In the past 11 years, it has become clear that the United States is the capital of the organised opposition to Pope Francis. There is an institutional opposition that seeks to maintain the institutional status quo, a theological opposition that’s resisting “synodality”, the newest phase of the reception of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), and Read more
It is often said that we live in a godless age – that Western society is secular and “post-Christian.” In fact, something more nuanced is happening: we remain “religious” but spirituality is both personal and elusive – and outside the institutional status quo. We live in a godless age. Don’t we? The dominant cultural narrative Read more
Today’s millennials are in many ways caught between a rock and a hard place, at least when it comes to traditional religious observance. On the one hand, they’re disillusioned with their parents’ religious traditions, which have failed to provide them with a coherent account of meaning and purpose in the world. On the other hand, Read more
Gregorian chants, renaissance choral music and incense wafting from a metallic censer. In an era when Kanye West runs gospel-inspired services, and megachurches, like Hillsong, release chart-topping hits, these ancient Christian traditions are, unexpectedly, having a moment. And they’re not just resonating with older generations, either. Younger people are flocking to late-night Latin Mass — Read more
About four weeks ago, facing imminent gathering bans, my partner and I eloped with 20 hours’ notice, marrying in Central Park with our priest and two close friends, standing 6 feet away, serving as witnesses. The decision, I’ll admit, had something to do with the way that life has changed here in New York, indoors, Read more
There are few times stranger to start cohabiting with one’s partner than the week before a citywide lockdown. Less than two weeks after I moved the majority of my things across New York City, I found myself occupying a new, though by now not unfamiliar, apartment. Thanks to the restrictions of the lockdown, the geography Read more