By any worldly measure, 1946 was an annus horribilis in Poland. With the exceptions of Cracow and Lodz, every Polish city lay in ruins. The homeless and displaced numbered in the millions. As a ruthless Stalinism tightened its grip on a country that had been doubly decimated during World War II, heroes of the anti-Nazi resistance were executed on spurious charges by Poland’s new communist overlords.

What I have seen so far on this “Synod on Synodality” is a symphony of surprises. The first surprise for me is the topic itself. “Synodality” is a new term not even registered yet in dictionaries.

The most moving feature of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, are the pictures of the 40 brave men and women who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, while preventing al-Qaeda terrorists from destroying the U.S. Capitol.

Certain Catholic media platforms that often function as de facto extensions of Jen Psaki’s White House press office have continually urged U.S. bishops to dodge the issue of pro-abortion Catholic politicians receiving holy Communion.

Some years ago, a Catholic prep school invited me to address its parents’ association on the future of Catholic education.

As Major League Baseball begins its post-season, let us pause and remember the late, great Bill Freehan of the Detroit Tigers, who died this past August 19: a Catholic gentleman and a great ballplayer.

When I met Cardinal Agostino Casaroli on February 14, 1997, the architect of the Vatican’s Ostpolitik and its soft-spoken approach to communist regimes in east-central Europe in the 1960s and 1970s could not have been more cordial.

Pope Francis scored again on long homilies. In his meeting at St. Martin’s Cathedral of Bratislava, Slovakia, he encouraged bishops and priests to keep homilies short. At this concern, a big round of applause burst from the audience and echoed around the whole cathedral. H