Distinctly Catholic

Michael Sean Winters analyzes the worlds of religion and politics and the always fascinating estuary where the two collide.

Will the Vatican's accord with China reweave the unity of the church?

by Michael Sean Winters

Mar 18, 2019

Distinctly Catholic: Francis has made dialogue a leitmotif of his papacy, and so it should not surprise anyone that he is also committed to dialogue in regards to both healing the divisions within the Chinese Church and proclaiming the Gospel in that country.

President Donald Trump delivers his second State of the Union address Feb. 5 at the Capitol in Washington. (CNS/Doug Mills, pool via Reuters)

Trump's failures and flip-flops have real-life consequences

by Michael Sean Winters

Mar 15, 2019

Distinctly Catholic: Underneath the tiring and tiresome drama of government as entertainment, the administration's decisions are undermining the common good.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a Jan. 12 campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire (Flickr/Marc Nozell)

Links for 3/14/19

by Michael Sean Winters

Mar 14, 2019

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Accountable Capitalism Act; unions organizing for the common good; rich folks' legal and illegal ways to game the system.

Pope Francis arrives for his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Feb. 27. (CNS/Reuters/Yaraara Nardi)

Sixth year may go down as the most decisive in Francis' papacy

by Michael Sean Winters

Mar 13, 2019

Distinctly Catholic: Since the cardinals elected him as pope in March 2013, Francis has retrieved a sense of synodality that had been obscured, though never eliminated from the church.

Columns ›

Will the Vatican's accord with China reweave the unity of the church?

Trump's failures and flip-flops have real-life consequences

Links for 3/14/19

Sixth year may go down as the most decisive in Francis' papacy

Links for 3/12/19

The cancer of anti-Semitism must be excised from the Left

What to do when the president is a crook

Links for 3/7/19

Four years later, will Americans still 'feel the Bern'?

Links for 3/5/19

'Vatican I' reveals that roots of papal authority are relatively recent

'Vatican I' examines pre-conciliar movements that threatened the church

Links for 2/28/19

Reaction of conservative Catholics to abuse summit reveals a lot

Links for 2/26/19

The church took a large step forward after abuse summit

Martel's Vatican closet book exposes his motives and mistakes, not truth

Sen. Klobuchar has candor, clarity, strength

Links for 2/20/19

People seize on McCarrick laicization for their own agendas

New stars of the left need to learn to persuade

We do not need another businessman in the White House, Mr. Schultz

Links for 2/14/19

No clear-cut solution to sex abuse, but next week's meeting won't be a failure

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