It Takes Time: On the future shape of the Anglican Church
Almost 27 years ago I attended a debate between Rowan Williams and Graham Leonard in Christ Church College at Oxford University. The debate was on the possibility of ordaining women to the priesthood. Pope John Paul II had ruled that the Catholic Church was not competent to change the tradition and
An Itinerant Preacher: Following the poor Jesus
Concern for the poor is a major focus for Pope Francis, and it should be for each of us. The psalmist reminds us, “The Lord takes delight in his people, honors the poor with victory” (Ps 149:4). How many times have we heard Pope Francis say that he wants a church “that is poor and
A Country in Question: Can Scotland survive as an independent state?
On Sept. 18, an electorate of 4.1 million people living in Scotland will participate in a referendum on the question: Should Scotland be an independent country?Behind that concise and apparently simple question lies a complex array of political, economic, social and emotive issues, many of which are
Power Player: The reign of Vladimir Putin
From the beginning of his rule, Vladimir V. Putin has assumed that his ability to govern Russia was highly dependent on the strength of the ideological justification of his power. Indeed, he was never elected according to even elementary democratic standards. For this reason, the state’s ideol
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Honoring Cardinal Ortega’s 50 years at the dangerous intersection of church and Cuban politics
Letters
Reply All
Rus’ and RussiaIn “The West Knows Best?” (5/19), Margot Patterson writes that in the 13th century “Russia’s western neighbors took advantage of her weakness to seize portions of Russia and the western half of Ukraine and to annex these to Western Christendom.” Thi
Editorials
Death in a Small Place
Gaza is being reduced to rubble while the world watches on YouTube and CNN. It has been as dispiriting a display of inhumanity and failure as one can imagine, yet it has not been enough to compel either side to accept a halt to the carnage. Each night new images of what Israeli Prime Minister…
Faith in Focus
Praying With Laurie: On grief, growth and letting go
After losing his daughter to cancer, Richard Wile embraces the kenosis, or self-emptying, of centering prayer.
Books
How the Rich Get Richer
One of the hallmarks of the young papacy of Pope Francis has been his repeated critique of what he calls the contemporary ldquo economy of inequality and exclusion rdquo Some commentators have seen this as an indictment of the present moment but the pope rsquo s stance would be misinterpreted if
Sharing the Vision
These two books come from cultured and urbane Catholic professors of theology one at Boston College Imbelli and the other at St Mary rsquo s University Twickenham London Bullivant Neither needs to raise his voice to make his case effectively Both are concerned albeit in different ways to
Film
Acts of Contrition: A good priest walks a dangerous road in ‘Calvary.’
Stark reality meets gentle whimsy. I’d like to think this is a characterization of the Irish temperament and the arts that flow from it; but whether or not that idea has any wider validity, it fits Calvary perfectly.Another offering from John Michael McDonagh, the writer-director who brought u
The Word
Rock-Solid Authority
One of the most shocking but welcome aspects of the Bible is how often power is challenged It occurs so often in the biblical tradition that we might take it for granted but the practice of saying uncomfortable things to those who have authority to speak from a position of weakness to those who
Like Fire Burning in My Heart
Much modern talk about God tends to reduce the creator to a living doll who wants to give us a divine cuddle There is no doubt that the essence of God rsquo s being is love but the experience of that love and of God rsquo s being is not always an experience of comfort…
Current Comment
Current Comment
Regrettable split over assisted suicide in the Church of England should be approached in a spirit of fraternal love.
Faith
Praying With Laurie: On grief, growth and letting go
After losing his daughter to cancer, Richard Wile embraces the kenosis, or self-emptying, of centering prayer.
Of Other Things
The Bells of St. John’s
The monks of St. John’s Abbey Church welcome the stranger, as do those morning bells.
Signs Of the Times
Carbon Call
In a letter read during an Environmental Protection Agency hearing in Washington on July 30, the chairmen of two committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offered their support for national standards to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants in an effort to limit climate chan
News Briefs
On July 26, nine men were ordained at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville, Tenn., the largest group ordained together in the diocese’s 177-year history. • Pope Francis celebrated the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola in Rome on July 31 by meeting the family of Paolo Dall’Oglio,
C.R.S. Fights Fear and Ebola As Crisis Worsens in Sierra Leone
As people in Sierra Leone lose hope and worldwide fear grows over the worst Ebola outbreak on record, “Our situation is desperate,” says the Rev. Peter Konteh, executive director of Caritas in the Archdiocese of Freetown.On July 30 Father Konteh described the mood of the West African cou
Mercy at the Border
Across the country a number of U.S. bishops have urged a merciful response to the crisis of unaccompanied minors at the U.S. border, and their parishioners have stepped up in response to the call. Dozens of parishioners in the small community of Oracle, Ariz., 30 miles north of Tucson, are one examp
Searching for a Way Ahead As Israeli ‘Redeployment’ Begins
Israeli forces began withdrawing from parts of the Gaza Strip on Aug. 3, after a quick collapse of a humanitarian ceasefire on Aug. 1 and a ferocious bombardment of the border community of Rafah in its aftermath. As what he described as a redeployment of Israeli forces began, Prime Minister Benjamin
Washington Front
Obsession Disorders
Democrats are decrying a war on women and conservatives are predicting a war on Christians.
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts