Frontline asks, what kind of man is Bashar el-Assad?
America Staff
Posted inLetters
Letters
Undaunted Just a little note on the “Save the Altar Girls” editorial (10/10). I winter in Florida, where my parish swells to seven weekend Masses during the snowbird season, with three aging priests to handle them. One Sunday none of the altar servers showed up, and the priest asked if s
Posted inCatholic Book Club
October Selection
A professor of the history of Christianity the popular author and distinguished broadcaster commentator Eamon Duffy has written this slim but fascinating history mdash based on a series on BBC mdash of nbsp the ten pontiffs he deems the most influential Many of the church s powerful spiritual lea
Posted inSigns Of the Times
When Catholics Vote
As has been widely reported, on Oct. 7 a prominent Protestant minister, appearing at an event featuring Republican presidential hopefuls, called Mormonism a cult. But even before the controversy and media focus on Mormonism sparked by that remark, Gallup polls in 2011 found that 22 percent of Americ
Posted inLetters
Letters
The Dead Canary In response to Signs of the Times, “Pope Promotes ‘Unworthy’ but Open Church” (10/10): Being a voice in the world but not of the world is a tough road to follow. The church will change; even the decision not to change produces change, because the worldly conte
Posted inIn All Things
Readings: Any Hope for Libya?
One of the vivid images of my childhood is the death of Mussolini Growing up in a journalism family I followed politics and the war Then suddenly on page one of every paper were Benito Mussolini and his mistress plus five other corpses strung up-side- down by their feet arms dangling shirts h
Posted inLetters
Letters
Delusionalism In response to V. Bradley Lewis’s “American Exceptionalism” (10/3), there are still more sinister connotations to that word. Not only does it distract us from facing our problems, but it implies that the nation is entitled and favored by God to be number one in everyt
Posted inIn All Things
Readings: Are College Sports Worth the Pain?
I rsquo m at a disadvantage in talking about college sports except when I rsquo m not Journalistically I don rsquo t follow sports except for their social impact don rsquo t subscribe to Sports Illustrated or go to Yankee games or watch them on TV But I rowed crew in high school ran five marath
Posted inLetters
Letters
Let It Rock! Thank you for Kerry Weber’s article on Christian Rock, “Show a Little Faith” (9/26). Last August I was celebrating Mass at an out-of-town church. I was ambivalent about its Christian Rock choir. I understood its roots in the folk Masses of the 1970s, amped up with adde
Posted inIn All Things
Readings: The Woman’s Face
Frankly because I studied in France for a year I sympathize with France rsquo s President Nicolas Sarkozy whose government has passed a law against women wearing the niqab in public The niqab is a total face covering as distinguished from the hijab which refers to the entire head-to-toe garm