Catholic Unscripted Newsletter #12: Faith, Reason, and the Real World — The Catholic Unscripted Way
From high fashion to high Mass, from Rome to reason — the most intelligent Catholic commentary online, made possible by you.
Dear friends,
It’s been a little while since our last newsletter — and in that time, we’ve been busy. Interviews, essays, investigations, and reflections have been flowing in from some of the sharpest Catholic minds around.
So brew a coffee, settle in, and get ready — this is a feast of insight, courage, and faith.
As always, thank you for reading and for being part of this growing community of intelligent, faithful Catholics who care deeply about the truth. If you value what we do, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. At £5 a month, it’s one of the best ways you can support authentic Catholic journalism today.
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🎥 New Interviews
From High Fashion to High Mass
Delphine Chui had it all — fame, fortune, and access to the biggest stars in the fashion world. But behind the glamour, she discovered a hollow emptiness that only faith could fill. In this remarkable interview, Delphine shares how she found lasting joy in the Catholic Church and why the Mass offers more beauty than any runway ever could.
👉 Watch here »
From High Fashion, to High Mass
To find out more about Delphine Chui and to follow her work, please visit the following links:
Jonathan Pageau: The Return of Symbolism
We welcomed Jonathan Pageau back to discuss shifting geopolitics, the distortion of language, and the spiritual battle that’s shaping the modern world. This is one of the most profound conversations we’ve had — exploring how the visible and invisible intersect in today’s crisis of meaning.
👉 Watch here »
Jonathan Pageau on The Return of Violence
Early Release of this conversation for all our paid subscribers. Thank you for your support.
Is This What We Need Right Now?
We spoke with our friend Anthony Abbate of Avoiding Babylon about faith, fatherhood, and the Church’s current direction. Together we asked: What do our clergy really believe? and Is Pope Leo’s first document what the Church needs most at this moment?
👉 Watch here »
Is This Really What We Need at This Time?
You can follow Anthony’s contributions at Avoiding Babylon where he hosts his own Catholic podcast with Rob. Link here;
If It’s Broke, Fix It!
Two young Christian teachers share how they’ve created a thriving alternative to the broken school system, shaping modern life. An inspiring and practical conversation about faith, initiative, and courage.
👉 Watch here »
"If It's Broke, Fix It". How Two Young Men Are Changing The Face of Education
We are joined by Jamie Burns and Hin-Tai Ting, two educators who, seeing the need to offer a truly christian formation in classical education, have set up schools in the UK (London and Wales) not blinkered by a modernist worldview. We discuss the problem of modern schools, the need for leadership, the impact of poor schooling on the dignity of the human…
Fr. Robert McTeigue: Cupich, Mullally, and the Crisis of Leadership
In this must-watch interview, Fr. McTeigue helps us interpret what the appointment of Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury reveals about the wider collapse of Anglicanism and leadership in general — and why the Catholic Church must not follow the same path.
👉 Watch here »
Did You Miss Fr. Eddie Tomlinson?
A moving testimony from a priest who left Anglicanism because of conscience. Fr. Tomlinson tells us why only the Catholic faith could hold together truth and love.
👉 Watch here »
"I Couldn't Stay Anglican" Faith, Truth & the Crisis of the West.
Katherine and Mark are joined in Conversation by Fr. Ed Tomlinson, Priest in Charge of St Anselms Tunbridge Wells. After sharing why he became a Catholic, Fr Ed goes on to examine the problems created by the ‘Reformation’, the reason why people must become Catholic, the heresy of Modernism and the inevitable fall of the West. Fr Ed speaks with great cla…
✍️ Featured Articles
The Silence of Leo: Justice, the Latin Mass, and the Crisis of Confidence
Mark examines Pope Leo’s troubling silence on the liturgy wars which cries out for justice. He also looks at his mixed signals regarding the Latin Mass — a probing, informed essay asking what true reform in the Church should look like.
