Letters

Readers respond to articles about Democratic politics, U.S. foreign policy, and race in Catholic media, and the magazine honors our retiring poetry editor.

By The Editors

November 23, 2020

Letters

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Letters | Stories of sin and redemption

Readers respond to the Flannery O’Connor controversy, the 1619 project, and the attitudes of early American toward executive authority.

By The Editors

October 22, 2020

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Letters | Drinking alone and together

Readers weigh in on rural culture in Jonathan Malesic’s essay, “Drinking Alone,” and the author replies.

By The Editors

October 12, 2020

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Letters | An exchange about the Armenian genocide, pandemic sanctions

An exchange about the Armenian genocide and a reader response to Cuban sanctions in light of the economic strain of the pandemic.

By The Editors

August 26, 2020

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Letters | Responses to Pascal & the Magisterium

Readers respond to the May 2020 article about Blaise Pascal, and the author replies.

By The Editors

July 1, 2020

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Letters | A correction, the acquittal of Cardinal Pell & more

Readers weigh in on racial sensitivity, LGBTQ+ representation, and all sides of the Cardinal Pell acquittal.

By The Editors

May 27, 2020

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Letters | Darwin’s sins, Catholicism & philosophy, parish ministry, etc.

Readers weigh in on Darwin’s racism, the importance of the University of Louvain, prolife ethics, greater parish diversity, and laywomen as ministers.

By The Editors

April 30, 2020

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Letters | An exchange about the Eucharist as symbol, progress at seminaries

Readers respond to the Eucharist as symbol and what progress the Canadian Church has made in response to clerical sex abuse.

By The Editors

March 23, 2020

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Letters | Pachamama controversy, gender & sexuality, impeachment, etc.

Readers respond to the Pachamama affair, LGBTQ+ acceptance, Democrats on impeachment, and historic days in Irish history.

By The Editors

February 27, 2020

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Letters | The bishops’ ‘preeminent priority,’ supporting LGBTQ couples, etc.

Readers respond to articles about the USCCB’s priorities, support for LGBTQ couples, and more.

By The Editors

January 29, 2020

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Letters | Scandinavian social programs, defending indigenous land & Barr’s micro-morality

Readers decry the hypocrisy of William Barr, and celebrate an indigenous community living in the Andes.

By The Editors

December 30, 2019

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Online Letters | A church in flux, & the last Beat

Readers discuss the anonymous article on abortion, annulments, the development of doctrine, and the work of poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

By The Editors

December 10, 2019

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Letters | Better and worse nationalisms, fearing universal truths, etc.

Readers take issue with the open letter on the new nationalism, and wonder whether universal truths are still viable.

By The Editors

November 29, 2019

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Letters | The bishops and sex abuse, Catholics on the margins & more

Readers respond to questions of episcopal authority, liturgical mysticism, and the authoritarian politics of Donald Trump.

By The Editors

August 26, 2019

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Open Letter | Against the New Nationalism

A true culture of life welcomes the stranger, embraces the orphan, and binds the wounds of all who are our neighbors.

By The Editors

August 19, 2019

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Letters | Undermining whiteness, celebrating Scotus

One reader responds to Paul Baumann’s recent online column on race, while another celebrates the vision of Duns Scotus.

By The Editors

July 30, 2019

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Letters | A debate on Christian flesh, a story about Fr. Hesburgh

An exchange between Paul Griffiths and John Cavadini on the meaning Christian flesh, and praise for Fr. Hesburgh.

By The Editors

July 29, 2019

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Letters | Seminarians, vocations, etc.

Readers respond to a recent article about seminary reform, and offer thanks for a piece on cancer.

By The Editors

June 24, 2019

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Letters | Does the church do paradigm shift?

An exchange between Fr. Robert Imbelli and George Dennis O’Brien examines whether changes in pastoral practice really amount to changes in doctrine.

By The Editors

June 3, 2019

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Letters | Sexism and clericalism, the role of the laity & more

Readers respond to an article by Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP on the vocation of the laity, and praise David Unger’s meditation on Christ’s humanity.

By The Editors

May 20, 2019

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Letters | The decline of the West, taxing the rich

Readers write in praise of Elizabeth Warren, and caution the magazine to widen its horizons.

By The Editors

May 6, 2019

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Letters | Racism, anti-Semitism

Readers urge a greater attentiveness to the consequences of racism and antisemitism.

