On Oct. 30, 2002, the Pontifical Biblical Commission, established by Pope Leo XIII at the very end of his unexpectedly long pontificate, will be 100 years old. Though probably few Catholics have ever heard of this commission, its importance in promoting a deeper understanding of the Bible within the

By any estimate the Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz must be reckoned among the most important writers of the 20th century Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980 professor of Slavic languages at the University of California at Berkeley for four decades freedom fighter for Poland in World War

Israeli Cabinet Votes to Halt Construction of Nazareth MosqueThe Israeli Security Cabinet voted 4 to 1 in favor of halting construction on a mosque adjacent to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth [see Am., 2/12/01]. Meeting on Jan. 9, the cabinet instructed one of its members, Natan Sharans

Now that your Christmas gifts are stored away (or returned), the Christmas tree ornaments are tucked away (or broken), and the Christmas tree needles are successfully vacuumed from your carpet (or not—in my family we’re still discovering in our shag, recreation-room carpet the needles fr

I boarded an airplane for the first time in my life in 1965. I left Dublin, where I had studied for three years, and flew to Chicago. From there I went by train to Iowa, where I was to do graduate studies. Like many Irish people, I was treading a well-worn path. Not far away, in Illinois, there live

She stuck her head into the van as soon as the door opened. She had dimples and a gap-toothed grin announcing 7-year-old status, recognizable in any culture. She engaged him in conversation and he laughed heartily. What did she say?, some of us asked. She said, Give me some money. You have the face

Goals and outcomes are two favorite words of managers and planners, right up there with projections, delivery dates and customer satisfaction. Planners try to envision the transformation of a market, a policy, a school, that may flow from their ideas and activity. Similarly, but perhaps more certain

Spend one afternoon at Gusco camp, and I promise you it will be impossible ever again to take for granted the joys of your childhood. Gusco (Gulu United to Save the Children Organization) is a nongovernmental organization whose camp in northern Uganda is home today for about 50 formerly abducted chi

The violence of the urban poor in the march on Manila’s presidential palace last May 1 shook the Philippine government, as well as the wider Filipino society. It convinced them that something had to be done quickly for the poormuch as the African-American riots precipitated a response in the U

The World Day of Peace this year is being celebrated in the shadow of the dramatic events of last Sept. 11. On that day, a terrible crime was committed: in a few brief hours thousands of innocent people of many ethnic backgrounds were slaughtered. Since then, people throughout the world have felt a