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News
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger Elected Pope Benedict XVICardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, 78, who has been prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the last 24 years, was elected the 265th pope and took the name Benedict XVI. Appearing at the central window of St. Peter’s B
The Archdiocese of Boston recently completed an evaluation of the demographic and fiscal viability of parishes that resulted in a 25 percent reduction in the number of parishes. A principal reason for initiating this reconfiguration process was the fact that one-third of the pastors in Boston are ov
FaithThe Word
The time between the feast of the Ascension and that of Pentecost is a period of liminality an in-between time Jesus has left but the Spirit has not yet come God rsquo s promises have been fulfilled in Jesus but in our liturgical observance we await the coming of the Spirit We now live in the
Arts & CultureBooks
Robert A Orsi Harvard Divinity School rsquo s Charles Warren Professor of the History of Religion in America takes a complex approach to his own religion and academic disciplines drawing from his Italian-American family history to illustrate how mid-20th-century Catholics in the United States re
Television
When it aired in September 1993, NYPD Blue became immediately known for three things.
Editorials
The next pope will face many challenges, some of them unprecedented in the life of the church. While the papacy is not the church, it is difficult to overestimate the influence that a pope can have on the church. Certainly John Paul II had a tremendous impact on the church and the world at the end o
FaithThe Word
Some of the most poignant pictures flashed across the world in the wake of natural or military disasters are those of orphaned children Their inherent vulnerability is compounded and they seem to be wandering about aimlessly Their unguarded expressions cry out with grief and fear They are so hel
Arts & CultureBooks
In Gilead Marilynne Robinson rsquo s first novel since she published Housekeeping 25 years ago the author offers a profound prayerfully paced narrative containing a wealth of literary consolations To the reviewer rsquo s bromide ldquo Run don rsquo t walk to your nearest bookstore and buy th
Over the past months, America asked several prominent Catholics in the United States to look ahead to the challenges that will face the next pope. These American Catholics come from various parts of the country and represent a variety of perspectives. They are theologians, teachers, activists, write
Letters
Time for Reflection
After reading Of Many Things, by James Martin, S.J., (3/14), I am saddened that any of my fellow America readers would write in nasty or vituperative terms. I would have hoped that people who subscribe to such a publication as yours would have outgrown such tricks. It is possible to express deep anger and disagreement without resorting to that sort of language, especially in any activity that allows as much time for reflection as does composing and mailing a letter.
Phyllis Ann Karr
News
Cardinals List Qualities for Next PopeSaying they needed time for serious prayer and reflection, the world’s cardinals stopped talking to the press, but only after giving them an almost endless list of qualities they said they would look for in a future pope.In interviews up to Pope John Paul
The Word
The meaning of the feast of the Ascension is found outside human history but its implications touch the lives of all believers We might wonder just what really happened on that Ascension Day Was Jesus actually lifted up And if so where did his body go The space travel that this generation know
Arts & CultureBooks
The title of this book is misleading The book is not about the evolution of Christianity but about the evolution of doctrine mdash or theology as Marshall D Johnson calls it in his introduction The 12 crises therefore are crises about what Christians normatively believe The author whose prio
In the spring of 2005, Pope John Paul II and Theresa Schindler Schiavo died within three days of each other. The pope’s death was held up as a Christian model; Ms. Schiavo’s was a flashpoint of moral and ecclesial turmoil. Terri Schiavo was 41 years old, had been in a so-called persisten
Television
Here’s a surefire recipe for a hit television miniseries: Combine the most exciting aspects of The DaVinci Code with the apocalypticism of the wildly popular Left Behind novels, and toss in a bit of The X-Files for good measure. That was probably the logic, or illogic, behind NBC’s new s
For so many people, John Paul II was a moral magnet, even in death. A commentator on PBS called him a pope for all seasons. One could understand why. The whole world could watch massive lines of people, 35 across, snaking through the streets of Rome. Eighteen thousand an hour, two million in all, wa
Arts & CultureBooks
John T Noonan a distinguished scholar and member of the U S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco grounds A Church That Can and Cannot Change on the fact that the deposit of faith cannot change He then identifies three areas where change in moral principles has undeniably occ
Twenty-five years ago, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, was martyred by a professional assassin while offering Mass in a hospital chapel. An investigation in 1993 by a truth commission sponsored by the United Nations determined that the killing was orchestrated by officers withi
Pope John Paul II spent more than 26 years as a dominant figure on the world stage, using his moral leadership to promote human rights, condemn ethical failings and plead for peace. He had the ear of presidents, prime ministers and kings, who came in a steady stream for private audiences at the Vati