In 2008, Fariba Kamalabadi, the mother of a friend and former classmate, was arrested by Iranian officials and taken to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. She was accused of “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, and propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Her real crime: her position in the Yaran, the leadership of Iran’s Baha’i… Read More The age of martyrs is still with us
Once upon a time, boys and girls used to approach a video game console, turn it on, and practice manipulating a two-dimensional frog across a street in order to get their thrills. Today, the stakes have changed: we have only one life to start with, the screen is smaller, and what is on the screen… Read More Frogger, John of the Cross, and Embodied Love
Post-convention quarterbacking is largely over, but there will be no shortage of serious dinner table conversations this fall about the parties, platforms, and candidates. Given the range of political beliefs among Catholics, our homes will be filled with such discussions. There is more than a tinge of irony though as spouses, siblings, and friends choose… Read More Religion at the Dinner Table: Still Bad Manners?
Am I my sister’s keeper? Sister Simone Campbell asked that question recently at the Democratic National Convention. Personally, as much as I tend to focus on the broad outlines of policies and laws or philosophize about the true nature of the common good, sometimes it comes down to pretty literal questions. Over the past few… Read More Am I My Sister’s Keeper?
Fifty years ago today, Pope John XXIII proclaimed that the Church is a “Church of all and in particular the Church of the poor.” This statement, from a radio address one month before the opening of Vatican II, was further developed in a number of council documents that articulated the nature and mission of the… Read More Fifty Years Later, Are We Still the Church of the Poor?
In light of the recent idiocy spewed by Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin, arguing that victims of “legitimate” rape have superhuman contraceptive powers, I expected the Democratic Party to take some shots, spotlight the insanity, spend a few days with a bullhorn condemning his stance – and then move on. However, it seems like Obama’s campaign may… Read More Democrats Out of Touch on Abortion, Hurt Election Chances
Yesterday, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini–the former Archbishop of Milan–was laid to rest in the city’s venerable cathedral. Before his funeral Mass began, over 150,000 pilgrims prayerfully visited his remains. His effect on the life of the Church, especially on the lives of young people of faith has been noted by Robert Christian. In many ways,… Read More A Saint’s Funeral, a Papal Blessing and a Bold Question
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