Ever since Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia twenty-two years ago, Western observers have tried to discern his ideology. Is he a Russian nationalist bent on reconstituting the Russian Empire or a neo-Communist, angry over the collapse of the Soviet Union? Perhaps he’s simply a “patriot” without any actual ideology but who practices a … Read more
Not since the Civil War has the United States been so divided. This is most apparent in politics but also in our culture, religion, economics, morality, mentality and ways of life. It erupts in school board meetings in the Midwest no less than in Congress. It sometimes leads to violence, as it did during the … Read more
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, most of the focus attention has been on the military and humanitarian aspects of the conflict. The war is, after all, a geopolitical earthquake, the worst fighting and refugee crisis on European soil since World War II. It is possible that the war in Ukraine will … Read more
If there were a single image that summarizes the whole of 2021, it is the big American C-17 airplane taking off from the Kabul Airport runway surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians. In a pathetic attempt to escape the Taliban with their lives, some managed to grab hold of the airplane and take off into … Read more
The dramatic images of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban cannot help but evoke the strikingly similar scenes from the defeat of South Vietnam 46 years ago. Thousands of people physically clinging to airplanes, triumphant Taliban fighters posing in the Afghan presidential palace and helicopters snatching up the last embassy officials off rooftops are … Read more
On June 18, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted 168 to 55 to draft a document outlining conditions for the proper reception of Holy Communion for Catholics. The Doctrine Committee of the Bishops Conference will write and submit it for approval at the bishops’ November gathering. Although his name was not mentioned … Read more
A few days after his inauguration, Joe Biden made a radical yet largely unnoticed declaration on Twitter: “Let’s be clear: Transgender equality is the civil rights issue of our time. There is no room for compromise when it comes to basic human rights.” We are living in what CNN called our “transgender moment.” “Transgenderism”—the “T” … Read more
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the breakup of the Soviet Union, the world’s first communist state. In 1991, the Western world was euphoric at the supposed “death” of communism and the end of the Cold War. The suddenness with which both the USSR and the Berlin Wall fell led some observers to believe … Read more
Following the Capitol invasion and Joe Biden’s inauguration, most American conservatives are feeling disoriented, fearful and even in despair about America’s future. This is not entirely unreasonable. Democrats want to impose California-style election laws on the whole country, admit the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as states and outright persecute conservative speech – ensuring … Read more
In September 2018, the Vatican and Communist China signed a landmark agreement, in which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agreed to recognize the Catholic Church as a legal entity in China. In exchange, the Vatican conceded to the CCP the power to appoint bishops, over which the Vatican retains the right of veto. Although both … Read more
