Current Comment

Torture and Accountability On June 23 the U.S. bishops’ Office of International Justice and Peace, in conjunction with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, issued a 37-page study guide, Torture Is a Moral Issue, to help the faithful better understand Catholic teaching on torture (a

Tim Russert, Man for Others; Compassion for Refugees

Political excommunication and partisan priests

Barriers or Bridges? The Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall, the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain, the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Now we have the 670-mile-long concrete fence between Mexico and the United States, the ever-expanding, 436-mile-long West Bank Barrier intended to protect Israelis fr

Israel at 60, defending religious freedom, the commencement season

Freedom for Christians Those who are following the fits and starts of Turkey’s current attempt to enter the European Union have undoubtedly been reminded of earlier, less peaceful encounters between the Turks and Europe. The Siege of Vienna in 1529 and the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the latter

Benedict in America What will Pope Benedict XVI say during his visits to Washington, D.C., and New York City? Will he hew to a simple proclamation of the Gospel? Or will he tackle hot-button issues like same-sex marriage, abortion and the Iraq war? Likewise, will he take aim at neuralgic issues in t

The R Word Regulation. The word you thought would never cross Republican lips has been uttered by a cabinet-level official. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. announced March 26 that it is time for “us all to think more broadly about the regulatory and supervisory framework” for fin

The Trillion-Dollar War From the beginning, the Bush administration has refused to give an accurate and responsible reckoning of the costs of the Iraq war. From underestimating budgets to requesting funding through special supplemental appropriations, to cutting taxes for the wealthy that resulted i

Inhuman conditions in Gaza; a change, and a chance, in Russia