It is not often that popes cancel scheduled addresses, but after protests by professors and graduate students at Rome’s La Sapienza University, the Vatican canceled a lecture by Pope Benedict XVI scheduled for the opening of the university’s academic year on Jan. 18. In the end, the cont
War Profits I have read numerous articles in America on the war in Iraq. These articles have been well written and based on fact and Catholic teachings. None supported the war. In the Dec. 24 issue, an article by John F. Kavanaugh, S.J., continued the fine journalistic tradition of the magazine. Thr
There is general consensus among economists and business leaders that the United States is entering a recession. The indicators look bad, including a decline in consumer spending and confidence, the collapse of the housing industry, the credit crunch and increases in unemployment. What went wrong?
Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers.... Trust in the Lord, and do good. —Psalm 37:1, 3 While we Catholics profess universality, the fact is that Catholic parishes can differ radically. I do not just mean culturally, in the way that a parish on the island of G
After traveling through the United States in 1831-32 Alexis de Tocqueville famously marveled at the American phenomenon that gave rise to what we now know as the social or independent nonprofit sector Americans group together to hold f tes found seminaries build inns construct churches distr
In late October 2004 James Martin S J an associate editor of America got a surprise phone call from the actor Sam Rockwell Sam was developing his role as Judas for an Off-Broadway production of a new play 8220 The Last Days of Judas Iscariot 8221 by Stephen Adly Guirgis Because Sam was
Novelists are liars. So are filmmakers. In their search for the truth artists find mundane reality quite unsuited to their purposes. The only solution lies in creating an alternative universe, where events and personalities lead to desired conclusions. In “Burnt Norton” T. S. Eliot observed, “