This Sunday, Jesus, the ‘Undercover Boss,’ Is Seeking You Out, Too...
The Gospel reading at Mass takes us back to the very first Easter Sunday, where two disciples are joined by Jesus “in disguise”as they are headed out of town as soon as they can after the crucifixion. We are on the same journey, and Jesus is talking to us, too — whether or not we notice...
Danish Courtesy, Agreeing to Disagree, and the Soccer Super Bowl...
I have some long thoughts I’d like to think out loud with you today, so I am going to keep the preambles short this week. In fact, I just wanted to bring to your attention the story of St. Donan, whose feast it is today. He was a seventh century Irish monk who lived in a monastery on the Scottish island of Eigg...
King Arthur in the Lives of the Saints...
The literature of King Arthur exerts a powerful gravitational pull, drawing in history, lore, legend, fiction, poetry, folktale, art, and even faith. The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, a catalog of all things Arthur, is roughly the size of a phonebook, and until you’ve dug past the first layer...
How to Avoid Another Blowup at Notre Dame...
Another blowup. The recent eruption at Notre Dame over the appointment of an abortion rights advocate to the directorship of the Liu Institute is the latest in a succession of public controversies that span my twenty-five years on the faculty. They arrive as often as the fall football season...
A Pause, a Peace, and a ‘Cup of Poison’: How Wars End in Iran...
Would You Pass the Royals’ Cleaning Test? Check Out What They Make Prospective Hires Do...
The One Regret I Didn’t Know I Had...
Experience teaches you a lot over time. What works. What doesn’t. What matters, and what doesn’t matter nearly as much as you once thought it did. It also reshapes memory. The sharp edges of regret begin to soften. What once felt like mistakes slowly reveal themselves as part of a larger path...
Defusing the F-Bomb...
I was at a car repair shop recently, and the owner was telling me about how he and his father founded the business decades ago. As we spoke about his father’s character and work ethic, he mentioned almost in passing that his dad was adamant there would be no vulgar language used by employees in the shop...
What Was the Avignon Papacy?
As the mighty Rhône River flows down from Switzerland, through France, and out into the Mediterranean Sea, it passes through an urban area nicknamed the “City of the Popes.” On a rocky outcrop on the river’s left bank stands a Gothic building that is one of the most important papal edifices outside of Rome. It is the Palace of the Popes...
Global Sound Map Lets You Hear the World in 8,000 Places...
Trump Post of Himself as ‘Jesus’ Includes Strange Horned Creature Not in Original...
Divine Mercy Sunday Reminds Us That, Without Jesus, Humans Are Bound for Hell...
Why Not Cover Church-State Wars in Finland?
Artemis II, Carroll Wiseman and the Catholic Connection...
Pope’s Cameroon Visit Puts Archbishop Nkea in the Spotlight...
When will Pope Leo come home to the United States?
Artemis II: A Time to Look to the Heavens...
I can’t read John Chapter 20 without cracking a smile...
Pope Leo XIV Denounces Trump ‘Whole Civilization Will Die’ Threat Against Iran...
Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi: Pope Leo Urges World Leaders to Lay Down Weapons...
Pope Leo XIV Carries Cross for Via Crucis at Colosseum in Rome...
Facing Away, Franciscan Horseshoe Theory, and a Moon, If You Can Keep It...
‘Hamnet’ and the Quiet Triumph of the Christian Patriarchy...
Washington Post: Why Catholicism Is Drawing in Gen Z Men...
Returning to the Moon, Returning to God...
When the Pope (Maybe) Invented April Fool’s Day...
The Nails of the Crucifixion...
Something Beautiful Has Changed...
Fake Cops, Fake Judges: The Hollywood-Style Scam Poised to Go Global...
Vatican Affirms Future of Anglican Ordinariates: ‘A Precious Gift and a Treasure to Be Shared’...
Jerusalem Churches Reach Temporary Deal with Israeli Authorities over Holy Week Access...
Old Lines, New Thoughts: Writing Out a Gospel by Hand...
Because my Lent took a nosedive about two-thirds of the way through, I am still immersed in a project I undertook in order to get my spiritual groove back: Writing out the Gospel of Mark, in longhand. It has been a very interesting, instructive and spiritual enlivening experience and I recommend the practice to anyone...
