In many respects, the U.S. Army and the Catholic Church could not be more dissimilar institutions. Both have radically different missions, divergent access to resources, and, seemingly, heterogeneous cultures.
Michael J. O’Loughlin
Michael J. O’Loughlin is national correspondent at America and author of Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.
Esquire Channels ‘America’
A small item from this month s Esquire magazine In a piece about a potential scandal on television s The Price is Right the author Chris Jones describes some of the show s changes He writes Even when Drew Carey replaced Bob Barker mdash the show s own version of Vatican II mdash he rocked
Twitter Diplomacy?
An interesting piece in the New York Times magazine about the US State Department s efforts to modernize diplomacy through the use of social networking From the article the State Department was still boxed into the world of communiqu eacute s diplomatic cables and slow government-to-government
Really, Sarah?
Former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin recently appeared on FOX News with Bill O rsquo Reilly to discuss immigration in the United States O rsquo Reilly posed this question If Palin were president could she solve the immigration problem O rsquo Reilly then goes on to ldquo interview rdquo Palin
Finding Ways to Say ‘Welcome’
Each morning on my way to work I pass by the newest branch of the Church of Scientology It rsquo s an impressive structure recently outfitted for the transition from office building to religious center There was a grand opening a couple months ago with quite a theatrical set built out front to a
What Do We Owe to the Protestant Elite?
With the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan underway Noah Feldman rsquo s op-ed in the New York Times last week looks at the expected makeup of the next Court comprised of six Catholics and three Jews He meditates on the idea that there will be no Protestants on the nation rsquo s highest benc
On Catholic Work and Catholic Guilt
A colleague and I were recently discussing at a conference how in certain contexts we answer the question What do you do It rsquo s a simple and common question asked by new acquaintances old friends family colleagues and others And living in D C it rsquo s almost always the first thing
Immigration Reform: If Not Now, When?
Last Saturday in Nevada Senate majority leader and candidate for reelection Harry Reid told an ebullient crowd that the Senate Democrats and the President had not forgotten immigration reform From the New York Times ldquo We rsquo re going to come back we rsquo re going to have comprehensive im
Does Nancy Pelosi Need Your Prayers?
Prayer cards are nothing unfamiliar to most Catholics We get them after burying family and friends and sometimes to remind us of our devotion to a particular cause or saint Chances are you have one lying forgotten in a desk drawer or maybe on a bulletin board near your desk But as the Washi
Catholic Charities & Catholic Identity
In the wake of its controversial decision to withhold health benefits for spouses of all new employees Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Washington took another step that will inevitably alienate potential hires The Washington Post reports that Shortly after imposing limits on spousal healt
