Books
A new novel relates the the life and loves of a contemporary priest.
This week, Doris Donnelly reviews Vestments, a new novel about a young priest struggling with his vocation. Here she offers a few classic novels featuring a priest protagonist.
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene (1940)
An unnamed whiskey priest is on the run from a Mexican state that has outlawed the church. All other priests have fled or been rounded up and shot. Stripped of his life of pampered privilege, and in a haze of alcohol and fear, the priest is unwittingly tugged to minister to needy peasants while eluding an intense lieutenant who is determined to rid his country from all seeds of corruption planted by the church. The paradox of strength in weakness has probably never been novelized better than here by Greene.
Mary Ann Glendon talks about the art of diplomacy
Arts & CultureBooks
Alice Munro is at the height of her powers as a short story writer in this collection, navigating with extraordinary agility the border between memoir and fiction.
Susannah Heschel, daughter of Jewish thinker Abraham Heschel, discusses his father's life and work.
FaithInterviews
The Office of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is reached by staircase or elevator up one level from the inner courtyard at Piazza del Sant’Uffizio, 11, near the end of the colonnade that wraps around the Piazza San Pietro. The dome of St Peter’s Basilica, designed six centuries ago by Michelangelo, is in partial view from all the office windows.
Arts & CultureBooks
The distinguished political scientist and historian Jan Gross nails the title of his book with one word fear This is not the first time In 2001 he did the same with Neighbors another one-word title dripping with irony because the book told the story of the July 1941 gruesome murder of the Jew
Arts & CultureBooks
Interview with James Martin S J on WHYY Radio about his book Readers of spiritual autobiographies possess some inner verifier that helps them sniff out the phoniesthose who pose posture and pontificateand to affirm those who risk exposing their fumbling and bumbling their reticence and resist
Arts & CultureBooks
In the last months of his long lifehe died at 98 in 2004Cardinal Franz K nig the former Archbishop of Vienna wrote this very personal book In Open to God Open to the World he highlights milestones in his service to the church as the Holy See rsquo s longest serving cardinal and tireless bridge