Of Many Things
Social media reinforces clean divisions, but reality is messy.
Social media, in other words, often deepens existing ideological and partisan divisions by reinforcing only those viewpoints with which we are already most inclined to agree, writes Matt Malone, SJ, in his latest column.
Your Take
The Letters
Francis in Romania Re “Pope Francis: Be Wary of Hungary’s Right-Wing Populists,” by Marc Roscoe Loustau (4/29). The visit of Pope Francis to Romania will include very important moments in Transylvania. For ethnic and religious minorities in this region, who often have been at the peripheries and had to struggle for their identity and faith,…
Do you personally know someone who has served in the military?
One hundred percent of respondents personally know someone who has served in the military.
Editorials
The Editors: Love, not fear, should guide our conversations on religious freedom and L.G.B.T discrimination
Religious Americans inhabit an increasingly secular culture. But we must not let legitimate concerns about our ability to live out our faith in public life blind us to the fears of our fellow citizens who feel their civil rights are up for debate.
The threat of a climate catastrophe is here. Will U.S. Catholics heed the call?
Will U.S. Catholics heed the call to take global action immediately? Or will our children and grandchildren live in a world drastically changed and terribly broken?
Short Take
Three ways to evaluate Pope Francis’ reform of the Roman Curia
Reforming the Vatican Curia has been a goal since the Second Vatican Council, but so far the changes have failed to improve its efficiency or responsiveness. Pope Francis is trying again.
Dispatches
In the College of Cardinals, European dominance slowly wanes
Pope Francis has gone “to the peripheries,” creating cardinals from 50 different nations, but Europe still accounts for more than 40 percent of electors in the College of Cardinals.
Catholic leaders welcome Pope Francis’ new rules on reporting sex abuse
“We would have been far more impressed if this new law required church officials to report to police and prosecutors instead. Oversight from external, secular authorities will better protect children and deter cover-ups.”
Jean Vanier, ‘living saint’ who ministered to people with disabilities, dies at 90
Jean Vanier lived the beautiful mystery of our human condition that we need one another, young and old, strong and weak.
How the University of San Francisco became the first Jesuit university to go carbon neutral
The Jesuit university has achieved carbon neutrality through energy efficiency and also through the financial support of reforestation projects and other green initiatives around the world.
GoodNews
An interreligious call to protect houses of worship
Following attacks on houses of worship in Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the United States, Muslim and Jewish leaders sign a joint call for cooperation among different faiths.
Features
Meet the women leaders who are transforming Jesuit higher education
Today, 16 of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the A.J.C.U. are led by lay presidents, three of whom are women. Their perspectives as lay women professionals in leadership has brought needed skills to their institutions and created opportunities to clarify their institutions’ Jesuit mission and identity.
Men are struggling with their spirituality. Can the Catholic Church help?
The last year has witnessed the rise of an extraordinary international conversation around gender and power. In this watershed moment, where is the church? And how can it help?
Faith and Reason
The hopes and challenges of priestly celibacy today
For celibate priests, there are three specific and essential elements of formation for sustaining their commitment: They need a meaningful reason for celibacy, they need skills for celibate living, and they need a supportive community.
Faith in Focus
As a soldier I was loved for my sins. Now I must repent for them.
When I returned from Afghanistan, I needed to find a way to go from being a Marine who is loved for his sins to being a believer who is a sinner but who is loved. I needed to find a way to come home.
Ideas
Marie Kondo’s road to a tidy (and examined) life
The queen of ‘tidying’ is captivating audiences with this question: What do you truly value?
Books
Review: Canada’s undivine comedy
For all its campus-novel punches, Randy Boyagoda’s new novel most succeeds in limning the ways his title character’s faith bends to his needs.
Poet Gregory Pardlo on growing up with a complicated father
Greg Pardlo’s new memoir clips quickly along and burdens the reader with almost no slow moments.
Review: What if Noah’s ark was told through his wife’s perspective?
Sarah Blake’s dream-like and intriguing first novel introduces us to the wife of Noah.
Review: Northern Ireland’s painful past is far from over
Patrick Radden Keefe delivers a searing portrait of Irish women and men struggling to make sense of their past and their memories.
