Columns

Benedict’s trip to the U.S. was a sojourn of hope

Motherhood demands risk, personal danger and courage. When Mary said yes to life, to becoming the mother of God, she risked everything. As a young, unwed mother in a patriarchal society, she risked losing her family, her place in the community and thus her means of survival. Joseph’s first ins

Is the religious right a spent force in American politics? There seems to be a growing consensus that it is, based in part on John McCain’s rather easy dispatch of Mike Huckabee in the Republican primaries. Huckabee, a preacher and unabashed advocate for the evangelical movement, certainly tou

The importance of Australia's national apology to the Aborigine people

Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus. The content and context of our peacemaking is set not by some political agenda or ideological program, but by the teaching of his C

William F. Buckley Jr.’s death prompted a wave of tributes, even from some of his ideological foes, for the tenor of the debates he orchestrated on his longtime television program, “Firing Line.” Over the years, Buckley played host to hundreds of political figures, writers, thinker

'God's wisdom comes quietly alongside us.'

Let’s call her María. She was illegally brought into the United States at the age of 2. Now 27, she is a vital member of her parish and has three young children. María was recently deported to Ciudad Juárez, where, in the last 15 years, 600 young women have been kidnapped, raped

We can learn a few things from the Irish. No, I’m not talking about the laudable contributions of Irish literature, music, peace in Northern Ireland, their economic miracle or even all the fuss about saving civilization. We can learn from practical and successful Irish approaches to greening t

The timing was exquisite. A voice on the radio, trying to entice viewers to one of those “Survivor”-type reality shows, promised that the program’s competition would be extremely intense. “We don’t play fair,” the voice intoned. “We play to win.” This