Renowned for his immense learning, remarkable wisdom, lively conversation, and honest talk, Dr. Johnson illuminates the meaning of the art of conversation.

Time magazine used to be delivered to our home when I was a boy, one way my parents provided for our broader education.

A sense of humor and a sense of perspective are both helpful when pondering the recent interviews given by Pope Francis.

As in the past, in his latest interview, Pope Francis uses phrases that make you worry — as well as think.

Anyone who speaks or writes in public knows that theres a difference between saying something and communicating it.

Anyone who values diversity of thought and tolerance of dissent should find the sweeping consensus on gay marriage terrifying.

In the recent film, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Oscar winning director Alex Gibney promises to show his audience "an exposé of abuse of power in the Catholic Church, and coverups that lead to the highest office of the Vatican." But the story told about "the Vatican" and Fr. Murphy in the documentary is turned on its head by the evidence they produce and the evidence they neglect.

I spent the whole of the recent papal conclave, as well as several days before and after, in Rome, trying to sift through the meaning of events, reports and rumors.

In the spirit of the season, we need to resist the temptation to despise the medias ill-informed narrative about popes and the Church.

Is there a network of homosexual clerics working within the Vatican? Undoubtedly, Yes. Was the discovery of that network a major factor motivating Pope Benedict to resign? Undoubtedly, No.