Pope Francis: A Social Justice Pope?
BY: MICAH BALES -- The new pontiff is a groundbreaking figure. He is the first pope from the New World, and the first in...
Pope Francis Calls Out the Church
BY: CHRISTIAN PIATT -- Only a day into his papacy, and I’ve got to admit, Pope Francis has my attention. In one of his first public...
The Trials, Challenges, and Triumphs of Pope Benedict
BY: TONY CAMPOLO -- Pope Benedict has been a strong leader for a Catholic Church that has become destabilized. He’s reaffirmed with...
Papa Ratzi’s Rare Resignation–Pope bows out, first time since Middle Ages
BY: CHRIS HAW -- Well, news has broken today that the heir of St. Peter’s key-wielding authority in Rome is resigning...
Are You For Real? Lessons Learned from the Velveteen Rabbit
One of my more memorable confessions occurred several years ago when I confessed to my Franciscan priest that I felt like a Christian poser. After reading the ‘Sermon on the Mount, ’ I realized I didn’t really...
What To Do About “Radical Feminist Nuns”
It’s not exactly headline-worthy news that many Catholics actually hold personal beliefs that don’t line up with church doctrine. It does get a little more interesting, however, when an umbrella group for ...
Is That Any Way to Treat a Bible?
We are not Catholic, but for a variety of reasons we sent our daughter to Catholic schools.
In a high school religion class, the teacher approached my daughter during class, took her Bible and was horrified...
Waiting with Mary: “Being” Rather Than “Doing”
Before Leah and I moved to Durham to start Rutba House in the summer of 2003, we spent a long weekend at Mary’s House Catholic Worker, a hospitality house for homeless families in Birmingham, Alabama. We ...
Church Leaders Join Fight Against Italian Energy Giant in Rural Guatemala
Tension filled the cramped, block-wall room in the Guatemalan highlands as indigenous leaders sat across from negotiators for ENEL, an Italian-based energy company building a US$228-million hydro-electric ...
Following Francis: The Veneration of (Imperfect) Saints
When people find out that I am 3rd Order Franciscan and that I have written a book that reflects on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, it is not uncommon for some to do a double take. "You're not Catholic, ...