Ecclesia et Civitas

Ethnicity, class, and sex are always with us. Members of different societies develop differences in habits, attitudes, and loyalties that grow into cultural and eventually ethnic distinctions. A complex society includes activities whose demands, qualifications, […]

Traditional aspects of identity can be difficult to make sense of. Economic and technological developments put their functions in question. Who cares about inherited connections when contract, bureaucracy, and technical training seem more to the […]

The duality of male and female is basic to human life. People find it inscrutable, suggestive, frustrating, necessary, and sublime all at once. That’s why it has given rise to so much great, not-great, and […]

People today say social engagement is a basic part of the Christian life. Even so, it is shot through with paradox. Christ was not part of everyday social life. He had no property, no job, […]

In a 2017 interview, Vatican official Rodrigo Guerra López summarized the evangelical ideal behind Francis’s call for openness, dialog, listening, and accompaniment: Francis … lives under the premise of having an elementary sympathy with all people, […]

How the world works usually matters more than what we’re trying to accomplish. We see that in politics, with democracy as an obvious example. It wants the people to rule. But the people can’t possibly […]

The point of Catholic morality is to tell us how best to live. Some are inclined to make it mostly about social justice. When the bishops issue a statement condemning pornography, they say it should […]

To persecute is to push down on a weaker group, at least somewhat continuously, in order to weaken or destroy it. For Catholics, the example that sets the type is the persecution of Christians in […]