archives

It is possible that Dorothy Stang may be the first environmental martyr. I listened to the C-span review of here life story and while it is not miraculous it speaks of a quiet determination to do the right thing against the authorities who were abetted by the School of the Americas people. Could Benedict declare that in the cause that she espoused she can be venerated? Do corporate greed and the destruction of the environment and abuse of the poor not co-alesce in the life and death of this woman ?

Here's a riddle for you:

What voice of religion is almost impossible to hear -- but is everywhere?

Oh, go on, guess.

By Francis X. Rocca, Religion New Service

VATICAN CITY -- In an emotional homily that evoked his predecessor's agonizing last days, Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to Pope John Paul II on the third anniversary of his death, portraying the late pontiff as a model of Christian love and sacrifice.

"His death was the seal on an existence entirely given to Christ," Benedict said during a special memorial Mass on Wednesday (April 2) in St. Peter's Square.

By Catholic News Service

SAN FRANCISCO -- Federal lawmakers must maintain their bipartisan commitment in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco said in an April 1 letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

The archbishop's letter came before the House voted to pass President George W. Bush's $50 billion, five-year President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. The program has provided $19 billion since it was inaugurated in 2003. It must be reauthorized this year.

The Diocese of Camden has done a groundbreaking thing in cutting the number of its parishes in half. As a result, I believe the whole diocese will have to undergo cathechesis for learning how to be "Church" again. I believe it will revitalize the diocese and the local "parishes." Of course, there will be defections and hate letters, but most of us know, this is a courageous act that is very much needed.

The Current Issue of NCR features a lead Editorial that embodies the integrity that keeps me coming back to read. '17 Years of Distorted Reality', is courageous and hits the nail on the head. It addresses the deeper history of motives for involvement in Iraq and the shallow rationale fed to us ad infinitum for our continued involvement in a foolish military engagement. My favorite line in the piece is that ' We are losing ourselves, becoming the enemy that we detest '.

The Current Issue of NCR features an article by Gordon J. Hilsman titled , 'Toward A Catholic Kama Sutra'. I call this bold because it forces us to take seriously the human experiences in a shared history of humanity and give them their due in historical context. It is refreshing in that it urges a departure from the attitudes of an infractional view of spiritual practice. The marital relationship is repeatedly cited as the source relationship in the family core of the church, but the Freedom of the Laity is given short shrift and negligible encouragement in practice.