Pope Francis' environmental encyclical gets waylaid in West Virginia
Commentary: Bishop Michael Bransfield's response to Pope Francis' encyclical seems less informed by the pope's pastoral statements than by coal industry talking points.
Commentary
What Catholics can teach America about polarized politics
Americans of all stripes bemoan political polarization. For people who claim to derive their political values from their religious traditions, polarization raises vexing questions. More than perhaps any other group, faithful Catholics struggle to reconcile their church's teachings with the platforms of the two major parties.
Five things to watch as the 2016 campaign gets underway
Commentary: As presidential candidacies multiply and campaigning accelerates, we can expect much tawdriness to occur. These are difficult times in American democracy.
What the Chapel Hill murders reveal about the place of Muslims in American society
Deah Barakat took my class "Islam in the Modern World" at N.C. State University a few years ago. He was curious about Islamic history, contemporary spiritual and political movements and was great in class discussions. I've taught thousands of students in the last 11 years here, but Deah stood out for his enthusiasm, kindness, calm demeanor and obvious charisma.
Executions are down and abolition may not be far behind
It looks like the death penalty may be on life support.
January was set to be the deadliest month for U.S. executions in 2015, but nine of the 15 executions were stopped. In an unprecedented wave, three of the deadliest states -- Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri -- stopped executions planned for last month. February has just begun, but nine of its 12 scheduled executions have been halted.
Last year was not a good year for the death penalty, either, as death sentences hit a 40-year low and executions were at a 20-year low.
What if Pope Francis gave the State of the Union address?
Commentary: Here's my take on what Francis might say to a polarized Congress and a nation in need of moral vision, aware of the chutzpah needed to channel this pope.
Preview: Engage the future: Reflections on the apostolic visitation report
Commentary: I want to delve below the surface to engage what I think are some of the deeper issues and concerns and hopes that challenge us for the future.
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Abuse of episcopal authority in apostolic visitation created deep wounds
Commentary: Without attitudinal and structural changes among not the women investigated but those who initiated the investigation, this mistake and others like it will be repeated.
Ending our nation's addiction to torture
The sickening details of the CIA's immoral torture program have been laid bare with the release Tuesday of the Senate Intelligence Committee's torture report. The report describes deeply disturbing acts of torture and confirms that it produced no meaningful intelligence that could not have been obtained through other means.
It is difficult to read the report and not conclude that both morality and common sense demand that we take every step necessary to prevent the U.S. torture program from ever being reactivated.
Nonviolent conflict modeled by Gandhi could be just as effective today
Commentary: Today, it wouldn't be Gandhi's notions, but an advanced form of nonviolent conflict burnished by the experience of hundreds of social movements in Gandhi's wake.
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In This Issue
September 9-22, 2016
- Editorial: Make action on poverty a national priority
- Music provides a deeper sense of promise
- SNAP concerned with survivor confidentiality after judge's sanctions
- Special Section (subscribers only): Health & Well-Being