[The present teaching of the Catholic Church on the doctrine of indissolubility of marriage has a complex history. It is based upon scriptural, sacramental, ethical, and canonical materials. Here the authors examine two questions: (a) is the teaching capable of change, and (b) is the evidence from the tradition adequate to support the present teaching?

[The papal magisterium counsels gay Catholics to join their sufferings to the Cross of Christ. This counsel raises questions concerning its assumptions about the complex reality of homosexuality, suffering as a dimension of human sexuality, and the meaning of the Cross. The implied theological anthropology may lead to the conclusion that a “crucifixion” of the

[The author examines the arguments used by the magisterium against same-sex marriage. Most of these arguments have features that make them problematic for public debate in pluralistic societies. The most plausible argument concerns the health of marriage as an institution within which adults take responsibility for child rearing. If the magisterium wishes to present a

[The author initiates a dialogue between Hans Urs von Balthasar and contemporary feminist theology, focusing on three areas: theological anthropology, theological method, and Christology. Each section begins by exploring Balthasar’s theological standpoint. This is followed by feminist responses to the themes and questions raised by his theology, both favorable and critical. She concludes by exploring

[Increased international trade characterizes economic globalization. Three views of such trade can be found in Catholic political economy. (1) From the 1930s to the mid-1960s: a strong defense of free trade. (2) From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s: suspicion of free trade as exploiting poorer nations. (3) From the 1990s to the present: free trade

[Social scientific research, here only briefly summarized, discriminates between nuptial cohabitors, who have already made the commitment to marry, and non-nuptial cohabitors, who have not made that commitment. It further shows that for nuptial cohabitors their cohabitation is the first step in their becoming married, that their characteristics are more like the characteristics of married

[The author argues that Latino/a popular Catholicism in the United States embodies important aspects of a non-modern Catholic worldview that have been obscured, or even lost in modern, rationalist forms of Catholicism. Specifically, U.S. Latino/a popular religious practices reflect an understanding of symbol that is heir to the intrinsically symbolic cosmology of medieval and baroque

[The author uses the pastoral circle or “see-judge-act” practical theological method to review the status of Hispanic/Latino ministry. He takes note of new research findings, while stressing the importance of an integrating framework for shaping the Catholic Church’s response to the multiple challenges presented by the Latino/a presence. Paul VI’s Evangelii nuntiandi provides the needed

[The Latino/a community in the U.S. is the youngest in the nation. Ministry to this youthful community demands that attention be paid to the acculturation process taking place among Latinos/as and its effect on their religious worldview. While it is true that Latinos/as, especially the youth, are accomodating in many ways to the values of

[The author explores the wealth and complexity that mestiza consciousness and spirituality contribute to the theological enterprise. The mestiza consciousness is grounded in community and promoted through ritual. A sense of justice is passed on through this communal spirituality that acknowledges the diversity of creation and its constant process of becoming. Latina culture, religion, and