The Blackwater affair has all the clichéd elements of Hollywood conspiracy “thrillers”: an atrocity cover-up, a right-wing Christian villain at the helm of a powerful corporation, assassinations, and illicit sex. Blackwater (now known as Xe for image reasons) is the world’s most powerful security firm, having expanded its operations in tempo with U.S. intervention in the Middle East. And for the … [Read More]

Last month marked the fourth anniversary of what must be seen as the most exciting event in the Catholic Church in this writer’s lifetime: the election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI. At that time I was doing commentary for ABC on the various ceremonies connected with the death of one Pontiff and the emergence of another. The outcome … [Read More]

In 1914, on the very eve of the Great War, G.K. Chesterton published his humorous novel The Flying Inn. The story concerned a Turkish plot to invade England, all with the connivance of Britain’s progressive elite. At the superficial level, Chesterton’s fears of the Ottoman Empire must have seemed preposterous. Turkey had long been the “sick man of Europe,” and it … [Read More]

As Christians around the world wait by the tomb, reenacting the vigil of the Blessed Virgin and the Apostles, we do our best to replicate their grief, and gratitude, and hope. Such efforts will shape the life of every sacramental Christian, from Rome to Vladivostok, Iona to Patagonia, who falters in the footsteps of our fathers: the foolish and failing fishermen, … [Read More]