 | |
| Type | Onlinenews magazine |
|---|---|
| Founders |
|
| Editor-in-chief | JD Flynn |
| Editor | Ed Condon |
| Managing editor | Michelle La Rosa |
| Founded | January 4, 2021; 4 years ago (2021-01-04) |
| Language | English |
| Website | pillarcatholic.com |
The Pillar is an American news andinvestigative journalism website focusing on theCatholic Church. The site was founded in 2021 by two journalistcanon lawyers: JD Flynn, former editor-in-chief ofCatholic News Agency and formerchancellor of theArchdiocese of Denver; and Ed Condon, former Washington, D.C., bureau editor of Catholic News Agency.The Pillar publishes news and analyses on the life of the church, abuse, church finances, and the interaction of the church and global politics. In July 2021, they received international coverage for publishing a controversial exposé on a top American church official's use of a location-based hookup app. By the end of that month, they had become the third-most-subscribed "faith" publication onSubstack.
J.D. Flynn is an Americancanon lawyer. A convert to Catholicism, he grew up in New Jersey and attendedFranciscan University of Steubenville as an undergraduate and received a JCL fromCatholic University of America.[1][2] He formerly worked at theArchdiocese of Denver from 2007 to 2013, spending 2011 to 2013 as chancellor.[2] He later served as special assistant to BishopJames D. Conley in theDiocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, and editor-in-chief ofCatholic News Agency. He has three children, two of whom are adopted withspecial needs.[1][2]
Ed Condon is a British-American canon lawyer who received his JCD fromCatholic University of America. Condon previously worked as the DC editor of theCatholic News Agency and an associate editor of theCatholic Herald. Prior to his work in Catholic spheres, he worked in politics in theUnited Kingdom.[3] He is the nephew of former president of theCatholic University of America,John H. Garvey.[2]
As co-workers atCatholic News Agency, Flynn and Condon hosted the popular CNA Editor's Desk podcast.[4] According to theWashington Post, Flynn and Condon "stood out" as conservative journalists taking aim at holding the hierarchy of the Catholic Church accountable.[2] In December 2020, Flynn and Condon announced their departure fromCatholic News Agency, citing personal and family reasons, and launchedThe Pillar on January 4, 2021.[5][6] By the end of July 2021,The Pillar was the third most popular "faith" Substack.[2]
The Pillar publishes news, analyses, and interviews on Catholic news topics in the United States and worldwide, including Vatican finances, clerical sexual abuse,China–Holy See relations, theCatholic Church in Nicaragua, and general Catholic news topics. The site is free butsubscription-supported. Some content, such as certain podcast bonus episodes and the Starting Seven, are only accessible to paying subscribers.[7]
The Pillar usesSubstack and publishes two weekly newsletters on Tuesday and Friday containing summaries of the new articles published during the week. Flynn and Condon also host a weekly podcast self-described as "great Catholic conversation" wherein they discuss the news of the week.[8] Europe editor Luke Coppen, former editor of theCatholic Herald, publishes a subscriber-only newsletter called Starting Seven containing the daily Vatican Press Bulletin, upcoming news to watch out for, and summaries of Catholic news of the day, including links to stories not necessarily published by the Pillar.[citation needed]
Flynn has been characterized as portraying as a "wholesome dad" in his editorials and on social media, while Condon "plays the cynical grump".[2]
The Pillar has covered numerous stories of alleged sexual abuse or coverup by members of the Church and bishops, including the cases of former diocesan bishopsRichard Stika of Knoxville andMichael Hoeppner of Crookston and cases atFranciscan University of Steubenville.[9][10] They have also covered the case ofMarko Rupnik, a Sloevenian Jesuit accused of sexually abusing nuns.[11]
The Pillar has also extensively covered Vatican finances, including the trial of former CardinalGiovanni Angelo Becciu, alleged mismanagement of CDF funds by CardinalGerhard Ludwig Müller,[12][13] and other alleged mismanagement in theAdministration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.[14] It has also covered American diocesan finances.[15]
In October 2025, Edgar Beltrán, thePillar's Rome correspondent, was assaulted while interviewing the Venezuelan ArchbishopEdgar Peña Parra. Ricardo Cisneros, a businessman and member of the Venezuelan government's delegation in Rome for the canonization ofJosé Gregorio Hernández andCarmen Elena Rendiles Martínez, interrupted Beltrán and grabbed his recorder after Beltrán asked a question around the "apparent politicization" of the canonizations by the Venezuelan government. TheInternational Association of Journalists Accredited to the Vatican released a statement condemning the incident. In an interview,Pietro Parolin, theCardinal Secretary of State, expressed concern about increasing attacks on free speech.[16][17]
In July 2021,The Pillar published a story which reported on cell phone location data which showed thatMonsignor Jeffrey Burrill, the top administrator of theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops, had frequented gay bars and theGrindr app.[18]
Burrill resigned from the USCCB afterThe Pillar notified the USCCB that it was going to publish the story. The site's methods of obtaining Burrill's location history were legal, but raisedprivacy concerns.[18] In aReligion News Service column appearing inThe Washington Post, theology professorSteven P. Millies decried the investigation as "unethical, homophobic innuendo" and wrote thatThe Pillar "must not have thought about theCode of Canon Law" and "The Pillar's investigators paid little heed also to the canons of ethics for journalists".[19] Others, including Matthew Hennessey ofThe Wall Street Journal, dismissed allegations of homophobic intent while applauding the reporting with a favorable comparison to similar phone data-based reporting byThe New York Times.[20]
Later in 2021The Pillar also reported that Vatican employees were using hookup apps within secure areas of the Vatican inaccessible to the public, whichThe Pillar called a diplomatic blackmail security risk. CardinalPietro Parolin, theSecretary of State ofHoly See, met with Flynn and Condon to discuss the issue.[21]
