The Whore of Babylon and the Catholic Church: A Scriptural, Patristic, and Theological Examination
© 2026 Victor R. Claveau, MJ I. Introduction: The Charge and Its Apparent Force A number of anti-Catholic writers assert that the Catholic Church is the “Whore of Babylon” described in the Book of Revelation, appealing especially to the warning: “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you […]
MONOTHELITISM AND MONOENERGISM
by Giuseppe Monno Monothelitism and monoenergism are Christological heresies that arose in the seventh century. They undermine the full humanity of Christ by asserting that in Him there is only one will (monothelitism) and only one activity or energy (monoenergism), both exclusively divine. These doctrines deny the distinction between the human and divine will and […]
ARIANISM
by Giuseppe Monno Arianism is one of the most significant Christological heresies in the history of the early Church. It takes its name from Arius, a presbyter of the Church of Alexandria in Egypt, active at the beginning of the fourth century. Arius was influenced by the teachings of Lucian of Antioch, founder of the […]
HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER
MASS IN ST PETER’S SQUARE FOR THE CANONIZATION OF SR MARY FAUSTINA KOWALSKA Sunday, 30 April 2000 1. “Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius”; “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever” (Ps 118: 1). So the Church sings on the Octave of Easter, as if receiving from Christ’s lips […]
JESUS CHRIST: NON-CHRISTIAN HISTORICAL TESTIMONIES
by Giuseppe Monno Non-Christian sources from the first centuries independently attest to the historical existence of Jesus Christ and to several essential facts concerning His life and the early Christian community. The Roman historian and senator Publius Cornelius Tacitus (c. AD 55–117), one of the most authoritative Latin historians, records the persecution of Christians under […]
Peace of God – Synod of Charroux, 989
Following the example of my predecessors, I, Gunbald, archbishop of Bordeaux, called together the bishops of my diocese in a synod at Charroux…. and we, assembled there in the name of God, made the following decrees: 1 . Anathema against those who break into churches. If anyone breaks into or robs a church, he shall […]
Indulgence for Fighting the Heathen, 878 – Pope John VIII
John VIII to the bishops in the realm of Louis II [the Stammerer]. You have modestly expressed a desire to know whether those who have recently died in war, fighting indefence of the church of God and for the preservation of the Christian religion and of the state, or those who may in ‘he future […]
Forgiveness of Sins for Those Who Dies in Battle With the Heathen
Leo IV (847-855) Given to the Frankish Army Now we hope that none of you will be slain, but we wish you to know that the kingdom of heaven will be given as a reward to those who shall be killed in this war. For the Omnipotent knows that they lost their lives fighting for […]
Aquinas and the Heretics
Michael Novak Some time ago, I wrote an essay claiming St. Thomas as the first Whig, one of the founders of “the party of liberty.” One antecedent to this claim comes in the essays of Lord Acton on the origins of the idea of liberty, and other antecedents in the political writings of Jacques Maritain, […]
INQUISITION: INTRODUCTION
by David Burr When medieval people used the word “inquisition,” they were referring to a judicial technique, not an organization. There was , in fact, no such thing as “the Inquisition” in the sense of an impersonal organization with a chain of command. Instead there were “inquisitors of heretical depravity,” individuals assigned by the pope […]