Of Many Things
The evolution of ‘America’
This summer, America will shift to a monthly frequency, but our position in relation to the news cycle has not changed.
Your Take
Readers react: Racial justice in America
Excerpts from reader comments on race in our country and our church.
Editorials
To fight racism, Catholics must hunger for justice like we do for the Eucharist
Here are five ways for Catholics to deepen their commitment to working against racism.
Short Take
Covid-19 won’t stop America’s women religious from fulfilling their vocation
The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on retired Catholic sisters, write two members of the School Sisters of St. Francis. Women religious are seeking to honor their past while continuing their legacy of service.
Dispatches
Fatal bias in Minneapolis?
Minneapolis police have used force against African-American residents seven times more often than against white residents over the past five years, reports Kevin Clarke.
Post-Mugabe, human rights abuses continue in Zimbabwe. Will Covid-19 make things worse?
As under Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s contemporary political elite continue to trample on civil libertie with what the same disregard of censure from both local moral authorities and international human rights organizations.
‘The ink has run dry on writing statements.’ Black Catholics call for action in wake of George Floyd’s killing
“You can only oppress people so long before things tend to erupt.”
How India’s lockdown and poor public health system complicate Catholic hospitals’ struggle against Covid-19
On March 25, hoping to suppress the spread of the coronavirus, India began the world’s largest lockdown, affecting 1.3 billion people. But the sudden move to close down all but essential services threw millions out of work and began a desperate exodus of migrant and day laborers out of the big cities.
Features
What the church is doing to welcome Latino L.G.B.T. Catholics
New ministries are trying to help Latino L.G.B.T. Catholics and their families understand each other by working at the intersection of faith, culture and sexuality, reports J.D. Long-García. The first step is talking openly and honestly.
How some researchers are using data science to fight sex trafficking
Human trafficking is a dark and complex subject, but the situation is not without hope.
Faith and Reason
Cardinal Cupich: How Vatican II can help us navigate the politics of a pandemic
For the Catholic community, the penetrating vision of the Second Vatican Council identifies a clear pathway of public engagement and conscience formation.
Faith in Focus
I grew up in a Catholic cult. I had to tell my story before I could accept that.
Telling my story might have been impaired had I approached it from the point of view of describing a cult. That was for the audience to discern and for me, ultimately, to accept.
Ideas
I had Covid-19. Ballet renewed my faith in the human body.
To a world in upheaval, ballet is an emblem of calmer times.
Books
Review: A revolutionary history
Matthew Lockwood’s new book shows how the events of the 1770s had reverberations far beyond American shores.
Review: When a dream of equality is deferred
Eric Foner’s new book tells a sad story: how the U.S. Supreme Court, many Southern states and Congress delayed the implementation of three important constitutional amendments for nearly a century.
Review: A plague’s worldwide devastation
Lawrence Wright’s new thriller deals with the effects of a killer pandemic.
Review: The continued fight to eradicate clergy sex abuse
Nualy Kenny’s new book on clergy sex abuse reminds us there are solutions to this deep crisis that need to be implemented with urgency.
Television
Hannah Gadsby isn’t doing comedy
One of the basics of comedy is the element of surprise, and Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette” surprised us by not being comedy.
‘Never Have I Ever’ depicts an authentic Asian-American experience on TV. Finally.
‘Never Have I Ever’ is a refreshing take on growing up in an immigrant family, where cultural and religious traditions are part of everyday life.
Poetry
Mercy the Horse
Too prone to darkness all my life I have asked for a task, a purpose to survive me.
The Word
Why you should pray to God, especially in times of need
Romans takes notions of physical burdens of the flesh and calls for believers to focus instead on the Spirit of God within them.
The costs (and rewards) of Christian discipleship
The rewards for accepting the Gospel are awesome, but the demands are hefty. Belief is not passive or easy.
Last Take
How can Catholics help lead the fight against racism?
Black and brown Americans continue to speak out against police misconduct and pervasive racism across the United States, writes Olga Segura. The church has an opportunity to show that it is listening.
Faith
Why you should pray to God, especially in times of need
Romans takes notions of physical burdens of the flesh and calls for believers to focus instead on the Spirit of God within them.
The costs (and rewards) of Christian discipleship
The rewards for accepting the Gospel are awesome, but the demands are hefty. Belief is not passive or easy.
What the church is doing to welcome Latino L.G.B.T. Catholics
New ministries are trying to help Latino L.G.B.T. Catholics and their families understand each other by working at the intersection of faith, culture and sexuality, reports J.D. Long-García. The first step is talking openly and honestly.
Pope Francis on the death of George Floyd: We cannot tolerate racism and claim to defend life
“We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.”
Cardinal Cupich: How Vatican II can help us navigate the politics of a pandemic
For the Catholic community, the penetrating vision of the Second Vatican Council identifies a clear pathway of public engagement and conscience formation.
Covid-19 won’t stop America’s women religious from fulfilling their vocation
The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on retired Catholic sisters, write two members of the School Sisters of St. Francis. Women religious are seeking to honor their past while continuing their legacy of service.
I grew up in a Catholic cult. I had to tell my story before I could accept that.
Telling my story might have been impaired had I approached it from the point of view of describing a cult. That was for the audience to discern and for me, ultimately, to accept.
Magazine
The evolution of ‘America’
This summer, America will shift to a monthly frequency, but our position in relation to the news cycle has not changed.
Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis on the death of George Floyd: We cannot tolerate racism and claim to defend life
“We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.”
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts