Of Many Things
Introducing the 2018 America Profile
Each year, America’s editor in chief (yours truly in the present instance) will take an in-depth look at a public figure whose Catholic faith plays a meaningful role in his or her life and work.
Letters
The Letters
An Opportunity Re “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” by Matt Malone, S.J. (Of Many Things, 12/10): When the law trumps conscience and grace, it is never truly right. As Christians, we have the opportunity to experience and to witness this in our own faith communities and to allow it to change our lives and to change…
Your Take
What is your favorite Christmas film?
Presented with 10 films and television specials, readers had a variety of favorites.
Editorials
God’s Christmas Gift
In the issue of Dec. 21, 1918, shortly after the end of World War I, the editors of America prayed that the Christmas celebration of that year would usher in lasting world peace.
The Editors: Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit
“Additional EITC expansions today—for adults with or without children—would likely continue to increase labor supply, decrease poverty, and improve the well-being of lower-income families at a cost much lower than the ‘sticker price.’”
Short Take
What I learned from challenging Islamophobic language in public
Confronted with a political candidate’s Islamophobic language, the author chose not to walk away or to pounce in anger, but to reach across a divide.
Dispatches
The most-viewed stories of 2018: Politics, the church in crisis and some much-needed comic relief
Brett Kavanaugh, Stephen Colbert and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were some of the names that attracted America readers and viewers in 2018, along with reporting from the Vatican and an essay about proper behavior in the pews.
In Honduras, Berta Cáceres’s killers have been convicted
The court ruled that the murder was premeditated with the “consent of Desa executives.” Desa is the Honduran company holding the concession for a hydroelectric dam project on the Gualcarque River on disputed land.
In an overcrowded Tijuana shelter, asylum seekers from Central America begin a long wait
Thousands of caravan migrants now wait in tents at the Benito Juárez Sports Complex in Tijuana, unsure if they will ever be allowed to enter the United States.
As investigation hits home diocese, can Cardinal DiNardo continue to lead on the abuse crisis?
Presuming the bad press in Texas will continue, can Cardinal DiNardo continue to credibly lead the U.S. bishops as the conference seeks a way out of the abuse crisis?
Features
The America Profile: Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, the pro-life Catholic Democrat
John Bel Edwards is bringing “common sense and compassion” to the governor’s office in Louisiana. Is the pro-life Democrat a model for how his party can win Catholic voters nationwide?
Why Dioceses Need to Support Struggling Latino Churches
Promising demographic data can easily be interpreted in a way that overlooks the textured history of Latino Catholics in the United States, one in which the very existence of Latino church communities has often come under threat.
Can restorative justice help the church heal from sex abuse scandals?
Adopting the practices of the restorative justice movement could help re-establish the church’s moral credibility on preventing and responding to sex abuse.
Faith in Focus
How parishes can turn ‘Christmas Catholics’ into regular Massgoers
Christmas is the chance to welcome the stranger; to be the good innkeeper and not the bad one.
Books
Books on the Bible 2018: Fresh perspectives on sacred texts
Noteworthy books on the Bible from the past year address a broad range of issues, including the relationship of religion to science and what the Bible has to say about wealth and poverty.
Film
A 1940s French film is one of the most Catholic horror movies ever made
“The Song of Bernadette” follows a classic horror-film structure in order to make a theological point that could not be more urgent.
Music
Is ‘Silent Night’ the greatest Christmas song ever?
On Christmas Eve 1818, in the church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf near Salzburg, “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”) was sung for the first time. Today, the carol has been translated into some 300 languages.
Television
‘Brideshead Revisited’ changed my life. Can it work its magic on the ‘Downton Abbey’ generation?
A 11-part television adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s great novel aired weekly on PBS in 1981.
Poetry
The Feast of the Nativity
It’s hard to accept that we are called to praise.
What shout of joy amid such poverty?
The Word
Feeling right at home in the Father’s house
When we find the place God has made for us, we will feel right at home.
What can we learn from the Wise Men?
The miraculous star and exotic messengers reveal Jesus’ messianic role.
Last Take
Here’s why every child at the border belongs to all of us
Our advocacy was based on the intrinsic dignity and inalienable value of all human beings and their equal and essential rights as members of the human family.
Faith
Feeling right at home in the Father’s house
When we find the place God has made for us, we will feel right at home.
What can we learn from the Wise Men?
The miraculous star and exotic messengers reveal Jesus’ messianic role.
Why Dioceses Need to Support Struggling Latino Churches
Promising demographic data can easily be interpreted in a way that overlooks the textured history of Latino Catholics in the United States, one in which the very existence of Latino church communities has often come under threat.
Can restorative justice help the church heal from sex abuse scandals?
Adopting the practices of the restorative justice movement could help re-establish the church’s moral credibility on preventing and responding to sex abuse.
How parishes can turn ‘Christmas Catholics’ into regular Massgoers
Christmas is the chance to welcome the stranger; to be the good innkeeper and not the bad one.
As investigation hits home diocese, can Cardinal DiNardo continue to lead on the abuse crisis?
Presuming the bad press in Texas will continue, can Cardinal DiNardo continue to credibly lead the U.S. bishops as the conference seeks a way out of the abuse crisis?
Magazine
The Letters
An Opportunity Re “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” by Matt Malone, S.J. (Of Many Things, 12/10): When the law trumps conscience and grace, it is never truly right. As Christians, we have the opportunity to experience and to witness this in our own faith communities and to allow it to change our lives and to change…
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts