Can one ask for God’s blessing in prayer for a war that spares no defenseless or blameless civilians? Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth—renamed Secretary of War by the current U.S. administration’s thirst for power—believes it is both possible and necessary. Since the start of the war against Iran, which the United States is waging alongside […]
China and Iran are short-circuiting the American agenda. US President Donald Trump said he might delay his summit in Beijing with President Xi Jinping because of the ongoing war in Iran. Dennis Wilder, a former White House expert on China, reportedly said it would be bad optics if Trump met with Xi while the US […]
On Saturday, March 7, Pope Leo XIV announced the appointment of the new apostolic nuncio (ambassador of the Holy See) to the United States. Cardinal Christophe Pierre will be succeeded by Msgr. Gabriele Caccia, who is currently the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York. This appointment seems logical in terms […]
Russia, Venezuela, and Iran are warnings to Beijing, but the US doesn’t have an easy game with China. A ghost will haunt China’s NPC annual plenary session, which opens on March 5 – the ghost of US military lightning successes against top leaders in Venezuela and Iran, and of Russia’s war failures. Russian President Vladimir […]
The war between Russia and Ukraine, first, and Hamas’s attack on Israel have changed the rules. The US and Israel have responded by raising the stakes. It is a new world in which the United Nations no longer exists. Another space for international mediation is needed, and perhaps it should arise under the Pope’s aegis. […]
China is hedging its bet on Russia and might signal it’s willing to find a way out, but the US can’t ignore Beijing’s stakes in Moscow. Until a few months ago, the Ukrainian ambassador to China was shunned by all Beijing’s departments; then, on February 13, 2026, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Ukrainian […]
Something seems to be stirring in Washington, though it’s hard to say what or where it’s headed. The recent Supreme Court ruling that President Trump lacked the authority and jurisidiction to impose tariffs through executive orders without congressional approval could be a sign of this change. The internal debate between Justices Gorsuch (who concurred) and […]
