Read & Reflect
Articles, reflections, news, and homilies — thoughtful Catholic content for the faithful, published regularly.
World News
World News
The prayer of kings, it’s all different now, Rules of the dining room
Happy Friday friends,Earlier this week was the feast of St. Edward, King of England, known as the Confessor, as opposed to his uncle, also king, also named Edward, but known as the Martyr.For reasons I doubt need explaining, I have a particular devotion to St. Edward. This year his feast fell on a t...
World News
Concern for humanity, relationships drives Swiss religious leaders’ AI guidelines
Swiss Catholic bishops have joined other Christian leaders in the country to issue guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence, based on concern for the way AI affects the human person and human relationships. While the guidelines are significantly more robust than those offered by dioceses in...
World News
Closing arguments heard at Polish bishop’s landmark trial
Closing arguments were delivered this week in the landmark trial of a Polish bishop accused of failing to notify law enforcement promptly about abuse allegations, with a verdict expected at the end of October.Bishop Andrzej Jeż of Tarnów, Poland. Credit: Screenshot from the @diecezjatarnowskaa YouTu...
World News
I need Jesus like I need a hole in the head
At the end of the summer, I let a doctor cut a big hole in my head. It hurt so much, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Read more
World News
How the ‘Amoris’ meeting went, according to its participants
Attendees at a papally convened summit on Amoris laetitia told The Pillar that while the gathering of bishops did not resolve disagreement about the document, it did bring to the fore differing views and priorities on the Church’s ministry to married people, and that Pope Leo might eventually issue...
World News
What Ireland’s synodal assembly prioritized — and what it didn’t
Delegates at Ireland’s national synodal assembly voted Saturday to prioritize catechesis, healing, and youth ministry, while offering less support for proposals to create new national bodies and address the role of women in the Church.Caption: Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the Synod...
World News
In Utah, Catholic church meets ‘new urbanism’
Parishioners of St. Andrew in Riverton, Utah have celebrated Mass in a rectory basement, a movie theater and, for the last 18 years, their school gym.But after two decades without a dedicated worship space, the community is raising $35 million to build a basilica-style church from the ground up — on...
World News
The Cross, the liturgy, and the game
Pillar paid subscribers can listen to JD read this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DRHey everybody,Today’s the feast of St. Paul of the Cross, and you’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post.He was born Paolo Francesco Danei, in the 1690s to parents who lost 10 of their 16 children in infancy, and who mo...
World News
Jesuits’ expulsion of laicized priest is empty gesture, say abuse survivors
The Bolivian Network of Church Abuse Survivors objected this month to the expulsion of the laicized priest Francesc Peris, 84, from the Society of Jesus.Santuario de Loyola, Spain. Credit: Society of Jesus.A leader of the survivors’ group said the Jesuits made only a “symbolic” expulsion of the prie...
World News
What are French bishops saying about the riots?
At least a dozen French bishops have spoken out following an eruption of violence on the country’s streets Oct. 17.The Place de la République in Paris, France, on Oct. 17, 2026. Credit: FreCha/wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0.Not surprisingly, they unanimously condemned the violence, but the length and conten...
World News
Ahead of papal trip, is Uruguay on the cusp of ‘revival’?
As Pope Leo prepares for the longest trip of his pontificate, Church leaders in Uruguay say the pontiff will encounter a highly secularized culture, in a country with a very different Catholic history than many of its South American neighbors.The nation has not had a papal visit since 1988, and lead...
World News
The Tuesday Pillar Post - October 20, 2026
Written by JD Flynn and published October 20, 2026.ShareAre you a paying subscriber?Visit pillarcatholic.com/listen on your phoneCheck the top right corner of the webpage to ensure you are logged into your Substack account.Tap ‘set up podcast’ next to The Pillar TL;DRHaving issues? Email our produce...