Via Crucis, 2026
COMMENTARY: Reflections from Jimmy Lai, Bishop Erik Varden and Major-Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk on courageous suffering.
Search results for term 'Bishop Erik Varden '
Leo’s Lenten Retreat Provides Further Insight Into His Pontificate
COMMENTARY: The Holy Father’s bold choice of Bishop Erik Varden as retreat leader speaks volumes.
Pope Leo XIV Reflects on Lenten Exercises, Citing St. Paul’s Call to Live ‘in a Manner Worthy of the Gospel of Christ’
Bishop Erik Varden closed a weeklong retreat for the Roman Curia with meditations on the cross and hope.
Vatican Spiritual Exercises: Christian Freedom and the Splendor of Truth
In the fourth and fifth meditations offered to Pope Leo XIV and the Roman Curia, Bishop Erik Varden reflected on how the modern debate over “freedom” challenges Christians.
Vatican Spiritual Exercises: St. Bernard 'the Idealist'
As the Roman Curia’s Lenten retreat continued, Cistercian abbot-bishop Erik Varden reflected on St. Bernard of Clairvaux and on the biblical conviction that God comes to our aid — even in seasons of silence.
How the Post-Conciliar Classic ‘Bread Grows in Winter’ Speaks to Our Time
125 years after her birth, Ida Friederike Görres’ collection of essays, newly translated into English, reads like prophecy, according to one of the world’s foremost experts on her work.
Bishop Varden: Don’t Use the Gospel as a Weapon
Opening the Vatican’s Lenten spiritual exercises, the Norwegian Cistercian bishop warned against weaponizing the Gospel in culture wars.
7 Things to Know About Bishop Varden, Pope Leo’s Lenten Retreat Master
The Norwegian Trappist monk chosen to preach the Vatican’s Lenten retreat once called himself an atheist — and today is one of Europe’s most respected Catholic thinkers.
An Angel Is a ‘Guardian of Holiness,’ Explains Bishop Varden
The Cistercian bishop reflected on angels as mediators of God’s providence and on St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s realism rooted in mercy during the Vatican’s Lenten spiritual exercises.
A Flickering Lamp, a Living Presence
COMMENTARY: The sanctuary lamp signifies something real — Christ truly present in the Holy Eucharist — and everything must change, because the wounds we carry need not be final.
