
Francis X. Maier
Senior Fellow
Francis X. Maier is a Senior Fellow in the Catholic Studies Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Mr. Maier’s work focuses on the intersection of Christian faith, culture, and public life, with special attention to lay formation and action.
Francis X. Maier is a Senior Fellow in the Catholic Studies Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Mr. Maier’s work focuses on the intersection of Christian faith, culture, and public life, with special attention to lay formation and action.
Mr. Maier served as senior adviser and special assistant to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., for 23 years in Denver and Philadelphia. He previously served as editor in chief of the National Catholic Register and as a story analyst and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and New York University’s School of the Arts, he is a former Fellow of the American Film Institute’s Conservatory for Advanced Film Studies, and the inaugural Senior Research Fellow (2020–22) at Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government. He is a cofounding board member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Collegium Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture and a board member of the Napa Institute and the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).
His bylined work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, First Things, National Review, The American Spectator, The Catholic Thing, Crisis, This World, America, Commonweal, the New York Times Sunday magazine, Christian Science Monitor, and other national and foreign outlets. His book True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church, was released by Ignatius Press in early 2024.
The Flawed System of Sexual Abuse Settlements
Francis X. Maier
There was a window from the late 1980s through the early 2000s when the sex abuse of minors seemed to…
Articles
First Things / July 4, 2025
Reading the Red Tory
Francis X. Maier
Jacques Ellul, the French Protestant philosopher, sociologist, and theologian, famously argued that technology evolves autonomously. In effect, technology shapes society more than…
Articles
The Catholic Thing / July 2, 2025
A Priest for Our Times
Francis X. Maier
I’m a sucker for history because it’s a great teacher. And I talk a lot about the Reformation because, while…
Articles
The Catholic Thing / June 18, 2025
Augustine, Patron of the Age
Francis X. Maier
Earlier this month, I returned from two weeks in Rome covering the run-up and conclusion to the recent conclave. It…
Articles
The Catholic Thing / May 21, 2025
To Restore All Things in Christ
Francis X. Maier
The following lecture was delivered at the 2025 Christendom College Commencement. A few days ago, I returned from two weeks…
Articles
Christendom College / May 17, 2025
The Shape of Things to Come
Francis X. Maier
H.G. Wells was a gifted writer. He was also a tiresome socialist. He was also a callous thug when it…
Articles
The Catholic Thing / May 7, 2025
Carnal and Holy, Sacred and Profane
Francis X. Maier
Letters from Rome 2025, No. 8—The Papal Interregnum
Articles
First Things / May 6, 2025
Letters from Rome 2025, No. 8—The Papal Interregnum
Francis X. Maier, Noelle Mering
Carnal and Holy, Sacred and Profane by Francis X. Maier The Basilica of San Clemente is one of Rome’s treasures….
Articles
First Things / May 6, 2025
Along the Tiber: Lessons from the Past for the Present
Francis X. Maier
From “Letters from Rome 2025—The Papal Interregnum No. 3.”
Articles
First Things / April 30, 2025
Pope Francis’ Legacy of Question Marks
Francis X. Maier
The Argentinian pontiff, who died today at 88, sowed confusion within the Catholic Church on matters of doctrine.
Articles
The Wall Street Journal / April 21, 2025