The Weekly Dispatch
Catholic migration experts on Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship: ‘an affront to human dignity’
“It’s a cruel policy because if it were adopted, it would impact children mostly. It would impact future generations, and, as is consistent with his theme, it divides people. It would divide our country even further.”
Of Many Things
The bishops, Trump and why we can’t predict the future of politics
We cannot wish away reality with counterfactual speculation–nor should we try.
Your Take
Has the ‘cult of youth sports’ reached your family?
How do Catholic parents navigate the balance between youth sports and Sunday obligation?
Editorials
Trump’s attacks on immigrants hurt all Americans—and our democracy
The administration’s attacks on immigrants imperil the rights and freedom of all Americans.
Trump is abusing his executive power. Congress must push back.
In order for the United States to remain “a government of laws, not of men,” the editors write, all officials entrusted with elected authority must recognize the constraints on their own power.
Short Take
3 ways the Catholic Church can support migrants in the new Trump administration
In the face of dangerous nativism and the possibility of state violence through deportation, the church will be challenged to offer a compelling and credible response.
Dispatches
Catholic institutions in Africa seek alternative funding as support from former missionaries fades
Catholic institutions in Zimbabwe and other African states once could rely on support from retired missionaries. Now the decline in missionary numbers has left African religious communities facing a financial crunch.
In El Salvador, Catholic bishops and President Bukele are at odds over mining
The Catholic Church in El Salvador finds its voice in opposition to lifting of prohibition on mining.
Features
What is a Jubilee Year? The history and meaning behind a centuries-old tradition
To understand the significance of the Jubilee and its seven-centuries-old tradition in the Catholic Church, it is necessary first to recall its biblical origins and the historical events that have shaped it.
Catholic kitsch: Why simple religious art is actually great
From glow-in-the-dark rosary beads to St. Christopher dashboard statues and Pope Francis bobbleheads, a tribute to the complicated life of Catholic kitsch
Faith and Reason
A neglected aspect of Ignatian spirituality: Becoming God’s instruments
The whole semantic field of ‘tool’ and ‘instrument’ is fraught with negative moral connotations. St. Ignatius’ writings , however, show a different tendency. There, ‘instrument’ both serves as a central spiritual category and bears a positive connotation.
Pope Francis can help chart A.I.’s way forward
From both the Vatican and the pope, we have heard a consistent message: A.I. is a tool that is created by and shapes human culture. Thus far, however, we have not seen much in the way of specific recommendations. We believe that this is an important next step for Francis as he emerges as a…
Faith in Focus
Fighting for my right to receive Communion as a Catholic with celiac disease
While I would never wish this disease on anyone, it has prompted a personal eucharistic revival of sorts within my own spiritual life.
The tragedy of Syria—and what we all could have done differently
Why did we fail, so often, to help?
Books
Review: A priestly ministry on hockey skates
‘Hockey Priest: Father David Bauer and the Spirit of the Canadian Game’ shows the interplay of spirituality and sport in the world that Father Bauer helped create.
Review: Philip Berrigan’s prophetic ire
‘A Ministry of Risk,’ a collection of the writings and speeches of the late Phil Berrigan (1923-2002), is a provocative anthology destined to leave most readers bewildered, challenged and perhaps even a little angry.
Review: André Aciman’s formative year in Rome
The novelist and memoirist André Aciman chronicles his formative year in Rome as a teenager in ‘Roman Year.’
Review: ISIS killed her son. She met them face to face.
‘American Mother,’ Diane Foley’s and Colum McCann’s story of Foley’s life and that of her son, James Foley, is written with a mother’s love, her eventual understanding of hostage situations and her desire for others to understand the struggle she faced.
Review: Father James Martin on three books about death and mortality
I was delighted recently to discover that three of my favorite authors, all from extremely different backgrounds and perspectives, have written three extremely different books on aging. Yet even with their differences, they agree on the big points.
Film
See you at the movies: America reviews the Oscar contenders
America reviewed a range of films over the last year, including many of the awards-show contenders.
Oscar winner ‘Anora’: The Cinderella story that wasn’t
At its heart, “Anora” is a film about loneliness.
Poetry
Bat
for I too take my bearings in a manner unfamiliar to solid daylit creatures
Clarification
I lean into the gale
Last Take
Poverty should not make a good life impossible
While American society is especially good among wealthy countries at producing poverty, it is especially bad at making the lives of the poor tolerable.
Faith
A neglected aspect of Ignatian spirituality: Becoming God’s instruments
The whole semantic field of ‘tool’ and ‘instrument’ is fraught with negative moral connotations. St. Ignatius’ writings , however, show a different tendency. There, ‘instrument’ both serves as a central spiritual category and bears a positive connotation.
Pope Francis can help chart A.I.’s way forward
From both the Vatican and the pope, we have heard a consistent message: A.I. is a tool that is created by and shapes human culture. Thus far, however, we have not seen much in the way of specific recommendations. We believe that this is an important next step for Francis as he emerges as a…
What is a Jubilee Year? The history and meaning behind a centuries-old tradition
To understand the significance of the Jubilee and its seven-centuries-old tradition in the Catholic Church, it is necessary first to recall its biblical origins and the historical events that have shaped it.
Has the ‘cult of youth sports’ reached your family?
How do Catholic parents navigate the balance between youth sports and Sunday obligation?
Catholic kitsch: Why simple religious art is actually great
From glow-in-the-dark rosary beads to St. Christopher dashboard statues and Pope Francis bobbleheads, a tribute to the complicated life of Catholic kitsch
Catholic institutions in Africa seek alternative funding as support from former missionaries fades
Catholic institutions in Zimbabwe and other African states once could rely on support from retired missionaries. Now the decline in missionary numbers has left African religious communities facing a financial crunch.
Fighting for my right to receive Communion as a Catholic with celiac disease
While I would never wish this disease on anyone, it has prompted a personal eucharistic revival of sorts within my own spiritual life.
The tragedy of Syria—and what we all could have done differently
Why did we fail, so often, to help?
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts