The corporal works of mercy have long guided Christians in helping those suffering from poverty and oppression. Politics can also be a holy activity if we pursue certain works of mercy.
Short Take
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Migrants are not ‘just another story’—or just another political football
The notion that the flow of migrants will be stemmed by closing asylum “loopholes” is grotesque. Sometimes it’s hard to believe anyone in Congress sees migrants as human beings.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Pope Francis’ same-sex blessings declaration is a major step forward for LGBTQ Catholics
Some L.G.B.T.Q. people may say this declaration doesn’t go far enough. Others will think it goes too far. Both groups, however, can agree that this is a significant change, Father James Martin writes.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
I was ready to forgive George Santos—until I wasn’t.
George Santos’s behavior following his expulsion from Congress shows that our capability to forgive others can only stretch so far.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Why the Israel-Hamas war is so hard to talk about: identical narratives but different facts
Since Oct. 7, a fascinating dynamic has emerged: the Jewish and Palestinian narratives we see posted on social media have converged—with the protagonists and antagonists reversed.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Cardinal Bernardin’s ‘Consistent Ethic of Life’ still divides Catholics 40 years later
Depressingly, 40 years since Cardinal Bernardin first proposed the consistent ethic of life, the ethic remains mired in the same senseless, polarized partisanship that Bernardin proposed the ethic to overcome.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
The antiwar activists who were accused of plotting to kidnap Kissinger
An overlooked moment in obituaries of Henry Kissinger is the trial of the Harrisburg Seven: activists, many of whom were priests and women religious, who were accused of plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger in 1970.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Is Trump favorite J.D. Vance a new proponent of Catholic social teaching—or just parts of it?
J.D. Vance’s economic populist streak, combined with his pro-life views and support for religious liberty, could offer an alternative to the two major political parties.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
‘Laudato Si’’ to ‘Laudate Deum’: What has changed in Pope Francis’ climate teaching?
The choice by Pope Francis to release “Laudate Deum” eight years after the publication of “Laudato Si’” is an unusual one, signaling an imminent climate crisis.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
The friendship between Catholics and Jews goes deeper than diplomacy
Catholics and Jews must be very careful not to reduce our relations with one another to politics or diplomacy. Instead, we should seek friendship and interreligious dialogue that can thrive beyond all political considerations.