The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn, had an enormous influence on academic discourse in the 1960s and 1970s, introducing the concept of the “paradigm shift” into common usage. Kuhn argued persuasively that scientific progress occurs not steadily, but in leaps and bounds, as new discoveries and/or new theories force researchers to abandon old assumptions and look at the world in entirely new ways. The new paradigm is accepted if it explains that world more successfully—in other words, if it produces better results. Hold that thought.

On Saturday, October 3, 2015, I was present when a group of Synod fathers met to discuss their concerns about procedures for the Synod that would begin the following week. Most urgently, the “rulebook” circulated by the Synod general secretary, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, did not seem to make provision for votes on propositions by the Synod fathers — the method previous synods had used to register the bishops’ considered judgments...

Before considering the competing reasons, it is worth considering a complication that will likely arise for people who come to realize both that they were created through IVF and that IVF is gravely wrong. They will almost certainly wonder: “Should I never have existed? Did God not intend for me to be here?” This question applies not just to IVF but to every out-of-wedlock pregnancy — whether from rape, incest, adultery, or premarital sex...

It’s still Lent, if you’ve already forgotten and find yourself eyeing the salami in the fridge at 10.30am wondering if that’s what will make you feel a little bit better about the rest of the day. Something I have always been told about entering the season fully and properly, and not settling into a period of more-or-less muted everyday life, is the spirituality of moving...

The elevation Mass of St. Nicholas Basilica in Amsterdam to co-cathedral attracted a large crowd of attendees and dignitaries from home and abroad to the Dutch capital on March 8.It was presented as a “birthday gift” from Pope Francis to the city that celebrates its 750th anniversary in the midst of the Jubilee Year.

By bringing us the story of the Transfiguration near the beginning of Lent, the Church shows us what we are aiming for at the end of Lent: a sacramental transformation. One day, we will be transfigured like what we see in the Gospel. We will be citizens of heaven, according to St. Paul, and we will be “like the stars” as the Old Testament reading puts it. But we will only arrive at this remarkable place if we act now to make it possible.

This Lent, sales of “The Way” by Saint Josemaría Escrivá have skyrocketed thanks to Hallow’s Lent Pray40 Challenge, with listeners diving deeper into the writings of the Spanish-born saint in his most well-known book.

The Vatican has released the first photo of Pope Francis since he entered the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on February 14.“This morning, Pope Francis concelebrated Holy Mass in the chapel of the tenth-floor apartment at the Gemelli Polyclinic,” according to a statement from the Vatican Press Office.In the photo, the Holy Father can be seen seated before the altar of the chapel where he concelebrated the Eucharist, in what is the first image of the Pontiff since he was admitted to the hospital, first suffering from bronchitis and then pneumonia.

The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis has approved a special ecclesial assembly for October 2028 to evaluate how Catholic communities worldwide have implemented the recently concluded Synod on Synodality recommendations. Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, detailed the plans in a letter to bishops worldwide...

No one — not even a liturgist — can unerringly predict the future. How many Catholics attending Mass in 1962 knew that the Roman Missal issued that year would be the last of its kind? How many Catholics at the start of 2007 sensed that restrictions on the 1962 missal, in place since the reform of 1970, were about to be lifted? And how many Catholics suspected that use of the 1962 missal would be curtailed once again in 2021?