Writing The Secret Cardinal
The Secret Cardinal is my fifth novel, so I like to think that I have learned a few things with each of my books and that my skills as a storyteller have improved over time. The final judgment on that rests with my readers, but thus far the straw poll indicates this is the case. More

The Secret Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
The term secret cardinal has a sinister ring to it, perhaps drawing to mind a shadowy villain in a novel, but such an image could not be further from the truth. I am a cradle Catholic who received twelve years of formative parochial education, yet it was not until I reached my late thirties that I first learned the existence of secret cardinals in the Catholic Church. More

The Vatican and China: The Ultimate Church-State Conflict
Totalitarian states view religion as a threat because it supposes a power greater than the government. Pagan tyrants overcame this threat by declaring themselves god-kings to solidify their hold on power. The monarchs of Christian Europe knew better than to claim divinity, though they did claim that god had tasked them with defending the faith. Over time, this morphed into despotism justified by the Divine Right of Kings. More

Cardinal Kung: China’s Secret Cardinal
My introduction to the inspiring story of Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin Mei came from an unlikely place: the floor of the United States Senate. But it was there in March of 2000 that Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut delivered an eloquent tribute to mark the passing of a man who came to symbolize the persecuted Roman Catholic Church in China. More

The Battle over China’s Bishops
A hostile act against the government. Such a charge, when levied by one nation against another, is often a prelude to war, but in this instance it was merely the latest verbal salvo in a long-running dispute between China and the Vatican. At issue is the authority to name bishops—a papal duty usurped by the Chinese government fifty years ago, and a major roadblock on the path toward restoration of diplomatic ties between the two nations. More

From the Vatican, with Love
At the end of June, 2007, the Vatican posted a letter from Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of China, and opened a new chapter in an international drama that stretches back over a half century. The letter offered a detailed examination of the situation faced by Chinese Catholics in both official and underground congregations, and proposed an avenue of thoughtful dialog between the Vatican and Beijing to fully resolve the difficult situation. More