Today is Presidents Day. Though America has had only one Catholic president, we’ve had some presidents with very good relationships with Catholics, including some popes. I’ve written about Ronald Reagan and those relationships. I’ve also so written about George W. Bush. Bush was very sympathetic to Catholics, so much so that some speculated that he was considering converting to the Cath... More

December 2011 might not be an anniversary on the minds of American Catholics, but it is close and near and dear to the hearts of Polish Catholics. As American Catholics, we ought to pause here, today, to consider why. The reasons are historically and even spiritually inspiring. It was 30 years ago, December 13, 1981, that martial law was imposed upon Poland by the communist government. Poles... More

Frequently, when I start out bugging people for their opinions on some breaking news of one sort or another, I have no idea what I’ll get in return. I had some expectations when asking for reactions to the death of Vaclav Havel, but was quickly inundated with deeply moving tributes. Among them, a vivid image from John Paul II biographer George Weigel: To extend Fr. Józef Tischner’s brill... More

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on. Mitt Romney suggests that Newt Gingrich should return over a million dollars in consulting money to failed housing giant Freddie Mac. Gingrich responds suggesting that Romney return money he earned at Bain for laying people off. Newt’s response backfires big time. http://is.gd/jqLHqv If Romney or Gingrich ... More

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on. Herman Cain told his senior staff that he is “reassessing” whether to remain in the race. http://cvote.to/8u Blessed Pope John Paul II’s Bible and walking stick were untouched from a devastating fire at Catholic retreat center. Consider that a sign. http://cvote.to/8v Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., D-PA, the p... More

Happy Feast Day of Blessed John Paul! In honor of his feast day, Little i Apps is offering FOR FREE their John Paul eVotion App today. You can download the app for your Android and your iPhone. Why don’t you download the app and join us in a novena to Blessed John Paul for our families, for our Church, and for our country? The app even has a daily reminder to pray the novena. (If you donR... More

Wednesday night in Oxford, England, Leonie Caldecott watched her play, The Quality of Mercy, debut on stage (all while working the sound!), as part of England’s sharing in Pope John Paul II’s beatification celebration. Yes, they found some oxygen there for something other than the royal nuptials! Caldecott’s play finds young Brits in Rome in 2005, as Pope John Paul II is nearing the end of h... More

“The death of Pope John Paul II is a loss for humanity. He was the leader of the largest Christian church in the world and a moral leader. “John Paul II stood against the immorality of communism and ensured that the Church would remain a bulwark of moral truth. He stood for the sanctity of life in a time where the culture of death has made steady advance in western civilization. His leadership... More

The Knights of Columbus asked me to write a reflection on what Pope John Paul the Great meant to me and to Millennial Catholics. I will be in Rome this Sunday for JP2′s Beatification Mass, so this was an excellent opportunity to gather my thoughts: I was born in 1985, almost eight years into the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. Like millions of young Catholics around the world, I grew up k... More

I was born in 1985, almost eight years into the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. Like millions of young Catholics around the world, I grew up knowing only him as the pope and universal shepherd of the Church. In grade school I learned about popes who had preceded him, but if I wanted to see a pope, and when I heard about what a pope was doing and saying now, all of my experience was of Pope John ... More