The enduring impression Pope Benedict XVI left with most Americans following his recent visit to Washington, D.C., and New York was of a pastor ministering to his flock. In repeated gestures, from meeting with the victims of sexual abuse to blessing the disabled and speaking with the survivors of th

Five scholars on the "secret motives" of atheism, and how Christians might respond

One of the less noted contributions of the Second Vatican Council is its brief treatment of atheism in its “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.” In that groundbreaking document, the council avoided the shrill condemnations of atheism that were so common in preconcili

Attention all Democratic candidates campaign managers media consultants and constituency organizers If there is not a dog-eared frequently underlined copy of Amy Sullivan rsquo s The Party Faithful on your bookshelf soon please quit Sullivan who is the nation editor at Time magazine writes

In 2008 America published a special issue responding to the rise of secularist polemics.

One of the words Pope Benedict repeated the most during his sermons and speeches while visiting America was truth although when Benedict uses the word my mind s eye sees it with an upper-case T as Truth The phrase dictatorship of relativism from his sermon to the cardinals before the conclave

Robert Novak famous for publishing the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame has decided to use his morning column to pose as the head of the Vatican s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith He notes that several pro-choice politicians received communion at the papal Masses in Washington and Ne

A change of position by one Catholic Supreme Court justice could make a difference.

U.S. Urged to Share Iraqi Refugee Burden The ambassadors of Syria and Jordan called on the United States to share the burden of the unprecedented Iraqi refugee crisis. “The situation is terrible, and the burden on Syria’s resources and population is horrendous,” said Imad Moustaph

View a slideshow of images of Pope Benedict XVIs first visit to the U.S. as pontiff. This feature will be updated daily over the course of his visit.