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Articles by Carl Olson
The many faces of evil: Church teaching, Scripture highlight the devils' numerous guises
(OSV News) -- In "Life of Christ," Blessed Fulton J. Sheen wrote, "Very few people believe in the devil these days, which suits the devil very well. He is always helping to circulate the news of his own death.
St. John the Baptist: Called by the Father, Filled With the Spirit, Proclaiming the Son, by Carl E. Olson
Readings: • Is 49:1-6 • Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15 • Acts 13:22-26 • Lk 1:57-66, 80 The birth of a child is a momentous occasion, filled with joy, hope, and, yes, some apprehension. It is also a time of transition; it breaks time into “before” and “after,” and brings every sort of change into the lives of parents, family, and friends.
The Blessed Virgin Mary and Political Life, by Carl E. Olson
By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, May 16, 2026 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire.
Tenuous Unity and Problematic Blessings in An Age of Bourgeois Love, by Carl E. Olson
“Indeed it is through chastity that we are gathered together and led back to the unity from which we were fragmented into multiplicity.” — Saint Augustine, Confessions (quoted in CCC 2340) “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
“We Need to Know Where We Are Going”: An Interview With Bishop Erik Varden, by Carl E. Olson
Editor’s note:This interview, originally published at CWR on November 14, 2024, is reposted as an introduction to those readers who want to know more about Bishop Erik Varden, who has been leading the Lenten spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia, from February 22–27 at the Vatican. Bishop Erik Varden was born in Norway in 1974 into a non-practicing Lutheran family and entered the Catholic Church in June 1993.
Love and the Skeptic, by Carl E. Olson
Love and the Skeptic “The greatest of these,” wrote the Apostle Paul, “is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). Many centuries later, in a culture quite foreign to the Apostle to the Gentiles, the singer John Lennon earnestly insisted, “All we need is love.” Different men, different intents, different contexts.
Fr. Shenan J. Boquet: AI-Assisted Suicide for Couples: The Disturbing Rise of the Sarco Pod
“The truth that life is a precious gift from God has profound implications for the question of stewardship over human life. We are not the owners of our lives and, hence, do not have absolute power over life. … Suicide and euthanasia are never morally acceptable options.” ― USCCB, Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services A few weeks ago, I wrote about the disturbing and growing trend of couples committing assisted suicide together.
The Beatitudes: The New Law Given By the New Moses, by Carl E. Olson
The End of DEI’s Legitimacy, by Ashley Herzog February 2, 2026 By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, January 31, 2026 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire.
The End of DEI’s Legitimacy, by Ashley Herzog
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St. Joseph’s Doubt and the Angel’s Gift, by Carl E. Olson
Contrary To The New York Times, Homeschooling Is Still A Much Better Alternative To Public Schools, by Nathanael Blake December 20, 2025 The Fulton County 2020 Election Bombshell, by David Catron December 22, 2025 By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, Dec. 20, 2025 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight.
On the Immaculate Conception, here's why Mary is 'honored by angels and men' — Carl E. Olson - The Dialog
"En la mayoría de las Inmaculadas" by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Wikimedia Commons, in the public domain) Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!” Uttered by the heavenly messenger Gabriel to a Jewish maiden (Lk 1:28), these words, of course, make up the first phrase of the Hail Mary. The second phrase of that great prayer comes from an earthly creature, Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, who exclaims, “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Lk 1:42).
Advent is Apocalyptic, by Carl E. Olson
Advent is apocalyptic. Perhaps you’ve never thought of it in that way. But the readings for this first Sunday of Advent are revealing. I say “revealing” because the word “apocalypse”, from the Greek word apokalupsis, means “to reveal” or “to unveil”. Unfortunately, it has become primarily associated with destruction and violence. But even while that understanding is somewhat accurate, it only hits part of the target.
The DDF Marian Document Relies on Poor Argumentation, Reveals Double Standard, by Carl E. Olson
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released today a “Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles regarding Mary’s Cooperation in the Work of Salvation” (Mater Populi Fidelis), and it has raised a few eyebrows along with quite a few questions. The document has sections of theological and historical reflection that are quite excellent.
A Tale of Two Bishops, by Carl E. Olson (February 9, 2015)
By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, Sept. 24, 2025 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire.
The end of the world as we know it: What the Catholic Church teaches about the last days
(OSV News) -- Curiosity about the end of the world abounds. For many, it is both frightening and exciting to think they will witness The End. Wars and natural disasters are commonly interpreted as signs of approaching apocalypse; future famines and ecological crises are often promoted as hastening the same. But are we really living in the end times? And what, exactly, does the Catholic Church teach about the end of the world?
The Blessed Virgin Mary: Sinless by Grace, Saved by Grace, Assumed by Grace, by Carl E. Olson
The Worst Humanitarian Crisis in the World Is Flying Under the Radar, by Andrew Gondy August 16, 2025 WATCH! What Is the Synodal Church? SYNODALITY? Fr. Robert McTeigue with Raymond Arroyo August 16, 2025 By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, August 15, 2025 A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, 2025.
