Art as Religion, Museum as Temple
For the Greeks, museums were sacred places dedicated to the muses. How is it that the Catholic Church got into the pagan shrine business?
The Best and the Brightest of the Catholic Bad Girls
We picketed bishops and Popes, stole their dresses, stood up at the consecration of the Eucharist and said the words out loud. We are the bad girls of Catholic feminism, and we have stood up, over and over again, for women’s freedom.
The Pope in My Pocket; We Are All Dilettantes Now
Unlike earlier technologies the ultra-personal iPhone will enable us all to become religious dilettantes privately dabbling with a few taps of the screen: the evangelical teen can recite the rosary, the Catholic can hear prayers in Hebrew, and a Jew can get a mantra. Were the Pontiff aware that the door swung both ways would he still go 2.0?
All You Had to Do Was Express Regret: Pope Benedict XVI’s Rocky Visit to Yad Vashem
Benedict’s visit to Israel was marked by his refusal to acknowledge the history of Catholic anti-Judaism and its relationship to Nazi antisemitism. Politicians, rabbis, and journalists were indignant that the pope offered no apology while a cardinal was surprised to learn that an apology was expected.
Abstinence, Not Condoms, Says Pope Upon Leaving for Africa
The Pope sticks to a failing position as he heads to Africa. More then simply correct information we need to change attitudes toward the basic goodness of human sexual relations as part of preventing the spread of AIDS.
RDPulpit: Excommunicating the Victims
While the family of a 9-year-old incest victim’s abortion is excommunicated, the perpetrator never even made it to the ecclesial radar screen. Let this case signal the end of any credible claim to authority of bishops and the dawn of a new era when local communities determine their own members. I daresay the world will be a safer, kinder place.
The excommunication of those involved in procuring an abortion for a sexually abused 9-year-old in Brazil does not extend to the abuser. What exactly are the Church's priorities?
Pope Benedict has a routine that other world leaders might covet.
Father Gerhard Maria Wagner called Hurricane Katrina divine retribution, and thinks the Harry Potter series is satanic. His reward? The Pope has just made him bishop.
Theologian Speaks Out: Obama For Pope
World-known theologian Hans Kung, ever a sharp thorn in the side of the Vatican, imagines what it would be like if Obama were in the Vatican instead of the White House.
The Pope has backtracked a bit on his reinstatement of a Holocaust-denying bishop, but that doesn’t change his fundamentally anti-Modern perspective.
The Vatican is focusing a lot recently on Paul's teaching on celibacy. But there are other ways of interpreting Paul, and not all of them are sex-negative.
The Incredible Shrinking Catholic Church
Benedict’s ecclesial acceptance of someone most thoughtful people wouldn't invite to a cocktail party showed a disregard of the sensibilities of his own flock.
Suspicion of the Modern Age: The Pope Regresses
Called to the carpet for the decision to reinstall controversial bishops, the Vatican has taken to doing what it does best: issuing public statements, coupled with obfuscation and outright denial.
When is an apology not an apology? When it's just part of a public relations campaign.
In a jolly pope-a-gram, Benedict welcomes the new president; the head US Cardinal is not so friendly in his welcome.
Greening The Gays: New Papal Strategy
LBGT folks are like the rainforest, says Pope. Endangered by logging? Or just needing to be saved from themselves?
Perhaps the Holy Father’s questions highlight the most critical issue.
Religion in Tension on World AIDS Day
From “God Hates Fags” to Desmond Tutu’s calls for compassion, religion has been deeply intertwined with the struggle for AIDS justice. Fully two decades after activists first challenged church authority on HIV/AIDS religion's report card is mixed.
In the Papal Pocket: Benedict XVI and the Press
When Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States for the first time this month, the media will tread lightly.
The Vatican’s latest edit engages the contemporary world in a collective reconsideration of systemic and personal sin, including the environment and genetic engineering.