A growing conversation among Christian fundamentalists asks the question that may have been inevitable: is the oil spill in the gulf a sign of the coming apocalypse? About 60 million white evangelicals live in America, and about one third of […]
Does the BP Oil Spill Herald the Apocalypse? Read More »
Earlier this month, in something of a surprise, a nun at a Catholic hospital in Phoenix was excommunicated for approving a first-trimester abortion last year at that hospital to save the life of a critically ill patient. “An unborn child
The Catholic Church Attacks Nuns Read More »
Let’s hear it for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. I’m not even remotely joking. Catholic bishops, both in the U.S. and abroad, have taken a justified beating in the press of late (including in this magazine) over their
Catholic Bishops Get It Right on Immigration Read More »
Response to my April 12 article “A Woman’s Place Is in the Church” was overwhelming. Maureen Dowd cited it in her New York Times column. Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,
The Vanishing Role of Women in Church Readings Read More »
In 1998 a Roman Catholic nun named Marie McDonald wrote a brief and painful summary of her concerns to her colleagues and superiors. It was labeled “strictly confidential.” She was worried, she said, about the sexual abuse of nuns by
The Troubled Future of Catholic Celibacy Read More »
Here they are, the members of history’s oldest and most elite all-male club, trying to manage what began as a domestic crisis. For decades, priests in America, Europe, Ireland, Brazil (and God knows where else) abused—raped or otherwise molested—children and
A Women’s Place is in the Church Read More »
There are those who believe that science will eventually explain everything—including our enduring belief in heaven. The thesis here is very simple: heaven is not a real place, or even a process or a supernatural event. It’s something that happens
Can Science Explain Heaven? Read More »
Two years ago Pope Benedict XVI—once known as “God’s Rottweiler”—displayed his gentler side on a pilgrimage to America. Television pundits spoke of his soft white hair, his smile, “his great warmth and his sense of humor,” says Thomas Noble, head
Is Pope Benedict XVI a Bad Shepherd? Read More »
On March 15th, Lisa appeared on America Magazine’s podcast hosted by Kerry Weber. You can play the podcast using the player below, or download the mp3 file. local mirror of this podcast
America – National Catholic Weekly’s Interviews Lisa Read More »
I’m not sure I can take it anymore, my Catholic friend K. wrote to me in an e-mail. Maybe I should become an Episcopalian. Fury does not begin to describe her mood. More than 10,000 children in Europe smacked, tortured,
Some Catholics Say Benedict Needs to Do Penance Now Read More »