Michael Sean Winters

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Canadian bishops' one-page guide for voters; The Tablet defends sanctity of life; a warning to Democrats; French piques; trade unions of the 12th century.

Michael Sean Winters: After Democrats spent much of the past six years worrying about democratic norms, we cannot simply look away when Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, might have violated those norms. 

Michael Sean Winters: After a year of heated debate about denying Communion to pro-choice pols, the bishops need an offramp. Cardinal Blase Cupich's five-point proposal for a eucharistic revival could save the bishops from themselves. 

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: A look at approval ratings and how presidents recover from disaster. El Paso has done far better getting vaccinated than other jurisdictions.

Distinctly Catholic: If critical race theory calls us to embrace legal ideas such as affirmative action, sign me up. However, readers and students deserve better than the ideology on display in "The 1619 Project."

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Good news about Trump's fans; argument for bishops to stop criticizing Biden over abortion stance; Georgetown law professor looks at racial divides in housing policy.

The memorials marking the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, could not be more appropriate to the memory of what happened there two decades ago, says columnist Michael Sean Winters.

Michael Sean Winters: Early critiques fretting about the Vatican's new document on synodality cite "unpredictability" and "confusion." But, at base, they reject the call to conversion and repeat criticisms of Pope Francis and his reform agenda.  

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Faggioli on Traditionis Custodes; workers try to unionize at Starbucks; changing ways people think about work; a poor county's vaccination success story.

Michael Sean Winters: This was supposed to be the summer when the U.S. defeated the COVID-19 virus. But we have not defeated it. Therein is the cultural lesson for the American psyche that our Catholic faith can impart.

Michael Sean Winters: New book by minister counselor for economic affairs at the French embassy to the United States provides an optimistic view of the latent strengths of U.S. democracy. Will Americans find within themselves the intellectual and moral resources to mount such a revival?

Distinctly Catholic: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who signed the anti-abortion bill into law in May, has spent most of his tenure and all of the summer showing that fetal heartbeats are the only heartbeats he cares about.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: No more Trump, no more gorging on news; Biden and Afghanistan; MSW defends the faith and Pope Francis; a Verdi flash mob; tune in for Labor Day Mass.

Distinctly Catholic: This week the U.S. ended its longest war. The tragedy of the Afghan war, and the tragedy that may accompany the Afghan peace, both point to the need for renewed theological reflection on our just war tradition.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Religion, Latinos and the GOP; right-wing virtue signaling; China's reach in Tonga; Harvard's atheist chaplain; beauty of churches and turbines.

Distinctly Catholic: Given the unwillingness of Republicans to resist Donald Trump's anti-democratic schemes, President Joe Biden's approval rating may be key to preserving our democracy.

Distinctly Catholic: Republicans used to complain about activist judges. Not anymore, as the Supreme Court lets stand a ruling by a Catholic judge in Texas that orders Biden to restart Trump's Remain in Mexico policy.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Jason Berry gets overdue recognition; David Von Drehle looks at next month's California recall election; and volcanic eruptions in Iceland.

Distinctly Catholic: There is nearly nothing about the Catholic Church in the U.S. that prepares us to engage synodality with the kind of fulsome embrace it requires. We all have a lot of work to do.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Science backs up the benefits of dog cuddling; compare today's divisions to those of the fourth century; school board fights over diversity education.