Cardinal Kasper Responds to First Things Review of “Mercy”

by Walter Kasper and Daniel P. Moloney

Cardinal Kasper’s response to “What Mercy Is,” and Fr. Moloney’s reply. Continue Reading »

23 Mar 2015 0

The Vision of Father Neuhaus

by William Doino Jr.

In his insightful new biography, Richard John Neuhaus: A Life in the Public Square, Randy Boyagoda recounts the extraordinary journey of the man who many believe was “the most consequential public theologian in America since the days of Reinhold Niebuhr and John Courtney Murray.” Born . . . . Continue Reading »

23 Mar 2015 0

Hesburgh and Rice

by Richard Maggi

Notre Dame’s former president Theodore Hesburgh and law professor Emeritus Charles Rice, who died within days of each other earlier this year, were often at odds. Rice wrote about his “strong disagreements” with Fr. Hesburgh, but also about how highly he respected him, noting that he had . . . . Continue Reading »

20 Mar 2015 0

Family–Supported Suicide and the Duty to Die

by Wesley J. Smith

In 1991, my friend Frances invited me to a “going away party.” She wasn’t moving or going on vacation. Frances wanted her closest friends to come to her home, to tell her how much she meant to us, and to hold her hand as she committed suicide. Continue Reading »

20 Mar 2015 0

A Realistic Immigration Policy

by Pete Spiliakos

What are our priorities for immigration? On this issue, the American right is divided between elites and populists. But neither group has a plan for an immigration strategy focused on civic equality and economic mobility. Continue Reading »

19 Mar 2015 0

Of Human Dignity

by Charles J. Chaput

The following address was given at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary on March, 17 2015.Vatican II ended in December 1965 with an outpouring of enthusiasm and hope. The Council's hope was grounded in two things: a renewed Catholic faith, and confidence in the skill and goodness of human reason.Half a century has passed since then. A lot has happened. The world today is a very different place than it was in 1965. And much more complex. That’s our reality, and it has implications for the way we live our faith, which is one of the reasons we’re here tonight. Continue Reading »

18 Mar 2015 0

Synthetic Children

by Robert Oscar Lopez

It can be difficult to live with an artist. Poe’s classic short story “Oval Portrait” details the tragedy of a beautiful young woman married to a painter. She sits so obediently as he tries to capture her in a state of youthful perfection, she seems not to allow herself to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom. By the time the painter completes the painting, he looks at the body of his bride and realizes that she is dead. Continue Reading »

18 Mar 2015 0

A Mission of Love

by George Weigel

The World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this September should be more than a vast Catholic “gathering of the clans” around Pope Francis—and so should the months between now and then. If the Church in the United States takes this opportunity seriously, these months of preparation will be a time when Catholics ponder the full, rich meaning of marriage and the family: human goods whose glory is brought into clearest focus by the Gospel. Parents, teachers and pastors all share the responsibility for seizing this opportunity, which comes at a moment when marriage and the family are crumbling in our culture and society. Continue Reading »

18 Mar 2015 0

Why San Francisco's City Church is Wrong About Sex

by Robert A. J. Gagnon

The senior pastor and elders of City Church, identified as the largest evangelical church in San Francisco, will no longer require members to abstain from homosexual practice, so long as the homosexual activity occurs in the context of marriage. According to a letter written by senior pastor Fred Harrell on behalf of the Board of Elders, “We will no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation and demand lifelong celibacy as a precondition for joining. For all members, regardless of sexual orientation, we will continue to expect chastity in singleness until marriage.”“Our pastoral practice of demanding life-long ‘celibacy,' by which we meant that for the rest of your life you would not engage your sexual orientation in any way, was causing obvious harm and has not led to human flourishing,” the letter said. Continue Reading »

17 Mar 2015 0

Who is Paying Sam Singer?

by E. Michael Hamill

Sam Singer urinated on the carpet of his partner in a public relations firm because of an argument, or so people say. Singer denies it and says he poured beer onto the carpet to trick his partner. He explains: “This goes to my belief that a good mind f*** is as good as the real thing.” Continue Reading »

17 Mar 2015 0