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A Philadelphia-area native offers an unlettered layman’s perspective.

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Pomp and Plainness

The Catholic Church just selected a new Pope, amid much pomp and circumstance. Some 133 old guys who had achieved the rank of “Cardinal” cast their votes in the Sistine Chapel, one of the world’s most intricately decorated sacred spaces, while dressed in flowing red vestments and matching caps.

The New Pope’s True Colors

Having beaten the odds to be selected as the first Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church from the United States, the low-key, little-known Bob Prevost is now an object of the world’s attention, as we all wonder what he will do next as Pope Leo XIV.

The Coming Trumpian Pope

As 133 Cardinals from around the world gather in Rome this week for a sequestered conclave to select the new Pope, some American Catholics are hoping the next guy will be an arch-conservative disrupter in the mold of our current President.

The Room Next Door

Are you in the mood for a well-crafted meditation on terminal illness, abiding friendship, the restorative beauty of nature, and the highly controversial subject of how to live and die with dignity?

On Electoral Mandates

I get that our two major political parties see things differently and have different priorities when it comes to legislation and tending to the common good. But why does the language we use to discuss these differences have to be so adversarial so much of the time?

Oh, Mary

This alternate-universe take on Mary Todd Lincoln has conquered Broadway and received rave reviews. We attended just the other night, as part of a sold-out house.

Suffs

When my wife and I visited the Big Apple this week and took in the musical Suffs right before it’s nearly year-long run came to an end, I was approaching the show with a sense of obligation.

The Joy of Proficiency

There is nothing better in this world than encountering someone who has embraced their role in life, is at peace with who they are, and is good at what they do.

Doctrinal vs. Pastoral

If you style yourself a secularist who shuns organized religion, you may not have a rooting interest in the great debate that rages within sectarian circles: whether it is better to be doctrinally pure, or pastorally sensitive.

Anora

The new film Anora is a 2024 Palme d’Or winner that my wife and a close friend of hers decided we should go see, so off we went.

Feeling an Idea

Last night my dream had an unusual quality that will be difficult to describe. It unfolded rather slowly. I was conscious of what was happening and remember wanting to continue, anticipating the next exchange or encounter.

The Politics of Love

Being set in one’s ways is often cited as a hurdle to forging a new intimate relationship later in life. One person likes to go to bed early, the other likes to stay up a bit longer – that sort of thing. Sometimes the differences go much deeper.

Economic Clarity

Over the course of his twelve-year run as pope, Francis has made it pretty clear appeasing First World sensibilities is not his top priority. We here in the United States have not always known what to make of this, since his lack of deference can seem like disrespect at times.

Sowing Confusion?

An aged and increasingly infirm Pope Francis may not be around much longer, but it seems he can’t leave this mortal coil soon enough to suit his conservative detractors.

New Dumb Movies

There is apparently more money available to finance original streaming content than there are scripts worthy of being filmed.

August Politics

As for this month’s rendition of retail presidential politics, things are continuing apace. Kamala Harris is keeping things simple and sticking to the basics. Donald Trump for his part is the very definition of a one-trick pony.

Biden Will Be Fine

President Biden’s performance at last Thursday night’s debate was so bad it prompted immediate calls for him to step down from the ticket, for the good of the country.

Tuesday (The Movie)

Tuesday is the latest movie to land on my list of all-time favorites. It is advertised as a meditation on mortality, so right away you know this is not going to be a summer blockbuster.

What J.D. Vance Believes

You may recognize this as the title of a recent interview Ross Douthat published on June 13 in The New York Times, conducted with the first-term Senator from Ohio and best-selling author of Hillbilly Elegy. Then again, you may not.

The Nest

With it being so hard to find something worthwhile to watch these days, I wanted to give a shout out to a quiet little movie, The Nest.

Stephen Greenblatt’s Tyrant

Since no amount of scandal seems able to deter Donald Trump from recapturing the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in the upcoming Fall election, now might be a good time to look back and review one of the more unique analyses of his improbable first win in 2016.

The Truth’s Long, Hard Slog

The conservative Catholic commentator Christopher Manion has been around a long time, and is well into the eminence grise stage of his career. Perhaps not as well-known as some other conservative Catholic thought-leaders who possess a somewhat higher public profile, Manion nevertheless has a reliable following in certain circles.

Leaving the Family Homestead

I am in the process of selling the property where I’ve lived for the last 30 years, the place where my ex-wife and I raised our four children. It wasn’t that long ago I was telling anyone who would listen I was never going to leave this place, never going to sell this property. But things change.

Political Economy at Christendom College

Christendom College is a small liberal arts school whose rural campus is located just outside the sleepy little town of Front Royal, Virginia. It prides itself on not taking any government funding, which allows it to dodge unwanted federal mandates on curriculum.

Volkswagen in America

Auto workers at a Volkswagen assembly plant in Tennessee voted to join a union this month, after similar attempts to unionize at that same plant failed to gain the necessary majorities in 2014 and 2019.

Protesting the War in Gaza

This week the ongoing pro-Palestinian protests, which at times have included some unforgivable excesses directed at Jewish students, spread from a few high-profile universities on the East Cost to many different college campuses across the United States.

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