James Martin, S.J.

Today Senator Barack Obama announced his national Catholic advisory committee The names are a fascinating mix of well Catholics–and include some regular and recent America contributors like Mary Jo Bane Lisa Cahill Richard Gaillardetz Cathy Kaveny and David O Brien And congratulations t

Robert Ellsberg currently the publisher of Orbis Books has pulled off the journalistic equivalent of a double-play scoring recent cover articles in both Commonweal and The London Tablet The reason After several years of dedicated scholarship Ellsberg has put the finishing touches the first

Our most regular blogger Michael Sean Winters has a provocative article on Slate com on how Benedict s papacy has disappointed neo-cons and theo-cons Here s Winters Three years after Benedict s election as American Catholics prepare for the pope s visit next week those same conser

Some readers may have read A Jesuit Off-Broadway which tells the story of my six months with the LAByrinth Theater Company a New York-based acting troupe who were creating a new play about Jesus and Judas which premiered in April 2004 That play The Last Days of Judas Iscariot was writt

Today we received a copy of the elegant booklet that includes the programs complete with prayers and readings for the pope s prayer services liturgies and Masses during his American visit There is an especially beautiful prayer for his visit to Ground Zero Also Latinists will be happy that

There are few people who are more excited about the pope s visit than Stephen Colbert who actually has tickets to the Mass at Yankee Stadium as he explains in this clip Mr Colbert as many of our viewers readers know is in fact Catholic James Martin SJ

Besides our special coverage on our blog and later in the pages of the magazine some of America editors will be assisting with the media coverage of Pope Benedict s visit to the United States James Keane S J will be working with Fox News Radio during the Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium Ji

Don t miss Bill McGarvey s terrific interview on the Bustedhalo website with Timothy Radcliffe OP the former master general of the Dominicans and one of the most lucid of all Catholic writers And speakers Radcliffe is consistently one of the biggest draws at the LA Religious Ed Congres

Accompanying the pope s video message released today is this report from Catholic News Service Here is the Vatican text of Pope Benedict XVI s message in English and Spanish to Catholics in the United States The pope will visit the U S April 15-20 Dear brothers and sisters in the Un

That is the nation not the magazine David Van Biema and Jeff Israely two of the most insightful religion journalists working today ask that question in an extremely provocative and counterintuive cover story in Time this week The American Pope Their argument is that the American brand