A League in SyncJames Martin, S.J., offers a comprehensive overview of anti-Catholicism in America and an excellent analysis of its root causes (The Last Acceptable Prejudice? 3/25). His position that the Catholic League is too overheated, however, deserves a response.Our style is not out of sync wi

Heroes populate Ian Frazier rsquo s book about the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota Some of the heroes are of his own making others we recognize by name and still others are unique to the Oglala Lakota who live on the reservation All of them are cast against a backdrop of problems

On the first Sunday of Lent of this jubilee year, Pope John Paul II celebrated a solemn liturgy in which he and the cardinals of the Roman Curia who joined him offered a "universal prayer," which had the title: "Confession of Sins and Asking for Forgiveness." This solemn act was

With civil wars exploding around the world the essays in The Open Door come at an opportune moment Originally given as annual addresses before the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland co-publisher with the Center for International Health and Cooperation they represent the thought of some of the

The congregation of the Sisters of Life was founded in 1991 by Cardinal John O’Connor of New York to promote the sanctity of human life. Among the first to join, Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., has been superior general since 1993; she resides at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Convent in New York

Oscar Romero was assassinated on March 24, 1980. Marking the 20th anniversary of the death of this saintly manthe process for his beatification has already beguntwo books have appeared. One is Oscar Romero: Reflections on His Life and Writing, by Marie Dennis, Renny Golden and Scott Wright (Orbis).

Cardinal Joseph Bernardin articulated a consistent ethic of life, which included opposition to both abortion and the death penalty, in 1985. Ten years later, in his encyclical The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II taught that opposing capital punishment should be part of a pro-life witness for a cul

One February day last year, I was working at my office as Dominican formation director, when I received a call from Karen Pollard, B.V.M., of the St. Louis Archdiocesan Criminal Justice Ministry. She told me that a prisoner on death row in Potosi Correctional Institute, about 70 miles from St. Louis

As long as there is earth under your feet

"There has been no vocal, effective, reliable and consistent constituency for Africa in this country," complained Leonard H. Robinson Jr., a deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs in the Reagan and Bush administrations. "Africa needs all the friends it can get in Amer

Vermont Bishop Decries Passage of Civil Unions’ BillBishop Kenneth A. Angell of Burlington said a bill approved by the Vermont House allowing civil unions between homosexuals is simply same-sex marriage under another name. The bishop said the 76-to-69 vote made him feel the way he supposed a m

Responding to conflicting appellate court decisions, the United States Supreme Court is now reviewing the constitutionality of the bans by some states on "partial-birth" abortion. Because of the unusually graphic candor found in those prior decisions, the Supreme Court will confront as nev

Donald Cozzens sits at a unique crossroads being both a priest of 35 years and the rector of a major seminary So this must have been at once a sadand yet liberatingbook to write For what Father Cozzens rector of St Mary Seminary in Cleveland has embarked upon is as comprehensive and honest an

"I’m pro-life." Simple as that. At least according to presidential candidate George Bush. But this simple sentence has become as empty as its opposite formulations, "I’m pro-choice," or "I’m for a woman’s right to choose."The contents of these sl

Most Complex SocietyIn his column (2/12) Terry Golway generalizes and oversimplifies about adolescent society. He claims that any adolescent or young adult who strives for knowledge in education, abides by a moral code and delves into cultural interests such as non-mainstream music (jazz, classical,

If Hollywood were to offer us a movie in which a father, guilty of incest with his daughter, was treated as a dignified, even sympathetic character, would anyone be offended? Would anyone notice? And if this same movie treated abortion as a sacramental rite of passage, akin to confirmation or bar mi

Of all the commentary about George W. Bush and his now-famous appearance at Bob Jones University, the most interesting came from Bishop Thomas V. Dailey of Brooklyn. Speaking to the press, the bishop expressed measured concernbut not about the topic at hand. He was not so much concerned about the Te

Could a pope resign? Would a retired pope still be infallible? If a pope resigns and another is elected, are there in effect two popes?

Concordats are treaties between states and the Holy See regulating the civil status of the church Because the Holy See represents not only political interests but moral ones as well concordats unlike most treaties tend to be confused in the popular mind with the notion that the Holy See approves