Recent storms sighted above the Hilltop and the Golden Dome remind us that the Catholic academic community is not living through a time of political serenity, but has a continuing ability to draw lightning strikes from the media, from theological vigilantes and from concerned bishops. How are the moral and religious commitments of the Catholic community to be understood and lived in a pluralistic world where the church itself is subject to alien pressure and hostile scrutiny and where it is experiencing painful internal divisions? Does the recent significant change in the American political landscape point to significant changes in the way the Catholic church and its institutions and its members relate to the American political system? More specifically, how should Catholics respond to the Obama administration?
John Langan
Posted inFaith
‘Splendidly himself’: The funeral homily for Robert F. Drinan
John Langan, S.J., preached the homily at the funeral of Robert Drinan, S.J., on Feb. 1, 2007. The full text of his homily is below.
Posted inFrom Our Archives
Observations on Abortion and Politics
For the last generation, no issue has generated more sustained controversy, and none has produced more anguished appeals to conscience than has abortion. In churches, courts and political conventions, as well as in families, professional associations and universities, it is a reliable “sign of
Posted inFrom Our Archives
Abortion & Politics: From October 25, 2004
In These Pages: From Oct. 25, 2004
Posted inBooks
Right or Wrong?
About 10 years ago the U S circuit court Judge John T Noonan published an article in Theological Studies on the problem of development in moral theology He focused on four issues on which it seems the Catholic Church had changed the content of its moral teaching These were usury slavery relig
Posted inFrom Our Archives
Should We Attack Iraq?
Down the street from your house is an unpretentious bungalow. You don’t often see the owner, but when he does appear, he wears a dark suit and dark glasses on even the cloudiest and hottest days. You sometimes notice bulges in his clothing. He rarely speaks or shows much interest in the neighb
Posted inFrom Our Archives
From Ends to Means: Devising a Response to Terrorism
On Tuesday, Sept. 11, the United States was stunned by terrorist acts that exhibited the audacity and cunning of the terrorists and dealt a grievous symbolic blow to the power of the United States of America. The reaction in this country and almost everywhere else has been abhorrence and condemnatio
Posted inBooks
Justice Demands It
One of the more interesting and paradoxical characters in the debate over capital punishment is the person on the political right who attempts to combine the libertarian suspicion of the state with support for capital punishment Such a person like George W Bush or Ronald Reagan affirms that the