From Our Archives

The recent assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family has brought renewed attention to Catholic approaches to gay and lesbian persons. During the synod, church leaders discussed pastoral and theological perspectives regarding the place of homosexual persons in the church, and church teaching vis

Among pro-life Catholics there is an elementary principle of moral reasoning we may call the "preferential option for life": when you are hunting and hear a rustle in the bush, you don't blast the bush to find out whether the corpse that falls out is a hunter or a deer. You find out fi

This is the final installment of a three-part story. Part I, "French Jesuits in New Orleans," is available here; you can read Part II, "The Maryland Plantation Jesuits," here.  Along with his other obligations of bringing discipline and direction to the struggling

John P. McCarthy on ‘The Imitation Game’ and the brilliant, tragic Life of Alan Turing

In “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis thoughtfully asked for suggestions for church reform that might better meet the needs of evangelization today. I trust he is getting a strong response! As an observer at the Vatican conference Sustainable Humanity, Sustainable Nature, I would like

‘If we destroy creation, creation will destroy us!”This warning was given by Pope Francis during a talk he gave in May, in which he reminded his listeners that “creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, the property of only a few. Creation is a gift

This is Part II of a three-part story. The first installment, "French Jesuits in New Orleans," is available here. In spite of its rich missionary history with its roots in Spain and France, the American Catholic church traditionally traces its birthday to the colonial period during wh