Last week the Associated Press breathlessly announced that federal grant money given to the Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC) may have helped support –gasp– political activity to protect the definition of marriage in Iowa state law. While unable to find any smoking gun or direct evidence that what the Iowa Family Policy Center did with its award money was illegal, the AP author Ryan Fol... More

In my mind, Rick Santorum has been one of the greatest champions on life and marriage over the last few decades. I freely admit, however, that he faces a daunting task of convincing enough voters to support his campaign for president. Nonetheless, let me come to his defense in what Thomas wrote about him. When Santorum told a CNN interviewer that the Church taught that homosexuality is wrong, Thom... More

Rick Santorum did a great job last night in his interview with Piers Morgan on CNN. He had to deal with some stupid questions (“How are you going to make yourself sexy on the national stage?”) and rude, gotcha questions: (“How would you feel if one of your sons turned around one day and said, ‘Dad, I’m gay’?”) but Rick handled even these jabs articulately ... More

Class, let’s compare Newsweek covers. Let’s start by comparing the photos they chose of Michele Bachmann and Hillary Clinton … Which politician does Newsweek like? Which does it hate? When does Newsweek hate women to be forceful? When does the magazine like women to be forceful? Reminds me of  last election … And it reminds me of Newsweek’s treatment of certain women... More

Rachel Zoll of the Associated Press has a somewhat breathless article today on the conservative Catholic blogosphere. She interviewed me for the story so I was interested to see how she fit my work into the rest of her narrative. Here’s how she begins: Pressure is on to change the Roman Catholic Church in America, but it’s not coming from the usual liberal suspects. A new breed of the... More

I wrote yesterday that I thought Catholic commentators were unfairly piling on to the UK Papal Visit Team after the British Tabloids went after them for publishing an “embarrassing” glossary which, they claimed, demeaned the Mass. My radar went up because I thought to myself, “since when are the British tabloids so concerned about the Mass being treated with reverence?” In... More

The UK Daily Mail has published an article today which I fear does a disservice to the UK Papal Visit Team. Here is the Daily Mail’s headline and lead: “The Pope star, headlining at a gig near you: Catholic bishops under fire for ‘cringe-making’ guide to the Papal visit Catholic bishops have likened the Pope to the headline act at a series of gigs in a ‘cringe-worthy’ ... More

The mind boggles. Simply boggles. Look at this Washington Post headline and its byline on the recent Limbo decision: Mercy trumps ‘theological hypothesis’ Panel rules that Catholics are free to reject church’s teachings on limbo Now, a little golden gem from the article’s body: While the church is often viewed as a top-down organization in which bishops tell ordinary Cath... More

The AFP starts us out: VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict reportedly lashed out against laws that he said threaten the family and social order, saying none “can overturn that of the Creator.” “No law made by man can overturn that of the Creator without dramatically affecting society in its very foundation,” said the pope, according to the I-Media news agency, which r... More