The Catholic Current w/ Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J.

Father McTeigue's Book on philosophy - Real Philosophy for Real People: Tools for Truthful Living with @IgnatiusPress is now available as an audiobook. Check it out! heraldofthegospel.org/2023/03/new-au…

Fr. Z comments on Fr McTeigue's video release today: wdtprs.com/2026/05/if-ful…

Absolutely brilliant. You can just watch the video (that's what I'd recommend, especially for Fr. McTeigue's deadpan delivery), or you can read this summary of the argument as presented by Fr. Z: « Fr. McTeigue begins with the image of Harry Houdini escaping from impossible constraints: straitjacket, chains, barrel, waterfall. This becomes the metaphor for the current ecclesial problem. The problem is the claim that “full communion with Rome” requires [NB] full acceptance of the documents of Vatican II. At first glance, this seems like a simple test: accept Vatican II fully, and one is in full communion; refuse it, and one is outside or in imperfect communion. Fr. McTeigue says the matter is less simple, because many people who are treated as fully in communion with Rome may, in practice, reject parts of Vatican II. [Even openly reject!] He notes that John XXIII and Paul VI described Vatican II as pastoral rather than dogmatic. McTeigue contrasts that with Cardinal Fernández’s claim that the documents of Vatican II [NB] “cannot be corrected.” Fr. McT then identifies a tension: how can a pastoral council be treated as requiring uncorrectable acceptance in order to establish full communion? His central claim is that almost no one fully accepts all the documents of Vatican II. He then moves to Humanae vitae in 1968, which reaffirmed the Church’s rejection of artificial contraception and abortion. He argues that Humanae vitae did not introduce a new teaching, but reiterated what Vatican II itself had already taught, especially in Gaudium et spes 51. Gaudium et spes 51 condemns abortion as an “unspeakable crime” and also rejects artificial contraception. Therefore, Catholics who reject Humanae vitae also reject part of Vatican II. Many theologians, clergy, bishops’ conferences, and lay Catholics effectively rejected Humanae vitae after 1968. He cites the infamous Winnipeg Statement as an example of episcopal resistance or weakening of the force of Humanae vitae. The Canadian Bishops have never officially retracted the Winnipeg Statement. McTeigue then appeals to survey data and demographic evidence, arguing that many Catholics contracept and abort at roughly the same rate as non-Catholics. He also points to the steep decline in infant baptisms as circumstantial evidence that many Catholic married couples are not living according to the Church’s teaching on openness to life. From this, he concludes that many Catholics de facto reject Humanae vitae and therefore de facto reject Gaudium et spes 51. [“De facto” certainly because 99% of them don’t know and don’t care about any of the V2 documents and don’t know what HV said.] [NB:] If full communion requires full acceptance of Vatican II, then, by that standard, these Catholics would also have to be judged as lacking full communion with Rome. Father contrasts this with the treatment of Catholics attached to traditional Latin liturgy, who are often pressured, investigated, restricted, or told they must accept Vatican II fully. There is clearly an unequal application: traditionalists are scrutinized for Vatican II acceptance, while Catholics rejecting Vatican II’s teaching on contraception and abortion are not treated with comparable urgency. He argues that Rome has not issued similar urgent mandates to bring contracepting and aborting Catholics to full acceptance of Vatican II. The Houdini metaphor returns: the Church’s current rhetoric about “full communion,” Vatican II, and selective enforcement creates an apparently impossible bind. There is a serious inconsistency in how “full communion with Rome” is being defined and enforced. » youtube.com/watch?v=sI4A9J…

Here's a conversation I had with Fr. McTeigue about parenting and youth mental health on his program, airing yesterday. I really enjoyed the discussion.

We welcome Jonathan Rothwell (@jtrothwell), Principal Economist at Gallup and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, to discuss how modern parenting challenges, from smartphones and social media to declining religiosity, undermine children's mental health and moral formation. What can parents do to avoid these pitfalls? Father finishes with Timeless Thoughts. thecatholiccurrent.podbean.com/e/parents-scre…

We hear lots of talk about who's in "full Communion with Rome" and who isn't. But how can we tell who's in or out? Fr. McTeigue suggests that the obvious answers don't seem to work. youtu.be/6rb9-0uiuC4

Great news! thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/appeal…

In a culture that avoids death, we lose sight of how to live. Rethinking success, comparison, and moral clarity through mortality: writings.crusadergal.com/p/through-the-…

In the latest installment of the tyranny series, Father McTeigue examines the historical life-cycle of empires to argue that the United States and parts of the Church may be entering stages of decadence and decline. Father finishes with Weekend Readiness to prepare you for Sunday Mass. thecatholiccurrent.podbean.com/e/empire-tyran…

We welcome author and academic Joanna Williams to discuss glaring cultural shifts in Britain, including attacks on national symbols, the repurposing of churches, constraints on free speech, and efforts to "decolonize" history and curriculum. How do these developments connect to broader concerns for the United States, and why is it important that we continue to push for renewed civic engagement, defense of Western cultural heritage, and protection of free expression? thecatholiccurrent.podbean.com/e/british-cult…

Father Robert McTeigue explores whether the cycles that shape empires and history might also affect the human elements of the Church. Do the repeated calls for "renewal" seem a little Groundhog Day-esque? youtu.be/kHheIGl-w9E

We welcome back seasoned journalist @ErikaAhern2 of @the_LOOPcast to examine why many modern churches became plain or ugly, tracing causes from the Reformation and Enlightenment to 20th-century trauma and post‑conciliar changes. Has a loss of reverence and faith in the Eucharist shaped our worship spaces? Father finishes with Timely Thoughts. thecatholiccurrent.podbean.com/e/why-so-many-…

There is an expanding worldview, even amongst Catholics, which sees children not as an end unto themselves but as a mere choice among many, a status symbol, an indicator of financial stability, or simply the means of happiness for unfulfilled couples. It distorts the understanding of marriage and rips at the fabric of the family. crisismagazine.com/opinion/steril…

I was interviewed by Katherine Bennett of Catholic Unscripted and it was such a refreshing conversation. We talked about the difficulty of being informed in the modern world without being overwhelmed and drowning in the headlines: youtube.com/watch?v=izBFye…

Why would a cleric visit a shrine outside of his own religion? Is he searching for what his own faith can’t offer? Is he going there to meet equals? Is he merely curious? And how does he want others to view his visit? youtube.com/watch?v=Kse7zP…

A state is never neutral. It encourages certain choices by what it makes easier. Now that laws are making death easier than care, an implicit statement is being made about human worth: writings.crusadergal.com/p/a-state-agai…

In the latest installment of the tyranny series, Father McTeigue describes how people are manipulated by the deceptive words of tyrants, and how we might resist. Father finishes with Weekend Readiness to prepare you for Sunday Mass. thecatholiccurrent.podbean.com/e/breaking-tyr…

We welcome Fr. Paul Sullins of the Ruth Institute (@RuthInstitute) to talk about what conversion therapy is, and what the recent victory at the Supreme Court means. It's not what you've probably been told. thecatholiccurrent.podbean.com/e/what-is-conv…

Powerful people, in politics and within the Church, can use emotionally charged buzzwords and slogans like magic spells to manipulate people into obedience, fear, or unthinking agreement. Father McTeigue takes a closer look. youtu.be/LxjyDVHpsE4

We welcome back Fr. Michael Rennier to discuss whether knowledge of older rites enriches contemporary worship, fosters humility and obedience, and helps safeguard the Church’s sacramental life and spiritual heritage. thecatholiccurrent.podbean.com/e/why-every-ca…