In Utah, people who get licenses to carry concealed weapons can carry them even in church. If a church does not want its worshippers armed, it can either post a “No Guns” notice at the door or register with a state agency as a no-guns site. That has provoked a battle between the gun lobby and the Mormon church, on one side, and several other churches, on the other. More →

July 23, 2004

Read the R&E interview with Archbishop Thomas Kelly of Louisville, Kentucky about end-of-life issues. More →

May 21, 2004

The debate over abortion and Catholic politicians affects all Catholic public officials who are pro-choice. Catholic politicians, both past and present, often face many challenges when it comes to questions of faith and politics. More →

May 14, 2004

There’s a movement under way among many Catholic women and women scholars to revise the reputation of Mary Magdalene. For centuries, she was reviled as a prostitute. But now, with the discovery of ancient text, several recent movies and novels are portraying her as an important figure in early church history.
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November 21, 2003

In the latter half of the twentieth century, institutions run by Roman Catholic nuns could amount to virtual prisons for young women. Some spent their entire adult lives in these places. They were called the Magdalene Laundries, and they were in Ireland. THE MAGDALENE SISTERS chronicles the lives of three Dublin girls living in the Laundries. More →

August 22, 2003

For nearly a millennium, part of Roman Catholic prayer life has included saying the rosary, with each rosary bead representing a prayer. The rosary includes a set of meditations on the life of Christ, known as mysteries. Use of the rosary, has diminished in recent years but many Catholics say it’s still part of their practice. More →

October 18, 2002

This past week, Voice of the Faithful — a lay group which came out of the Catholic Church sexual abuse crisis — held its first national convention. Organizers say Catholics came from 36 states and 7 countries for a day of prayer and support for victims of sexual abuse. More →

July 26, 2002

Twelve U.S. cardinals and two bishops joined Pope John Paul II and other Vatican officials for two days of discussions about the sexual abuse crisis in the American Catholic church and possible solutions. John Paul told the group there is no place in the priesthood for those who harm the young. More →

April 26, 2002

In COMMONWEAL Magazine, an independent Catholic journal, writer and scholar Peter Steinfels, a Catholic, takes a thoughtful look at the crisis in the Church and calls for changes to overcome it. Steinfels also writes the “Belief” column for THE NEW YORK TIMES. Watch his interview with Bob Abernethy on the scandal and how the Church can move forward. More →

April 12, 2002

As American Catholics have reeled from the disclosures of past sexual abuses by priests, and evidence they were covered up, one of the questions raised has concerned priestly celibacy — abstinence from sex. Was that requirement a cause of the abuses? Is it necessary for dedicated ministry? Should it be made optional? More →

April 12, 2002