 is a date that means nothing to Americans but it is the anniversary of one of the most memorable events in modern French history, an event with repercussions not merely for the French but other peoples belonging to … Continue reading
On Being ‘Single Issue’
Joseph Sobran will go down as one of the great American thinkers of our time. Now, Mr. Sobran is considered controversial in some circles, due largely to his not-so-amicable break with William F. Buckley. But I don’t think Sobran set … Continue reading
What is America?
Nothing reflects the strangely mixed nature of our country so much as the uniquely American way of celebrating Christmas. The Christmas Tree is German; Santa Claus, via Clement Moore, Thomas Nast, the old New York Sun, and Coca-Cola, Dutch; holly … Continue reading
“The Betrothed”, Alessandro Manzoni and Pope Pius XI
After recently discovering some previously-unknown-to-me, trustworthy reports about the generous diplomatic and priestly sacramental presence of the future Pope Pius XI (Monsignor Achille Ratti) in Poland towards the end of World War I and during the gravely consequential Battle of … Continue reading
