The death of cultural icon Lawrence Ferlinghetti on Monday reminds us of the many artists and writers he influenced and was influenced by—including Thomas Merton.
James T. Keane
James T. Keane is a Senior Editor at America.
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics & Society
Before Rush Limbaugh, Father Coughlin was America’s first demagogue of the airwaves
Before Rush Limbaugh, there was the notorious “radio priest” of the 1930s and 1940s, Father Charles E. Coughlin.
Posted inExplainer, Faith
Explainer: What is an annulment? (And why does Pope Francis want to make it easier to get one?)
No matter how many times you hear it described thus—jokingly or not—an annulment is not just “Catholic divorce.” Church teaching is not that the marriage in question failed, but that the marriage never existed in a sacramental sense.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
A eulogy for the WASPs
Amid the somber ceremonies, perhaps today we can wave goodbye to our starchy past.
Posted inFaith, News Analysis
The Top Five U.S. Catholic Newsmakers of 2020
Who were some of the U.S. Catholics who were regularly in the news this past year?
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Remembering John le Carré, who knew that deep down, we all want to be secret agents
John le Carré, who died earlier in December, was a wildly popular spy novelist—and one of the English world’s finest fiction writers of the last half-century.
Posted inAdvent Reflections, Faith
Who is the Messiah? Go and find out.
A Reflection for the Third Wednesday of Advent
Posted inExplainer, Politics & Society
The 15 times a Catholic has been named Time’s Person of the Year
With no small bit of swagger, we present to you: Catholics who were Time’s Person of the Year.
Posted inAdvent Reflections, Faith
In a parched land, God will bring abundance.
A Reflection for the Second Thursday of Advent
Posted inExplainer, Faith
Why does the Catholic Church object to IVF? It’s more complicated than you think.
Scientific advances have allowed enormous breakthroughs in overcoming infertility—but not without some vexing ethical questions.