Film
‘Tolkien’: a portrait of the artist as a young scholar
The John Ronald Reuel Tolkien of Dome Karukoski’s film has all the raw ingredients he needs to become J. R. R. Tolkien.
Theater
‘Hillary and Clinton’ and ‘Lear’: Upstaging male leaders
In Hnath’s play, Hillary has put all her bets on competence, while Bill unsurprisingly presses her to show more humanity.
Poetry
Searching Out Walt Whitman
I know your ghost still drifts like a dirty angel through this town.
The Word
The Ascension shows us that God’s invincible grace is for everyone.
The disciples’ mission is now ours, and Christ is ready to share with us the same power he gave them.
How is the Holy Spirit inspiring you to serve God’s mission?
In Luke’s mind, the Spirit that had once dwelt in the Temple had now taken up residence among Christ’s disciples.
Last Take
How Mary can be a bridge between Christians and Muslims
In an era when Islamophobia is on the rise, it seems especially important for Catholic Christians to know that in addition to sharing our belief in the one God, Muslims also share a reverence for Mary.
Faith
The Ascension shows us that God’s invincible grace is for everyone.
The disciples’ mission is now ours, and Christ is ready to share with us the same power he gave them.
How is the Holy Spirit inspiring you to serve God’s mission?
In Luke’s mind, the Spirit that had once dwelt in the Temple had now taken up residence among Christ’s disciples.
An interreligious call to protect houses of worship
Following attacks on houses of worship in Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the United States, Muslim and Jewish leaders sign a joint call for cooperation among different faiths.
As a soldier I was loved for my sins. Now I must repent for them.
When I returned from Afghanistan, I needed to find a way to go from being a Marine who is loved for his sins to being a believer who is a sinner but who is loved. I needed to find a way to come home.
In the College of Cardinals, European dominance slowly wanes
Pope Francis has gone “to the peripheries,” creating cardinals from 50 different nations, but Europe still accounts for more than 40 percent of electors in the College of Cardinals.
The Editors: Love, not fear, should guide our conversations on religious freedom and L.G.B.T discrimination
Religious Americans inhabit an increasingly secular culture. But we must not let legitimate concerns about our ability to live out our faith in public life blind us to the fears of our fellow citizens who feel their civil rights are up for debate.
The threat of a climate catastrophe is here. Will U.S. Catholics heed the call?
Will U.S. Catholics heed the call to take global action immediately? Or will our children and grandchildren live in a world drastically changed and terribly broken?
The Letters
Francis in Romania Re “Pope Francis: Be Wary of Hungary’s Right-Wing Populists,” by Marc Roscoe Loustau (4/29). The visit of Pope Francis to Romania will include very important moments in Transylvania. For ethnic and religious minorities in this region, who often have been at the peripheries and had to struggle for their identity and faith,…
Meet the women leaders who are transforming Jesuit higher education
Today, 16 of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the A.J.C.U. are led by lay presidents, three of whom are women. Their perspectives as lay women professionals in leadership has brought needed skills to their institutions and created opportunities to clarify their institutions’ Jesuit mission and identity.
How Mary can be a bridge between Christians and Muslims
In an era when Islamophobia is on the rise, it seems especially important for Catholic Christians to know that in addition to sharing our belief in the one God, Muslims also share a reverence for Mary.
Catholic leaders welcome Pope Francis’ new rules on reporting sex abuse
“We would have been far more impressed if this new law required church officials to report to police and prosecutors instead. Oversight from external, secular authorities will better protect children and deter cover-ups.”
Men are struggling with their spirituality. Can the Catholic Church help?
The last year has witnessed the rise of an extraordinary international conversation around gender and power. In this watershed moment, where is the church? And how can it help?
Jean Vanier, ‘living saint’ who ministered to people with disabilities, dies at 90
Jean Vanier lived the beautiful mystery of our human condition that we need one another, young and old, strong and weak.
The hopes and challenges of priestly celibacy today
For celibate priests, there are three specific and essential elements of formation for sustaining their commitment: They need a meaningful reason for celibacy, they need skills for celibate living, and they need a supportive community.
Three ways to evaluate Pope Francis’ reform of the Roman Curia
Reforming the Vatican Curia has been a goal since the Second Vatican Council, but so far the changes have failed to improve its efficiency or responsiveness. Pope Francis is trying again.
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts