Here at America we have been talking about the central role white ethnic Catholics will play in the election for over a year They are the quintessential swing voters pulled towards the Democrats on economic issues pulled towards the GOP on social issues The fastest growing demographic in the

Did anything happen at Vatican II?

Coal is now used to generate half the electricity consumed in the United States, and its use is likely to grow as efforts are made to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Coal-powered plants, however, create carbon dioxide, a main contributor to global warming. It is estimated that coal-fired plants cr

From 2008, predictions about what a postwar Iraqi government might look like.

Messy but Responsible Gerald F. Powers makes a strong argument in Our Moral Duty in Iraq (2/18) in defense of the responsible transition position of the U.S. bishops toward withdrawal from Iraq, though the exit end of the transition process gets lost along the way. His article argues that in the abs

Although most Americans regard Sept 11 2001 as a day that changed the world the investigative reporter Craig Unger would argue that the presidential election in 2000 served as a point of convergence for certain groups of people who helped create what he calls 8220 the greatest foreign policy d

A cold rain is the worst winter weather.

Glendon Arrives as New U.S. Ambassador in Rome The new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Mary Ann Glendon, arrived in Rome Feb. 15 and said she looked forward to working with the Vatican on issues of religious freedom and religious tolerance. Glendon, a Harvard University law professor, has served w

Praying with art for Lent and Easter

Editorial Director Karen Sue Smith meditates on three images for Lent and Easter. Watch the audio slide show.

Philip F Gura is one of America 8217 s leading historians a prolific scholar who has dealt with a wide variety of subjects from the twang of banjos to the angry God of Jonathan Edwards His research and writing on the American Transcendentalists 8212 a 8220 club of the like-minded 8221 as

Really short stories, Australia's apology, Darfur's displaced

We can learn a few things from the Irish. No, I’m not talking about the laudable contributions of Irish literature, music, peace in Northern Ireland, their economic miracle or even all the fuss about saving civilization. We can learn from practical and successful Irish approaches to greening t

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

I ve spent the last 60 hours amidst the wild diversity that is the Catholic Church and that is manifest so beautifully here at the annual Religious Education Congress Five students from Santa Clara University have traveled here with me and have been taking in all that the Congress has to offe

The LA Religious Ed Congress is not only a great place to hear fascinating speakers the most popular for the past few years seems to be Timothy Radcliffe O P the former master general of the Dominicans an unassuming and friendly man ho draws huge crowds with his talks on spirituality but also

Jesuit scholastic Ryan Duns SJ recently read Anne Rice s new book on the life of Jesus Christ the Lord The Road to Cana and found much to praise in a review on his blog A sequel to Rice s Christ the Lord Out of Egypt it suggests this famous author and recent convert has found Jesus

One of the benefits of spending a little time in another part of the country means that you see how Catholics elsewhere do things and do things very well Last night I participated in an innovative adult-ed program called The University which is based in the northern part of the Archdiocese

No matter who wins the Democratic nomination he or she will be facing a decorated war hero former prisoner-of-war son and grandson of admirals who speaks with such fluency and emotion when discussing the U S military that he virtually owns the issue Neither Obama nor Clinton can match John Mc