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Editorials
The debate about stem cell research focuses on money and morality, on how to pay for this enterprise and how to guarantee that it is guided by ethical principles. In California last month, 60 percent of the voters dealt with the first of these concerns but not with the second. They passed Propositio
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) wore many hats throughout his illustrious lifetime: teacher, preacher, bishop, orator, writer, fund-raiser for missions abroad, convert-maker, radio personality, television star. And perhaps some time in the future, if the incipient cause takes root, there will
Joel Magallán, S.J., is the founder and executive director of the Asociación Tepeyac in New York City. (Tepeyac is the name of the hill near Mexico City where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to Blessed Juan Diego in 1531.) A network of 40 community and parish-based organizations, the
Books
Reading George Weigel rsquo s Letters to a Young Catholic is a bit like watching Kevin Costner attempt a British accent in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves You can see that he rsquo s trying and for stretches he gets it but despite his best efforts he can rsquo t avoid returning to his normal way of
The Word
In the middle of Advent we pause for a moment of rejoicing This is not a period of rest taken during a long journey It is more like a short stop at a scenic view where we stand in awe of the spectacular panorama before us Advent is a liturgical journey toward Christmas the feast that celebrate
News
Boston’s Archbishop Closes 47 ParishesIn mid-November Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley, O.F.M.Cap., of Boston put the properties of 16 closed parishes up for sale but gave six parishes that were slated to close an extension on their closing date. He also issued a letter to all Catholics of th
The debate over legalizing same-sex marriage has become a worldwide issue. On Sept. 4 Pope John Paul II denounced the notion to the new Canadian ambassador to the Holy See, Donald Smith. The issue also has been the subject of court decisions and legislative actions throughout the United States and w
Faith in Focus
There is a chip in the paint on my bunk bed where Keith hanged himself. Like everything else in prison, penitentiary paint is cheap. Even a suicide’s shoestring rope is enough to nick it. That scratch is all that is left of Keith now. In the year or so that we shared a cell, Keith and I never
Books
This extremely useful book brings together the major conclusions of seven years of conferences on forgiveness sponsored by Washington rsquo s Woodstock Theological Center held in collaboration with the Office of International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The
On July 6, 2004, the Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., became the first Catholic diocese in the history of the United States to seek the protection of the bankruptcy court. On Sept. 20, 2004, the Diocese of Tucson became the second. Both of these filings resulted from the wave of lawsuits brought again
Faith in Focus
Among my New York City circle of friends, I am considered to be the best read. This is not because I am the most educated or gifted with the highest I.Q. It is because I have the longest commute. When one lives in the outer borroughs, as our less enlightened, Manhattan-centric brethren call them, on
Books
View From the Altar is a must-read for all who are interested in understanding the causes of the scandal of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy Howard Bleichner a Sulpician priest who has served for 40 years in seminary formation 20 of them as rector of two major seminaries deserves t
News
U.S. Bishops’ Conference Elects Skylstad and GeorgeAt their meeting in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15-17, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops elected new leaders, approved a catechism for adults and joined a new ecumenical group aimed at bringing together all the Christian churches in th
The Word
For many people the feast of the Immaculate Conception is as confusing as is the familiar statue that honors Mary under that title One reason is that the Gospel reading recounts the conception of Jesus not that of Mary As for the statue today rsquo s passage from Genesis clearly states that it
Does the ban on partial-birth abortion really save babies’ lives? Does the ban violate the U.S. Constitution? How crucial is the ban to the pro-life movement? This summer, federal judges in California, New York and Nebraska dealt a major setback to pro-life efforts to ban the controversial par
Letters
Immense Debt
Thanks to Leo J. O’Donovan, S.J., for his magnificent tribute to my former professor, Karl Rahner, S.J. (11/8). I was a student at the University of Innsbruck from 1958 to 1962 and witnessed firsthand the genius and humility of this great priest-theologian.
The church owes an immense debt to Karl Rahner, who inspired so much of the renewal of the Second Vatican Council.
While Rahner could be very serious and profound, he was also very gentle and gracious. I recall sitting with him in the exam room for my oral final. Here was a struggling young American taking an oral exam in the presence of this world-renowned theologian. He pardoned my nervousness, he repeated questions in German and Latin and, like a father, complimented me to give encouragement. The students rightly called him Karl the Great.
(Most Rev.) Donald W. Trautman
Books
In the years between the death of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968 and the end of the 20th century the Rev William Sloane Coffin Jr was the most influential liberal Protestant in America He never achieved King rsquo s level of influence but the media-friendly and pervasive force of his personalit
First, a confession: I couldn’t do it. I wanted to vote for one of the two nominees from the dominant parties, but I just could not offer my vote to either. I went for the Green candidate, since he was for universal health care and conservation policies that 20 years from now we will all wish
For years the Democrats have been telling themselves “it’s the economy, stupid.” Yet consistently, for dozens of years, millions of middle income Americans have voted against their economic interests to support Republicans who have tapped a deeper set of needs. Tens of millions of
Of Many Things
When the Franciscans of the Holy Land elected their new superior last spring, they opted for renewal. The custos or guardian, so called because of the Franciscans’ traditional role in protecting the holy places, is a 39-year-old Italian priest, Pierbattista Pizzaballa. With just 14 years in th