Courtesy of MSNBC, an interactive map that includes brief synopses of recent political trends in Latin America. Of particular note is the shift away from the market economies that failed to alleviate or even improve the poverty situation in Latin America. In a post-Soviet world, what will a limited market economy in this predominantly Catholic region look like? Time will tell. Read more
The title is deliberately chosen to be provocative. For what does feminism even mean? At its most basic level, it is refers to equality between the sexes. Hence feminists fight discrimination based on gender and all kinds of inequality — cultural, political, and economic. In one sense, it is perfectly compatible with revelation, in the sense that God created man and woman as human beings to an equal degree. But in another sense, much of modern feminism is imbued with... Read more
For those awaiting the arrival of the TLM, David Alexander of the renowned Man With Black Hat has some advice. If, under such circumstances, an additional Mass is agreed upon, there is not only the matter of the priest being trained to do so properly, but that of boys or men (not girls or women, as we are concerned with conditions under the older observance) who are trained to serve the Mass. The reformed Roman Missal does not require a... Read more
A number of our contributors at Vox Nova are either professors or graduate students, so I am sure they understand the headaches this will cause for many researchers: BBC reports that the Vatican Library has closed for rebuilding, possibly until 2010. Anyone who may have been conducting a major project or writing or planning a dissertation that necessitates access to the rare and voluminous collections of the Vatican Library may have to either suspend or even terminate their work. The... Read more
For many, Harry Potter is a literary example of the Christian hero. J.K. Rowling has been known to say that if her Christian faith were studied, many of the things which happen in the books will not only be understandable, but would be predictable before they occurred. While I do not read the books, I do watch and enjoy the movies. Last week, I went to see the fifth in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.... Read more
John Médaille of the The Distributist Review has an interesting post on healthcare that I commend to your reading and of which I will briefly comment. I appreciate his acknowledgement up front that when comparing European systems with our own that we aren’t really comparing socialized medicine with private care. The truth is that both systems have elements of centralization to them affecting signficant numbers of the participants in the respective systems. He first asks the question of whether insurance... Read more
Just as Catholics must remember our friends in Cuba, we must pray for the troubled Catholics of China, whom Benedict recently encourged. Reading through this excellent Atlantic Monthly piece explains why the Chinese Church remains troubled: the government doesn’t just maintain a close watch of religious activity, it actively intervenes. Let us join Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church and Queen of China, in praying to her Divine Son for these brave Catholics and all Christians across Asia. Read more
Patriotism is a love for everything to do with our native land: its history, its traditions, its language, its natural features. It is a love which extends also to the works of our compatriots and the fruits of their genius. Every danger that threatens the overall good of our native land becomes an occasion to demonstrate this love…I believe that the same could be said of every country and every nation in Europe and throughout the world. (John Paul II,... Read more
George Bush is poised to veto a bipartisan bill (a re-authorization and expansion of SCHIP– the State Children’s Health Insurance Program) that would expand health care coverage to about 4 million children currently lacking insurance. The expansion would cost about $35 billion over five years, and be paid for by tobacco tax increases. A small step, but presumably one too big for Bush. In fact, his counter proposal would actually see at least 17 states losing funding, increasing the number... Read more
“At this point, someone might object: ‘What about Dominus Iesus? Has not this document, issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in August 2000, reversed everything and put an end to all ecumenical hopes? Many people think so, many have been disappointed and hurt by this declaration–and this has hurt me too, since the sadness and pain of my friends makes me sad and pained. I must, however, add my impression that many of those who exaggerate... Read more
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