Fr. Jerry Pokorsky: Conspiracy Theories

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture, Feb. 09, 2026 

Fr. Jerry Pokorsky is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington who has also served as a financial administrator in the Diocese of Lincoln. Trained in business and accounting, he also holds a Master of Divinity and a Master’s in moral theology. Father Pokorsky co-founded both CREDO and Adoremus, two organizations deeply engaged in authentic liturgical renewal. He writes regularly for a number of Catholic websites and magazines. See full bio.

[This post was originally attributed inaccurately to Phil Lawler. We apologize for the error.]

Among the most entertaining modern phenomena is the proliferation of “conspiracy theories.” The phrase was popularized after the assassination of JFK and has occupied every corner of the culture since then. Conspiracy theories even extend to the institutional Church and every religion, so it is a worthy exercise to examine the interplay between facts and narratives as we consider the inner workings of any conspiracy theory.

History is composed of facts assembled into coherent narratives. Sometimes we get the facts wrong; at other times, we assemble the facts into an inaccurate narrative. An objective analyst—a journalist, for example—must examine the facts with an open mind. Then, the analyst must consider the logic of the narrative derived from those facts. The academic philosophical disciplines of epistemology and logic seem essential to the trade. ….

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