Michael W. Higgins

Where this writer stands

Only opinion columns and editorials are scored. Each piece is read twice by a language model, which records the author's own stance on a policy topic only where the piece argues one, with a quote that must appear in the piece. An author's position on a topic is the average of their pieces, weighted by the model's confidence. News reporting is listed but never scored.

Recent work

• Pope Leo’s ‘Prevost Doctrine’ takes shape – and it looks a lot like Mark Carney’sOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Oct 2, 2026
• Opinion: There’s more to Pope Leo than principled resolve against Donald TrumpOpinion · The Globe and Mail · May 7, 2026
• Opinion: Will Bill 21 complete Quebec’s unfinished revolution against Catholic culture?Opinion · The Globe and Mail · Mar 22, 2026
• Opinion: At the world’s crossroads, Carney draws on a legacy of religious thinkersOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Feb 8, 2026
• Opinion: Pope Leo and President Trump are on a collision courseOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 17, 2025
• Opinion: Turning Charlie Kirk into a saint is a dangerous gameOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Sep 23, 2025
• Opinion: The school shooting in Minneapolis shows how nothing has changed since Sandy Hook – and nothing willOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Sep 2, 2025
• Opinion: The Vatican was looking for an improved Francis model, and just might have found one in Leo XIVOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Aug 22, 2025
• Opinion: In becoming Leo XIV, the new Pope may be eschewing the Vatican’s factionalismOpinion · The Globe and Mail · May 7, 2025
• Opinion: The legacy of Pope Francis: Choosing faith over fearOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Apr 20, 2025
• Opinion: The resignation that changed the Catholic ChurchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Apr 17, 2025
• Opinion: Pope Francis must change his narrative about women and their place in the Catholic ChurchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Oct 10, 2024
• Opinion: Will Joe Biden turn to his faith and follow in Benedict’s path?Opinion · The Globe and Mail · Jul 9, 2024
• Opinion: The Holy Land has arguably never seen such brutal political and religious turmoilOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Mar 22, 2024
• Opinion: Grumpiness might be a sign that Pope Francis is in it for the long haulOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 31, 2023
• Opinion: The Vatican gathering signals a new approach for the Catholic ChurchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Oct 31, 2023
• Opinion: Pope Francis shakes the ground beneath his detractors, yet againOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Sep 26, 2023
• Opinion: Francis shows, once again, that he is a Pope like no otherOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jul 23, 2023
• Opinion: An unholy obsession with papal healthOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jun 21, 2023
• Opinion: On the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s papacy, his critics have become more brazenOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Mar 12, 2023
• Opinion: Can L’Arche escape the twisted legacy of its own founders?Opinion · The Globe and Mail · Feb 1, 2023
• Opinion: The Vatican should rethink its diplomatic approach toward Moscow and BeijingOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 2, 2022
• Opinion: Should Queen Elizabeth be proclaimed a saint?Opinion · The Globe and Mail · Sep 18, 2022
• Opinion: The modern university faces challenges – but it is not in declineOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Sep 4, 2022
• Opinion: Quebec lawsuit is the latest chapter in a legacy of clerical sexual abuseOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Aug 18, 2022
• Opinion: The Pope’s visit highlights his gift for meaningful engagementOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jul 28, 2022
• Opinion: Is Pope Francis, a polarizing figure for Catholic hard-liners, ready for the coming schism?Opinion · The Globe and Mail · Apr 14, 2022
• Opinion: Following the Pope’s apology, Canadian Catholics need to step upOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Apr 3, 2022
• Opinion: The Pope’s visit should remind the Canadian Catholic leadership of its responsibility to Indigenous peoplesOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Nov 4, 2021
• Opinion: The hard truth of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is demoralizing. But we must confront itOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Oct 9, 2021
• Opinion: In the COVID-era, the liberal arts are more valuable than everOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Sep 3, 2021
• Opinion: In Pope Francis’s Vatican, alleged financial misconduct is now a cardinal sinOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Aug 5, 2021
• Opinion: What the Catholic Church in Canada can learn from the Archbishop of Munich and FreisingOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jun 24, 2021
• Opinion: The curse of clericalism: The Catholic Church must act now to address the sins of the pastOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Feb 21, 2021
• Opinion: The unassuming Catholicism of Joe Biden prepares him well for the hard journey aheadOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jan 14, 2021
• Opinion: Pope Francis sparks revolutionary love, yet again – this time for gay peopleOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Oct 21, 2020
• Opinion: Pope Francis’s new text takes aim at a dangerous global threat – Donald TrumpOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Oct 14, 2020
• Opinion: It’s a turbulent time for U.S. Catholics as the election draws nearOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jul 9, 2020
• Opinion: A page from Saint Corona: A pandemic prayer book for expanding our spiritual horizonsOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Apr 9, 2020
• Opinion: How the story of one Austrian farmer urges us not to forget the lessons from AuschwitzOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jan 26, 2020
• Opinion: In 2020, Pope Francis may prove to be a great friend to IslamOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jan 4, 2020
• Opinion: The Roman Catholic priesthood needs a new role modelOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Nov 21, 2019
• Opinion: As Pope Francis calls for climate action, his critics fear a green Trojan horseOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Oct 3, 2019
• Pope Francis mustn’t be held hostage to the rot in his own churchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Feb 19, 2019
• After more than a bad year, will Pope Francis right the ship?Opinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 20, 2018
• The radical change needed for the Catholic Church to surviveOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Sep 3, 2018
• The Pope’s letter: Anodyne, devoid of passion and simply not enoughOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Aug 20, 2018
• The McCarrick scandal: A Rubicon moment for the Catholic ChurchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jul 30, 2018
• Fifty years ago, an unholy mess shook the Catholic churchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jul 22, 2018
• Pope Francis sets a new tone of accountabilityOpinion · The Globe and Mail · May 21, 2018
• Why the Catholic Church must commit to women’s equalityOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Mar 28, 2018
• Pope Benedict’s abdication ushered in a new era for Catholic ChurchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Feb 11, 2018
• Pope Benedict’s abdication ushered in a new era for Catholic ChurchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Feb 11, 2018
• Pope Benedict’s abdication ushered in a new era for Catholic ChurchOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Feb 10, 2018
• Pope Francis and ‘temptation’: Words are still reveredOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 20, 2017
• Pope Francis and ‘temptation’: Words are still reveredOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 20, 2017
• Pope Francis and ‘temptation’: Words are still reveredOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 20, 2017
• Pope Francis and ‘temptation’: Words are still reveredOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 20, 2017
• Pope Francis and ‘temptation’: Words are still reveredOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 20, 2017
• Pope Francis and ‘temptation’: Words are still reveredOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Dec 20, 2017