Of Many Things
Pope Francis said no to women deacons. There’s still space for lay leadership.
We are all called to serve, and sometimes, I think, Pope Francis is suggesting that discussions about ordination can distract from that.
Your Take
‘Brain death’ and organ donation as culture war issues
In response to an article in our June issue, several physicians and ethicists say there are serious questions about the accuracy of determining brain death under the current criteria.
Editorials
There will be no perfect abortion law. But the pro-life movement can still make progress.
What is needed, far more than a perfect abortion law, is a clear focus on the moral failure of a society in which abortion rates are rising rather than falling, in which too many women feel afraid, unable or unwilling to carry pregnancies to term and welcome new life into the world.
Short Take
The problem with cutting off your family members
A “chosen family” has its benefits, but it can also be a way of avoiding the accountability and personal growth found in long-term, committed, familial bonds.
Dispatches
The anti-immigrant tide is rising ahead of EU elections, pushing voters to the right
Voting in the E.U. parliamentary elections, which begins on June 6, is expected to result in a strong swing to the political right, as parties running on anti-immigration platforms have surged across Europe in recent years.
In a surprise to environmentalists and church leaders, Brazil’s Lula revives plans for offshore oil drilling in Amazon basin
The most controversial blocks for exploration are located offshore at the mouth of the Amazon River basin. Petrobras, a government-controlled oil company, is pushing to begin preliminary drilling in search of new oil reserves.
Are Catholic nonprofits really to blame for the migrant crisis at the border?
Will cutting humanitarian assistance help stem the flow of migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border? ‘America’ asked immigration experts to weigh in.
North Carolina shelter for at-risk single moms charts pro-life path in a post-Roe world
In North Carolina, where abortion has been restricted to up to 12 weeks since the repeal of Roe v. Wade, maternity home services may prove vital for many young women who might otherwise be choosing to end their pregnancies.
Features
Americans are giving up on America. Can John Courtney Murray remind us what’s still to love about our country?
We must call Americans back to the political vision that enabled us to become a free people.
The changing face of seminary formation: Group therapy, digital detoxing and more listening
The ultimate goal is to prepare the men to be able to build strong and healthy relationships with their parishioners.
‘The world’s on fire’: How the Catholic Church is responding to global warfare
Humankind has been a constant witness to wars and rumors of wars, but we seem to be entering a particularly conflict-cursed time.
Faith and Reason
‘Made in God’s image and likeness’: An introduction to disability theology
If we wish to embrace Christian belief and practice, our theological conversation must include open discussions of disability—including how the notion of ‘imago Dei’ is used in our theological considerations of what it means to possess infinite dignity.
The moment for the Hispanic Catholic Church in the United States is now
Trusting Hispanic leaders to be at the helm of major ministerial efforts makes a major difference.
Faith in Focus
Want to participate in the Eucharistic Revival each Sunday? Pay attention to the Eucharistic prayer.
We can participate in the Eucharistic revival by growing in knowledge and devotion to this most important sacramental liturgy.
How discerning the priesthood has helped me live life more fully
After seven friends joined the seminary, I couldn’t help but wonder if I should too.
What my child learns from how we treat one another at Mass
The lessons we teach in some parishes are not coming from God.
The case for showing up to church—even if you don’t believe in God
Do you have to believe in God to go to church? I used to think so. But more agnostics should give religion a try.
Books
Review: St. Augustine in dialogue with the 21st century
In her new book, ‘(R)evolutionary Hope: A Spirituality of Encounter and Engagement in an Evolving World,’ Kathleen Bonnette has brought St. Augustine’s philosophy into dialogue with 21st-century reality in ways that would impress even modern mindfulness gurus and internet pundits.
Review: What we’re talking about when we talk about ‘Western Civilization’
In ‘The West,’ Naoíse Mac Sweeney tackles the history of the idea of the West through 14 portraits of both famous (Herodotus and Gladstone) and lesser-known historical figures (Phillis Wheatley and Tullia d’Aragona).
Review: Judith Butler and the seismic shift in how we understand gender
In ‘Who’s Afraid of Gender?,’ Judith Butler contends that the contemporary backlash to “gender” is an attempt to recapture the transforming power structure and return to the (days when it was simple to use gender to organize power in the world.
Review: Theology and sexual trauma
In ‘Incarnating Grace: A Theology of Healing From Sexual Trauma,’ Julia Feder is not only concerned with rejecting dangerous theological projects that have misled (and mistreated) survivors; she is also keen to plumb the depths of the Christian tradition more positively, for resources that offer meaning, courage and hope.
What Pope Francis and Ivan Illich prioritize in common: Anti-clericalism, the Global South and the cry of the poor
Ivan Illich was a “radically orthodox” monsignor who remained tradition-minded his entire life. With Pope Francis, his hour may have finally arrived.
Music
A rare Jesuit opera inspired by St. Francis Xavier
The opera ‘San Xavier’ provides a glimpse of how Jesuits evangelized with music—a key dimension of the 1986 film “The Mission.”
Poetry
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When storms of change recalibrate reality, Rewrite the code that holds the cosmos together.
Gaza
Coyotes howl as they circle
Last Take
Bishop Flores: The Eucharist is the final word and action of Jesus
The Eucharist is the final word and action of Jesus before he enters into his Passion. This set of just a few words and visible actions frames the meaning and intent of the great sign that is his whole life, culminating in his dying and rising. It is more than this, though.
Faith
Want to participate in the Eucharistic Revival each Sunday? Pay attention to the Eucharistic prayer.
We can participate in the Eucharistic revival by growing in knowledge and devotion to this most important sacramental liturgy.
How discerning the priesthood has helped me live life more fully
After seven friends joined the seminary, I couldn’t help but wonder if I should too.
What my child learns from how we treat one another at Mass
The lessons we teach in some parishes are not coming from God.
‘Made in God’s image and likeness’: An introduction to disability theology
If we wish to embrace Christian belief and practice, our theological conversation must include open discussions of disability—including how the notion of ‘imago Dei’ is used in our theological considerations of what it means to possess infinite dignity.
Bishop Flores: The Eucharist is the final word and action of Jesus
The Eucharist is the final word and action of Jesus before he enters into his Passion. This set of just a few words and visible actions frames the meaning and intent of the great sign that is his whole life, culminating in his dying and rising. It is more than this, though.
Pope Francis said no to women deacons. There’s still space for lay leadership.
We are all called to serve, and sometimes, I think, Pope Francis is suggesting that discussions about ordination can distract from that.
The changing face of seminary formation: Group therapy, digital detoxing and more listening
The ultimate goal is to prepare the men to be able to build strong and healthy relationships with their parishioners.
The case for showing up to church—even if you don’t believe in God
Do you have to believe in God to go to church? I used to think so. But more agnostics should give religion a try.
The moment for the Hispanic Catholic Church in the United States is now
Trusting Hispanic leaders to be at the helm of major ministerial efforts makes a major difference.
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts