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Arts & CultureBooks
An icon bears witness Maybe that rsquo s why people who know about icons tell us to notice the eyes The eyes more than anything else open us to the experience of the truth that lies behind an icon rsquo s external representation It could also explain why this book begins with the eyesfirst those o
News
Pope John Paul II Dies After Long Struggle With IllnessPope John Paul II died on April 2 after a long struggle with illness, ending a historic papacy of more than 26 years. The Vatican announced the pope’s death at 9:54 p.m. Rome time, two days after the pontiff suffered septic shock and heart
After more than a quarter-century, cardinals from around the world are once again gathering in the Vatican, soon to be sequestered “in conclave” for as long as it takes to elect a new pope. We eagerly await the results but will have no information about what happens during the conclave,
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
Arts & CultureBooks
A dark joke about prognostication concerning the successor to Pope John Paul II is that he outlived many of those once considered most likely to succeed A new book on papal succession Heirs of the Fisherman was published not long before the pope took his precipitous turn for the worse While John-
What happens when the pope dies?
The interregnum and election of a new pope are governed by the rules established in the 1996 constitution Universi Dominici Gregis (Of the Lord’s Whole Flock) of John Paul II.
Because Karol Joseph Wojtyla was Polish-born, his election as pope on Oct. 16, 1978, was met with widespread skepticism within the Jewish community. There was concern that the new pope would reflect the traditional anti-Semitism that marked much of Jewish history in Poland. But John Paul II proved t
Letters
Part of Community
Thank you for Bishop Emil A. Wcela’s insightful article on the similarities between the church in the Czech Republic and the church in the United States (A Dangerous Common Enemy, 2/21). The challenges common to both countries are considerable. Add to that the compromised position of the Catholic Church in the United States in the light of the sexual abuse scandal, and the task of renewing our faith communities becomes all the more difficult.
What I found most heartening was the bishop’s account of how he goes out to parishes regularly and listens to what active Catholics have to say. This type of episcopal outreach can be of great benefit to the pastoral mission of the church. It would be helpful for bishops occasionally to seek out and listen to disaffected and marginalized Catholics as well. They, too, are part of the community called to join in worship and to witness to God’s kingdom of peace and justice in the world.
Raymond Maher, O.Carm.
Arts & CultureBooks
Derek Walcott published his first book of verse Twenty Five Poems at the age of 18 then went on to a career that has produced 20 books of poetry as well as several dozen plays and a dozen works of non-fiction Now we have The Prodigal an epic from this postcolonial nomad who has drifted among Eu
FaithEditorials
Even those who disagreed with Pope John Paul II admired his honesty and conviction.
As bishop and later as pope, John Paul II did not have the freedom to propose purely personal theological positions in his official documents. When acting as a pastoral teacher he sought rather to defend and proclaim the doctrine of the faith. But since doctrine always has to be expressed, justified
Suppose all the people called Roman Catholic had wanted to say goodbye to the pope. Allow them three seconds each for a handshake and a blessing. The parade of the first million would have taken only 36 days. But by the end of this pontificate there were one billion people who are called Catholic. T
Arts & CultureBooks
David Plante was born in Providence R I in 1940 the next to last of the seven sons of Anaclet and Albina Plante French-Canadians who were called somewhat sneeringly in Yankee New England Canucks Anaclet was a stoical taciturn quarter-breed Blackfoot Indian who worked humbly for a manufactu
The death of Josef Fuchs, S.J., on March 9 in Cologne, Germany, marks the end of a period of enormous transition in moral theology. Along with Bernard Häring of the Alfonsianum University (d. 1998) and Louis Janssens of Louvain University (d. 2001), the Gregorian University’s Fuchs provided t
Even when the streets of downtown Beirut were the exclusive preserve of those demanding a Syrian withdrawal, I was never optimistic about Lebanon’s so-called Cedar Revolutionbut hopeful, yes. Last month’s assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a Sunni, gave the pre
News
Federal Judge Denies Parents’ Bid to Reinsert Schiavo’s Feeding TubeAfter a Federal judge refused a request by the parents of Terri Schindler Schiavo to have her feeding tube reinserted, church officials condemned the decision and said that the brain-damaged woman must be given nutrition
The Word
Many of us take great pride in our ability to recognize faces Or it may happen that we are on a street or highway and we come upon a particular turn in the road or a distinctive landmark and we realize that we have been in that place before At times like these floods of memories return What see
Arts & CultureBooks
Sarah Vowell whose idiosyncratic voice in both senses is familiar to listeners of National Public Radio rsquo s This American Life expended a considerable amount of effort trekking to places associated with events of national tragedynamely the murders of Presidents Lincoln Garfield and McKinle
Barbara Hall, the creator and executive producer of the CBS television series “Joan of Arcadia,” may have a wider audience than any contemporary American theologian. Most theologians don’t talk about God any more. Sex, race, gender, politics, secularity or whatever are more importa