[The author explores the intersection of history and theology, focusing on a theological analysis of the American Catholic response to slavery. The article places 19th-century episcopal Catholic teaching and practice on slavery in the context of memory and repentance. Using current papal documents calling for repentance of the Church’s past failings, the article reflects on

[On several occasions in recent years, the Catholic bishops of the United States have sought to present the Catholic position in matters pertaining to crime and punishment. While in many ways laudable, these statements pay insufficient attention to important historical and conceptual foundations of criminal justice in the Catholic tradition and reflect an inadequate understanding

[The author discusses Christ’s presence as perceived and symbolized when an assembly gathers to celebrate Eucharist. Her article consists of four parts: (1) a brief review of recent official church documents on the modes of Christ’s presence; (2) an examination of how the relationship of Christ’s presence in the eucharistic species to his presence in

[As the United States prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1955 act of civil disobedience by Rosa Parks, it is critical that any false emphases and flawed cultural myths associated with that December day be challenged and corrected. By exploring some of the historical-political, social, and personal influences that encouraged Parks’s refusal to

[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