There are rumours on a German traditionalist blog that Fr Federico Lombardi the Pope s communications chief will stand down after the Pope s Holy Land trip in May I have no idea if they are true But I do know that whatever the Jesuit s limitations the Pope s communications problem is n

At the risk of trying readers patience I would like to raise a question about the Obama Dame controversy Why is this news I believe it was Richard Gaillardetz who wrote several years ago about the tendency on the Internet toward the online establishment of an ad hoc magisterium preoccupied wi

Yes this may be an off-week for the print edition of America magazine but that hardly means we ve taken a week off We are busily preparing our 92 page centennial issue featuring articles by Timothy Radcliffe Helen Prejean and Elizabeth Johnson among others Look for it online next Friday

There has been some distress in leftie circles over the news that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will be received into the Catholic Church this nbsp weekend at St Joseph s Church Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl will preside at the ceremony I say Welcome Newt It is as I never

With all the swirling controversy about the University of Notre Dame and the interview with and apology from Archbishop Burke it has been difficult to focus on anything else But going from the ridiculous to well not really the sublime Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said something very impo

Cambridge MA It has been a pleasure to write this occasional blog for America but perhaps never more than today when I have the opportunity to celebrate in this small way the birthday of my father James J Clooney who turns 90 on March 30th nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Born in Jersey City in 191