In a piece published in the September issue of America, the Napa Institute’s Tim Busch described his initiative to alleviate American Catholic polarization through a series of dinners. His approach elicited diverse reactions from our readers.
US Church
Posted inFaith, Features
Vatican II—and its media coverage—has a lesson for today’s synod: Don’t expect immediate results
A look back at the Second Vatican Council through the coverage offered by America and Commonweal offers two lessons: First, we should not expect the journey of the church after the Synod on Synodality to be smooth sailing. Second, the church is very much capable of getting through such turmoil, and emerging stronger from it.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Podcast: In defense of young diocesan priests
Young priests are often described in the media as more “conservative” and “rigid” than their Boomer counterparts. We spoke with one to see if the stereotype holds up.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Heaven and hell in post-Vatican II Catholicism: How to move from fear to love
There is no bigger question for Catholics today than this: Why should anyone become or remain Catholic?
Posted inFaith, News
Diocese sues immigration agencies over rule change that could force thousands of foreign-born priests to leave
The Diocese of Paterson, N.J., argues that the change “will cause severe and substantial disruption to the lives and religious freedoms” of the priests as well as the hundreds of thousands of Catholics they serve.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
The future of Catholic politics after Joe Biden
For many Catholic Democrats, President Biden is the zenith of public faith. For many Catholic Republicans, he represents a betrayal of the Gospel. The truth is somewhere in between, and that is OK.
Posted inFaith, News
Interview: Boston’s new archbishop on the challenges of leading a church in decline
In a lengthy interview with OSV News, Archbishop Richard G. Henning addressed his recent appointment as archbishop of Boston and shared his hopes for his new ministry.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Elizabeth Ann Seton did more for the U.S. church than any bishop (according to a bishop)
Elizabeth Ann Seton has only officially been a saint for 49 years, a blink of an eye in the timeline of the church. But in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States, she is a towering figure.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
As the Democratic Convention opens in Chicago, lessons from an eerily similar year: 1968
Public events take place today in 2024 that are eerily comparable to situations in another critical year: 1968. But our current situation, like 1968, is a moment when our faith can make a difference in history and in our own memories.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
‘A court with many lords and few ladies’: Mary Ann Glendon on her experiences of sexism in the Vatican
‘In the Courts of Three Popes’ gives us Mary Ann Glendon’s journey from Vatican outsider to insider and provides a captivating frame for her examination of the Vatican’s intertwined grandeur and dysfunction.