One of the many expressions of the ldquo Francis effect rdquo is the renewed prominence of ldquo mercy rdquo Pope Francis of course is not the first pope to speak of mercy in the context of God rsquo s relationship with humanity but it is certainly his signature tune mdash the word occurs mo

We know for sure that someone is permanently relevant when his or her name becomes an adjective In the week mdash last week of March 2014 mdash I finished the most recent of the very many intellectual biographies of George Orwell his adjectived name appeared twice in Brooklyn in our diocesan news

While scholarly literature about the Holocaust is vast and continually expanding writings about the members admittedly very few in number of the resistance are still quite rare Men and women familiar to scholars like Gertrud Luckner John M Oesterreicher Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Henri de Lubac

‘Justice has prevailed,” said two U.S. archbishops, commenting on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby case on June 30. The court determined that certain “closely held” private businesses can be exempted from a government requirement to include contraceptives in t

I have long wondered if a “stewardship” response to the environment is sufficient or even if it is correct.

Framing the court ruling as a victory for religious freedom, while accurate, is perhaps too narrow.

“Alibis: Sigmar Polke 1963–2010" is at the Museum of Modern Art in New York through Aug. 3.

Fay Vincent Jr. reflects on an early encounter with death.

Bishop says influx of young migrants is a humanitarian crisis, not an immigration problem.

Sudanese government authorities demolished the Church of Christ in Thiba Al Hamyida in North Khartoum on June 30 after giving the church’s leaders just 24 hours notice, evidence of increasing pressure in Sudan against minority Christians. · Six years after reaching a $10 million settlem

Government efforts have shifted homeless from tourist spots to other parts of the city.

A Catholic chaplain wrote from the front in 1915, in the face of bloodletting on an almost unimaginable scale, words that have lost none of their accuracy and power across the generations: “War, war, sickening war. My God how long, how long.... Who can resist a cry of passionate resentment aga

International service experiences teach volunteers to 'build the kingdom on God’s time.'

Religious and civic leaders urged President Obama to include a religious exemption in the planned White House executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In a letter on July 1, the group of 14 faith leaders, including the Rev. Larr

The Role of ConscienceEditor’s note: Lisa Fullam, an associate professor of moral theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif., a graduate school of Santa Clara University, responds to “The Ethics of Exit,” by Daniel J. Daly (6/9). Her letter expresses concerns rai

This year marks the centenary of one of the greatest disasters humanity ever brought upon itself, the First World War. Not only did it cost the lives of over 16 million people; it also set the stage for other conflicts and even greater carnage in the decades that followed. In fact, its legacy of fea

Mary E. Hess on finding God at the intersection of Scripture and popular media

Landmines wound innocent civilians, “prolong war and nurture fear” long after conflicts have ended.