Michael Sean Winters

Would-be conservative defenders of the Ratzingerian legacy ignore the obvious points of continuity between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, writes Michael Sean Winters.

The synodal process, anti-Francis sentiment and the U.S. hierarchy are the subject of columnist Michael Sean Winters' predictions about church news in the new year.

Pope Benedict will be remembered as a profoundly intelligent and prayerful man, called to leadership during a time of turmoil in a church, who was not really suited for such rough waters.

The political stories of the year, according to columnist Michael Sean Winters, intersected with religion, but not always in positive ways.

In the first part of his year-end summaries of 2022's news in the church and politics, Michael Sean Winters sees significant shifts in the intellectual and ecclesial landscape.

In Michael Sean Winters' last links column, he rounds up the latest news. In the new year, look for a weekly newsletter that does much of the same.

The historical record provided by the Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is clear. Donald Trump is an anti-American thug.

Lying seems to be bipartisan, according to The Washington Post's Pinocchio awards.

Fraud is an especially odious form of lying, says columnist Michael Sean Winters, but we need to do more than preach against it. That's where government regulation comes in.

 

Kyrsten Sinema may prefer "independent" with its images of daring figures, prepared to go it alone. But choosing Wall Street over Main Street is not a characteristic associated with brave independence, is it?

Presidents should be careful not to take credit for positive economic news, lest they be blamed when the bad news comes, says columnist Michael Sean Winters.

Scholars from Catholic and Orthodox traditions reflected on war's moral and spiritual challenges at a recent conference at Trinity College.

The issue of same-sex marriage is rocking the United Methodist Church, but the Respect for Marriage Act is a fair political compromise, says columnist Michael Sean Winters in this roundup of news.

In asserting that moral norms must be repeated rather than applied, critics of Pope Francis are watering down the very teaching they claim to uphold, says columnist Michael Sean Winters.

The Georgia runoff is just the latest example of how marketing campaigns threatens democracy, says columnist Michael Sean Winters.


 

The results in Georgia's runoff should serve as a wake-up call for both parties, but Van Jones is the only Democratic commentator that Michael Sean Winters found notable for his roundup of political reading.

Why are some religious believers willing to fight and die on a hill that is in the rearview mirror for most Americans?

Republican silence after Donald Trump explicitly called for the "termination" of the U.S. Constitution is astonishing and somehow unsurprising, Michael Sean Winters writes in his roundup of political news.

Synodality is not about individual issues, argues columnist Michael Sean Winters, and those who think it is may need to manage their expectations about the process.

Aid to Ukraine, the child tax credit and the debt ceiling are three priorities columnist Michael Sean Winters thinks the lame-duck Congress should address.