👉 Read it here »
The Silence of Leo: Justice, the Latin Mass, and the Deepening Fracture within the Church
In a development that has left many faithful Catholics reeling, the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, has reportedly confirmed that the Vatican has ordered the termination of all diocesan celebrations of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). The news marks yet another instance of diocesan-level closures following similar moves in Detroit, Charlotte, and Monterey. Each case traces its origin to the controversial 2021
Cardinal Vincent Nichols: A History
From his early years to his rise as Archbishop of Westminster, Mark charts the career of England’s most influential prelate — and asks what his legacy will be.
👉 Read here »
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Did you see this amazing homily from a priest in New York directly dressing down Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster?
The Seamless Garment Unravelled
Mark explores the origins of the seamless garment theology used by Pope Leo to justify honouring pro-abortion Senator Dick Durbin — revealing what’s true, what’s distorted, and why it matters now more than ever.
👉 Read here »
The Seamless Garment Unraveled
In a recent interview with journalists, Pope Leo XIV intervened in a contentious U.S. Catholic debate by critiquing those who oppose abortion but support the death penalty or harsh immigration policies, declaring them “not really pro-life.” These remarks, made amid controversy over Cardinal Blase Cupich’s plan to honour pro-abortion Senator Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award for his immigration advocacy, articulate a moral equivalence that undermines the preeminent priority of abortion in Catholic teaching. This incoherence, consistently promoted by Cupich in opposition to the U.S. bishops’ longstanding affirmation that abortion is the “preeminent” issue in political life, is usually justified with reference to the problematic “seamless garment” theory.
Finally — Plymouth Has a Bishop!
After years of vacancy, the Diocese of Plymouth welcomes Bishop Nicholas Hudson. What can the faithful expect from his appointment? Mark provides analysis and background.
👉 Read here »
Finally! Plymouth has a Bishop.
Bishop Nicholas Hudson’s translation from auxiliary in Westminster to diocesan bishop in Plymouth is one of those ecclesiastical moves that looks tidy on paper but carries a great deal of quiet meaning. Rome has taken a man formed at Cambridge and the Gregorian, a former rector of the Venerable English College, and posted him not to a major metropolitan…
Room for Islam at the Vatican? No.
In this tightly reasoned piece, Mark dismantles the notion of “religious coexistence” when it replaces evangelisation — and asks what it means for Catholic identity today.
👉 Read here »
Room for Islam at the Vatican — No Room for Tradition
No, it’s not a joke, Recent reports show that the Vatican Library has granted visiting Muslim scholars a dedicated space for prayer. The Library’s Vice-Prefect, Father Giacomo Cardinali, confirmed that some Muslim scholars had asked for a room with a carpet for praying and that they had been given it. The sede-vacantist site
Serial Abuser Rupnik Still Spouting — And Still Untouched
A blistering analysis of the Vatican’s handling of the Rupnik scandal. Mark lays out the facts and calls for accountability and justice in the face of moral collapse.
👉 Read here »
Serial Abuser Rupnik Still Spouting Sermons While the Pope Plays Deaf and Dumb!
At the time of Pope Leo XIV’s election, a rumour was floating around that Marko Ivan Rupnik had packed his bags and fled from Rome, a notion that might even have been started as a joke by our friend Father Alexander Lucie-Smith. However, the troubling reality could not be further from that hopeful, humorous remark, as the case of this Slovenian priest and artist, expelled from the Jesuit order amid grave allegations of sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse, continues to unfold as a testament to institutional failures within the Catholic Church.
When Rome Speaks Softly and Christians Tremble
A piercing look at the Vatican’s cautious tone in times of crisis — and why clarity, not ambiguity, is the true pastoral act.
👉 Read here »
When Rome Speaks Softly and Christians Bleed Loudly
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, set off a fresh wave of debate when, at the launch of Aid to the Church in Need’s 2025 Religious Freedom report, he cautioned reporters against describing all recent attacks on Christians in Nigeria as intrinsically “religious” or sectarian. Parolin emphasised the complexity of the violence, pointing to agrarian and herder–farmer disputes and other social causes, and warned that “to speak of persecution is slightly problematic” in some cases.
