A visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to a church in China is not a sign that the secretive communist regime’s stance toward religion is softening.

The subject line of the e-mail read: “Ten reasons Muslims can’t be Americans.” The young Christian woman, who had received the chain message from a fellow member of a church committee, knew the content of the e-mail was full of lies. She chose to respond—kindly, respectfully—with the truth. As she typed her reply she drew on her experience working at the Interfaith Youth Core. As an intern with the organization she collaborated with Muslims on a daily basis, befriended Muslims, and participated in dialogue and service with them. She clicked “send” and hoped for the best.

The controversy surrounding a bishop in a diocese outside of Beijing illustrates the problems facing Chinese Catholic communities.

A spokesman for Cardinal Godfried Danneels said the transcript of a meeting in April with a victim of clerical sexual abuse has been taken out of context.

Should music directors use newer songs, which may be unfamiliar to congregations, or older ones?

New York's proposed Islamic center could become a powerful symbol of tolerance or a recruiting tool for Al Qaeda.

The 800-member Catholic community in a village in India is facing a “social boycott” for refusing to follow traditions to appease Hindus gods.

In the September 13-20 issue of America Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York calls upon all Catholics to recommit themselves to the mission of Catholic education. "The truth is that the entire parish, the whole diocese and the universal church benefit from Catholic schools in ways that keep communities strong," Archbishop Dolan writes. "So all Catholics have a duty to support them. Reawakening a sense of common ownership of Catholic schools may be the biggest challenge the church faces in any revitalization effort ahead." In the interest of continuing the conversation, we have asked a panel of educators, scholars and parents to respond to the archbishop. Responses follow from Melanie M. Morey, Maureen T. Hallinan, John J. Convey, Robert Sullivan, Patrick J. McCloskey, Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J., and Kristina Chew.

Formation, Formation, Formation

‘We need Catholic schools, not simply schools operated by Catholics.’

Melanie M. Morey

“I am absolutely overwhelmed at the response of people for their church,” Davenport’s Bishop Martin J. Amos said.

As France continues its campaign to expel foreign-born Roma, Pope Benedict XVI called on Aug. 22 for greater acceptance of cultural differences and urged parents to teach their children “universal fraternity.”

'The American' is a film about America today: a nation that has made too many weapons and killed too many people.

The California Catholic bishops’ conference alerts parents of public school children of ways to “opt out” of classes that contradict their family’s values.