Michael Sean Winters

Michael Sean Winters: When the US bishops gather in Baltimore this month, they will choose whether to pursue the culture war approach some bishops prefer, or to pursue communion with the bishop of Rome. They can't do both.

Michael Sean Winters: The fear Big Pharma is stirring up would evaporate as soon as this happened; Antisemitism rises on the left; tracking pledges to reduce carbon emissions; "Meta," but on one condition.

Democrats usually do really well with voters for whom education is the most important issue. But in Virginia's governor race, Republican Glenn Youngkin could best Democrat Terry McAuliffe, thanks to parent anger, much of it based on misinformation, about teaching critical race theory in public schools.

Michael Sean Winters: President Biden surely knows it is considered bad form to disclose what you discussed with the pope, especially if it is of a private nature. But he is a practicing Catholic who just met with Pope Francis! Besides, this is Joe Biden we're talking about.

Michael Sean Winters: Social media have the power to conflate and compress human relations. Social media aren't going away just like cars are not going away, but the U.S. has an interest in making both as safe as possible, even if that means social media become a little more boring.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Pope Francis' text may challenge political agendas; the CIA's relationship with Poland; what do you get if you can't get a reuben?

Michael Sean Winters: For a certain kind of Catholic, President Biden provokes fury, and that kind of Catholic also tends to be less than enthusiastic about Pope Francis. Photos of the two together will be too much.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Discussing labor, religion and politics at Collegeville; GOP efforts to win over Virginia's Latino voters; on free speech, Andrew Sullivan gets it right.

Michael Sean Winters: In claiming "any suggestion that EWTN is unfaithful to the Church, the Second Vatican Council, or the Holy See is simply vindictive and false," Archbishop Charles Chaput supports the network's continued effort to claim the mantle of orthodoxy for themselves while casting aspersions on the pope's orthodoxy. 

Michael Sean Winters: Strikes at several hospitals, John Deere, Kellogg's and other places illustrate calls for worker solidarity and dignity at the heart of Catholic social doctrine for 130 years. Pope Leo XIII – and every pope since – has pointed to the moral necessity of workers being able to form a union.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: The failure to build a more sustainable energy grid; the need for affordable child care; how the U.S. can help Latin America recover from the pandemic and decades of ongoing issues.

Michael Sean Winters: Pope Francis' address to the fourth World Meeting of Popular Movements is stunning. No other world leader speaks like this.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Video from the insurrection conveys reality; law prof looks at legal issues in assessing the constitutional reach and limits of exemptions from vaccine mandates; Where's George Orwell?

Michael Sean Winters: In calling Sen. Joe Donnelly — U.S. President Joe Biden's pick for Vatican ambassador — a "rogue Catholic," Bill Donohue, head of the Catholic League, once again mistakes Republican credentials for Catholic ones.

Michael Sean Winters: The vaccine phobia that has taken hold of the GOP base is also affecting religious folk. But pastors need to focus not on misplaced moral scruples but on the moral urgency of getting people vaccinated.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Report exposes palm oil industry's labor abuses, environmental degradation; Farah Stockman writes about workers who broke barriers but eventually lost their jobs; Elisha Wiesel on Zionism.

Michael Sean Winters: If we as a church are to be a leaven in the world, we must first overcome the polarization within our own house. The world is profoundly divided, but so is the Christian community.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Getting past church polarization; David Shor compares Democratic activists and the median voter; Trump and his acolytes come for Brad Raffensperger's job.

Michael Sean Winters: A new think tank study is a must-read for everyone interested in politics. "Factory Towns" examines where the Democrats have lost ground since the 2012 election in 10 Midwestern states.

Michael Sean Winters: Supreme Court justices could use inspiration and protection from the Holy Spirit as the new term opens with cases that deal with organized labor, gun rights, abortion rights and race in college admissions.