I was only 11 when Pope John Paul II made his third (and last) apostolic trip to Kenya. On that occasion, in September 1995, the Holy Father was in the capital city of Nairobi for the launch of the Synod of Bishops document, which had taken place the year before. My family lives about 150… Read More An African Perspective on the next Pope
Last week, John Gehring pointed to Pope Benedict XVI’s progressive legacy. Gehring noted Benedict’s opposition to unregulated capitalism and support for the redistribution of wealth. He also noted the pope’s strong environmental record in defense of creation. These are two legacies that I hope the next pope will continue. In fact, there is much in… Read More A 21st Century Social Justice Pope
I remember when my family got our first computer. It came in a big Gateway box with the black and white spotted cows, and I remember wondering how cows had anything to do with computers. My eyes widened at the possibilities when my dad took out the big monitor. We Millennials were the first generation… Read More Waging War on Porn: Trial and Triumph at our Finger Tips
Black History Month does not get much fanfare in the Catholic Church. Yet, as February draws to a close in the fiftieth anniversary year of a certain pastor’s impactful “I Have a Dream” speech, and as our Church looks ahead to a new pontificate, we have a unique moment to draw lessons from the Black… Read More The Living Legacy of the Black Church
There is an insecurity epidemic that is raging among teenage and preteen girls in our society. Last year we saw it most vividly in the spread of “Am I hot or not?” and “Am I ugly?” videos on YouTube, which not surprisingly led to vicious, hateful comments by anonymous commenters. This year, there will inevitably… Read More Keep It Real Revolution: Catholic Schools and Authentic, Secure Girls
[This article by Mario Powell, SJ is also featured on The Jesuit Post, where the author is a columnist] On Wednesday, November 7, 2012, the lead article in The New York Times crowed: “Barack Hussein Obama was re-elected president of the United States on Tuesday, overcoming powerful economic headwinds, a lock-step resistance to his agenda… Read More The 2nd Inauguration: Now Can We Say Racism Is Dead?
Martin Luther King Jr. is a national hero, a remarkable figure whose courageous pursuit of justice compelled Americans to recognize and correct our nation’s failure to live up to its highest ideals, those so elegantly expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Yet King’s vision transcended these ideals. He articulated notions of equality, freedom, and justice… Read More Dr. King & Catholic Social Teaching
Millennial 