How demographics explain both Donald Trump’s rise and why he’ll (probably) lose
While Democratic presidential nominees have become almost invincible among the highly educated urbanites, Republicans have increased their margins among white voters in more rural areas.
We often ask, “Who is my neighbor?” Why does the answer always surprise us?
In the face of the mounting political crises over immigration, is it possible to bring a renewed perspective to this question?
Of Many Things
Waiting to hear about the new Jesuit superior general, and remembering my time as a delegate
The congregation has spoken, and we are happy with their choice of Father Arturo Sosa as our new superior general.
Letters
Reply All
“As long as the church hierarchy remains exclusively male, Catholic doctrine on sex and gender increasingly lacks credibility.”
Editorials
There’s a heroin epidemic in this country and faith communities need to be talking more about it.
In the last 10 years, the number of heroin-related overdoses nearly quadruple.
Faith in Focus
Three ways to make decisions like a Jesuit
St. Ignatius suggests three possible intellectual and emotional “times” of one’s life “in any of which a sound and good election can be made.”
Books
Is there life after college?
The book offers detailed guidance on managing decisions a potential college student must make: whether to go to college right after high school, where one should attend and how to find internships along the way.
William Lynch took philosophy out of the academy.
Lynch possessed a deeply incarnational spirituality and criticized religion understood as mere assent to transcendent meaning.
Questions of creation, guilt and reconciliation render this art heist story practically perfect.
Told in alternating chapters, the lives of painter, collector and forger blend and echo in ways that none of them could imagine.
Television
Can watching a Netflix series actually make you a better Catholic?
“High Maintenance” and “Easy” train viewers to think outside of themselves and to consider what is going on inside other people’s minds.
Poetry
Lessons
So near holidays. For now, celebratetheir nearness. Brush the cat hair offof coats, collect the hackberry leaves.Winter threatens is unfair; it menaceslike sleep, like hunger. Cheer a killingfrost but mourn the lettuce, the orchidyou snap, an accident, not meaning tobe an ender. Less time now for re
The Word
Witnesses to Life
St. Augustine defined martyrdom in this way: “It is the reason why, not the suffering that constitutes the martyr.”
Columns
Why are Catholics so mean on social media?
One of the most common reactions to this question: “Don’t be so sensitive. Criticizing doesn’t make someone mean.”
Current Comment
Why are we allowing hackers to censor information?
Increasingly large attacks are made possible by the so-called internet of things.
The way Wells Fargo treated its employees is the real scandal
Wells Fargo reports that over the last five years it has terminated 5,300 employees for “inappropriate sales conduct.” Not one of the bank’s top managers received a pink slip.
Three states will decide whether to continue the momentum against the death penalty
Support for the death penalty has slipped to just below 50 percent, its lowest level in 40 years.
Faith
Witnesses to Life
St. Augustine defined martyrdom in this way: “It is the reason why, not the suffering that constitutes the martyr.”
Cardinal Surprises
A 5 a.m. wake-up call from a friend in Rome alerted Cardinal-designate Blase J. Cupich of Chicago to the news that Pope Francis had added his name to the list of church leaders soon to be made cardinals. The previous six archbishops of Chicago received a red hat, but Pope Francis has recently skippe
Check Your Hypocrisy
Meeting a pilgrimage of Catholics and Lutherans from Germany, Pope Francis said he does not like “the contradiction of those who want to defend Christianity in the West and, on the other hand, are against refugees and other religions.” Answering questions from young people in the group o
Waiting to hear about the new Jesuit superior general, and remembering my time as a delegate
The congregation has spoken, and we are happy with their choice of Father Arturo Sosa as our new superior general.
New Leader of Jesuits Worldwide Is Latin American ‘Historic Choice’
Jesuits from 62 countries have chosen “a man of deep prayer” in electing Venezuelan-born Arturo Sosa Abascal as the new superior general of their order, said Timothy P. Kesicki, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, a few hours after the decision was a
Three ways to make decisions like a Jesuit
St. Ignatius suggests three possible intellectual and emotional “times” of one’s life “in any of which a sound and good election can be made.”
Why Pope Francis is making Asia a priority for the Catholic Church
Pope Francis has his eyes fixed on Asia, where he sees the possibility of a new springtime for the church.
How diversity is keeping this Boston parish from closing
Better engaging Latino populations could be key to Catholic schools’ survival.
The rising number of Chinese students in American Catholic high schools
Catholic schools cannot view international students just as a revenue stream.
First Monday
What the Wells Fargo scandal and Edward Snowden have in common
It is time to improve our nation’s whistleblower and false claims laws.
Magazine
Reply All
“As long as the church hierarchy remains exclusively male, Catholic doctrine on sex and gender increasingly lacks credibility.”
Of Other Things
Praying with Bruce Springsteen
Helpless Catholic that I am, I have a confession to make. I am a Bruce Springsteen devotee.
Signs Of the Times
Cardinal Surprises
A 5 a.m. wake-up call from a friend in Rome alerted Cardinal-designate Blase J. Cupich of Chicago to the news that Pope Francis had added his name to the list of church leaders soon to be made cardinals. The previous six archbishops of Chicago received a red hat, but Pope Francis has recently skippe
Doctors Against Assisted Suicide
Two Catholic organizations are calling on physicians to urge the American Medical Association to maintain its current stance against physician-assisted suicide. The call from the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Catholic Bioethics Center
Check Your Hypocrisy
Meeting a pilgrimage of Catholics and Lutherans from Germany, Pope Francis said he does not like “the contradiction of those who want to defend Christianity in the West and, on the other hand, are against refugees and other religions.” Answering questions from young people in the group o
News Briefs
In his message for World Food Day on Oct. 14, Pope Francis urged consumers to take responsibility for their use and waste of food and actions that harm the environment. • The Diocese of Baton Rouge has been helping flood victims deal with the stress of “letting go” and adjusting to
New Leader of Jesuits Worldwide Is Latin American ‘Historic Choice’
Jesuits from 62 countries have chosen “a man of deep prayer” in electing Venezuelan-born Arturo Sosa Abascal as the new superior general of their order, said Timothy P. Kesicki, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, a few hours after the decision was a
Recovery Will Take Long-term Effort in Haiti
The people of southern Haiti are traumatized and the landscape has suffered “complete devastation.” Hurricane Matthew survivors “have never seen anything like this,” Christopher Bessey, the country representative for Haiti for Catholic Relief Services, reports. The Category 4
How diversity is keeping this Boston parish from closing
Better engaging Latino populations could be key to Catholic schools’ survival.
Vatican Dispatch
Why Pope Francis is making Asia a priority for the Catholic Church
Pope Francis has his eyes fixed on Asia, where he sees the possibility of a new springtime for the church.
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