Saintly Models for Catholic Journalists and Writers

Of course, the greatest example of both a Catholic journalist and writer, Chesterton, had his Cause stopped because of his "anti-Semitism"!

From One Peter Five

By Robert Lazu Kmita

I have searched over the years for saints who wrote literature. Of course, we have King David and his Psalms—the most well-known poems in the history of the world, still recited today by Christians everywhere. Before David, the prophet Nathan—the one who rebuked him for his terrible sins—used the means of fiction to wisely provoke repentance in the sinful king.[1] Other texts of the Holy Scripture, such as the Song of Songs or the Gospel and the Book of Revelation of Saint John, are not only biblical writings of abyssal depth, but also masterpieces of world literature. Who could write better than the supreme Artist, God?

During my student years, I attended the courses of a distinguished lady, writer and historian of universal literature: Adriana Babeți. At the beginning of her courses, she used to test our knowledge by quoting literary fragments whose authors we had to recognize. Among these fragments there were always quotations from that Saint and Doctor of the Church whom she presented to us as a founder of Western literature: Augustine of Hippo (354–430). Certainly, she was not mistaken. The author of the legendary treatise (De Trinitate) on the Holy Trinity left us, through his Confessiones (Confessions), one of the most remarkable literary works ever written. I could extend the list by adding more and more names: Hildegard of Bingen (c.1098–1179), holy poet and composer of sacred music, saints Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022), John of the Cross (1542–1591), Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582). Other names could be added. And yet, something is missing. None of them wrote novels, stories—that type of creation called by Jorge Luis Borges ficciones (i.e., “fictions”).

The year 1991 inaugurated the canonization process that would finally fill this gap in the list of Catholic saint-writers. Then, Pope John Paul II declared the English apologist and thinker John Henry Newman (1801–1890) venerable. The next step was his beatification by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. Finally came Newman’s canonization—in 2019—by Pope Francis. Last year, the entire process was definitively sealed by his proclamation as Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV. At last, Catholic writers, poets, and even journalists have a model of exceptional intellectual and spiritual stature.

Besides the poem of his conversion, The Dream of Gerontius (1865), Newman wrote two novels. The first, Loss and Gain (1848), tells the story of his own conversion and his relationship with the famous Oxford Movement. His second work of fiction, a prequel to the novel Fabiola or, the Church of the Catacombs (1855) by Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman, was Callista (1855). Although at first glance it may seem a simple historical novel, Newman’s work is a profound investigation of the processes of Christian conscience confronted with persecution and martyrdom in the early Church. Drawing on his own experience of conversion, the author encoded in the struggles of his characters the dilemmas of the winding path he himself followed until his final anchoring in the saving harbor of the Kingdom of Heaven—the Catholic Church. Today, all Catholic writers can invoke in their prayers a saint who understands both their aspirations and their struggles with the difficult craft of the written word. I will attempt, in other articles, to show what they can learn from Saint Doctor John Henry Newman.

Journalists seem to fare somewhat better than authors of fiction. There are at least three saints proposed to them as models: Francis de Sales (1567–1622), John Bosco (1815–1888), and Maximilian Kolbe (1894–1941). Some would also add Titus Brandsma (1881–1942) and Giacomo Alberione (1884–1971). Although all deserve our attention, the first of them—the brilliant bishop, apologist, and theologian, the aristocratic Francis de Sales—is a model on which we must insist in a special way. This is all the more so because an encyclical of Pope Pius XI from 1923, Rerum Omnium Perturbationem (The Disturbance of All Things), speaks very clearly about the essential traits of true Catholic writers and journalists. It is that authoritative text through which the saint, surnamed Doctor caritatis (Charity’s Doctor), was presented to the world as the heavenly patron of writers and journalists. This becomes even more interesting when we see that, by reading his works, he wrote neither fiction, nor poetry, nor newspaper articles.

As Pope Pius XI relates in his encyclical, Francis de Sales distinguished himself through tireless apostolic zeal. Neither cold nor hunger, nor the hostility of heretics—in a word, nothing could stop him from his mission. Over the years he wrote many small pamphlets—or simple leaflets—through which he brilliantly refuted the errors of Protestant heretics. (In our times, such a saint would probably be condemned by ecclesiastical authority itself, since he would not accept ecumenical dialogue.) All these small texts were gathered between the covers of his famous volume The Catholic Controversy. His two immortal works are Philothea – An Introduction to the Devout Life (1609) and Theotimus – The Treatise on the Love of God (1616). What makes these writings worthy of consideration by any fiction writer is the richness of their metaphors and the power of the images used to clarify, as far as possible, the mysteries of the Christian faith. Here, summarized in the encyclical of Pope Pius XI, are all those characteristics of his writings that recommend him as a true patron of writers and journalists:

It is Our wish that the greatest fruits should be gained from this solemn Centenary by those Catholics who as journalists and writers expound, spread, and defend the doctrines of the Church. It is necessary that they, in their writings, imitate and exhibit at all times that strength joined always to moderation and charity, which was the special characteristic of St. Francis. He, by his example, teaches them in no uncertain manner precisely how they should write. In the first place, and this the most important of all, each writer should endeavor in every way and as far as this may be possible to obtain a complete comprehension of the teachings of the Church. They should never compromise where the truth is involved, nor, because of fear of possibly offending an opponent, minimize or dissimulate it. They should pay particular attention to literary style and should try to express their thoughts clearly and in beautiful language so that their readers will the more readily come to love the truth. When it is necessary to enter into controversy, they should be prepared to refute error and to overcome the wiles of the wicked, but always in a way that will demonstrate clearly that they are animated by the highest principles and moved only by Christian charity.[2]

First of all, a profound knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith. From this we see that not the latest political events or scandals in the Church should represent the central concern of the Christian writer, but rather the clearest and most convincing transmission of the true faith and its defense. This implies a testimony to Truth without any compromise. No form of ecumenism, no false irenicism or “nice” dialogue has any place in this vision. This does not mean that rudeness, harshness, or lack of elegance could be tolerated—they are not acceptable in any circumstance. Only after the first two characteristics—deep theological knowledge and uncompromising witness—are fulfilled should the Catholic writer give due attention to the beauty of style and words, so that readers may be inclined toward the love of Truth. Let us note the hierarchy: the profound beauty of Truth is accompanied by the external beauty of style. Finally, polemics conducted with the wicked and the corrupt, especially with false Christians, must always highlight Christian charity, not the desire to demonstrate intellectual or literary superiority. In other words, love and humility must fundamentally define the attitude of a true Catholic author, even if he is a literary genius like François-René de Chateaubriand (1768–1848), Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848–1907), or Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936).

And yet, someone might object that we have no examples of concrete journalism, similar to that of today, in the writings of Saint Francis. The same is true of Saint John Bosco: his famous publication Letture Cattoliche (Catholic Readings) was in fact a collection of small pamphlets through which, like Francis de Sales, he expounded and defended the Catholic faith apologetically.[3] There were no news reports about secular events among the saint’s writings.

Journalism in the modern sense of the word appears only with the Polish martyr Maximilian Kolbe, founder of the magazine Rycerz Niepokalanej (Knight of the Immaculate), first published in January 1922.[4] If we examine the issues prior to the banning of the publication in 1940, we find numerous articles on faith and hagiography, as well as extensive discussions about the apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The militant and apologetic character of the publication, with a strong emphasis on the religious life of missions around the world, represents its dominant trait. There are also news sections, but always strictly related to the life of the Church, the Pope, and ecclesiastical hierarchs. Members of other Christian denominations are mentioned only when they convert to Catholicism. Concretely, here is how a news item from a 1933 issue sounded:

SIX MILLION CONVERSIONS UNDER POPE PIUS XI. There are an impressive number of conversions during the reign of the current Pope Pius XI. According to the statistical data presented at the missionary congress in Padua, a total of 6 million people converted during these 10 years. During the same period, the number of missionary priests increased from 2,670 to 5,000. 20 new mission districts were established. More than 1,600 candidates for priesthood study in colonial seminaries. Overall, 4,000 missionaries arrived for this time.[5]

The vitality of pre–Second World War Catholicism appears to us today like a dream we hardly dare to hope for anymore. I believe, however, that it is worth seriously considering the question of a Catholic journalism that truly possesses the quality of the writings of Francis de Sales and Maximilian Kolbe, reflecting without error—in the context of the cloud of heresies hovering over today’s world—the eternal Truth of the Christian faith. As for the context of media culture, it requires wise responses to the challenges of a digitalization in which some seem willing to lose their minds in favor of artificial intelligence and a neo-communist technocratic utopia.

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[1] For details see the article “The Art of Storytelling: from Nathan the Prophet to Charles Dickens:” https://kmitalibrary.substack.com/p/the-art-of-storytelling-from-nathan [Accessed: 10 April 2026].

[2] Pope Pius XI, Rerum Omnium Perturbationem, Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Saint Francis de Sales: https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_26011923_rerum-omnium-perturbationem.html [Accessed: 10 April 2026].

[3] Many of the original writings of Saint John Bosco can be found archived here: https://donboscosanto.eu/download/index.php? [Accessed: 10 Aprili 2026]. Here’s what a booklet from his Letture Cattoliche series looked like: https://www.salesian.online/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bosco_Conversione_Valdese.pdf [Accessed: 10 April 2026].

[4] Polish-speaking readers can read the magazine here: https://archiwum.rycerzniepokalanej.pl/archiwum [Accessed: 10 April 2026].

[5] https://archiwum.rycerzniepokalanej.pl/kronika_1933_styczen_1902 [Accessed: 10 April 2026].