After a canceled trip to Dubai due to a bronchial infection, Pope Francis went into the center of Rome to continue the tradition of praying before the elevated statue of Mary next to the Spanish Steps.
Israel Palestine
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Podcast: Mother of a 23-year-old hostage held in Gaza says Pope Francis ‘restored her faith in humanity’
This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac welcome Rachel Goldberg, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the hostages taken into Gaza following Hamas’s massacre on Oct. 7.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Why the Israel-Hamas war is so hard to talk about: identical narratives but different facts
Since Oct. 7, a fascinating dynamic has emerged: the Jewish and Palestinian narratives we see posted on social media have converged—with the protagonists and antagonists reversed.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Shooting of Palestinian college students highlights rising U.S. tensions over Israel-Hamas war
The Nov. 25 shooting in Burlington, Vt. points to rising hate in the United States in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
The friendship between Catholics and Jews goes deeper than diplomacy
Catholics and Jews must be very careful not to reduce our relations with one another to politics or diplomacy. Instead, we should seek friendship and interreligious dialogue that can thrive beyond all political considerations.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
A rabbi’s call for Pope Francis and Catholics to respond to ‘existential threat’ facing Jewish people
The Second Vatican Council helped establish a bond of friendship between Catholics and Jews. What is the state of that unity after the Oct. 7 terrorist massacre?
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Pope Francis meets separately with Israelis and Palestinians at the Vatican
Pope Francis met at the Vatican today with relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas and, separately, with relatives of Palestinians suffering under the Israeli siege of Gaza.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
The human rights of victims—in Israel and Palestine—must be protected
Our common belief in human rights must be undergirded by a recognition that rights come with duties—including the duty to protect those whose rights are unequally threatened.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
What a Catholic peace studies expert thinks is the way out of war in Gaza
How to restore peace in Israel and Gaza now after this historic outbreak of violence and mutual suffering? It will take outside pressure on both Israel and Hamas.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Wars end in defeat for everyone: A reflection on Gaza
The church can be prophetic in reminding all that every human being—yes, even a Hamas militant or a Zionist settler—is created in the image and likeness of God.