10 Important Mountains in the Bible...
The Scriptures depict mountains as one of God’s favorite places for meeting with His children. Jesus Himself frequently retreated into the mountains when He needed time alone with the Father. And He delivered His most famous sermon on a mountain. With that in mind, here are ten of the most significant mountains that appear in the Bible.
The Dilemma of Teaching Religion...
G.K. Chesterton once remarked that “One of the chief uses of religion is that it makes us remember our coming from darkness, the simple fact that we are created.” Chesterton’s description of religion reflects the frustration I received from a parent some time ago, who asked me what the purpose of teaching religion is. The context of the question was about his son’s religion classes at school...
A Dispatch from Inside the Vatican Bubble During a Remarkable Exchange Between Pope and President...
Your Tribe Is Not Your Magisterium...
We are all biased in some ways. I am biased toward the state of Texas but against Communism. I will argue for the merits of bourbon, books, and Jesus. I dislike beets, cheap yard equipment, and fire ants. It is natural to have preferences, instincts, and convictions — these are part of being a particular person in a particular place.
Blessed Peter, Paul III, and Everything Else...
Last week, you’ll recall, a whole fracas emerged in the media about whether Cardinal Christophe Pierre had received some penumbra of a threat from U.S. Pentagon officials who were said to have made reference in the nuncio’s presence to the “Avignon papacy.” If such reference occurred, reporting suggested, it could have been taken as a veiled suggestion that the U.S. would act coercively against the Holy See or the Roman Pontiff.
New genetic study suggests Christopher Columbus came from Spanish nobility...
Apostolic Journey to Africa, Day 3: Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Cameroon ...
Pope Leo XIV in Algeria: ‘I Am Here Among You As a Pilgrim of Peace’...
Pope Leo XIV on Monday presented himself to Algeria’s diplomatic corps and civil society as “a pilgrim of peace,” urging a more just international order, warning against exclusion and inequality, and praising those who refuse to be “blinded by power or wealth.” Peace remained the central theme of the Pope’s first day in Algeria, following his earlier stop at the Martyrs’ Memorial...
Here’s a Ranking of the World’s 21 Deadliest Animals...
Pope Leo XIV Aboard Papal Flight to Algeria: ‘I Have No Fear of the Trump Administration’...
US-Iran Talks Collapse as Vance Cites Nuclear Impasse and Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace...
Harvard Social Scientist Arthur Brooks: ‘The World Needs American Catholicism’...
Living Well, Listening to Leo, and Living with the Dead...
His Mercy Endures: A Reflection on Divine Mercy Sunday...
We are children of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. Through this wondrous sign of His great mercy, the Father of Jesus has given us new birth, as we hear in today’s Epistle. Today’s First Reading sketches the “family life” of our first ancestors in the household of God (see 1 Peter 4:17). We see them doing what we still do—devoting themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, meeting daily to pray and celebrate...
Entertaining Angels in Transit...
Pope Leo XIV Welcomes Ceasefire in Iran as ‘Sign of Living Hope’...
The Lesson of Emmaus: Hospitality Is a Duty...
Archdiocese of Atlanta Makes Bid to Host 2030 World Youth Day...
How Catholic Underground’s Eucharistic Adoration Draws Hundreds to Manhattan Church...
This Sunday, Christ Rose and Will Convince the World, If We Tell Them...
Did Jesus have to suffer to save us?
Good Friday Via Crucis in Rome: ‘Faith, Hope, Love Must Be Incarnated in Real World’...
Hallow Crunches the Numbers: Catholic Church Sees Massive Growth in New Members in 2026...
NASA’s Artemis II Begins Easter Week Mission Around the Moon...
National Catholic Register Editorial: Holy Week in a Time of War...
The Word That Towers Over Betrayal...
Estranged Families Walk the Way of the Cross...
How You Walk Might Reveal Your Risk of Death...
Seeing and Believing: A Reflection on Easter Sunday...
An Invitation to Know Jesus...
