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It scarcely needs repeating that the future of Catholicism in the United States will be shaped by Hispanics, who at 34 million are already the most numerous minority in the country and constitute a majority of Catholics in many dioceses. The religious affiliation of these Hispanics will largely dete
Letters
War Theory
This letter is in reference to Unjust War, Good Outcomes (5/19), by John F. Kavanaugh, S.J. The recondite philosophical analysis of just war theory in the case of Iraq ranks close behind the angels dancing on the pin issue. Why not ask how many Iraqis need to be raped and have their tongues cut out before some soreheads can feel better about losing the last election?
Is it really correct to use morality and just war theory to protect evildoers while they kill and torture thousands of innocents? Is it good sense to search so hard for a rationale to condemn those with the better spirit while injustice runs rampant?
Why not look at other alternatives, such as whether war is even the best term to describe the Iraqi action before getting carried away with war theory? Or how about rationalizing on the basis of the lesser of evils theory?
John M. Michels
FaithThe Word
Today’s readings reveal once again that God chooses ordinary people and confers on them extraordinary responsibility.
Editorials
Generations of college freshmen have puzzled over the ancient notion of the “noble lie.” “If anyone at all is to have the privilege of lying,” Socrates suggests in Plato’s Republic, “the rulers of the state should be the persons; and they, in their dealings either
Since early 2002, the legal world has become much more dangerous for the church than it was previously. The future looks bleak because of three major developments in the sexual abuse crisis. The first major development is that more sexual abuse cases will be filed against the churchthat is, the numb
Books
The title of this collection of 11 essays offers the hope that some consensus has developed on the way religion should coordinate with government Alas the question is too complex There is not even consensus on the meaning of the ldquo public square rdquo But these essays written by experts of
Virtually every Christian tradition is trying to have it both ways on war. Twenty years ago the U.S. bishops published The Challenge of Peace, which explicitly paired just war and pacifism as legitimate Christian responses to war. Three years later, Methodist bishops in the United States made a simi
Switching from parochial school teaching in upstate New York to ministering to people with AIDS in a poor neighborhood of New York City is a very big leap indeed. But that radical switch is precisely the one made by Maureen O’Neill, who for almost seven years has served as a Redemptorist lay m
Arts & CultureOf Many Things
Summer is the perfect time to catch up on reading those books you’ve set aside for that eschatological someday. With that in mind, I offer a short list of summer reading suggestions. The four books can be characterized as follows: new and fun, sort of new and very interesting, old and wonderfu
The Word
Within the recent past the church has been tossed to and fro in storms of controversy Not one storm mdash many storms And not in one country mdash in many countries It has been the target of fierce persecution and it has also allowed evil to corrupt it from within Whether in circumstances of h
Columns
There were lots of unfamiliar faces at Mass that morningvisitors invited to share the day with their friends from the parish. Some of them were not Catholic, though that was hardly a surprise. In my part of the country, the polyglot Northeast, such family-church celebrations rarely are for Catholics
Letters
Final Words
As a Sister of St Joseph who labored over teaching the words, but more important, the meaning, of the Act of Contrition to many a distracted second, third and fourth grader during the 1950’s and 60’s in schools in Philadelphia, I was delighted on reading, first, the remembrances of James Martin, S.J., in Of Many Things (5/12) and then the letters debating the words of the ending. What a joy! They did listen; they do remember!
Rose Christine Wagner, S.S.J.
Books
Pope John Paul II will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his election to the Chair of Peter on Oct 16 2003 That makes this a timely publication His papacy has been the most visible in history this pope ldquo reaches out across borders rdquo that are not just geographic but also social politi
The Catholic Church in the United States has come to identify “peace and justice” issues as the call for the church to speak out and challenge policy makers. The church must not only salve the wounds of war and injustice, but prevent them at their systemic source. But these days,
Editorials
May a state government run a lottery with the proviso that the winner may not donate the prize to any institution that trains students to become ministers of religion? This question is not yet before the U.S. Supreme Court. But a somewhat similar situation is presented in a case that the court has a
The Word
Nobody likes a smart aleck Particularly if the person concerned is one of us one who seems to act as if she or he is in some way better than the rest Even if it is true we insist that that person should not flaunt it Today rsquo s readings all sketch the profile of a messenger of God someone c
Portfolio
You can see a wonderful golden tabernacle and monstrance by Egino Weinert in the Gaukirche of Paderborn in Germany. You can pray his Stations of the Cross in the parish church of Strassen in Luxembourg or at St. Vincent de Paul’s in Huntington Beach, Calif. You can admire his decorations at a
Books
Valerie Martin rsquo s new novel is aptly titled The power of property mdash persons and things mdash drives the plot and illuminates the characters Captors become captives and lives are irrevocably changed by power struggles over property The novel rsquo s setting moves back and forth from plan
Over the last two months, thousands of Pakistani immigrants have abandoned their U.S. homes to seek refuge in Canada. Most wait fearfully in shelters and motels in U.S. border cities for their refugee interviews in Canada. The Immigration and Naturalization Service has arrested others who may or may
News
Bishop Apologizes, Avoids Prosecution in Abuse CasesIn an agreement to avoid criminal prosecution, Bishop Thomas J. O’Brien of Phoenix has given up some of his diocesan administrative duties and apologized for allowing priests he knew were suspected of sexual abuse to continue working with min