Religious persecution is starting up again in Nicaragua and the media do not seem to be interested. The small Central American country suffered a similar persecution from 1979-1990. At that time, the nation was ruled by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a Marxist-inspired guerrilla group. The Sandinista victory was made possible … Read more
Forty-four years ago, the Brazilian Catholic thinker Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira took a public stand against the Holy See’s policy of détente with the communist governments of the time. He published a statement titled, “The Vatican Policy of Détente with Communist Governments – Should the TFPs Stand Down? Or Should They Resist?” … Read more
Justice Anthony Kennedy has just announced his retirement from the Supreme Court. Everyone is talking about who will be his replacement. Much is at stake. For the liberals, it could spell the end to the precarious situation in which Kennedy’s swing vote has brought them many major victories and some small defeats. … Read more
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” wrote poet Robert Frost. In the opening line to his famous poem, “Mending Wall,” Frost explores one of the mysteries of fallen human nature. Everyone feels both a need and aversion for order. His questioning of the role of walls tries to explain this … Read more
There was a time when the nation was ruled by a group of people that set the course for the country. Their children usually followed in their footsteps. This group of people tended to consolidate their wealth and pass it along to future generations. They formed what has been called a social … Read more
Aloysius was born in March 1568 into one of the most illustrious families in Christendom—his father (the Marquis of Castiglione) and his mother had served at the court of Philip II of Spain; a cousin was the Duke of Mantua; and a Gonzaga often sat in the College of Cardinals (three in … Read more
Extreme Noise Terror, Pungent Stench and Pestilence are all disagreeable topics of conversation for most people. They should be avoided in polite company. However, these repugnant things enjoy some favor in today’s postmodern society. The three topics are actually the names of death metal bands casually mentioned in a recent newspaper article. … Read more
A friend of mine works at a health clinic in a medium-sized town in the Midwest. He told me about a peculiar kind of patient that comes in for treatment. They are young and old, rich and poor. They are men and women. It is safe to say they represent a cross … Read more
It was not without some anxiety that I got into the van to travel some three hours to our protest in front of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on June 9. Even if only a few people showed up, I had resolved to be there. We would be protesting the … Read more
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal brought home just how our attitudes about sexual relationships have become dangerously trivial and mechanical. It showed how we have lost the sense of decency, morality, and shame. The article reported on new apps that allow those who engage in casual relationships to tell … Read more