Prophecy for Justice: Catholic politicians and bishops
In his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Pastores Gregis (“On the Bishop, Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World,” Oct. 16, 2003), Pope John Paul II underlines the scriptural boldness demanded of the bishop as shepherd (No. 66c). In this context, he describes th
Caught Between God and Caesar
When God and Caesar claim controlling jurisdiction over public policy in America, public servants who are Catholic can get caught between a religious rock and a public policy hard place. I know. I’ve been there. In 1965 Lyndon Johnson became the first president to support birth control as a pu
Artificial Feeding
At a recent international congress in Rome on “Life-Sustaining Treatments and the Vegetative State,” Pope John Paul II ignited a controversy that is still smoking. He stated that artificial nutrition and hydration “should be considered, in principle, ordinary and proportionate, and
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Cancer cut short the life of my friend Regina. Barely into her 50’s, she had been working on behalf of immigrants in New York City. A lump on her breast turned out to be a malignant tumor. She told me about it on a Sunday autumn afternoon as we sat on a bench in New…
Letters
Letters
Something Sacred
I want to thank Drew Christiansen, S.J., for his recent Memorial Day reflection (5/24) and to tell him how much his words and thoughts resonated with my eighth-grade students at The American School in London. Though few of our students here at the A.S.L. are British, we are guests in a country that…
Editorials
Christians in the World
The early Christians lived in a police state and were judged subversive if they refused to worship the Roman emperor. Yet even during periods of persecution, these Christians insisted they were law-abiding citizens. The anonymous author of a short second-century essay known as the Letter to Diognetu
Features
Should politicians be refused communion?
When Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, was asked at a press conference in Rome on April 23 whether Senator John F. Kerry should be denied Communion, he responded: “The law of the church is clear. The church exists in the United
Rights of accused priests: Toward a revision of the Dallas charter and the essential norms
The church must protect the community from harm, but it must also protect the human rights of each individual who may face an accusation.
Books
Old Meets New
Yes When I read I write lots of notes in the margins What I wrote most often in the margins of this book by James Bretzke is simply yes yes what a fine way of putting things yes what a wonderful example yes I think I rsquo ll use that idea in my own course…
Desert Odyssey
The Sahara has never been a very hospitable place least of all for interlopers from Western countries Sailors who found themselves shipwrecked on the treacherous North African coast were subjected not only to brutal treatment by the warrior tribes of the Sahara but also to the harsh elements of th
Balance Might With Right
The inordinate power of the United States under George W Bush according to Jim Garrison president of State of the World which is based in San Francisco disturbs people on the American left but excites people on the American right Conservatives view the fall of the Soviet empire as Ronald Reaga
The Word
Two Sides of the Coin
The readings for today offer us two conflicting images One is of abundance and rejoicing the other is of the cross and self-denial One might think that these two images cannot be harmonized But if we look carefully at their messages we can see how they really do fit together Isaiah rsquo s mess
The Cost of Discipleship
Dietrich Bonhoeffer a German Lutheran theologian wrote a series of reflections on the Sermon on the Mount entitled The Cost of Discipleship in which he maintained that discipleship requires us to make a fundamental decision to follow Jesus and to accept the conseuences of that decision His own r
Faith
Should politicians be refused communion?
When Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, was asked at a press conference in Rome on April 23 whether Senator John F. Kerry should be denied Communion, he responded: “The law of the church is clear. The church exists in the United
Rights of accused priests: Toward a revision of the Dallas charter and the essential norms
The church must protect the community from harm, but it must also protect the human rights of each individual who may face an accusation.
News
Signs of the Times
Pope Tells Bush of Deep Concern About IraqIn their first meeting since the Iraq war, Pope John Paul II told U.S. President George W. Bush he was deeply concerned about the grave unrest in Iraq and called for a speedy restoration of the country’s sovereignty. During a 50-minute encounter on Jun
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