Thinking Outside the Box

A Common Sense Position on Health Care Reform

A coalition of American nuns, claiming to represent over 50,000 members of women's religious orders, has broken with the country's Catholic bishops by coming out in support of the health-care reform legislation now pending in Congress.
In a statement released by the liberal religious lobby Network, the nuns say that the bill already approved by the Senate is "the real pro-life stance." Their statement accuses the US bishops' conference and pro-life groups of making "false claims" that the bill would allow support for abortion and would not protect the consciences of health-care workers who oppose abortion.

Our new war president. By John Dear SJ.

Last week at West Point, President Obama cited his reasons for sending more troops to Afghanistan. Obama spoke eloquently. He insisted our cause is just. It is necessary, it is crucial. Killing Afghanis is the way to peace. The oxymorons rolled off his tongue. Apparently, it does not matter that wars are bankrupting us. Or sending our young to die. Or leaving them psychologically impaired. Or degrading the environment. Or, bitterest of ironies, breeding a new generation of terrorists.

What If We Said, 'Wait'? By Rev. Michael G. Ryan.

Father Michael G. Ryan, pastor of St. James Cathedral in Seattle, makes a lot of sense in an article in the current issue of /America/ magazine. It's about the horrible, stilted translations of the Latin Missal that are being forced on us by the Vatican. He writes: "Why not let the priests who are on the front lines and the laypeople who pay the bills (including the salaries of priests and bishops) have some say in how they are to pray?"

http://www.jaazsw.org/essay/forgive_not.html

This early in the twenty-first century, the rulers of the Catholic Church have suffered an earthquake of crumbling credibility. Nearly ten years ago, with the initial revelations about sexual abuse of the young by priests, some argued that the problem was limited in time and place, since most of the abuse cases had occurred 30 or 40 years before, and they took place in the United States. There was hope that an investigative and reformist effort would restore the U.S. Church’s authority. ...