Climate Change: The New Religion
Mark asks whether the modern environmental movement has become a substitute for belief in God — and why Catholics must not confuse stewardship with idolatry.
👉 Read here »
Climate Change Was the New Religion — Until Its High Priest Lost Faith
In recent weeks Bill Gates published a piece that represents a marked shift in his public framing of the climate question. In “Three Tough Truths About Climate” he rejects the most apocalyptic formulations now common in public debate, insisting that although climate change will have serious consequences it is not a doomsday scenario that will bring about the end of civilisation, and arguing that policy should prioritise improving lives and building resilience as much as, if not more than, narrowly chasing temperature targets. This is not a rhetorical quibble. Gates’s new emphasis is that the moral metric of policy ought to be human flourishing and the protection of the poorest from foreseeable harms, rather than an incessant focus on headline temperature goals.
✝️ From Our Writers
St Teresa of Ávila: For Ever, For Ever, For Ever
Katherine brings the Carmelite mystic vividly to life, reminding us that sanctity is not about perfection, but perseverance.
👉 Read here »
The Redemptive Power of Suffering
In one of her most beautiful reflections, Katherine explores how God transforms our wounds into grace — a piece that will comfort anyone carrying a cross.
👉 Read here »
The Redemptive Power of Suffering: Pope St John Paul II Against the Culture of Death
I started watching “Blue Lights'“ following Sean Walsh’s recommendation. It’s a Police drama set in contemporary Northern Ireland, with echoes of a world I recall from childhood. My family are, to this day, based in Dundalk, Louth. Border territory and once notorious IRA stronghold. As an English sounding Catholic named O’Neill, crossing the border was always unsettling to my mother, for reasons I didn’t understand.
Trick, Treat or Triumph? How Catholics Should Approach Halloween
Katherine dives into the Christian roots of All Hallows’ Eve — and how to reclaim it as a moment of witness, not fear.
👉 Read here »
Trick, Treat, or Triumph: How Catholics Face the Darkness of Hallowe’en
By the end of this month the clocks in the UK will have fallen back, and the days will be shorter. Children will walk home from school in the dark, crunching dead leaves underfoot and trees will stand stripped back to trunk and branches. Darkness and death become more apparent in nature and when the light fades, the darkness starts to take shape.
The One Where Everyone Was Indoctrinated
A sharp, funny and frightening cultural analysis of modern media and moral formation — a must-read, especially for parents.
👉 Read here »
The One Where Everyone Was Indoctrinated: Friends and the Cult of Carnality
The cult sitcom Friends had a running ‘gag’ based on the haphazard relationship between characters Ross and Rachel. The two had been fornicating for some time before Rachel said ‘Maybe we should take a break’. Within a few hours of this ‘break’ Ross had sex with another woman and justified it by appealing to the fact that they were ‘on a break’, thus meaning it was morally legit. Rachel who had been giving herself to Ross sexually for many months before calling for this break was annoyed, she didn’t appear to want him to have sex with anyone else during that break. Who was right and who was wrong became the subject of this long running gag, as the phrase ‘we were on a break’ was repeated over the course of the following seasons. It was funny, see?
The Lost Bride: How the Modern World Forgets the Church
Katherine examines how the modern imagination has lost sight of the Bride of Christ — and what that means for us all.
👉 Read here »
The Lost Bride: How the Modern World Forgot the Feminine
I recently wrote about how the sitcom Friends wreaked untold damage on a generation of impressionable young viewers. I know this, because I am that generation. Many of my Catholic peers (already left in the gutter by weak clergy who failed to preach the Gospel) fornicated, shacked up, watched porn and contracepted precisely
Inverting the Beatitudes: Machiavelli and the Modern Age
Machiavelli versus the Sermon on the Mount — Katherine contrasts worldly cunning with Gospel wisdom.
