In preparation for Pope Benedict s visit to the United States next month Beliefnet the web s largest mainstream spirituality and religion website has nabbed David Gibson to blog regularly on B16 Gibson a former Vatican radio correspondent experienced religion journalist and author of b

Cambridge MA The March 22nd issue of The Tablet includes a fascinating record from our recent Catholic history the transcript of a 2003 conversation between Cardinal Franz K nig retired archbishop of Vienna and Fr Jacques Dupuis SJ a distinguished theologian who was at the time under sc

At first blush Pope Benedict s visit to the U S the week before the Pennsylvania primary should be bad news for Sen Clinton He will denounce abortion and she is backed by the most vocal pro-abortion groups in America He will denounce the Iraq War and coverage will recall that his predecessor

If you ve ever read the seemingly weekly surveys of American Catholics and then scratched your head at the results and thought Who in the world did they talk to then you might have fun participating in this new nationwide survey sponsored by Beliefnet the largest spirituality and religion w

Pope and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew Pray Together Pope Benedict XVI and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople spent almost half an hour speaking privately March 6 before going into a small Vatican chapel to pray together. Although it was the patriarch’s first visit t

Pope Benedict and Peter's proclamation

Brazil experienced an economic boom in the late 1960s. With its gross national product growing handsomely at a rate of 7 percent to 8 percent, Brazil was praised by many development economists as an example of diversified, investment-led prosperity. But while the industries of Rio de Janeiro and Sã

It would be difficult to conjure up a more offensive tirade to ethnic Catholic ears than the one Barack Obama s pastor delivered after 9 11 about chickens coming home to roost Catholics do not have a monopoly on patriotism by any means but patriotism has a monopoly on the American Catholic mind

The New Deal Coalition drew the adherence of Catholics because it overlapped so obviously with the dominant themes in Catholic teachings about social justice Msgr John A Ryan who headed the Social Action Department of the Bishops Conference was so devoted to FDR and his programs that he earne