Of the many aberrations spawned in the instability and confusion of the post–Vatican II era, the promotion of private revelation has to be one of the most dangerous. One can find many overexposed priests on social media and YouTube. The pope has been among the many who have warned them of the danger of this path. A priest in Italy recently left the priesthood after he met a woman by means of the many images of himself shared on the internet and struck up an exclusive relationship with her. Sometimes the same leaders who decry the lack of catechesis and resulting ignorance of the faith on the part of so many are the same ones who spend an inordinate amount of time drawing attention to themselves and their experiences, supernatural and otherwise. Among these are exorcists whose recounting of strange otherworldly events provide diverting spectacles and frightening stories that certainly draw a lot of attention and scare a number of people. But to what end?

The Catholic commentariat, in the wake of the opening salvos of the war in Iran, has, if you’ll forgive the pun, exploded. Many voices are untethered from Catholic just-war and social teaching. Some are rendering final judgment without a knowledge of all the facts, some of which may not be revealed until the conflict is over. I am sure my prayers for its quick and benign conclusion are not the only ones in God’s hearing at the moment. Tragically, we now count four American service members among the thousands who have already died as a result. A girls’ school was struck on the first day of the conflict and over 150 students were killed. Some of those offering their take on the war in light of Catholic just-war teaching are offering sage and measured counsel for the benefit of the many who might not be sure at the moment just what to think. Among these are Phil Lawler and Robert Royal. Lawler, in “Exploring Just-War