Good and Bad Intentions

On the note of good intentions, I have finished a third reflection on ‘the Letter’ of the theologians to the Holy Father, which will be published, Deo volente, soon. Just to offer this for now, that I agree with the letter in its concerns, with respect for its authors and signatories, and agreement with their cogent arguments and historical precedents. It is just the explicit charge of heresy, along with how we are to proceed in the present crisis, even if one accept that charge as true, must be carefully discerned, and I hope that what I write adds in some way to that ongoing process.

And on bad intentions, another attack by Boko Haram, this time in Burkina Faso, shooting up and burning down a church, with ‘only’ six dead. Militant Islam is more than slightly tautological, and one should ponder William Fitzpatrick’s piece on the re-primitivization of humanity, as we return – in the words of Pope Saint John Paul II in reference to abortion and infanticide – to a ‘state of barbarism we thought had been left behind forever’. Do we even call it ironic that ‘Boko Haram’ translates roughly as ‘books are forbidden’, which means, as a necessary corollary, that thought, reason, logic are forbidden also. Act upon your gut instinct – or whatever you ‘think’ is right – regardless of whether it makes senses, in accord with the capricious, voluntaristic view of God in Islam.

Allow me to say it again, Pope Benedict’s 2006 Regensburg Address gets more and more prophetic with each passing day, and not just in the sense of predicting the future, but the primary meaning of prophecy, in reading the signs of the times.

And while on those signs, Alyssa Milano, who was a child star in the 80’s as Tony Danza’s fictional daughter on Who’s the Boss, and has gained some adult fame in various sordid of which I know nothing, has called for a ‘sex strike’ by women, in response to pro-life (she would say, anti-abortion) laws being passed in various States. Oh, well. The only women – and men – who should be having conjugal relations are those who don’t intend to murder any of their offspring which may result. And I don’t think such women – generally the married type, the only situation in which sex is lawful – will heed Ms. Milan’s exhortation.

The trade war between the United States and China may well bring to the fore the ephemeral and deeply unjust nature of the economy, built not on the rock of real wealth, properly distributed according to talent and hard work – to adapt a divine parable to the secular realm – but on the shifting sand of injustice, and the transient, unproductive value of too many cheap goods, wealth over-concentrated in the wrong hands, and slave-like labour. There may be some hard knocks on our drop back to reality. The truth can be a hard taskmaster, but is worth it in the end, for illusions and lies lead only to dead ends.

Listen to Our Lady of Fatima, who speaks her Son’s words of everlasting life.

Carney’s Amoral Majority

After five defections – euphemistically described as ‘crossing the floor’ – and three by-elections, Mark Carney and his Liberals how have their coveted majority. One wonders what bowls of pottage were offered in back-room deals. In the archaic monarchical system that is the Dominion of Canada, this majority allows the newly-minted Prime Minister to rule[…]Continue reading→

Saint Kateri , Canada’s Protectress

This was the title given to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, by Pope Benedict XVI, when he canonized her on October 28th, 2012, along with six others, in Saint Peter’ Square (she had been beatified by Pope John Paul II back in 1980). With Saint Joseph as our protector, along with the Canadian martyrs, we seem to[…]Continue reading→

A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop

As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→

A Tale of Two Benedicts

A grace-filled Holy Week to all our readers! As we await and prepare for the Resurrection about to dawn upon us, we might keep in mind two Benedicts: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, requiescat in pace, elected on this day in 2005; and today’s commemoration of the mystic pilgrim, Benedict Joseph Labre, who died on this[…]Continue reading→

My Name is Bernadette

April 16th is a propitious day, for besides the anniversary of Father de Valk’s death, who founded Catholic Insight in its print form decades ago, and the commemoration of the ‘two Benedicts’, mentioned in accompanying posts, today we also recall Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared numerous times at[…]Continue reading→

Presidential Pardon of Weronika Krawczyk

As a good news, follow-up to our story from Poland, of the persecution of Weronika Krawczyk for her pro-life views, we heard that she has been granted a presidential pardon. One might still wonder why one needs a presidential pardon for simply holding the long-held belief that the child within the womb is a child,[…]Continue reading→

Saint Lydwina of Schiedam and Suffering Joyfully

Saint Lydwina of Schiedam (1380 – 1433) was one of the countless and glorious ‘victim souls’ in the history of the Church, those whose lives are filled with suffering, often of an unimaginable intensity, but who suffer joyfully. She was a fifteen-year old Dutch girl, out skating one day, when she fell and broke one[…]Continue reading→

The Glorious Martyrdoms of Martin and Maximus

As we enter into Eastertide, we recall on this 13th of April Pope Saint Martin I (+655), one of the noblest, if most tragic, of the successors of Saint Peter. Born in Umbria, Italy, he was of noble lineage, with great intelligence combined with charity and love of the poor and the Church. While still[…]Continue reading→

Pope Leo and a Rosary for Peace

Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics across the world to join him in a Rosary for peace today, at 18:00 Rome time (6 pm), which would be noon from where I write (EST). If you are able, whether at that time or another, and in whatever way you pray, to join in intercession with the[…]Continue reading→

Payette’s Payout

I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations[…]Continue reading→