James Martin, S.J.

Everything about the death of George Tiller saddens me including the bloggers and commenters who are angry bitter and vitriolic nbsp still even in the face of death nbsp nbsp So how about some good news nbsp The American Academy of Religion has handed out their annual awards to the incre

While way too many people in the Catholic blogosphere were way too concerned with whether Father Alberto nbsp Cutie should have left nbsp Holy Mother Church nbsp so quickly or whether Judge Sonia Sotomayor was sufficiently Catholic Massgoer or just occasional Massgoer or just how much of a lib

Father Alberto Cutie sorry I can t figure out how to do accents but he gets one on the e has left the Catholic church and has been received into the Episcopal church in Miami after having decided that he could no longer live nbsp the nbsp promise of celibacy he made at his ordination nbsp

The newly nominated U S ambassador to the Holy See Miguel H Diaz a nbsp superb choice a Latino Catholic a recognition of the enormous influence of Latinos in the U S church a professor of theology with terrific credentials St Thomas Notre Dame Collegeville and a Rahner scholar to boot

–When I waxed enthusiastic to a friend about seeing this movie she said ldquo How can you be so rapturous about a film about a suicide rdquo But suicide is not what the film is about Nor does one come away from the film feeling depressed mdash just the opposite The goodness of Solo and his

The very talented Judge Sonia Sotomayor President Obama s choice for Supreme Court justice is as you ve probably heard a Roman Catholic and the product of Catholic schooling nbsp As a result the unfortunate question How Catholic was bound to come up nbsp Frankly the only person who can

Perhaps only the estimable Dave Gibson Beliefnet and ahem Commonweal blogger and author of The Rule of Benedict could see–and make–the connections between Carrie Prejean the controversial Miss California Queen Esther the biblical heroine Katharine Harris and Sarah Palin nbsp Gibson

More on our online Culture page nbsp Here s a smart and funny review about a smart and funny show 30 Rock written by Jake Martin a Jesuit scholastic who used to be a stand-up comic nbsp nbsp nbsp Martin no relation other than being my brother Jesuit explains why the show is more than

William Saletan has a nuanced nbsp article on Slate about what Obama s visit to Notre Dame the source of seemingly unending controversy nbsp Here s Saletan Smart pro-lifers understand the multidimensionality of public opinion That s why in his introduction of Obama Notre Dame s president t

Dan Gilgoff of US News has the inside story on the reception into the Catholic church of Newt Gingrich nbsp nbsp nbsp An excerpt The moment that finally convinced me to convert was when Benedict XVI came here to the United States and Callista in the church choir sang for him at the vesper