Expansion of U.S. forces in Afghanistan is likely to stress the military beyond the breaking point.

Our literary editor's gift picks for the holidays

Glimpsing the world's needs and sorrows on a New York City subway train

Islam and the problem of religious intolerance

More Than Disagreeing Thank you for the excellent commentary (“Slandering the President,” by John Kavanaugh,S.J., 11/23). I’ve been waiting for the Catholic hierarchy to make similar statements about these sins of slander, calumny and libel. No matter what the side and what the rea

The Episcopal Church has voted to appoint a lesbian bishop Like Gene Robinson whose election in 2003 split the Anglican Communion Mary Glasspool elected a suffragan by the Diocese of Los Angeles Saturday is in a long-term gay relationship She views her election as in political terms ldquo An

In my post the other day on the Swiss vote to ban Muslim minarets I missed something I ve just learned from The Tablet While the Swiss Catholic bishops and the Vatican -- along with religious leaders across Europe -- deplored this assault on religious freedom the traditionalist Society of St Pi

Seems like many of our posts have generated a lot of heat lately nbsp Here s some light from the Ignatian Schola a group of Jesuits and their lay friends who perform contemporary and traditional religious songs nbsp Here s how they describe themselves on their website The Ignatian Schola is a

The nbsp extraordinary life of Fr Josef Neuner age 101 nbsp ended fittingly nbsp on the Feast of St Francis Xavier nbsp theologian missionary to India theology professor nbsp spiritual guide for Blessed Mother Teresa nbsp expert at the Second Vatican Council nbsp collaborator with

In the preparation and waiting of Advent both the waiting associated with the Incarnation and Christmas and the preparation for the Second Coming one of the questions that arises is how do you prepare How is anticipation channeled In the passage for the Second Sunday of Advent from Paul rsquo s

On November 15 I posted Apocalypse Now in which nbsp I stated that ldquo there is one line however that we must return to in another post ndash lsquo truly I tell you this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place rsquo - for it is a promise difficult to interp

This week on EWTN where it is playing in heavy rotation I saw once again this marvelous film--written and produced by two Jesuit scholastics Jeremy Zipple SJ and Jeff Johnson SJ who also raised the funds for this amazing video on their own nbsp Their filming took them from Spain to Paris to

Like Fr Jim I cheered Cardinal Bergoglio s view -- also Pope Benedict s -- about the importance of liberality in granting access to the Sacrament of baptism Infants cannot be disqualified because there are no proper grounds for disqualifying the innocent even if their parents show little sign of

For everyone who has ever wondered How can I complete my Christmas shopping and encourage vocations at the same time the answer is finally here Catholic toy company Wee Believers reg now offers plush huggable 13-inch dolls in the form of characters named Sr Mary Clara and Fr Juan Pablo th

A fascinating piece in Chiesa by the veteran Vaticanologist Sandro Magister on the church s approach in Argentina regarding baptism nbsp Rather than withholding baptism for children for parents who are on the fringes of the church Cardinal Jorge Maria Bergoglio SJ nbsp reminds us nbsp that the

The U S House of Representatives yesterday passed a reinstatement of the current estate tax rates The tax only affects estates values at more than 3 5 million per person 7 million for a couple and is set at the rate of 45 percent The estate tax was slated to expire next year and then in 2011

NPR on the U S bishops including interviews with Rep Bart Stupak Archbishop John Myers George Weigel and yours truly nbsp It is to my mind a fair overview of the bishops new activism