An Anonymous World Citizen With a Reply by Mark Falcoff Editor’s Note: On June 2 an advertisement appeared in the New York Times, sponsored by the Friends of the Democratic Center in Central America (PRODEMCA) under the title, “Democracy Is the Issue in Nicaragua.” It stated that “there are many issues in the present debate … Read more
A Report from “Solidarity” Editor’s Note: Over the last year the situation in Poland has changed dramatically. Where a year ago there was optimism about the possibility of reform—the Jaruzelski government had even passed special legislation for a special church-administered fund to channel Western aid to Polish farmers—the climate today is bitter. There was, of … Read more
Editors’ Note: On January 25, 1985 Pope John Paul II announced that he planned to convene an extraordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held Nov. 25-Dec. 8 in Rome. Emphasizing that Vatican II continues to be “the fundamental event in the life of the contemporary church,” John Paul stated that the … Read more
The following statement, accompanied by over 4,000 signatures, has been sent to Bishop Joseph L. Imesch, Chairman of the National Council of Catholic Bishops commission on the forthcoming Pastoral Letter on women. The statement was written and is being circulated by Women for Faith and Family, an organization of lay Catholic women, based in St. … Read more
The following letter was written by a Jesuit travelling in Nicaragua in 1984. It was posted on the bulletin board of the Jesuit Residence at a major Catholic University. We bring it to the attention of our readers as an expression of the ethos of one segment of Catholic thinking on Nicaragua and the issues … Read more
An Interview With William J. Bennett William J. Bennett was confirmed as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities by the U.S. Senate in February 1982. He was formerly Director of the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy as well as a J.D. from Harvard … Read more
“We reject the idea that candidates satisfy the requirements of rational analysis in saying their personal views should not influence their policy decisions; the implied dichotomy — between personal morality and public policy — is simply not tenable in any adequate view of both.” Thus spoke Bishop James Malone, president of the U.S. Catholic Conference … Read more
The letter below was issued on Easter Sunday of this year by the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference. In the letter, the bishops offer their analysis of the present turmoil in their country and suggest some possible solutions for ending the conflicts and divisions there. To the priests and deacons in our dioceses: To the members of … Read more
This speech to the French Chamber of Deputies by the author of Democracy in America was formally occasioned by the submission of an amendment to paragraph 8 of the preamble to the Constitution of the Second French Republic, on September 12, 1848. The paragraph was the one which dealt with the State’s social obligations. The … Read more
A recent National Catholic News Service report noted that the U.S. Catholic Military Vicariate has more Catholics under its care than any archdiocese in the nation. Some 2 million Catholics currently serve in the U.S. armed forces around the world. The Christian soldier — Catholic or Protestant — is a rather prominent figure in today’s … Read more
“Tradition is the democracy of the dead” -G. K. Chesterton “Peace should be the object of our desire, war looked upon but as a necessity to the end that by it God may deliver men from the necessity of war and preserve them in peace. For peace is not sought in order to rouse men … Read more
An Interview With Dr. Michael A. Ledeen Dr. Michael A. Ledeen, a Senior Fellow at the Georgetown University Center for Strategic and International Studies, is a former Rome correspondent for the The New Republic and former executive editor of The Washington Quarterly. He also serves from time to time as a consultant to the United … Read more
(1) A Brief Historical Overview: The real history of the Church in Grenada can be said to have begun with the coming of Columbus to the island and the subsequent attempts by the different religious sects to “christianize” the inhabitants. With the changing of the balance of power by the constant squabbles between the colonial … Read more
In preparation for writing a pastoral letter on the American economic system, the U.S. bishops are expected to make use of a statement issued in 1919 by a group of bishops under the auspices of the Administrative Committee of the National Catholic War Council, later to become the national Catholic Welfare Council. The latter was … Read more
Report to the World Council of Churches of Its Delegation Sent To Nicaragua September 4-10, 1983 I. The National Situation in Nicaragua It is not necessary here to rehearse the historical antecedents of Nicaragua’s recent history — the forty years of Somoza domination and exploitation, and the immense efforts since then to rebuild the nation … Read more
Miguel Bolanos Hunter fought with the Sandinista rebels when he was in his teens and so impressed his comrades that, when a position in the Sandinista security forces opened up, his Sandinist superiors overruled Cuban security officials to place him in counterintelligence. Mr. Bolanos’ services to the F-2 section — which gathers intelligence on foreign … Read more
Your Excellencies: The world watched the Nicaragua Marxist’s idea of how a Pope should conduct Mass — no cross but large murals of Marx, Lenin and other Marxist heroes; to make sure that his message could not be heard, profane the Mass by having the loudspeaker system drive out the Pope’s message with “People Power” … Read more
The Office of the District Attorney, Bratislava 1. In Bratislava, December 14, 1982 C.k.: Pv 1625/82 District Court Bratislava I Presents accusation of Helena GONDOVA, born 6/20/1949 in Hrinova, living in Bratislava, Podhorskeho ul. 6, special referent of the Technical communication center Bratislava, in detention since August 12, 1982. of Frantisek NOVAJOVSKY, born 4/22/1956 in … Read more
For an American performance of civil disobedience, characters, setting, plot and action have become conventional, even traditional. First appears the large group of morally offended citizens, milling around near the object of their protest. In the next scene the police must inform the protestors that although their cause might be just they cannot be allowed … Read more
The following letter was sent to Archbishop John Roach, Chairman of the Catholic Bishops of the United States, on March 14, 1983. The writers are members of the German Bundestag. Dr. Alois Mertes is state secretary of the Federal Foreign Office and a Christian Democrat. Dr. Georg Leber is Vice President of the Bundestag and … Read more