Archbishop of Dublin: Why we defend marriage

I was surprised to find myself one of a small group of veterans at last year’s Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family, one of the very few who had been present also at the Synod of Bishops on the Family in 1980. I also have attended many synods since then,…

by Diarmuid Martin

Of Many Things

Of Many Things

This spring marks the 11th anniversary of my association with America, first as a Jesuit novice, then a regent, and lately as the 14th editor in chief. You might think that after all that time, I’d have learned pretty much all there is to know about America’s storied history and its spec

by Matt Malone, S.J.

Letters

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S.J.’s and Ph.D.’sRe “Company Men,” by William J. Byron, S.J. (5/11): The fact is, the best way for a Catholic to be guaranteed a tenure-track university position is to become a member of a religious order and to get a Ph.D. Jesuit schools are drooling all over themselves to

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The Kingdom Unusual

The first sign that the kingdom of God is not what you expect comes not so much in Jesus rsquo use of parables to describe it but in the content of those parables Why describe a kingdom by comparing it to the most ordinary of things like shrubs seeds and nesting birds It is a…

by John W. Martens

New Creation

Even before Darwin scientists were studying the origin of species and though some might think there is a perpetual and permanent war between science and religion it is simply not the case St John Paul II asked in a letter to George V Coyne S J director of the Vatican Observatory ldquo If

by John W. Martens

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Philosopher's Notebook

We must rebuild Baltimore

Freddie Gray died on April 19 from spinal injuries sustained while he was in custody, being transported in a police van. Protests surrounding his death turned violent on the evening of April 25. The violence intensified on April 27, the day of Gray’s funeral, with a night of arson, looting and

by John J. Conley, S.J.

Signs Of the Times

End Hunger? Help Farmers

A major independent survey reports that the best way to end global hunger may be to help small farmers, especially as they try to adapt to the changing climate. According to 98 Caritas organizations, the top three causes of food insecurity are lack of resources—land, seeds, loans, access to ma

by From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources

News Briefs

The boards of trustees of America Media and of the Saint Thomas More Chapel and Center at Yale University announced on May 21 that Philip J. Metres III, poet, essayist and professor of English at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the $25,000

by From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources

West Coast Catholicism is booming

It’s rare to hear much about the church in the western United States. Given that the national media and the bishops’ conference lie in the East, that’s no surprise.Still, it warps our sense of the American church. In 1950, the Northeast was home to 46 percent of the nation’s

by Jim McDermott

Call to Disarm

The U.S. bishops’ International Justice and Peace Committee urged Secretary of State John Kerry to step up efforts to advance nuclear disarmament. The comments were made in a letter on May 12 issued as the meeting of the Ninth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

by From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources

The Living Word

Vatican Dispatch

Latin American Revival

Something akin to a resurrection is taking place in the Catholic Church in Latin America, thanks to Pope Francis. The memory of great church leaders is being revived and honored; the sacrifice of bishops and priests killed under military dictatorships is being recognized and venerated; and some theo

by Gerard O’Connell

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