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Just as the omens in Congress had begun pointing in the direction of changes in U.S.-Cuba policydropping the travel ban, facilitating sales of food and medicinesthe events of Sept. 11 took place, and the president declared war on international terrorism. It’s been a long time since Cuba could
Books
Thomas Cahill rsquo s highly successful Hinges of History series has established him as one of the most engaging and popular authors in the field of religion today Three volumes have been published thus far How the Irish Saved Civilization The Gifts of the Jews and Desire of the Everlasting Hills
Columns
Marriage is said to be a sacred union. But I have had cause lately to contemplate just what a sacred union is and is not. Two dear friends have endured painful separations from spouses. One couple has recently reunited; the other appears headed for an ugly divorce. Like most people, I’ve known
Faith in Focus
We were told to meet at the Bronze Door of the Vatican Palace on the morning of Dec. 23 last year. After the security check and a short wait at the foot of a monumental marble stairway, we were led up through the vast courtyard of St. Damasus, down a long gallery decorated with frescos of old maps a
Books
Sadly the question of how a president of the United States might lead effectively in wartime is again pertinent in terms of both historiography and policy Recently the nation learned that Michael Beschloss rsquo transcription of Lyndon Johnson rsquo s recorded conversations reveal that Johnson
Faith
"The world is charged with the grandeur of God," wrote the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. Merton’s lesson is, "Pay attention, you might miss it."
Books
Paul Mariani is a poet critic biographer and holder of an endowed chair in the English department of Boston College In his idle moments he is also the poetry editor for America In Thirty Days he gives us a spiritual memoir tracking his experiences while making the long retreat set out in the
Letters
Our Own Penance
To add to the tragedy of pedophile priests (Signs of the Times, 3/18), there have been no words of sorrow, no admissions of complicity, no words of compassion from the pope or his Vatican officials addressed directly to the victims (and their families) of sexual abuse by priests. The victims have been stonewalled and ignored. The only thing we hear about is damage to the church.
Pope John Paul II has repeatedly exhorted us that there is no peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness. In order to make just amends, we must begin by doing our own penance at the highest level in the church. Anything less only adds to this continuing injustice that eats away at any credibility we may yet have.
(Rev.) Charles E. Irvin
Editorials
The mood this easter in the American church is particularly solemn. The penitential season of Lent and the six-month anniversary of the attack on our country have combined with almost daily revelations of clerical misconduct to create a most somber tone. Despite all the scandal and muckraking, the l
FaithThe Word
Today’s Gospel and Luke’s whole theology of the Spirit, which will unfold in Acts, is a chronicle of the way God can walk with us in surprising, often unknown ways, reversing our path from fear and disappointment to make of us bearers of the power of the risen one.
Arts & CultureBooks
The novelist Iris Murdoch died only two years ago at the age of 79, but already a memoir, film and biography have appeared to preserve her memory for devoted fans and to introduce her to new audiences. In Iris Murdoch: A Life, Peter J. Conradi offers a wide-ranging look at the life of a writer and philosopher who had a remarkable “hunger for the spiritual in a post-theistic age.”
Politics & SocietyFeatures
It is helpful to understand the sexual abuse of children by priests within the broader context of child victimization.
Editorials
In this issue, America deals with a crisis that is causing enormous pain and great scandal in the churchsexual abuse by priests. These crimesthere is no other word for themhave physically, psychologically and spiritually damaged hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children and their families. They have
Books
Its name evokes peace but Jerusalem is a city in constant turmoil where controversy often turns deadly In 1996 when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the Hasmonean tunnel under the Haram al Sherif the Muslim sanctuary above the Temple Mount more than two weeks of hard fighting between P
Of Many Things
A few months ago I received a phone call from a parishioner at St. Leo’s Church, in Stamford, Conn. It was something of a surprise: the last time I had set foot in that church was almost 14 years ago. During our conversation, I mentioned how important the parish had been in my life, and that I
"Gay priests are living a lie", declares Garry Wills in his book Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit (Doubleday, 2000). As a priest-psychotherapist who has spent 25 years conducting workshops, support groups and retreats for gay priests and religious men and women, this statement and those who
The painful news of priest sex offenders is back, emerging with the familiar tale of suffering, shame and sorrow. Even though most of these stories are about events that took place over a decade ago, they have the effect of re-wounding. The pressing questions: How frequent are cases of priest-offend
Books
Sin is the hardest thing in the world to explain but the easiest thing to demonstrate When we pray Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us we only rarely sense the mystery within these words the enormity of the suffering that sin engenders and the possibility of he
Editorials
During the Easter triduum this year, homilists will find themselves, sadly, with a great deal of contemporary material that echoes the story of Good Friday. The events of Sept. 11, the continuing war in Afghanistan, the conflict in the Middle East, the turmoil in places like Nigeria and Pakistan, as
FaithThe Word
People frequently ask, “What is the church?” Today’s readings provide foundational images for God’s own people.