Living on the Edge
Touloum. Farchana. Kounoungou. The names of these towns in eastern Chad, when pronounced syllable by syllable by the local natives, evoke, as they have told me on a number of occasions, a sense of pride and history. But for almost a year now these towns have given their names to huge refugee camps f
The Annulment
Like many divorced and remarried Catholics, I looked down on the church’s annulment process, viewing it as cover for Catholic divorce, a process tinged with hypocrisy, reserved for the rich and powerful. Then one day, Walter Modrys, S.J., my pastor at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manha
In Solidarity
This morning we confirm our commitment to this cause for which the Jesuits of Central American University in El Salvador gave their lives. They were not men of violence; they were men of peace and reason. Yet they died violently. Like the Servant of Yahweh, they did not cry out or shout out aloud or
Letters
Letters
Trust and Confidence
In a recent issue of America, Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis reviewed the accomplishments of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (10/18). While there is much to praise in his article, I would respectfully but emphatically disagree with two arguments he made.
Archbishop Flynn states: To keep…
Editorials
Bush II
The re-election of President George W. Bush by more votes than he received in 2000 puts to rest questions about the legitimacy of his administration. This time he won not only the electoral college but also the popular vote, by more than three million votes. Most states went for the same party as th
Faith in Focus
Bibby-Darling
My cousin telephoned to say Aunt Bib is dead. The funeral is two days hence. No need to wait; at 94 she has outlived all her peers. The pastor will officiate. Of course, I reply. Will you sing, she asks? Of course. And you’ll come back to the house afterward? Of course. It will be…
Books
A Looming Crisis
What are the challenges facing health care in America and will the members of America rsquo s 350 000 religious congregations be able to help prevent or lessen the looming health care crisis unleashed by relentless demographic pressures and rising costs That is the question addressed in this book
Uh, Welcome Back
You are a 26-year-old mother of four and suddenly you find yourself behind bars mdash not for a few months but for a long 16 years as a first-time drug offender During those years your children grow up and the youngest angrily blurts out when you finally do return and attempt to resume your ro
Seeing in a New Light
Why does God at times seem to take the wisest among us so terribly early John Howard Griffin was only 60 when he died in 1980 partly of complications from diabetes partly from his brave experiment more than 20 years before He had chemically darkened his skin to see for himself and since he was…
Film
Existential Follies: I ? Huckabees
Two ladies of a certain age sitting behind me gasped during the opening sequence. The young hero Adam Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) first appears on screen walking toward the camera as his voice-over explains in spectacularly scabrous terms his bewilderment with the universe. Those of us who deal on
Poetry
Jesuits
November 16, 1989
The Word
Long Live the King!
Probably the best known royal leader in the world today is Queen Elizabeth of England Although her leadership role is in many ways more ceremonial than administrative her official title is still quite impressive She is Queen Elizabeth II by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her Other R
Columns
Is It Over Yet?
Campaign 2004 is in its final frantic hours as these words are being written, but deadlines being what they arethe bane of the bellowing pontificatoryou’ll be reading this after the results are known. Then again, maybe not. Maybe you’re as clueless as I am as I write, although that would
News
Signs of the Times
Politicians and Bishops Call for BipartisanshipAs the second razor-thin presidential election in a row was declared a victory for President George W. Bush on Nov. 3, the candidates and the Catholic bishops of the United States looked ahead to soothing bitter partisanship from the campaign. In his co
Politics
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Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts