Why is L.A.’s Cardinal Mahony, of all people, playing such a visible role in Pope Francis’ burial rites?
Luke Coppen
Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, will be a controversial participant in Friday’s ceremony to close Pope Francis’ coffin, and Saturday’s papal burial. The 89-year-old cardinal, who in 2013 was briefly relieved of administrative and public duties in the LA archdiocese by his successor in office over his handling of abuse cases, will be among eight cardinals required to attend the April 25 rite in St. Peter’s Basilica to close the pope’s coffin...

Listen: The Cotton Pickin’ Kids perform ‘I’ll Fly Away’...

A (Very Short) History of US Presidents Attending Papal Funerals...
Matthew McDonald
Within hours of Pope Francis’ death Easter Monday, President Donald Trump told the world that he plans to attend his funeral.“Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!” the president said on Truth Social.But not so many popes ago, such an announcement by an American president would have been unthinkable. For most of its history, the U.S. government sent no one to the funeral of the bishop of Rome.

‘Conclave’ Fact vs. Fiction: What Does the Hit Movie Get Right and Wrong?

6 Paradoxes of Francis’ Papacy...
Andrea Gagliarducci
Paradoxical and incomplete: The pontificate of Pope Francis can be summed up in these two words. Only time will tell whether his leadership has given a permanent new direction to the Church; whether its mentality changed fundamentally under his leadership, or whether Francis was the only revolutionary; whether people were meaningfully implementing the changes he wrought, or simply waiting for everything to pass around him.

Cardinal Becciu Wants to Vote in Conclave Despite Being Ineligible...
Edward Pentin
Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu is insisting he is eligible to vote in the coming conclave despite having resigned from his rights as a cardinal and his subsequent conviction for embezzlement and other crimes which he is currently appealing. In April 22 comments to local Italian media as he left his native Sardinia for Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, Cardinal Becciu said...

One thing the modern Supreme Court can agree on is disagreeing over religion...

With Pierced Hands, Jesus Folded the Last Sign of Death — and Walked Into New Life...

Humanities Syllabus for April: Healing and Purification...
Bishop James Conley
Moving from Lent to Easter may be the hardest transition of the liturgical year. As our 40-day fast gives way to the feasting of our celebration of the Resurrection, we can lose our spiritual focus. Without the urgency of prayer and penance, the joy of Jesus’s victory may pass us by. During the season of Lent, we embraced the Cross...

Warren Hern Retires, Closing One of America’s Most Notorious Late-Term Abortion Clinics...

What’s the difference between classical and modern ‘progressive’ education?

From the USCCB: Liturgical Resources for the Death of Pope Francis...

Looking Back on a Pontificate...
George Weigel
During the March 2013 interregnum following the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI, and in the conclave itself, proponents of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ, as Benedict’s successor described him as an orthodox, tough-minded, courageous reformer who would clean the Vatican’s Augean stables while maintaining the theological and pastoral line that had guided the Church since John Paul II’s election in 1978: dynamic orthodoxy in service to a revitalized proclamation of the Gospel, in a world badly needing the witness and charity of a Church of missionary disciples.

I Know Pain. Christ Gives it Meaning. Francis Helped the World See This...
Charles Lewis
Pope Francis battled to the end. He fought through his great suffering. The way he died showed the real measure of the man. Amazing how one moment in an 88-year life can be so defining, so inspiring. He didn’t die alone. Jesus was with him till his last breath. Mary, too, watched over him. He showed us how suffering can be noble — how life is still valuable even in the last hours.

Scientists Discover Secret To Dead Sea Scroll’s Incredible Preservation — And Possibly Its Destruction...

I worked for Pope Francis. Here is what he was really like...

God rest the Pope. Here’s what comes next...