Michael Sean Winters

It's easy to complain about the "institutional church." But the speedy and generous response to the crisis in Ukraine shows the value of our ecclesial institutions in coming to the aid of desperate people.

President Joe Biden and European leaders are racing against the clock; the scenes from the city of Mariupol, Ukraine, are heart-breaking; and remembering the life of a pioneering Black Catholic journalist.

Pope Francis' reforms of the Roman Curia are promising, argues columnist Michael Sean Winters, but redeeming that promise will require the commitment of many others, and it will take time.

Michael Sean Winters: EWTN's Arroyo and his "papal posse" should be careful what they wish for; the results from Texas' primary are shocking; The New York Times' free speech editorial relied on a conception of freedom from.

 

Michael Sean Winters: Ketanji Brown Jackson is more than qualified to join the U.S. Supreme Court. The Senate should skip the drama and confirm her. 

Michael Sean Winters: Progressive Catholics are lobbying against laws that restrict what is taught in the classroom. Here's why conservative Catholics should oppose these laws too.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Puerto Rico bishop gets new fans; Koch Industries in Russia; Gov. DeSantis and Archbishop Wenski at odds over migrants; Cardinal O'Malley on sin of racism.

Michael Sean Winters: Cleveland Bishop Edward Malesic gave a prayer at the "Bringing America Back to Life" convention, an event that featured some dubious characters. Was he right to do so?

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: The role of religion in the politics of Russia and Ukraine; pivoting away from culture war issues; Latino vote in Nevada; protecting children in Texas.

If Biden is going to take credit for the fact that the economy is finally improving, he has to take the blame for the lingering problems like supply chain issues and rising inflation, too.

Michael Sean Winters: The Vatican took the rare step of sacking a bishop against his will. It appears that the final straw was Bishop Daniel Fernández Torres' anti-vaccine stance.

Michael Sean Winters: Yo-Yo Ma plays the Ukrainian national anthem; a look at the role of evangelical churches in politicizing conservative Latinos; self-censorship on college campuses and attacks on public education.

Michael Sean Winters: With the possibility that the war in Ukraine will become genocidal, and as the pain of economic sanctions hit home, the West's political and moral leaders must recalculate what the war demands of us.

Michael Sean Winters: LifeSiteNews essay on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reflects "The Paranoid Style in American Politics"; a call to restructure Ukraine's sovereign debt; why is Bolton only telling us about Trump now?

Michael Sean Winters: We have learned a lot about what ails our society during the pandemic. Near the top of the list is that many Catholics do not have the foggiest idea what the church actually teaches about conscience.

President Joe Biden started the State of the Union speech strong, praising the heroic Ukrainian people. But the unity that greeted the first part of the speech ended abruptly. This year called for more.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: You can count on Caritas International to get humanitarian aid to the Ukrainians who need it.

The fascist nonsense in some Catholics' comments about Russia's invasion of Ukraine is viciously unconcerned with justice of any magisterial teaching.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: GOP efforts to block Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination; how partisan redistricting furthers party radicalization and the country's polarization.

About 600,000 Catholics joined the eucharistic procession ending the 1926 International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago. The U.S. bishops are planning the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in a different world.