Constantinople stood as the Defender and Capital of a Christian Roman Empire.

For more than a thousand years, the city of Constantinople stood as the defender and capital of a Christian Roman Empire. For no good historical reason, we today call that empire “Byzantine.” But its people, its friends, and its enemies knew it only as Roman.

The world changed dramatically after Constantinople’s foundation in 330 A.D. In 476, the last remnants of the Roman Empire in the West collapsed. Although most of Europe, including the city of Rome, would slide into poverty and chaos, Constantinople remained vibrant, wealthy, and strong. With nearly a million people in the metropolitan area, Constantinople still enjoyed luxurious baths, rich markets, beautiful forums, and raucous chariot races well into the ninth century and beyond.

Yet time also brought historical amnesia.

Medieval Constantinople was filled to bursting with statues and monuments of antiquity. The medieval citizens had forgotten their original purposes, assigning to them new identities and, most intriguing of all, new mystical powers. The massive bronze statues and towering columns of such beauty were beyond the abilities of medieval people. They chalked them up to lost magic which could still be employed for the good of the city.

An entire book could be written about medieval Constantinople’s mystical protectors.¹ Here, I want to focus on the most visible one – the Column of Justinian.

New York Archbishop Joins Lawsuit against Medical-Aid in Dying

by Sean Cavanaugh

Updated Fri, November 6, 2026 at 11:30 PM

New York’s new Medical Aid in Dying Act is facing another court challenge, this time from Catholic nuns, Catholic health care ministries and the Archdiocese of New York, which say the law would force them to act against their religious beliefs.

Archbishop Ronald Hicks, the Archdiocese of New York and the Catholic health care ministry Arch Care  have joined a lawsuit brought by four orders of Catholic nuns and other Catholic health care ministries challenging the state’s assisted-suicide law. The law was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and went into effect Aug. 5.

In Peru, Tens of Thousands Demonstrate for Israel

By Hugh Fitzgerald

While Europe has become ever more hostile to the Jewish state, South and Central America have become ever friendlier. Under President Javier Milei, a Catholic who is also a student of the Torah, Argentina has tightened political and security ties to Israel in what has been called the Isaac Accords. Milei has promised to move Argentina’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. His support for Israel has been vocal in international gatherings.

In Colombia, the conservative Abelardo de la Espriella has now replaced the left-wing President Gustavo Petro, who in 2004 had severed economic, political, and security ties with Israel. Espriella has restored full diplomatic ties, moved his country’s embassy to Jerusalem (becoming the fourth and most populous Latin American country to do so), and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Guatemala and Honduras have already moved their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem, and have longstanding ties to the Jewish state.

Paraguay has been a consistent diplomatic ally of Israel in South America, and maintains strong bilateral and security cooperation with the Jewish state. President Santiago Peña moved the country’s Israeli Embassy to Jerusalem in 2024.

Costa Rica and Panama are longstanding Central American partners of Israel, with warm diplomatic and economic relations.