The Moynihan Letters

    German Vaticanist Paul Badde, looking at the original of the image of the Holy Face of Manoppello.     Badde passed away on November 10, one week ago, in Manoppello, Italy, at the age of 77 after a long illness. He left behind his wife, Ellen, five children, and nine grandchildren     Below, photos from his funeral, held [...]

    German Vaticanist Paul Badde, looking at the original of the image of the Holy Face of Manoppello. Badde passed away yesterday in Manoppello at the age of 77 after a long illness. He leaves his wife, Ellen, and five children. Below, images of the Holy Veil of Manoppello, an image Paul studied and about which [...]

https://youtu.be/DsXlp4trJkk?si=ywjO_vWxJaXj5toa     The Vatican on Monday, in two days, will release a new biography on the life of Pope Leo XIV, entitled "Leo from Chicago."     Above, and also here, are links to a brief trailer introducing the film     Below, the message that was on my desk when I arrived on October 29 at my room in [...]

    The Damascus Gate into the city of Jerusalem, this morning, November 4, 2025     "Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer..." —Zechariah 12:10     Letter #70, 2025, Tuesday, November 4: Holy Land After a long journey, I have come once again to [...]

    Pope Leo XIV presides over his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sept. 24, 2025. | Credit: Vatican Media     Letter #69, 2025, Friday, October 10: Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo has issued his first major writing, an Apostolic Exhortation entitled Dilexi te ("I have loved you," link).     It was published [...]

Fr. Juan Gutierrez | Photo: hope.lacatholics.org     Letter #68, 2025, Wednesday, October 1: Fr. Juan Gutierrez     An intimate account of a miracle that made a canonization possible.         —RM     Note: If you would like to subscribe to this letter, or add a friend as a subscriber, you may do so here.     If you wish to donate to [...]

     Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, born Francesco Forgione, May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Province of Benevento, Kingdom of Italy. Died September 23, 1968 (aged 81). Today is his Feast Day (link)     In September 1918, at age 31, Padre Pio began to display permanent wounds on his hands and feet, known as stigmata in reference to Christ's wounds. In the next [...]

    His Eminence Giovanni Angelo Becciu, 77, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, June 27, 2019 (photo: Daniel Ibanez / EWTN) (link)     Letter #66, 2025, Tuesday, September 23: Becciu     The scandalous Vatican "trial of the century" is coming to an end.     The multi-year case has cost millions of dollars in legal fees for [...]

    Earlier this year, Erika and her husband, the late Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10, two days ago, spoke together at an event in Texas. | Photo Credit: WikiMedia Commons By Gage Skidmore - (link)     Letter #65, 2025, Friday, September 12: Erika Kirk     Today I saw this article from the National Catholic Register [...]

    Charlie Kirk, age 31, a leading conservative figure in the US "culture wars," and a supporter of US President Donald Trump, was shot by a single bullet to his neck which severed a major artery and killed him instantly yesterday afternoon while speaking to a crowd of students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. [...]