👉 Read here »
Inverting the Beatitudes: Machiavelli the Father of Aggressive Secularist Propaganda
This Sunday’s Gospel was Matthew 5:1-12, The Sermon on the Mount. Here, Jesus preaches on supreme happiness. The world tells us that we will be happy if we win, if we come out on top, if we gain more than another man gains, but Jesus turns this on it’s head. Jesus preached the Beatitudes on the Mount, but he
If They Don’t Like “Co-Redemptrix,” How About “New Eve”?
Katherine unpacks the Marian titles that have caused confusion — and shows how right understanding brings us closer to Christ.
👉 Read here »
Co-Redemptrix Inappropriate? The Post War World in Which Dogma Has Become a Dirty Word
On Tuesday 4th November Mater Populi Fidelis, a Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles Regarding Mary’s Cooperation in the Work of Salvation, was issued by the Dicastry for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel ‘Tucho’ Fernández.
What Agatha Christie Knew About Sin
A witty, penetrating essay on the moral clarity of classic crime fiction — and what it can still teach us about justice and mercy.
👉 Read here »
What Agatha Christie Knew About Sin: You Don't Start With Murder.
Around this time, every year, my youngest daughter and I usually turn to the ghost stories of M.R. James. They are chilling, unsettling, and supernatural unlike the Hollywood movies attempting to scare us today. James originally read his stories to friends for Christmas Eve entertainments and later published them as a collection of Ghost Stories, whereupon they received wider attention.
🕊️ From Our Priests
The Prayer That Changes You, Not Just the World — Fr Sean Sheehy
A homily on prayer that cuts straight to the heart of conversion: prayer doesn’t bend God’s will, it bends ours.
👉 Read here »
The Prayer That Changes You, Not Just Your Circumstances
Does God hear your prayer? It depends on your attitude. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, King Claudius is on his knees trying to repent of murdering his brother but doesn’t get any comfort from God. He noted, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to Heaven go”
The Art of Dying Well — Fr Sean Sheehy
Fr Sheehy offers profound spiritual guidance on how to face death with faith, courage, and grace.
👉 Read here »
The Art of Dying Well: Facing Death, Judgement, Heaven or Hell.
This post is written for Catholic Unscripted by Fr Sean Sheehy
Don’t forget, members get access to daily Gospel readings and reflections with Father Paschal Uche as well!
We welcomed some sharp Catholic minds to write recently as well. Check out:
Pilate’s Metaphysical Relativism — and Ours
Sean Walsh explores Pilate’s infamous question, “What is truth?”, showing how it still haunts our world today.
👉 Read here »
Pilate’s Metaphysical Relativism and the Ontology of Truth
And Jesus answered “Just as you say, I am a king. For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is on the side of truth hears my voice.” Pilate said, “What is truth?”.
Spiritual Maturity in Leadership
A call to integrity, humility, and discernment for all those who lead in the Church or in life.
👉 Read here »
Spiritual Maturity in Leadership is Key to Healing the Church's Crisis
In the Catholic tradition, spiritual growth is not a vague aspiration but a structured journey toward union with God. This path, outlined by the Church’s greatest doctors, consists of three stages: the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive. At its pinnacle is the unitive stage, where Christian perfection is attained as fully as possible in this life — though it falls short of God’s absolute perfection. This stage, also called the stage of union with God or spiritual childhood, forms the foundation of divine order in every Christian life.
The Cross and the Western Mind
A powerful meditation on how the Cross challenges every human culture — especially our own.
👉 Read here »
📅 Coming Up
Don’t miss our Tuesday night live conversation with Fr Sean Sheehy — join us at 7:30pm BST on YouTube for lively, faithful discussion and prayer.
And later tonight, look out for our interview with Fr James Mawdsley on the Vatican’s new Doctrinal Note on Mary as Co-Mediatrix. This promises to be essential viewing for anyone who loves Our Lady and the truth of her role in salvation.
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Thank you for being part of our growing community,
Mark, Katherine, and the Catholic Unscripted Team