By The Editors

April 22, 2019

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Letters | Resisting Catholic fascism, witnessing healings

Readers question the idea of an “authentic Catholic” and speculate about the unknown laws of nature

By The Editors

April 1, 2019

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Letters | Prosecuting under RICO, Virilio’s vision

Readers celebrate the legacy of French Catholic thinker Paul Virilio, and question Cathleen Kaveny’s critique of using RICO the statute to prosecute the church

By The Editors

March 11, 2019

Letters

Sexual-abuse Crisis

Arts

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Letters | Analysis of the Pennsylvania grand-jury report

Readers respond to Peter Steinfels’s analysis of the PA grand-jury report, and Steinfels replies

By The Editors

February 25, 2019

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Letters | Sexism in the church, outrageous redemption & more

Readers discuss redemption and forgiveness, sexism in the church, and more

By The Editors

February 11, 2019

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Letters | Rebuilding after abuse, rejecting the Benedict Option

Readers continue to respond to the abuse crisis, and take issue with the views on liberalism advanced by Patrick Deneen

By The Editors

January 28, 2019

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Letters | Another scandal, another insult

Readers respond to Boniface Ramsey’s article on ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick

By The Editors

January 14, 2019

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Letters | Rethinking the Order of Malta, ratio & intellectus

Readers respond to a negative characterization of the Order of Malta and clarify types of knowledge

By The Editors

December 17, 2018

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Letters | Continuing the conversation on Brett Kavanaugh

Readers respond to the editorial opposing the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh; the editors also weigh in

By The Editors

December 3, 2018

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Letters | The Catechism & Capital Punishment

A reader responds to articles about changing the catechism’s teaching on capital punishment

By The Editors

November 19, 2018

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Letters | Maria Goretti & Anna Kolesárová, abortion & infanticide

Readers response to articles on female martyrs, and the divisions between prolife and prochoice camps

By The Editors

October 29, 2018

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Letters | Sex abuse & clericalism, the divine right of kings, etc.

Readers write in about clericalism and sex-abuse, the church in China, and more

By The Editors

October 4, 2018

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Sex abuse & clericalism

A reader responds to the editorial about sex-abuse and clericalism with a personal story of abuse

By The Editors

September 24, 2018

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Abandoning Eden

A reader responds to the ecological consequences of abandoning an Edenic theology of ecological perfection

By The Editors

September 10, 2018

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‘Humanae vitae,’ annulments and marriage, the common good

Readers respond to ‘Humanae vitae,’ contraception, marriage, and civic virtue

By The Editors

August 27, 2018

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Responses to ‘Humanae vitae’

Readers weigh in on our recent package of writings on Paul VI’s landmark encyclical

By The Editors

July 30, 2018

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Bad metaphysics, overheard at Hardee’s, etc.

Readers respond to the idea of progress, the human life cycle, marriage, and the death of Fr. Nonomen

By The Editors

June 25, 2018

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The Bard’s religion, the Kingdom of God, etc.

Readers respond to the prospect of Shakespeare’s Catholicism, the dumbing down of Catholics in church history, the truth about old age, and more

By The Editors

June 4, 2018

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Letters | Marriage & Communion, Fr. Baran, etc.

Readers respond to articles about Ross Douthat’s new book, the role of theologians, Fr. Nonomen, and more

By The Editors

May 17, 2018

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Follow-Up to ‘Rape Is A Sin’

Philip Lawler, who is mentioned in a recent piece ‘Rape Is A Sin’, wrote to the editors. Author B. D. McClay responds

By The Editors

May 15, 2018

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Readers Respond

Our readers weigh in on hope amid racism, the big bang, and columnist Fr. John Baran

By The Editors

May 4, 2018

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Readers Respond

This week, readers weigh in on the dilemma of Catholic academic theology and the advantages of being part of a Commonweal Local Community

By The Editors

May 3, 2018

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Letters | Bad translations, considering death and putting it off

Readers discuss liturgical translation, the questions death makes us ask, and more

By The Editors

May 2, 2018

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Readers Respond

Readers question the legacy of Pope Francis, consider death, trace the faith life of Thomas Merton, and more

By The Editors

April 22, 2018

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Letters | Ways of knowing, the dignity of labor, etc.

Gary Gutting responds to Paul Griffith’s review, a reader makes a correction, and more

By The Editors

April 18, 2018

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Letters | Hart’s translation, financial clericalism, etc.

David Bentley Hart replies to the review of his book, and readers discuss reforming the clergy and healing after trauma

By The Editors

March 28, 2018

Letters