Vaccine Wars: When skepticism goes viral

The outbreak of measles has many concerned about the resurgence of a deadly disease. But what if it is actually the symptom of something much larger?The outbreak in January, which originated in Disneyland and has spread to over a dozen states, has brought the vaccine debate back to the national spot

by Michael Rozier, S.J.

Of Many Things

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Local ProcessRe: “The Annulment Dilemma,” by Msgr. Paul V. Garrity (2/16): Finally, a seasoned pastor who is able to put a human face on the trials, tribulations and trauma faced by faithful Catholics seeking an annulment in our overly complicated and overly legalistic process. While I a

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The Flea

For him the truth is a flavor,a pulse made of nutriment,a living mountain of breath.Even pinched betweenthe fingers and released, he springsto perfect absence, beyond punishment,a celebrant of undetectable freedom.Cinder-speck, a vibrant fiend of punctuation,no bigger than a typesetter’ss

by Michael Cadnum

The Word

The Weakness of Sin

One of the darkest times in the life of the Jewish people was the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians and the subsequent exile of the people of God According to the Chronicler this was not an action God wanted ldquo but they kept mocking the messengers of God despising hi

by John W. Martens

Columns

Diamonds in the Rust

You’re a fan of Bob Dylan, right? But not really. You’re a fan of his music. You prefer covers by Adele, Johnny Cash, The Byrds or Joan Baez, because you don’t much care for Dylan’s voice. And if you’re like most people, you think Bob Dylan is sort of a jerk.

by James T. Keane

Current Comment

Faith

Generation Faith

Lift Me Up: Our faith means we must count one another.

I opened the letter to find a Post-it note stuck to a magazine article: “You could do this.” And that is why I am writing this. Let me explain.There are few things one can count on in life. For the lucky ones these things include family, friends and the chance to spend time working towar

by Alana Joy Davitt

Of Other Things

Full Immersion Therapy

It’s spring break time; do you know where your college age children are? If they attend a Catholic college, there’s a decent chance they’re among the thousands of students who are spending it on an immersion trip to any number of communities in need around the globe.Over the next f

by Bill McGarvey

Signs Of the Times

A Controversial Canonization

What should disqualify someone from being a saint?That might seem a funny question. How about sin? But over the course of the last month, people in California and elsewhere have been asking it a lot. In January, Pope Francis announced that in September he will canonize Junípero Serra, the 18th-cent

by Jim McDermott

‘Fast Track’ on Trade

The Washington-based Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment called the Obama administration’s efforts to fast-track the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement “undemocratic” in a statement on Feb.17. The trade pact between the United States and about a dozen Asian coun

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

News Briefs

In a letter on Feb. 19 to state legislators, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco wrote that he respects the legislators’ right “to employ or not employ whomever you wish to advance your mission” and expects the same courtesy after several had urged him to remove sexual

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

Executions Unite World In Horror

The leader of the Catholic Church in Libya called for dialogue and understanding in his violence-torn country on Feb. 16, even as prayers and calls for action followed the horror of the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians. The men, who had come to Libya from Egypt in search of work, had been kidnapped

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

Acts of Conscience

Congress should reaffirm the principle that government “should not force anyone to stop offering or covering much-needed legitimate health care” because of a conscientious objection to abortion or other procedures, said Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, O.F.M.Cap., of Boston and Archbish

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

Jesuit Freed by Taliban

On Feb. 22 Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India announced the release of Alexis Prem Kumar, S.J., in a comment on his Twitter feed. The Indian Jesuit had been seized in June 2014 in western Afghanistan after a visit to a Jesuit-supported school for the children of returning refugees he supervised a

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

Vatican Dispatch

Road Map for Church Leaders

Pope Francis’ electrifying homily to the new cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica on Feb. 15 stands out as one of the richest, most significant and powerful that he has given in his two-year pontificate. Focused on “the Gospel of the marginalized,” it provides a road map for Cat

by Gerard O’Connell

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