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The Complete List of Popes
- St. Peter (32-67)
- St. Linus (67-76)
- St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)
- St. Clement I (88-97)
- St. Evaristus (97-105)
- St. Alexander I (105-115)
- St. Sixtus I (115-125)
- St. Telesphorus (125-136)
- St. Hyginus (136-140)
- St. Pius I (140-155)
- St. Anicetus (155-166)
- St. Soter (166-175)
- St. Eleutherius (175-189)
- St. Victor I (189-199)
- St. Zephyrinus (199-217)
- St. Callistus I (217-22)
- St. Urban I (222-30)
- St. Pontian (230-35)
- St. Anterus (235-36)
- St. Fabian (236-50)
- St. Cornelius (251-53)
- St. Lucius I (253-54)
- St. Stephen I (254-257)
- St. Sixtus II (257-258)
- St. Dionysius (260-268)
- St. Felix I (269-274)
- St. Eutychian (275-283)
- St. Caius (283-296)
- St. Marcellinus (296-304)
- St. Marcellus I (308-309)
- St. Eusebius (309 or 310)
- St. Miltiades (311-14)
- St. Sylvester I (314-35)
- St. Marcus (336)
- St. Julius I (337-52)
- Liberius (352-66)
- St. Damasus I (366-84)
- St. Siricius (384-99)
- St. Anastasius I (399-401)
- St. Innocent I (401-17)
- St. Zosimus (417-18)
- St. Boniface I (418-22)
- St. Celestine I (422-32)
- St. Sixtus III (432-40)
- St. Leo I (the Great) (440-61)
- St. Hilarius (461-68)
- St. Simplicius (468-83)
- St. Felix III (II) (483-92)
- St. Gelasius I (492-96)
- Anastasius II (496-98)
- St. Symmachus (498-514)
- St. Hormisdas (514-23)
- St. John I (523-26)
- St. Felix IV (III) (526-30)
- Boniface II (530-32)
- John II (533-35)
- St. Agapetus I (535-36)
- St. Silverius (536-37)
- Vigilius (537-55)
- Pelagius I (556-61)
- John III (561-74)
- Benedict I (575-79)
- Pelagius II (579-90)
- St. Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)
- Sabinian (604-606)
- Boniface III (607)
- St. Boniface IV (608-15)
- St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-18)
- Boniface V (619-25)
- Honorius I (625-38)
- Severinus (640)
- John IV (640-42)
- Theodore I (642-49)
- St. Martin I (649-55)
- St. Eugene I (655-57)
- St. Vitalian (657-72)
- Adeodatus (II) (672-76)
- Donus (676-78)
- St. Agatho (678-81)
- St. Leo II (682-83)
- St. Benedict II (684-85)
- John V (685-86)
- Conon (686-87)
- St. Sergius I (687-701)
- John VI (701-05)
- John VII (705-07)
- Sisinnius (708)
- Constantine (708-15)
- St. Gregory II (715-31)
- St. Gregory III (731-41)
- St. Zachary (741-52)
- Stephen II (III) (752-57)
- St. Paul I (757-67)
- Stephen III (IV) (767-72)
- Adrian I (772-95)
- St. Leo III (795-816)
- Stephen IV (V) (816-17)
- St. Paschal I (817-24)
- Eugene II (824-27)
- Valentine (827)
- Gregory IV (827-44)
- Sergius II (844-47)
- St. Leo IV (847-55)
- Benedict III (855-58)
- St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)
- Adrian II (867-72)
- John VIII (872-82)
- Marinus I (882-84)
- St. Adrian III (884-85)
- Stephen V (VI) (885-91)
- Formosus (891-96)
- Boniface VI (896)
- Stephen VI (VII) (896-97)
- Romanus (897)
- Theodore II (897)
- John IX (898-900)
- Benedict IV (900-03)
- Leo V (903)
- Sergius III (904-11)
- Anastasius III (911-13)
- Lando (913-14)
- John X (914-28)
- Leo VI (928)
- Stephen VIII (929-31)
- John XI (931-35)
- Leo VII (936-39)
- Stephen IX (939-42)
- Marinus II (942-46)
- Agapetus II (946-55)
- John XII (955-63)
- Leo VIII (963-64)
- Benedict V (964)
