For true Chicagoans, theirs is the greatest American city, and also the one most in need of change.
Midwest (U.S.)
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Cities get our attention, but rural America has many of the same challenges
As rural America becomes more diverse, it faces many of the problems associated with big cities, writes Nathan Beacom. The urban-rural divide in our politics does not reflect reality.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Farms may depend on water — but they are also polluting it.
In “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis called drinkable water a human right. But as Nathan Beacom writes, our methods of farming and raising livestock are degrading our soil and polluting our waterways.
Posted inFaith, Interviews
New Chicago Catholic Charities head: Economic crisis from coronavirus will last a decade
Sally Blount will lead the agency during a time of economic turmoil that some economists predict could rival the Great Depression.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Care for priests and evangelization discussed during Midwest bishops’ meeting with Pope Francis
In their “ad limina” visit with the pope, the bishops from Ohio and Michigan discussed a wide variety of topics, including the sex abuse crisis and how that impacts the work of priests.
Posted inFeatures, Politics & Society
John Boehner has no regrets | The America Profile
The day after introducing Pope Francis’ address to Congress in 2015, John Boehner stepped down as House speaker. America editor Matt Malone, S.J., talks to Mr. Boehner about the state of U.S. politics, then and now.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
White working-class adults are leaving our churches. What can we do to keep them?
Worsening economic prospects are related to a decline in church attendance by the white working class, writes an associate pastor from St. Louis. Too often they leave church feeling judged and unwanted.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Jon Hassler’s fiction takes us to the midwest and back again
Jon Hassler championed “America’s often struggling middle class” with his rigorous moral vision in his novels.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
The Midwest is underwater. Here’s why we should care.
This spring’s floods devastated farming and rural communities in the middle of the U.S. that were already struggling with economic and social decline, writes Nathan Beacom. But ”blue” America may find it difficult to sympathize.
Posted inFaith, News
Catholic Charities weighing response to violent Midwest storms, flooding
Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City expressed gratitude that lives were spared and that all residents of the Missouri capital are accounted for following a devastating tornado.