A Christian Consideration of Critical Theory, by Carl E. Olson
In Carl R. Trueman’s most recent book, titled To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory From Marx to Marcuse(B&H Academic, 2024), the noted scholar and author hones in on the much-discussed but not always well-understood history, foundations, and goals of critical theory. In doing so, Trueman avoids polemics and hyperbole; rather than looking to argue, he seeks to understand. Charles J.
The Ascension Reveals Man’s Calling to Eternal, Divine Life, by Carl E. Olson
Readings: • Acts 1:1-11 • Psa. 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 • Eph. 1:17-23 or Heb. 9:24-28; 10:19-23 • Lk 24:46-53 “He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” The inclusion of this statement as one of the twelve articles in the Apostles’ Creed, that early and succinct statement or “symbol” of faith, suggests the great importance of the Ascension. And the Solemnity of the Ascension is one of six great solemnities Catholics are obligated to observe.
Three Gifts Offered by Jesus On His Way to the Cross, by Carl E. Olson
The Perpetual Passover Feast, by Sheryl Collmer April 11, 2025 By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, April 12, 2025 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire.
The Prophetic Witness of St. John Paul II, by Carl E. Olson
Editor’s note: This essay originally appeared on CWR on April 1, 2015, and is reposted here, in slightly different form, to mark the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death on April 2, 2005. ————— “We, who are called to hold the Supreme Office in the Church, must manifest this fidelity with all our might and for this reason we must be a shining example both in our thinking and in our actions.
The Crux of the Creed
BOOK PICK: ‘The Nicene Creed’ ‘The Nicene Creed’ (photo: Baker Academic) Books November 9, 2024 The Nicene Creed A Scriptural, Historical & Theological Commentary By Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating Baker Academic, 2024 224 pages, $24.99 Order via Baker Academic “It is the dogma that is the drama,” wrote Dorothy Sayers in Creed or Chaos?
The Crux of the Creed
BOOK PICK: ‘The Nicene Creed’ , November 9, 2024 – National Catholic Register The Nicene Creed A Scriptural, Historical & Theological Commentary By Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating Baker Academic, 2024 224 pages, $24.99 Order via Baker Academic “It is the dogma that is the drama,” wrote Dorothy Sayers in Creed or Chaos? (1947), a work — as the title indicates — in which the brilliant writer and translator argued that Christianity without creeds, dogma and doctrine is sentimental nonsense.
Op-Ed Friday: Withdrawing Support For Trump Would Be Political Suicide For The Pro-Life Movement, by Steven W. Mosher
Occasionally Operation Rescue likes to share various opinions from around the pro-life movement. Please enjoy these as a challenge to think differently about how we, as a movement, can work together to end child killing. Thank you, Troy Newman, Operation Rescue President As Donald Trump and J.D. Vance try to win over swing voters, some pro-life leaders are busy dispiriting pro-life voters.
By Embracing Christ’s Passion, We Overcome Our Passions, by Carl E. Olson
• Wis 2:12, 17-20 • Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8 • Jas 3:16-4:3 • Mk 9:30-37 Three of the greatest temptations known to man are lust for power, pursuit of illicit pleasure, and envious grasping for possessions. These three flow, in various ways, from the capital sins: pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia (CCC 1866).
An Interview: The Nicene Creed is “a Medicine for Our Times”, by Carl E. Olson
The Nicene Creed: A Scripture. Historical & Theological Commentary, published recently by Baker Academic, is co-authored by two Catholic theologians and professors; Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating. Dr. Ortiz, who is a contributor to CWR, is professor of religion at Hope College in Holland, MI; the cofounder and executive director of the Saint Benedict Institute for Catholic Thought, Culture, and Evangelization; and author of books on Saint Augustine and theosis/deification.
Mary’s Queenship Directs Us to Her Son and to Motherhood, by Carl E. Olson
By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, Aug. 22, 2024 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire. ….
Spiritual Hunger and the Bread of Life, by Carl E. Olson
By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, Aug. 11, 2024 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire. … On the Readings for Sunday, August 11, 2024.
“We Have Nothing to Fear From the Truth”: 25 Years of Covering Clergy Sex Abuse, by Carl E. Olson
Philip F. Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for decades, and Catholic World News, which he founded in 1995, was the first English-language Catholic news service operating on the Internet.
Mary, full of grace
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” They are simple words, but full of mystery and meaning, telling us so much about God’s loving plan of salvation for mankind — and Mary’s singular place in that plan. In keeping with that singular place, the angel’s address to her is also unique. “The angel greeted Mary with a new address, which I could not find anywhere else in Scripture,” wrote the great third-century theologian Origen.
Easter and the Call to Deeper Conversion, by Carl E. Olson
The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, which immediately precedes today’s Gospel and is unique to St. Luke, is one of my favorite stories in the four Gospels. Like other former Protestants who have become Catholic, I see it as a sort of microcosm of my journey into the Church. As a young Evangelical, I spent time reading Scripture, as well as “conversing and debating” (cf. Lk 24:15) various points of theology and belief, especially while attending Bible college.
