Guest Post: On Biden-Harris Administration’s Polarizing Statement on Roe v. Wade at 48

Last updated on: January 24, 2021 at 9:37 am By David Cruz-Uribe

Vox Nova is pleased to share a guest post by Greg Walgenbach. He is responding to this statement from the Biden Whitehouse. Yesterday the newly elected Biden-Harris Administration put out a polarizing statement on the 48th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Given how divided the nation is on the subject of abortion, specifically its legalization, I’d like to offer some brief comments as a Catholic Christian (though I don’t believe agreement with my remarks here necessarily requires those convictions) on... Read more

Reading Populorum Progessio, Part II

Last updated on: January 18, 2021 at 4:33 pm By David Cruz-Uribe

This is my second post on the encyclical Populorum Progressio by Paul VI; you can read the first part here. For this discussion we read the middle third, paragraphs 32-60. The material in this section splits into two parts. Paragraphs 32-42 continue the discussion of integral or balanced development; important items discussed include the goals of development; he role of education in shaping a Christian humanism as part of development; and the roles of families, professional organizations, labor unions, and... Read more

Reading Populorum Progessio, Part I

Last updated on: January 17, 2021 at 7:28 pm By David Cruz-Uribe

This is my first post on the encyclical Populorum Progressio by Paul VI. It continues my reflections on the major encyclicals on Catholic social teaching. Previously, I have written multi-part posts on Rerum Novarum, Quadragesimo Anno, Mater et Magistra, Pacem in Terris, and Gaudium et Spes. Populorum Progressio is the first Catholic social encyclical written after Vatican II, and it relies heavily on Gaudium et Spes as well as the encyclicals of Pope John XXIII. Paul VI was also the... Read more

Seeing Racism: A Video Lecture

Last updated on: January 17, 2021 at 12:40 pm By David Cruz-Uribe

My parish, St. Francis of Assisi of Tuscaloosa, has an ongoing project to educate about race and racism in our Church and in America. It is called the Martin de Porres Project, and its threefold mission is summarized as Seeing Racism Building Racial Justice Healing Through Racial Harmony. Today we launched a five part lecture series. I gave the first talk, entitled Seeing Racism, about structural racism in America. The video of my talk is below (I guess this makes... Read more

January 17-24, 2021: A Week of Nonviolence for Christians

Last updated on: January 17, 2021 at 11:47 am By Jeannine Pitas

The Church of St. Timothy in Blaine, MN, in collaboration with a small group of spiritual directors and activists, has designated January 17-24 as a Week of Nonviolence for Christians. In organizing this week, they have prepared a toolkit of prayers, reflections, and action steps for us to take each day of this week that includes our national commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy as well as a transition of political power in the United States... Read more

Nonviolence Begins With Me

Last updated on: January 16, 2021 at 7:56 pm By Jeannine Pitas

I write these words in Dubuque, IA, USA, on January 16, 2021 among national concern about armed protests planned in all fifty US state capitols in response to Joe Biden’s upcoming presidential inauguration. I hope and pray that whatever happens tomorrow, there will be not shots fired, no one beaten, no lives lost…and that the following day, we will honor in peace and gratitude our nation’s prophet of justice and nonviolence, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior. That said, I... Read more

Reading Gaudium et Spes Part IV

Last updated on: January 3, 2021 at 8:20 pm By David Cruz-Uribe

This is my fourth and final post on Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, of Vatican II. It has turned into a long one, but hopefully you find something worthwhile in it. You can read part one here, part two here, and part three here. For this discussion we read Part II, Chapters 4-5, paragraphs 75-93. Chapter 4 is a discussion of the life of the political community, and Chapter 5 on fostering... Read more

How to Vaccinate Like a Catholic

Last updated on: January 2, 2021 at 6:21 pm By Brett Salkeld

SPOILER WARNING: The Good Place spoilers below. In season 3 of The Good Place, the protagonists discover that no one has actually made it to the good place in roughly 500 years. Initially suspicious that the demons of the bad place have rigged the system, our heroes eventually find the explanation for the problem is actually much less perfidious, though no more comforting. The modern world, it seems, has become so morally complex that virtually every action is morally compromised. While... Read more

The Moral Duty to be Vaccinated Against Covid-19

Last updated on: January 2, 2021 at 6:23 pm By David Cruz-Uribe

I am working on an article for the newsletter of the Secular Franciscan region that I belong to. Originally, I had intended to write about climate change, but in light of the pandemic, I have decided to write about something more current. This blog post is a first draft. I am very much interested in feedback, both regarding my argument based on Catholic social teaching, and on the rhetorical structure of the argument. The Covid-19 pandemic is now approaching the... Read more