Letters

… As a woman who has no more desire to be a priest than I do to be a brain surgeon, let me … the pastoral perspective (“ Women and the Priesthood ,” May). How many teenage boys … of a shrinking and aging population of priests. Women fill the gap sensitively as …

By The Editors

July 1, 2024

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Letters | The Catholic Left, Evangelical diversity, and neoliberalism’s stranglehold

Readers discuss the ongoing power of the Catholic Left and the theology of social democracy.

By The Editors

May 24, 2024

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Letters | The Cuban embargo, aid to Israel, and meaning in Catholic media

Readers discuss the U.S. embargo of Cuba, debate Israel and “just war,” and the meaning of Catholic art.

By The Editors

April 22, 2024

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Letters | Israel’s actions in Gaza, alternatives to integralism,  roadblocks to environmental protection

Readers discuss the war in Gaza, integralist “solutions” to declining religious affiliation, and Pope Francis’s ecological vision.

By The Editors

March 25, 2024

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Letters | Thérèse of Lisieux, school vouchers, and sleepwalking bishops

Readers discuss American democracy and the U.S. bishops, the function of school vouchers, and the impact of St. Thérèse.

By The Editors

February 23, 2024

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Letters | Theological reflections and consumer culpability

Readers discuss the meaning of the Real Presence and the role of consumers in environmental destruction.

By The Editors

January 26, 2024

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Letters | The war in Gaza, eucharistic realism, Louis Bouyer’s insights, and George Eliot’s continued relevance

Readers discuss the theology of Louis Bouyer, the enigmatic George Eliot, and the need for an end to the war in Gaza.

By The Editors

December 22, 2023

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Letters | Methadone clinics, Israel, the Farm Bill, and miraculous gifts

Readers discuss the value of methadone, the hubris of Netanyahu, and the Catholic teaching regarding miracles.

By The Editors

November 26, 2023

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Letters | Robert Bellah’s socialism, the war in Ukraine, and Catholic higher education

Readers consider Robert Bellah’s anti-capitalism, weigh in on the ethics of the Ukraine War, and reflect on the state of Catholic higher education.

By The Editors

October 28, 2023

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Letters | Fighting featureless modernity, helping young  people find Christ

Readers discuss finding meaning in modernity and the challenge of modeling Christ for young people.

By The Editors

September 23, 2023

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Letters | Addressing the priest shortage and countering consumerism

Readers discuss civic renewal, the need for religious community, and the benefits and limits of lay parish directors.

By The Editors

August 28, 2023

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On the Edge of Empires

“Happily, Helsinki is not all geopolitical excitement. It is also lumberingly omnipresent trams, for which I quickly come to feel something close to love.”

By Paul J. Griffiths

August 21, 2023

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Letters | Higher education, nuns and abuse, Baptism, AI

Readers discuss the state of American higher education, the role for nonviolence in Ukraine, and the meaning of charity.

By The Editors

July 16, 2023

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Letters | No end in sight for Ukraine; assisted suicide & God’s will

Readers discuss the possibility of a humane resolution to the Ukraine War and ask whether we can really know God’s will in making end-of-life decisions.

By The Editors

May 28, 2023

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Letters | Compassion in death, comfort in music

Readers consider the ethics of medical aid in dying (MAiD) legislation and reminisce alongside the music of Glen Campbell.

By The Editors

April 29, 2023

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Letters | Reconsidering merit and inequality

A reader and George Scialabba continue the conversation about merit, social production, language, and inequality.

By The Editors

March 27, 2023

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Letters | The Respect for Marriage Act

The conversation continues about the recently passed Respect for Marriage Act, and a reader praises the bigheartedness of Wendell Berry.

By The Editors

February 28, 2023

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When Literature Stood on Its Own

“I loved Steinbeck’s letters so much I want others to know about them too, for they recall an era when literature stood on its own.”

By Jo McGowan

February 21, 2023

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History

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Letters | Talking about abuse and abusers; Dorothy Day chooses her own way

Readers reflect on clergy sex abuse, consider Dorothy Day’s feminism, and accuse Commonweal of innumeracy.

By The Editors

February 1, 2023

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Letters | The language of life before birth

Readers respond to Mary Gordon’s essay on pregnancy and experience, and react to the film “Tár.”

By The Editors

December 29, 2022

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Letters | American intervention in Ukraine and theology in hip-hop

Readers respond to Paul J. Griffiths’ call for an end to American military aid to Ukraine, and reflect on the spirituality of hip-hop.

By The Editors

November 19, 2022

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Letters | Responses to the “Abortion After Dobbs” symposium

Readers react to Commonweal’s symposium on abortion, the Dobbs decision, and Catholic moral teaching.

By The Editors

October 22, 2022

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Letters | Human smuggling at the border, single-issue politics, and remembering Tom Cornell

Readers clarify the Biden administration’s migration policy, criticize the Church’s use of episcopal energy, and remember Tom Cornell.

By The Editors

September 25, 2022

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Letters | Accessing the classics, symbols of inclusion, and solidarity with victims

Readers argue for the value of the classics accessed digitally, skewer the hypocrisy of anti-LGBTQ clergy, and reflect on compassion.

By The Editors

August 30, 2022

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‘Eve Country’

The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe has once again shifted international perceptions of Japan.

By Charles De Wolf

August 9, 2022

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Scandals that Stick

Following Boris Johnson’s resignation, the Conservative party must reckon with upcoming challenges and the lingering stain of the Partygate scandal.

By Felix Robertson

August 5, 2022

Foreign Affairs

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Letters | Does India really need fewer farmers?

An exchange between readers and Daniel K. Finn on farm and agricultural policy

By The Editors

July 13, 2022

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Letters | Saving the eurozone, ‘tariff’ penances, and remembering Afghan refugees

Readers and authors respond about the European Union and penance, plus a reminder of Afghan refugees.

By The Editors

May 25, 2022

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Letters | Lebanon, penance, secularization and the sacred

Readers weigh in on solutions in Lebanon, the history of penance, the search for the sacred, and dialogue with traditionalists.

By The Editors

April 27, 2022

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Letters | Ukraine, Reconciliation, AI, Lyme Disease

Readers respond to coverage of Ukraine, reconciliation, artificial intelligence, and invisible illness.

By The Editors

March 30, 2022

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Letters | What’s next for Ukraine?

Readers weigh in on Ukraine, the role of Eucharistic ministers, the correct response to neoliberalism, and the perils of a religious community lacking real intimacy.

By The Editors

March 2, 2022

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Catholic Colleges & the Synod

The challenge of engagement facing the synod is real. But these readers point to the progress at their own institutions as a model of how we can move forward.

By The Editors

February 8, 2022

Synodality

Higher Education

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Letters | Pragmatism, Ukraine, and the meaning of sex

George Scialabba replies to a comment on John Dewey, and readers weigh in on the editors’ suggestions for Ukraine and the search for a new narrative about sex.

By The Editors

January 24, 2022

Letters