[Sept. 24, 2023] Back in June of 2019, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski published a piece at Rorate Caeli exploring on how pre-Vatican II catechisms treated the subject of capital punishment. Entitled "What Good is a Changing Catechism?", the article demonstrated a consistent teaching on the liceity of the death penalty going back to Council of Trent at least. I also published an article on the subject ("Pre-Vatican II Catechisms on the Capital Punishment") arguing the same. These collections of pre-Conciliar catechism quotes are important pieces of evidence displaying an indisputable continutity of the Church's teaching across the generations.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Thursday, September 14, 2023
An Injustice from the Beginning
Sunday, September 03, 2023
Book Review: Blosser & Sullivan's Speaking in Tongues: A Critical Historical Examination
Saturday, August 26, 2023
The Church's Historical Blindspot
Sunday, August 13, 2023
On the Superior Merit of the Traditional Mass
Since one of the primary obligations of those in authority in the Church is the glory of God through the salvation of souls, they have the obligation to encourage, and, in some cases, require the ritual of the Mass which is most efficacious.
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Stop Using This Word So Recklessly
Tuesday, August 08, 2023
"The Pope's Authority is Bound to the Tradition"
Saturday, July 29, 2023
The Obedience of St. Padre Pio
Monday, July 17, 2023
Tucho Fernández's "Essentialist" View of Scripture
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Saturday, July 15, 2023
The Cardinalate's 80-Year Rule—A Critique
Sunday, July 09, 2023
A Template for Great Homilies
[July 9, 2023] I was vacationing this week and attended the diocesan Traditional Latin Mass at St. Anne's in Hamilton, Ontario. The celebrant was Fr. Ian Duffy. I have been to the TLM in Hamilton before, but this was my first experience with Fr. Ian. I am happy to say that Fr. Ian not only delivered a splendid homily, but that it was so solid that it could serve as a template for good homiletical practice in general. I wanted to highlight the four qualities I found so refreshing about Fr. Ian's homily:
Saturday, July 01, 2023
Pius XI, Pope of the Missions
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Anniversarius Sextus Decimus
Over the years, many of you have reached out to me and expressed gratitude in particular for the articles on subjects like spirituality, maintaining faith, and dealing with disappointment or doubt. I am humbled that the reflections posted here have been a source of edification to many.
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Death Penalty: Miscontextualizing Pope Nicholas in Fratelli Tutti
In this essay, I will demonstrate that Pope Francis's 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti miscontextualizes a quote from Pope Nicholas I (858-867) on the subject of capital punishment, making it look as if Pope Nicholas affirmed something beyond what he actually did. Our study will take us through a fair amount of history and textual analysis, but it will all serve to make the point clear in the end.
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Post-Conciliar Turmoil Memorialized in Stone
I recently paid a visit to Belmont Abbey in Belmont, North Carolina. Belmont Abbey was founded as a Benedictine monastery back in 1876; there is still a functional Abbey there, though today it is better known as the site of Belmont Abbey College.