As CNN reports about the situation of desperate Zimbabwean illegal immigrants picked up by South African police. I think the people in the US forget that illegal immigration is not just about us and Mexico. It is about wealthy countries versus the rest of the desperate world. Read more
Whenever I see some outrageous statement attributed to a politician or other political figure, I tend to be skeptical. It’s not that I think people can’t have outrageous views, or make outrageous statements. But it’s been my experience that nine times out of ten the quote in question has been taken out of context or otherwise distorted, and that when viewed fairly and in context, the quote is almost always not nearly as outrageous as it might seem standing alone,... Read more
Fr. Marcial Maciel, the controversial founder of the Legion of Christ, died yesterday in the United States. I was told of the news by a person very close to him this morning. The AP just broke the story. Rumor is that the Legion now wants to bury Maciel in Rome, though many still think he will be buried in his hometown of Cotija, Mexico. UPDATE: I found out that Fr. Maciel died in Florida, where he had been staying for... Read more
At the end of each of the weekend Masses at his parish, Jay Anderson delivered a nice reflection for Catholic Schools Week. Check it out here. Read more
You can not only show your loved one how special they are, but you can also support Catholic Relief Services and Fair Trade farmers by buying their chocolate! Read more
From the Wall Street Journal: On Monday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “universal” health-care plan was shot down by a committee in the state’s Senate, 7-1. The most vociferous opponents were not fiscal conservatives, but labor unions that launched a last-minute revolt against its most crucial feature: an individual mandate that would have forced everyone to buy coverage. This defeat has national political implications. Hillary Clinton, for example, has denounced Barack Obama for refusing to include an individual mandate in his... Read more
A recent Notre Dame grad has formed a new organization, in Indiana, that aims to bring about a moratorium on the death penalty in Indiana. Click here for more information, and to support the organization’s efforts. Read more
I am a big fan of Catholic schools. Every parish should have one, every Catholic kid should be in one. I also love Notre Dame’s “Alliance for Catholic Education” program. So, maybe it’s no surprise that I liked this, First Lady Laura Bush’s recent remarks at Holy Redeemer Catholic School, in Washington, D.C.: . . . This is Catholic Schools Week, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m here today. It’s the perfect time to recognize the contributions that Catholic... Read more
This is a film that, as the cliche goes, works on several different levels. (more…) Read more
Conversations about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict tend to be rather like the Israeli/Palestinian conflict itself, quickly descending into a series of escalating attacks and counter-attacks, bitterness and recriminations. I don’t know if the conflict is really capable of being resolved in any satisfactory way, certainly not in the foreseeable future, but unless we want to just throw up our hands and admit defeat (not a bad strategy, actually), we need to be open to new and creative ways of resolving the... Read more
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