- John XIII (965-72)
- Benedict VI (973-74)
- Benedict VII (974-83)
- John XIV (983-84)
- John XV (985-96)
- Gregory V (996-99)
- Sylvester II (999-1003)
- John XVII (1003)
- John XVIII (1003-09)
- Sergius IV (1009-12)
- Benedict VIII (1012-24)
- John XIX (1024-32)
- Benedict IX (1032-45)
- Sylvester III (1045)
- Benedict IX (1045)
- Gregory VI (1045-46)
- Clement II (1046-47)
- Benedict IX (1047-48)
- Damasus II (1048)
- St. Leo IX (1049-54)
- Victor II (1055-57)
- Stephen X (1057-58)
- Nicholas II (1058-61)
- Alexander II (1061-73)
- St. Gregory VII (1073-85)
- Blessed Victor III (1086-87)
- Blessed Urban II (1088-99)
- Paschal II (1099-1118)
- Gelasius II (1118-19)
- Callistus II (1119-24)
- Honorius II (1124-30)
- Innocent II (1130-43)
- Celestine II (1143-44)
- Lucius II (1144-45)
- Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)
- Anastasius IV (1153-54)
- Adrian IV (1154-59)
- Alexander III (1159-81)
- Lucius III (1181-85)
- Urban III (1185-87)
- Gregory VIII (1187)
- Clement III (1187-91)
- Celestine III (1191-98)
- Innocent III (1198-1216)
- Honorius III (1216-27)
- Gregory IX (1227-41)
- Celestine IV (1241)
- Innocent IV (1243-54)
- Alexander IV (1254-61)
- Urban IV (1261-64)
- Clement IV (1265-68)
- Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)
- Blessed Innocent V (1276)
- Adrian V (1276)
- John XXI (1276-77)
- Nicholas III (1277-80)
- Martin IV (1281-85)
- Honorius IV (1285-87)
- Nicholas IV (1288-92)
- St. Celestine V (1294)
- Boniface VIII (1294-1303)
- Blessed Benedict XI (1303-04)
- Clement V (1305-14)
- John XXII (1316-34)
- Benedict XII (1334-42)
- Clement VI (1342-52)
- Innocent VI (1352-62)
- Blessed Urban V (1362-70)
- Gregory XI (1370-78)
- Urban VI (1378-89)
- Boniface IX (1389-1404)
- Innocent VII (1404-06)
- Gregory XII (1406-15)
- Martin V (1417-31)
- Eugene IV (1431-47)
- Nicholas V (1447-55)
- Callistus III (1455-58)
- Pius II (1458-64)
- Paul II (1464-71)
- Sixtus IV (1471-84)
- Innocent VIII (1484-92)
- Alexander VI (1492-1503)
- Pius III (1503)
- Julius II (1503-13)
- Leo X (1513-21)
- Adrian VI (1522-23)
- Clement VII (1523-34)
- Paul III (1534-49)
- Julius III (1550-55)
- Marcellus II (1555)
- Paul IV (1555-59)
- Pius IV (1559-65)
- St. Pius V (1566-72)
- Gregory XIII (1572-85)
- Sixtus V (1585-90)
- Urban VII (1590)
- Gregory XIV (1590-91)
- Innocent IX (1591)
- Clement VIII (1592-1605)
- Leo XI (1605)
- Paul V (1605-21)
- Gregory XV (1621-23)
- Urban VIII (1623-44)
- Innocent X (1644-55)
- Alexander VII (1655-67)
- Clement IX (1667-69)
- Clement X (1670-76)
- Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)
- Alexander VIII (1689-91)
- Innocent XII (1691-1700)
- Clement XI (1700-21)
- Innocent XIII (1721-24)
- Benedict XIII (1724-30)
- Clement XII (1730-40)
- Benedict XIV (1740-58)
- Clement XIII (1758-69)
- Clement XIV (1769-74)
- Pius VI (1775-99)
- Pius VII (1800-23)
- Leo XII (1823-29)
- Pius VIII (1829-30)
- Gregory XVI (1831-46)
- Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)
- Leo XIII (1878-1903)
- St. Pius X (1903-14)
- Benedict XV (1914-22)
- Pius XI (1922-39)
- Pius XII (1939-58)
- St. John XXIII (1958-63)
- St. Paul VI (1963-78)
- John Paul I (1978)
- St. John Paul II (1978-2005)
- Benedict XVI (2005-2013)
- Francis (2013-2025)
- Leo XIV (2025—)