A Pivotal Moment—for Both State and Church, by Dr. Jeff Mirus

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture, Feb 28, 2025

Shifting thoughts go with shifts in leadership in shifty times. The expectation of stability, at this moment, is a thing of the past. And that is remarkably true just now for both Church and State. For example, much of R. R. Reno’s commentary in the March issue of First Things had to do with Donald Trump’s signaling of the end of an American-dominated globalism (which has in any case been eroding over the past couple of decades). For Americans, then, the State is retrenching, which also means that America’s allies must pay closer attention to reality. And of course Pope Francis’ serious illness raises all kinds of speculation—and, indeed, hope—that the Church too will soon enter a new era.

The appropriate hope for both, I think, is that we might begin a period rooted far more firmly in the essences of what both State and Church are supposed to be. By this I mean it is time for the State to attempt to maximize the common good within its own borders, without either smothering its citizens under bureaucratic control or continuously undercutting them by looking for cheap profits throughout the world. …
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