News today that Karl Malden died at the age of 97 I liked him best in quot The Streets of San Francisco quot nbsp where he played the gruff-but- unflappable nbsp cop to Michael Douglas s hotheaded rookie reminded me of his seminal role as Fr Pete Barry the priest in the film nbsp quot On t

On our web-only quot Books amp nbsp Culture quot section is a nbsp terrific review by Fr nbsp Robert Barron of a movie you may not have heard of but which nbsp Fr Barron says is well worth seeing quot The Stoning of nbsp Soraya M quot nbsp nbsp Here s the first part which should whet y

Pope Benedict rsquo s encyclical on social justice is set to be released any day now But Michael Novak is already at the barricades interpreting the text In an article at First Things Novak has begun setting the parameters for discussion of the papal text It is important to note that the title

This stunning photo of a newly discovered mosaic of St nbsp Paul was released today by the Vatican nbsp nbsp The story was carried in the London Times H T David Gibson at Pontifications nbsp nbsp nbsp Isn t it nbsp breathtaking nbsp nbsp nbsp Here s a clip from the Times quot Vatican a

Here s Dan Gilgoff nbsp at US News nbsp amp World Report with nbsp a nbsp look at nbsp Obama s planned rollout of a common ground approach to reproductive health issues like abortion and contraception nbsp Stay tuned As the White House readies its plan for finding common ground on repr

Bernie Madoff would have to live to be 221 years of age to complete the prison term to which he was sentenced yesterday There is a cold comfort not to be confused with schadenfreude in the thought that he shall never again know what it is to be a free man The difference lies in the simple justic

Please forgive the terrible pun above but here is an interesting story out of Rome just as we are coming to the close of the end of the Pauline Year and the 2 000th anniversary of St Paul s birth Pope Benedict XVI has announced that scientific evidence shows the bones housed in the Basilica of

The year of St Paul ends with the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th 2009 I think this year has been a tremendous gift for the Church if only to draw considered attention to the man Paul and the many facets of his ministry Certainly in my diocese that of St Paul and Minneapolis

Yesterday I attended a concert performed by the band King rsquo s X a favorite of mine for over 15 years I have seen the band at least a dozen times and they never disappoint King rsquo s X is a hard rock band comprised of three very accomplished musicians Their sound has been described as the

Cardinal Sean O rsquo Malley the Archbishop of Boston announced on Friday that he was vetoing a planned joint venture between the Catholic health care provider Caritas Christi with a non-Catholic provider Centene Corporation Part of the venture was to include an insurance program that made the

In a wide-ranging conversation on Feb 21 1973, the Rev. Billy Graham and President Richard Nixon discuss American Catholics and the Jesuits, among other topics.

Brothers and sisters As you excel in every respect in faith discourse knowledge all earnestness and in the love we have for you may you excel in this gracious act also 2 Cor 8 7 What is this gracious act of which Paul speaks I am having a difficult time concentrating as I hope to be a

Rarely is cynicism an appropriate moral stance But now is one of those rarities Yesterday afternoon the important news about developments in Iran where some analysts believe elements of the Republican Guard have effectively taken over control of the country from the mullahs one analyst used th

Michael Peppard recently graduated from Yale Divinity School and assuming his post as a professor of theology at Fordham has a must-read article in the current issue of Commonweal magazine Back in December Peppard wrote an article about reports of religious abuse at Guantanamo Bay Now with the

The Hudson River what some call ldquo America rsquo s River rdquo is center stage this year It is the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson rsquo s discovery and to celebrate the Hudson River Valley is providing a sensory and cultural feast Ships no strangers to the river are in even greater num

Pope Benedict XVI will receive President Barack Obama in audience at the Vatican on July 10 Let the gnashing of teeth begin Admit it wasn rsquo t your first impulse to call Dr Mary Ann Glendon and ask If you were still the ambassador would you show up or would you boycott The Cardinal Newma

There is a common theme running through the readings for the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist Mass during the day and that is your purpose and mine I know that Isaiah 49 1-6 pertains directly to God s servant Isaiah technically I suppose this is Deutero-Isaiah but who names their

In case you missed it on our home page here is Douglas W Kmiec s insightful essay on stem cells and church teaching Among the questions Professor Kmiec addresses is where the line of personhood should be drawn Scientists and ethicists challenge the pro-life office rsquo s proposition that the

Yesterday at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Cardinal Theodore McCarrick led a conference call to release a document called Respecting the Just Rights of Workers Guidance and Options for Catholic Health Care and Unions For several years McCarrick led a working group on the tex