Commentaries
Sexual abuse is always intolerable, regardless of the circumstances
Safe environment measures are important but insufficient in protecting children and youth from molestation. Those in positions of trust must be held strictly accountable, stresses this guest editorial from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
4 ways to clean up crisis of responsibility by church leaders
If any good is to come from the long tragedy of child sexual abuse, it may be that the church -- humiliated and scorned -- can contribute to the healing that our country and world need, writes Greg Erlandson.
Longing for more children, should parents adopt or foster?
A couple wrestles with the cost of adoption and the toll of being foster parents. Deacon Paul and Helen McBlain counsel them to fully understand both alternatives, and to seek God's guidance.
Answering our oldest questions has never been more timely
Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? How do I get there? Few people today try to answer them, writes Sister Sheila Galligan, who explains how the classic answers can clear the contemporary chaos.
Leisure puts time on our side
Our hyperconnected world produces hurry and frustration, writes Father Thomas Dailey. By observing a divinely set speed limit, we allow the Lord to refresh and renew us.
You are a missionary, and you can aid global missions from home
Msgr. Arthur Rodgers explains how the Pontifical Mission Societies support the good works of the church, in some of the world's poorest places, to proclaim the Good News in every land.
In yet another clerical abuse scandal, what’s a Catholic to do?
Sexual predation transcends all barriers, but Catholics must recommit themselves to seeking justice, writes Effie Caldarola. Lay involvement in church governance, speaking the truth and partnering with a free press are vital to this mission.
Letter to an angry friend
The latest clerical abuse scandals mark a call for purification and renewal in the church, writes Greg Erlandson. That task requires true saints, not spin doctors and CEOs.
Something must be done, and careful discernment is needed
There is a need for conversion among certain church leaders who failed in responding to the sexual abuse crisis, and among ourselves, writes Father Eric Banecker. He suggests a way out of our spiritual depths.
Bishops looked into the mirror and saw ‘moral failures’
The U.S. Catholic bishops last week confirmed, according to Matthew Gambino, what most Catholics have long believed: the bishops failed to hold themselves accountable for the sexual abuse scandal.