‘A Private Matter’: Joe Biden’s Very Public Clash With His Own Church
Becoming president has brought Biden into direct conflict with conservative Catholics on the most polarizing issue of the moment: abortion. Read full piece
The Fall of a Nation
In this issue of A Public Witness, we consider the failure of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan amid the unfolding humanitarian crisis. And we offer some lessons we hope Christians will consider from this war miscast as a crusade.
Refugee Aid Groups Criticize Biden for Stumbles in Evacuating ‘Desperate’ Afghans
As most Americans absorbed the shock of the Taliban’s full takeover of Afghanistan over the weekend, officials at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service followed the rapidly deteriorating situation with resignation, knowing it could have gone differently.
Controversy Over Communion in the Catholic Church Goes Back Some 2,000 Years
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently approved drafting a document on receiving Communion in the Catholic Church. Mathew Schmalz, a Catholic scholar of religion, argues that battles over Communion are nothing new in the Catholic Church.
The Real Threat to American Catholicism
The American Catholic bishops’ fight with President Joe Biden reveals much about the state of the Church. Read full piece
Faith in Silence
There’s glory in the silences. Within the hushed folds of restraint and self-control, there’s an absence of judgment, bravado and brashness. What must it take for a politician, a talker with decades of tales, to say next to nothing? Read full piece
The Bread, the Cup, & the Politics
In this edition of A Public Witness, we’ll walk you through the theological missteps being made by Catholic leaders attempting to deny communion to President Joe Biden and other politicians over the issue of abortion. And we’ll look at why the politics of communion matter so
After Politically Charged Debate, Bishops Vote to Draft Controversial Communion Document
Members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have voted to draft a document on the Eucharist, green lighting a controversial effort championed by a group of conservative clerics who have called for denying Communion to President Joe Biden and other Catholic Democrats who support
5 Things to Watch for as Catholic Bishops Conference Debates Communion Ban
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ spring meeting begins Wednesday with as much interest for political observers as religious ones, as what is typically a mundane clerical confab takes up an escalating debate over President Joe Biden and Communion.
Communion Ban for Pro-Choice Politicians is an Old Story, But the Stakes have Grown
As bishops in the United States prepare to discuss the drafting of a document that could ban pro-choice Catholic politicians like President Joe Biden from receiving Communion, experts say while this is not a new debate, the stakes are higher than ever.