When Not in Rome: Lessons from the peripheries of the church
In the days before the conclave that elected Pope Francis, the press quoted Cardinal Francis George of Chicago and other church officials as saying that the cardinals were seeking someone who would improve communication between the Vatican and the church’s periphery. The word periphery has an
Market Reformer : An economist considers Pope Francis’ critique of capitalism.
Jesus’ teachings offer good news for the righteous, whether they are the poor and marginalized or the rich who are generous with their bounty. All can find a place in the kingdom. Yet there is little comfort for those who expect that their wealth alone will save them. The story of Lazarus and
Noble Vocations: A defense of business education in Catholic schools
Many American Catholics are deeply concerned about business, and especially about large corporations. Readers of America have posted comments online: “Today’s businesses, especially large corporate businesses, focus on one thing, and one thing only…the Profit motive,” and &l
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Lemuel Boulware, Ronald Reagan and the “conservatization” of the American worker
Letters
State of the Question: Readers respond to “Our Secular Future,” by R. R. Reno (2/24)
Protestant PerspectiveI read the article with interest. In some areas, however, I have a different experience, and that difference brings a different evaluation of the current situation in American society.I was a military chaplain from 1975 to 1983. In my experience, Roman Catholic chaplains were g
Editorials
Defective Thinking
We have a responsibility to grapple with the legacy of government-mandated sterilization.
Faith in Focus
On the Run: A convicted murderer finds salvation in prison.
Stan Rosenthal, a convicted murderer, finds salvation on the prison track.
The gentle, grace-filled life of Peter Faber: One of the very first (and one of Pope Francis’ favorite) Jesuits
Faber is not someone well known to the general public. Thanks to the pope he is beginning to become far better known, and rightly so.
Books
Padre de la Patria
Marie Arana’s stirring biography, ‘Bolívar: American Liberator’
A Martyr’s Perspective
A collection of essays by Ignacio Ellacuria
Mapping the Mind
Dr. Lloyd Sederer’s ‘The Family Guide to Mental Health Care.’
Music
After The Invasion: The Beatles’ revolution
The Beatles’ arrival in the United States marked the beginning of a revolution.
Poetry
Upstate Eschatology
It always seems to be night—our floatingThrough darkness, the clouds parted likeCurtains woefully. We take to twilightLike children on the road back fromSomewhere, past places that are scarcelyThere even in sheer daytime. LackingTrysts, travelers weave their own bareSteps out amongst the fores
The Word
Away With Darkness
In the Gospel of John, Jesus encounters a blind man, but physical blindness represents only one element of darkness, and not the most significant darkness.
Columns
Imperial Prerogatives
Relying on drones and special forces, we operate against nameless foes in a nameless war.
Current Comment
Current Comment
Orthodox and Catholic leaders in Russia and Ukraine must work for peace in Crimea.
Faith
Away With Darkness
In the Gospel of John, Jesus encounters a blind man, but physical blindness represents only one element of darkness, and not the most significant darkness.
The gentle, grace-filled life of Peter Faber: One of the very first (and one of Pope Francis’ favorite) Jesuits
Faber is not someone well known to the general public. Thanks to the pope he is beginning to become far better known, and rightly so.
Of Other Things
After the Thaw
Lessons from Inge and Jørn’s winter getaway to the Arctic beach in “North of the Sun”
Signs Of the Times
News Briefs
The U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration will travel to Nogales, Ariz., from March 30 to April 1 to tour the U.S.-Mexico border and celebrate Mass to remember 6,000 migrants who have died in the U.S. desert since 1998. • Vatican medical experts reported on March 6 that there is no natural
Teaching Moment
Several U.S. bishops wrote short reports giving a general sense of the responses to a survey for the Vatican in preparation for the upcoming synod on the family. Common among the comments was that Catholics admit to a poor understanding of the church’s teachings on the family. The Rev. Dennis
Can Christian Churches Find a Peaceful Way Out of Crimea Crisis?
U.S. warships steamed toward the Black Sea on a “routine deployment” as the Russian military solidified its hold on the Crimean peninsula on March 7. With Russian soldiers encircling Ukraine military outposts, a hastily reconstituted Crimean parliament, in a further provocation, voted to
Religious Freedom Under Global Attack
Cardinal Peter Turkson on March 3 highlighted the importance of religious freedom because it concerns “each person’s freedom to live according to their own deeper understanding of the truth.” Cardinal Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, was speaking
Hunger Drives Sectarian Conflict in Africa
Hunger, not religion, is the root cause of conflict in sub-Saharan Africa, said Charles Steinmetz of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. “A hungry man is an angry man. If there is no job and you cannot feed your family or kids, it leads to extremism,” said Steinmetz, a visiting assistant
Popular Pope Francis Still Makes Media Waves Over Civil Unions
Pope Francis has done it again, generating a global media frenzy with just a few words that referred to the church and its relationship with gay and lesbian people. In a recorded interview with Italian media published on March 5, Pope Francis said that while the church believes “matrimony is b
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