Have you ever wondered why a snake entwined on a staff is a symbol of medicine? Or why doctors take an oath to practice medicine?

Los Angeles is a city that grabs you by the arm—nearly by the throat—and insists you hear another explanation of what it means.

Most of what we know about saints—from the most beloved to the most obscure—comes from the little-known Bollandist Society.

By itself, suffering is no gateway to greatness. Yet it’s hard to find titans of history who didn’t know great sorrow.

Recognizing the ritual nature of scientific inquiry will allow universities to undertake that inquiry in a manner that better serves its mission.

The Catholic church would benefit if bishops felt more like local leaders and less like regional managers in a Rome-based nonprofit. One way to move in that direction would be to have the clergy elect their bishops.