After one of my own teenage students was murdered, Emmett Till’s grave became a place of occasional pilgrimage for me.
Civil Rights
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Meeting between Pope Francis and President Tran Dai Quang of Vietnam suggests continuing progress
The Holy See would like its relationship with Vietnam developed further through full diplomatic relations.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Signs Of the Times
Cupich calls for church to promote solidarity after Trump victory
Cardinal-designate Cupich urged U.S. bishops to “speak in a pastoral way to calm the fears of people and let them know that we are advocates for them,”
Posted inFaith, In All Things
How a murdered Maryknoll sister became the subject of a new spiritual and political thriller
‘A Radical Faith’ tells the story of Sister Maura Clarke, one of the churchwomen killed in El Salvador in 1980.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Core values toward the common good can help restore a sense of U.S. unity
Ten “core values” which Americans can agree on may get the nation back together.
Posted inCurrent Comment, Politics & Society
Obama offers a welcome opportunity for de-escalation in Dakota pipeline stand-off
Americans might be forgiven if they thought they had put the great pipeline wars behind them with the abandonment of the giant Keystone XL.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
When simple people cause violent social change
“Loving” is film about a lot of things, including two simple people causing violent eruptions across the social and legal landscapes. It is a portrait of America at a particular time and place. So is “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
What does free speech really mean?
The pervasiveness of the internet has changed the game and made issues of free speech far more complex than they have ever been.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
South Africa Bishops Urge Government to Reconsider Withdrawal from International Court
The bishops said they were deeply concerned that a South African withdrawal will “influence and encourage other African countries to leave the court en masse.”
Posted inPolitics & Society, Signs Of the Times
Black Lives Matter in Canada, too
In a country known for maple-syrupy trivialities and over-politeness, the idea that the U.S.-based campaign against police brutality could secure or even need a national foothold may come as a surprise.