Read a review by David E. Anderson, senior editor of Religion News Service, of Alice McDermott’s novel, After This. More →

December 29, 2006

Pope Benedict XVI called his trip to Turkey “a mission of dialogue, brotherhood and reconciliation,” and in his first visit to a predominantly Muslim country, the pope took every opportunity to express his respect for the Islamic faith. More →

December 1, 2006

In his speech at Pepperdine University in California, John Kerry outlined his vision of how faith can—and should—play a role in public life. More →

September 22, 2006

Spain, once considered a European stronghold for the Roman Catholic Church, has become increasingly secular. The Church finds its spiritual and social influence throughout the country is in decline. It’s estimated fewer than 20 percent of Spaniards now attend Mass regularly. More →

July 7, 2006

Tony Lazzara was a successful doctor living a comfortable life in the United States, but he left it all behind so he could follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi and help poor, handicapped children in Peru. More →

May 19, 2006

A new report says this year Americans gave record amounts of private charitable donations. Another report says Americans donated nearly $3 billion to post-hurricane relief efforts. Yet nearly four months after Hurricane Katrina, the magnitude of the destruction is still difficult to comprehend. In the midst of it, many people here say the themes of Christmas are echoing in new and poignant ways.
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December 16, 2005

A new RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY national survey has found deep divisions among American Catholics on issues of faith and family. More →

October 19, 2005

Catholic leaders have often expressed their opposition to certain uses of science, such as anything that threatens human life. But the Church has no objection to basic scientific research itself — from it. That work is honored as trying to understand what God created — in the case of an observatory in Arizona, the entire visible universe. More →

June 3, 2005

Sister Mary Andrew Matesich is a nun, a scientist, a former college president, and now, a cancer patient who learned not only how to accept her disease but how to help others because of it. More →

November 12, 2004

Read more of Kim Lawton’s interview with theology professor Timothy Matovina, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame. More →

October 29, 2004