Jeanie Hannaman

October 31, 2025

The Catholic Roots of America’s Horror Craze, by John Mac Ghlionn

By John Mac Ghlionn, The American Spectator - More and more Americans are watching horror, not just in October but all year long. The genre has outgrown its season. Horror now floods summer streams, rules box-office charts, and stalks every corner of social media. In a culture cushioned by convenience, fear often feels refreshing... The great irony is that Hollywood can’t tell a scary story without raiding the Church. It has spent decades ridiculing saints, priests, and celibacy, but drops to its knees whenever it needs a box-office miracle.

October 31, 2025

‘Wandering Souls’ or Demonic Masquerade? Why This Debate Is Still Stirring Exorcists and Theologians, by Solène Tadié

By Solène Tadié, National Catholic Register - Can the boundary between this life and the afterlife ever blur in ways the Church has not fully defined? Each year, All Souls’ Day and the Month of All Souls renew age-old questions about life, death and the mystery that unites both... In popular culture, ghosts are often imagined as spirits trapped between two worlds, wandering among the living. This image differs significantly from the concept of “wandering souls,” who — according to theologians and exorcists — are not condemned to roam indefinitely, but may instead be souls in purgatory temporarily permitted by God to seek prayers or express repentance....

October 31, 2025

Is There a ‘Deep State’ Within the Vatican? by Phil Lawler

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture - To date Pope Leo has not replaced a single dicastery head. His only major appointment has been that of Archbishop Filippo Iannone to fill the seat that the Pope himself had held, as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops... Nor has the new Pope been energetic in bringing in his own men at lower tiers of Vatican officialdom. text Vatican-watcher Andrea Gaggliarducci observes: “Leo XIV continues—so far—to work with the structure that preceded him, with the same ghostwriters as Pope Francis.”

October 31, 2025

Shutdown Reveals Illegal SNAP Scam, by Brian Lonergan

By Brian Lonergan, Chronicles - SNAP was not designed as a global buffet for recent illegal border-crossers; it’s a taxpayer-funded safety net created explicitly for U.S. citizens and legal residents in genuine need. Federal law bars illegal aliens from direct eligibility, a rule enshrined since the 1996 welfare reforms and reaffirmed in 2025 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidance: “SNAP is not and has never been available to undocumented non-citizens.”... The program’s architects intended that it should combat domestic food insecurity, not subsidize lawbreaking or reward evasion of immigration laws. Benefits are calculated based on eligible household members only: specifically, U.S.-born children or qualified legal immigrants. But here’s the rub: loopholes and lax enforcement have turned this safeguard into a sieve, draining billions from coffers meant for struggling Americans.