Podcasts

In this, the third edition of our annual Oscar Podcast, Bill McGarvey of BustedHalo joins Father James Martin and Tim Reidy of America to review the best picture nominees for 2009. Will “Avatar” triumph or can “The Hurt Locker” squeak out a surprise win? What are the surprise nominees in the expanded list of ten? […]

Can health care reform still pass now that the Democrats have lost their filibuster proof majority? How do the bishops assess the House and Senate bills, especially on the question of abortion? As the director of domestic social development for the U.S. bishops’ conference, Kathy Saile has worked to insure that the bishops’ voice is […]

On January 25 Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, accepted the 2009 Campion Award from the editors of America. A renowned scholar, theologian, ecumenist, pastor, professor and poet, Archbishop Williams is the author of more than a score of books. In his remarks upon accepting award, he dilated on the idea of a “martyrial ecumenism,” […]

Catholic Relief Services has been providing aid to Haiti since 1954 and had 300 workers in the country when the earthquake hit on January 12. John Rivera, the director of communications for CRS, gives an update on the agency’s relief efforts, and explains how CRS is working with the U.S. government and faith-based aid agencies […]

Every year Fordham University brings together Catholic and Jewish leaders to engage in dialogue at the Nostra Aetate lecture. The dialogues are inspired by the Vatican II document that addresses the church’s relations with non-Christian religions. This year, newly installed Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York sat down with Arnold M. Eisen, the chancellor […]

Ever since President Obama named Reinhold Niebuhr as his favorite philosopher, this mid-20th century public intellectual has been much invoked by pundits and columnists, especially in relation to the president’s Nobel acceptance speech defending war as a tool for building peace. Here Drew Christiansen, S.J., argues that a closer examination of Niebuhr’s entire career reveals […]

As the country heads into the second Christmas since the economic downturn, Rev. Larry Snyder, the president of Catholic Charities, details the needs his organization is encountering around the country. In shelters and food pantries, the organization is seeing a dramatic increase in demand. Father Snyder also discusses the recent controversy in Washington, D.C., concerning […]

Thoma Massaro, S.J., a respected social ethicist at Boston College, reviews Michael Sandel’s PBS series, “Justice: What’s the Right Thing To Do?” based on the Harvard professor’s popular course. The 12 episode series can be viewed online at www.justiceharvard.org”. Read Father Massaro’s written review of the show here.

An interview with Rev. Michael G. Ryan, a priest from the Archdiocese of Seattle who is calling for a grass-roots review of the new Roman Missal.