Mary, full of grace
Your browser does not support the audio element. (OSV News) -- "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." They are simple words, but full of mystery and meaning, telling us so much about God's loving plan of salvation for mankind -- and Mary's singular place in that plan. In keeping with that singular place, the angel's address to her is also unique. "The angel greeted Mary with a new address, which I could not find anywhere else in Scripture," wrote the great third-century theologian Origen.
Hundreds join cardinal for Triduum liturgies at cathedral
Hundreds of worshippers gathered with Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for the celebration of the Easter Triduum liturgies March 28-30.
Cheverus profiles: Daniel Hickey of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Winthrop
WINTHROP -- Every Tuesday at St. Michael the Archangel Parish Hall in Winthrop, a crack team of specialists meets to take care of the parish finances. Each member of this elite group has a nickname based on their specialty. Paul "Bag Man" Clauss safeguards the offertory collection. Jim "Fingers" Chicos runs the calculator. Paul "Copycat" Corkum runs the copy machine. Mary Ann "Cash Money" Cash -- well, just look at her surname.
Ordination Class of 2024: Deacon Giovanni Argote
This is the sixth article in a series profiling the 11 men who will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on May 25, 2024. CHESTNUT HILL -- "Why are you so happy?" When he was in his early 20s and still living in his native Colombia, Deacon Giovanni Argote asked his pastor that question. The pastor replied that if Deacon Argote wanted to learn what made him so happy, he should spend the day with him.
'Dante: Inferno to Paradise,' streaming, PBS
Your browser does not support the audio element. NEW YORK (OSV News) The life and work of the greatest of Italian poets are examined in depth in the studious documentary "Dante: Inferno to Paradise." Filmmaker Ric Buns' two-part, four-hour profile, written in collaboration with Professor Riccardo Bruscagli, is available for streaming on PBS.org until April 15.
Road House
Your browser does not support the audio element. NEW YORK (OSV News) Way back in 1989, Patrick Swayze found an action vehicle in the tale of a brawling bouncer hired to keep the loutish patrons of an Indiana bar in line. Switch venues from the Midwest to the Southeast and substitute Jake Gyllenhaal's biceps for Swayze's and you have the wholly unnecessary remake "Road House" (Amazon MGM).
Palm Sunday: Glory Flows From the Obedience of Selfless Love, by Carl E. Olson
Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation: They Took Counsel How to Put Him to Death March 23, 2024 By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, March 23, 2024 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight.
Renewing the Moral Life While Renouncing the Tyranny of the Banal, by Carl E. Olson
David Deane is Associate Professor of Theology at the Atlantic School of Theology (Halifax, Nova Scotia). He received his doctorate from Trinity College (University of Dublin) and has taught at Colorado State University. He is the author of Nietzsche and Theology: Nietzschean Thought in Christological Anthropology (Ashgate Publishing, 2007) and, with Sr. Nuala P. Kenny, Still Unhealed: Treating the Pathology in the Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis (Novalis, 2019).
Lent and the Divine Life, by Carl E. Olson
By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, Feb. 11, 2024 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire.
First Sunday of Advent: Expectation, Exhortation, Eucharist, Eternal Life, by Carl E. Olson
Homosexual Scandals and the “Smoke of Satan”: Understanding the Depth of the Present Crisis, by Luiz Sérgio Solimeo December 2, 2023 By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, December 1, 2023 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight.
The Prophetic Witness of St. John Paul II, by Carl E. Olson
Synod Bishop Wants to Set Aside Apostolic Tradition October 23, 2023 By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report, Oct. 22, 2023 Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire.
The Holy Cross is An Invitation to Faith, to Life, to Love, by Carl E. Olson
Readings: • Num 21:4b-9 • Ps 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38 • Phil 2:6-11 • Jn 3:13-17 “By its elevation, the Cross is like an appeal to the whole creation to adore the blessed Passion of Christ our God who was suspended on it, for Christ destroyed by this Cross the one who had destroyed us.” These words, from the Vespers celebrated on this feast day by Byzantine Catholics, proclaim some of the mystery, hope, and paradox of the Holy Cross.
How the Eucharist Put an End to My ‘Rapture Anxiety’
The house was empty. “Where is everyone?” I thought. I was 9 years old, and had just returned home from school. We lived in a quiet town, and my parents were rarely away. “Mom?” I called out. Nothing. I began to feel anxious. It occurred to me that my parents may have been “raptured,” taken up suddenly into the heavens by Jesus. Was I “left behind?” But I knew that my urgent prayer to Jesus at the age of 5 had saved me once and for all.
The Bible Made Me Catholic!
“The Bible,” said Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), “is a stream wherein the elephant may swim and the lamb may wade.” As a young evangelical Protestant, I paid no attention to Gregory the Great, but I would have viewed myself as an “elephant” when it came to the Bible. I had read the Bible and memorized verses from the age of three, taken correspondence Bible courses, attended regular Bible studies and earned a degree from a Bible college.
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