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Books
He's No Gandhi
John Dear
War is wrong Mahatma Gandhi wrote It has got to go Peace will never come until the great powers courageously decide to disarm themselves Unless the world adopts nonviolence it will spell certain suicide for humanity Gandhi insisted that though history records an endless array of wars with count
News
Signs of the Times
From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources
Worldwide Hunger Picture Still Bleak, Says Bread for WorldGrim realities about hunger worldwide are detailed in Foreign Aid to End Hunger, a report issued by Bread for the World Institute in Washington. The report urges President Bush and Congress to allocate an additional $1 billion a year in U.S.
Books
Cardinal Virtues
Richard J. Hauser
An alert for the unwary The Journey to Peace ought not be confused with The Gift of Peace Loyola Press 1997 though both are authored by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago and were occasioned by the sufferings of his final years Bernardin died Nov 11 1996 The Gift of Peace is Bern
Letters
Letters
Our readers

Mature Support

In his article Coming Out’ as a Catholic School Teacher (3/19), Gerald D. Coleman, S.S., makes some valid points. He indicates, for example, that it is not right for a mature adult to depend upon adolescents for emotional support and that young students should not be required to cope with matters beyond their level of maturity.

But, if homosexuals should not suffer from prejudice against their basic human rights, and if they have a right to respect, friendship and justice, why must their orientation be kept a secret? There is a further question. What does Father Coleman propose to do if a teacher ignores his advice and does come out? Officially, the church has declared that the homosexual orientation is an objective disorder, but it does not level any sanctions against persons merely because they have the disorder. Should a person who comes out be fired? What for? The violation of a prohibition against revealing one’s sexual orientation, or the imprudence of doing so? The loss of credibility as a role model? If these reasons will not suffice for dismissal, must the institution launch an investigation to prove that the individual is sexually active?

James Cosgrove

Film
Memory and Regret: Faithless
Richard A. Blake
Many years ago, decades in fact, I was the object of an extraordinary kindness. In the very act of accepting this favor, however, I reacted with a remark of stupefying insensitivity. My benefactor recoiled visibly. The damage once done could not be undone. To describe the exchange in more detail wou
The Word
A No-Nonsense Message!
John R. Donahue
The annual Easter proclamation reminds us of St Augustine rsquo s hymn to beauty God ever ancient ever new At the door of the tomb the realm of death the women hear an affirmation of life He is not here but he has been raised Echoing through the centuries this is the foundation of Christ
Books
Clarifying Life
John B. Breslin
Ron Hansen has established himself as a significant contemporary American writer with five novels and a collection of stories that have earned him numerous awards and fellowships as well as an endowed chair at Santa Clara University in California He has now collected 14 essays variously published
Bush's Faith-Based Initiative
Joseph M. Sullivan
From 2001, Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan on the government, the church and the poor. Bishop Sullivan died last month.
Books
Fall From Grace
Donald P. Kommers
This short book advances bone-shattering propositions about the fall of Yugoslavia It argues that U S policymakers and western European leaders knowingly set out to destroy Yugoslavia in the interest of globalized capitalism that the 1999 Rambouillet Peace Agreement was an ambush amounting to o
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Patricia A. Kossmann
Among my most cherished childhood memories are visits to the local branch of Queens Borough Public Library, where peace and quiet reignedexcept for the occasional chair squeaking across the floor, or the loud whisperer, or the crashing book, which violations of the peace were dutifully corrected by
Books
Count to Twelve
Doris Donnelly
This is the story of a free-fall from remorse shame and self-loathing to peace gratitude and humility and of the parachute that made a safe landing possible The author is a wise and articulate recovering alcoholic nun who acknowledges that Alcoholic Anonymous saved her at a point in her life when
FaithEditorials
Due Process in the Church
The Editors
The recent investigation and trial of the theologian Jacques Dupuis, S.J., alerted Catholics and others to the judicial methods of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Am., 3/12, Signs of the Times).
Books
We Remember
George F. Giacomini, Jr.
These are two very different books on a similar topic Rychlak rsquo s is the lawyer rsquo s brief Phayer rsquo s the scholarly monograph Both approach Pope Pius XII from the standpoint of Vatican diplomacy Rychlak concludes that the criticism of Pius XII for not speaking out against Hitler and t
The Word
By the Cross, Weeping
John R. Donahue
Each year Holy Week begins with a re-enactment of Jesus entering Jerusalem amid shouts of praise The week soon moves to his rejection suffering and death and concludes with the preconium paschale the ringing proclamation that he has been raised Each Evangelist highlights different aspects Luke
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
George M. Anderson
My mother was an immigrant, and ever since coming to New York a few years ago, I have wanted to visit Ellis Island. Now I have been there twice within the past year—last June and then on a bitterly cold day during Christmas week. My mother was luckier than most immigrants. Having grown up in t
Letters
Letters
Our readers

People Before Profits

The article by Thomas J. Massaro, S.J., and Mary Jo Bane, Compassion in Action: A Letter to President Bush on Social Policy (3/12), was much needed. In recent weeks public dialogue has focused on across-the-board tax cuts and other proposals that do little to foster a just economic system in our country.

The electorate should impress upon President Bush and Congress the need for an economy that provides access to jobs and services that enable all people to support themselves and care for their families. We also need assurance that natural resources are protected for the universal common good in a sustainable and mutually beneficial way.

In short, we need an economic system that focuses on people before profits, a sustainable economy that addresses the needs of present and future generations. If people take up pen and paper now to demand this of their elected officials, we can all play a part in achieving this vision of economic justice.

Kathy Thornton, R.S.M.

Editorials
Missile Defense Follies
The Editors
It is understandable that at first glance the idea of a national missile defense system is appealing. It promises perfect safety, rendering obsolete the madness of nuclear deterrence based on mutual assured destruction. If the system were to work, the threat of some enemy from across the ocean pulve
A Harsh Light
James S. Torrens, S.J.
Traffic, an Academy Awards nominee film directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a rapid-fire saga of the drug trade and of stumbling binational efforts to stop it. It is also a dark-hued morality play. The drug trading and the violence in Traffic take place on both sides of the border crossing between Tij
Faith in Focus
Be Awake
Mary Beth Moore
It came as a surprise to find myself compelled to reflect on consciousness and mortality. It happened because I went to a Zen retreat by accident. But then, though there are surprises in this life, we may collaborate in bringing ourselves to the place of surprise—to the brink, or to the unders
Beautiful Rottenness
John F. Kavanaugh
The New Yorker cover for the new millennium’s first week of March was a perfect cartoon rendition of our culture’s inverted values. A theater marquee, hyping some nameless show, is plastered with rave banner reviews of nameless critics. A New Low! Gratuitously Prurient! Lurid! Rock Botto