Mike Lewis

Mike Lewis is an American Catholic writer and the founding managing editor of Where Peter Is, a website launched in 2018 to defend Pope Francis and Church teaching against the pope's critics. His author biography there lists earlier communications work for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and for Catholic Climate Covenant (Where Peter Is). He also writes for America magazine (America) and publishes a Substack newsletter, Mike Lewis Extra (Substack).

Commentary on traditionalist media. In a 2021 interview Lewis described the site's purpose as defending Catholic teaching and the pope from attacks by Francis's fiercest critics; he named Crisis Magazine, LifeSiteNews, Church Militant and The Wanderer among outlets he said had abandoned support for the pope, and described The Remnant and Catholic Family News as formerly obscure outlets that found new life among Francis's opponents (Millennial Journal). In 2023 he discussed the pope's U.S. critics on America's Inside the Vatican podcast (Apple Podcasts). His Substack has addressed claims about Freemasons in the Vatican (Substack), disputed teachings attributed to the exorcist Chad Ripperger (Substack) and the writings of Cardinal Robert Sarah (Substack).

Criticism. The Catholic Herald has published a critical article on the site, describing it as a clearing house for articles defending Francis from his critics and alleging double standards on dissent (The Catholic Herald). Writers at traditionalist outlets have also contested his arguments; see papal-critique and resistance media and papal authority and recognize-and-resist.

TradWatch lists Lewis as a frequent public critic of and respondent to traditionalist media, not because he belongs to it.