Pope Francis

How the China deal betrays the Second Vatican Council

The Vatican's agreement with Beijing signifies the abandonment of Vatican II's political vision

Matthew Schmitz

The Orthodox Church is on the brink of a new Great Schism

Tensions over Ukraine threaten to tear apart the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians

The big story of the past seven days

✣ pope calls unprecedented abuse summit what happened? two letters that benedict xvi wrote to his friend cardinal walter brandmüller last no...

The best of the web

✣ highlights from the week online why being a nun beats the olympics a cbs report asked why more and more young british women are joining re...

In brief

warsaw apostolic visitor outlines plans to expand medjugorje a polish archbishop appointed by pope francis to oversee the marian shrine at m...

Bishops: The real synod

next month’s gathering will be dominated by one issue the forthcoming ordinary general assembly of the synod of bishops is dedicated to “you...

Christopher R. Altieri

Ember Days: The return of penance

bishops are enlisting lay people for a spiritual crusade against corruption the ember days recall an age when the rhythms of human life were...

Michael Warren Davis

Diary: by Michael Hodges

i am writing this on the feast of our lady of walsingham, overlooking the terrace of villa palazzola outside rome, which offers stunning vie...

Interview: Metropolitan Hilarion on the Orthodox crisis

when i met the senior russian orthodox official metropolitan hilarion in lisbon last week, i asked him about the current crisis in the ortho...

Filipe D'Avillez

Orthodoxy on the brink

for centuries, the archbishops of constantinople could credibly claim to be the “ecumenical patriarch”. their see was the “new rome”, centre...